Volunteers are at the core of conservation work and land management carried out by the Dartmoor Preservation Association. Many of our skilled team have been volunteering with us for decades, passing on their knowledge to newer recruits and welcoming everyone who wants to give their time to benefit Dartmoor. We carry out work both on our own land holdings and on other sites across Dartmoor, including helping Gardening the Grounds maintain Princetown Churchyard and helping the DNPA to look after Hound Tor 2 mediaeval village. This Volunteer Week, we would like to extend our sincere thanks to all our volunteers, who give their time and energy so willingly. We couldn’t have the huge positive impact we do without the support of our volunteer machinists, bracken bashers, gorse cutters and workday co-ordinators. Read on to hear from Kate Wareham, sharing her journey from her first volunteer day with the DPA, to becoming a workday co-ordinator.
Giving Something Back
Three years ago I was looking for a way to “give something back” to Dartmoor as it had “given” me so much since we moved to the area 11 years ago. In the process I came across the DPA website. Poking around I found the link to the volunteer working parties and decided to give it a go.
Though I didn’t realise it at the time, my first outing was to what is probably our most challenging site, High House Waste (HHW). Not only is it the largest site, it’s also a good 20 minute walk across the moor to the boundary wall and can be another 10 or 15 minutes more to the actual worksite for the day. All of which may not sound too challenging until you add carrying all the equipment needed for the day including loppers, saws, strimmers, petrol and safety gear! On my first visit in March 2022, I spent the day forging a path through some very thick gorse and loved every minute of it! Everyone was very friendly and welcoming. The work was physical but fun with a real sense of achievement when we broke through to our destination. The day ended with a drink at the Cornwood Inn where I realised that the team were about to break for the nesting season and there would be no more workdays for 3 months – I was so disappointed! However, talk turned to the June orchid count at Pudsham Meadows and I knew I had to be involved. We counted over 4000 orchids! In July it was on the settlement at Buckland Common for bracken pulling but it wasn’t long before I was considered competent enough to be let loose with a strimmer and am now one of the regular “machinists”.
I try to attend as many workdays as possible, especially those at HHW. I love the variety of the sites and the work. It’s also a great learning opportunity as there are always knowledgeable people around who will fill you in on the history of the site, explain why sometimes it’s necessary to pull up saplings or simply to identify a plant for you. After the orchids (and other flowers) have finished flowering at Pudsham we cut the bracken back ready for the ponies which graze the meadows from October to December. For the last 2 years I’ve been part of team which make the daily welfare check on the ponies; it’s a great excuse to go for a walk! This year I’ve been lucky enough to be involved at the very beginning of two projects where you really can’t see what you are supposed to be uncovering. It looks a daunting task and then you remember that 10 or more years ago the settlement on Buckland Common and the fields close to the farmstead at HHW were dense bracken and now they are open grassland (take a look at Google Earth!). Every small effort builds and over time makes a difference. There is great satisfaction to be had in revealing a boundary wall which had been lost to vegetation.
Three years on and I felt I had a good handle on the work at a number of sites and how the various leaders organised the running of a workday. Could I do it? – Worth a shot, so I asked if I could take something on. To be honest I thought would be something small or time limited, but instead I found myself saying “What about High House? – would that be helpful now Claude (the previous lead) has gone back to the US?” And so it is that last October I found myself fretting about the weather (would it be ok should I cancel?), was there enough work for 2 machinists? Should we have coffee before starting work? Then as the day wore on – is everyone happy with their task? Is the weather turning, should we leave? I need not have worried, the team were, as ever, hugely supportive both in their efforts and in responding to my requests for help and advice.
Its early days for me at HHW and I have a lot to take on board with regards to the overall plan for the site and the challenge of breaking down the big picture into bite sized workday effort which gives the team the satisfaction of seeing that they are making a difference. But I know the support is there to help me do a reasonable job and I am looking forward to the challenges ahead in helping to curate this amazing diverse site.
If you feel inspired by Kate’s words, why not come along and experience a workday with the DPA Conservation Volunteers, either at High House Waste or on one of our other sites. A list of our upcoming workdays can be found in our online diary.
Images: Kate Wareham, Sylvia Hamilton, Val Barns