Meet our volunteers

Callum has been a member of the Dee and Don INNS team for years but was out with Jan almost every day this year as well as taking on a couple of areas on his own - and still keeping up checks on the two mink rafts he has!

Callum said: ‘I've been a fisherman since I could walk and now find ferreting about in burns and rivers in search of invasive species every bit as satisfying as trying to catch fish. It's a whole lot cheaper too. By volunteering, I get to see places I'd never normally visit and enjoy good exercise in good company for a good cause. It's a great way to learn and justifies the consumption of chocolate. What's not to like?’
 

Maria has been a plant control volunteer on the Conon River since 2022.  She enjoys and appreciates the natural world and feels that taking part in pulling Himalayan balsam helps preserve the riversides for wildlife and future generations.

“Volunteering with SISI is a great opportunity for an invigorating day out in a beautiful location that I might not otherwise get to visit.”

Jess and Alan live in the highlands in what used to be a mink farm about 60 years ago. Legend has it that one day the owner was badly bitten by one of the mink, so he abandoned the idea and set all the mink free! After hearing about the SISI project they decided to get in touch and sign up as mink volunteers.

Jess said: “Living on an old mink farm, we wanted to help amend the mistakes of the past and this motivation was heightened by a recent mink sighting. A friend of mine told me that he had signed up to monitor a mink raft himself, and gave me the contact details for Trudi, the SISI Project Officer for the area. Helping to keep the highlands free of mink will benefit our chickens and ducks as well as the native wildlife.”
 

Mark retired a few years ago and was keen to volunteer for an organisation that included active participation. The SISI project caught his eye for several reasons - it was local to his area of the Spey, involved active control work and, most importantly, allowed Mark to get involved with giant hogweed control.

“Giant hogweed was a personal concern for me as I had some invading my stream at the bottom of my garden. As it happens, the stream was also ideal for a bit of mink trapping, so I have a mink trap on a floating raft in there too.

I thoroughly enjoy the days out spraying hogweed (or half days sometimes as I’m old and tired) and I had my first mink catch recently.  The days out spraying are fun and Karen keeps us organised and enthused. Her lunchtime coffee and biscuits are worth the effort alone!  It’s fine to help make a difference and killing hogweed is just plain fun.”
 

Sarah is a recent graduate from the University of St Andrews where she studied Biology. Her passion for ecology and conservation led her to the Findhorn, Nairn and Lossie Rivers Trust for a 6-month ‘Working with Rivers’ internship. She has started off by working on invasive species with their project officer, Elise, but will also be working on electrofishing, freshwater pearl mussel surveys and the Findhorn Watershed Initiative, which works on catchment-wide river restoration.

“I have always been passionate about nature and understand the importance of ecology and conservation. I want to make a difference and be part of the solution. Working with the Findhorn, Nairn and Lossie Rivers Trust allows me to do this. Plus I get to be outside in nature and work with and meet some wonderful people.”

The Upper Tay Paths Group is working to tackle giant hogweed and Japanese knotweed on the River Tay. This constituted voluntary group, supported by Perth and Kinross council, has been working in partnership with the project since 2020. With group members trained up in safe use of pesticides, the team is working together to eradicate giant hogweed and Japanese knotweed from the upper Tay with support from our local Project Officer.

Pete said: "We have many path users and watersports enthusiasts using the river in our area and we want to get rid of Giant Hogweed urgently so that the plant cannot harm anyone. We have heard about the skin damage that it can cause particularly to children, so when SISI suggested we get involved, it was an easy decision to make. Five of us have been trained and it already feels that we are making a difference with fewer plants appearing each year. Anything we can do to make the paths more accessible and appealing has got to be a good thing."

Karen and Jon work for the NHS and have been living in Scotland for 2 years. They live on an 8-acre property which they manage as naturally as they can to encourage wildlife and native wild plants and trees. Karen has already planted over 400 native broadleaf trees and hedge plants and is currently planting an orchard. They signed up to volunteer after our local Project Officer found signs of mink on their land and approached them for help. 

“We have volunteered for this project as we are passionate about Scotland and its native species. We think the project is a fantastic way to raise awareness of our natural environment and to encourage the countryside to flourish without invasive wildlife and plants forever changing the biodiversity of Scotland.”

Joe is one of our trained volunteers helping with our collaborative project on the River Almond with Perth and Kinross Council. As a resident of the local area, he’s been aware of the giant hogweed problem for years and jumped at the chance to help.

“I had been walking past the Giant Hogweed on the Almond for some time muttering to myself that ‘someone needed to do something about it’! It was only when I saw SISI were looking for help with addressing the problem that I realised that I could, and should, be that someone. It’s a project that’s going to require a focus for a number of years and will give our own native species the opportunity to reclaim the Almond.”
 

Nikki is a Visitor Ranger with Perth and Kinross Council and is passionate about protecting our wildlife and countryside. After hearing about our collaborative River Almond project through the PKC Climate Action Facebook page, Nikki took the opportunity to get involved and signed up as a volunteer. She has been trained up in safe use of pesticides and has been out volunteering with us on the Almond and on the River Tay. 

"I have thoroughly enjoyed partaking in SISI's Giant Hogweed Control programme. Volunteering has made it possible for me to learn new skills and I love giving my time back to such a beautiful place."
 

Alan is one of our most prolific plant control volunteers on the River Dee and the River Don, having logged over 200 volunteer hours in the last 4 years. Alan is involved in all aspects of invasive plant control and oversees other volunteers working alongside us.

“I've lived most of my life near rivers of varied quality but now in retirement I can put some effort into restoration. Spraying or pulling invasive species takes me to remoter parts of beautiful rivers I wouldn’t normally go to, and always in good weather. Everything and everyone benefits from control of invasive species, and I get fresh air, exercise, the occasional biscuit, and to appear on the same webpage as Marigold."