SCRT welcomed Matty for work experience in July. Read Matt’s blog about his time at South Cumbria Rivers Trust.
Matty’s Moments
I was fortunate to gain a week’s work experience at South Cumbria Rivers Trust during the summer term. I was initially welcomed by a chatty lovely bunch of people who made me feel really welcome. To begin my journey, I was taken out on my first day to a small section of a river at Starnthwaite, where I jumped straight into electrofishing. The amazing team thoroughly explained how to do it and how to be safe. Whilst we only managed to catch 2 fish in the morning, I still really enjoyed it and gained valuable knowledge. In the same afternoon I was taught some interesting information on why we clean equipment that’s been in the rivers, utilising the Check, Clean Dry method and proceed to cleaned down the equipment we used. Following this, I input some data I collected from the morning into an online spreadsheet and read up on the fantastic work the team does. This day was fun mix of being outside and being in an office environment.
Day 2
During my second day I went straight out to a site next to Windemere lake with some members of the team and volunteers. At the site I learned some valuable information about invasive species like Himalayan Balsam. We got straight to work and removed a huge amount of Balsam and had an opportunity to plant some reeds. I felt a drive to remove as much of the species as possible to stop this nasty plant spreading. I got to be out in the sun and help the wonderful environment I live in. During the afternoon I got to clean some special equipment the team use and do some organising of waders. The day taught me hands on experience and also insights into other sectors of the charity.
Day 3
I got to go electrofishing again but this time it was in the Duddon area. In the morning, we drove to the area and walked to the river, with other volunteers. I managed to catch some extraordinary fish such as salmon, eels and trout, measured each fish and recorded the data. After we had finished with this site we moved onto the second site where we ended up catching 19 trout. This activity gave me insight into the species the rivers of the Lake District hold. I really enjoyed working with the team and feeling like the contributions I made were helpful. These activities have provided with fantastic transferable skills, as I got to do loads of hands-on work and record it scientifically.
Day 4
On my final day I headed straight to the office where I got some tidying and cleaning jobs completed. I prepared equipment for an event and cleaned equipment. It showed me the work that the team has to do to maintain high standards and keep everything in good condition. In the afternoon I had a chance to travel into Ulverston, where we assessed a weir, including the consequences of these types of structure. We made sure to gather a lot of photo evidence to help with further development works and headed back to the office.
Overall, this has been a really positive experience and has taught me the practical elements of being an environmental scientist as well as the office aspects of a job like this. It was great to try new things, and this experience has really inspired me to pursue my goals of becoming a scientist in the future. The whole team were lovely to me and made me feel so welcome. Not only did they teach me lots of new skills but also educated me on the current environment we live in.