We believe that nature is for everyone and that everyone has a role to play in its recovery. All of us can bring different experiences and perspective to our work so, for this International Women’s Day, we asked women across Devon Wildlife Trust to share their experiences of nature, working for the charity, and their advice to women interested in conservation.
Happy International Women's Day!
Liz Mary
This International Women’s Day 2022, we are profiling some of the wonderful women staff and volunteers who help protect and restore Devon’s wildlife.
Penny Mason - Director of Wilder Living
My connection with nature started by playing in the scrubby, unkempt corners of the town where I lived. They provided a sense of wonder and danger in equal measure! Some nettle flowers tasted sweet, but mostly nettles stung… Wild corners were places where I felt myself. Where I could see whole other worlds and escape all the petty things that frustrated me.
I had no background in ‘conservation’ when I applied for my role at Devon Wildlife Trust ten years ago now, but I love wildlife, love Devon and DWT is an organisation that reflects my values, so I went for it. Many women will automatically rule themselves out of applying for jobs if they don’t hit every single criteria on a person specification. It also doesn’t help that people often perceive ‘conservation’ as a technical or science based activity (subjects which many girls do not pursue beyond GCSE level). But conservation also involves managing people, engagement, communications, finance, fundraising, HR…Roles within the sector are really diverse, even if the sector itself currently lacks diversity, something that the Wildlife Trusts are working to address.
My advice for women who are interested in a career protecting nature is to go for it. Do not rule yourself out of roles if you don’t tick every box on a person specification, and if you lack essential experience, build it through volunteering and community activity. Passion for nature, hard work, respect for others and a willingness to learn are attributes anyone can acquire, anything you don’t know can be learned, and you are undoubtedly more experienced and skilled than you think!
Hannah Best - Fundraising Officer (Legacies)
My name is Hannah and I work for the Fundraising Team at DWT. Since I was small, I was always visiting gardens with by nan, mum & dad, and sister taking in the environment around us and I was very interested in animals from an early age, often taking part in sponsored walks.
With my current role at the Trust, I enjoy being able to thank people for their support, donations and if they have told us they have left a gift in their Will to the Trust. I know how important all of these contributions are to DWT, and enable us to do some amazing work for wildlife.
Working in conservation doesn’t necessarily mean you have to work on the ground - play to your skills and if there is a particular area of work that you want to get in to, do some extra training. For example, I did training with the Open University, which really can open doors for you.
I believe International Women’s Day is an opportunity to celebrate all of those women who do amazing work for charities and other businesses and organisations. And to show all generations of women and girls, and others too, that women can achieve great things – however small or large they may feel that achievement is.
Izzy Moser - Natural Solutions Advisory Officer (Northern Devon Natural Solutions)
Hello, my name is Izzy. My role engages me in the landscape of north Devon, where I’m lucky to work with a range of landowners from small holdings, to the larger and more intensive farms. I am part of a mixed team (a good balance of men and women), whose purpose is to support landowners in improving or creating habitat for wildlife. My background has been working alongside rivers, and I’ve spent a lot of my time working in the Torridge catchment.
Jen Gough – Reserves Assistant
Hi, my name's Jen. I joined Devon Wildlife Trust as a Reserves Assistant in November 2021.
My role is very practical, hands on and varied, and one where I'm learning all the time. It's an absolute joy to be out working on the reserves every day helping to manage habitats, whatever the weather and doing so in a fantastic team.
The practical side of conservation is still fairly male dominated so it feels good to be representing women within the land management team. I have felt very supported in my work and would definitely encourage more women to enter the conservation sector.
Helen Parr – Urban Ranger (Green Minds Plymouth)
I’m Helen Parr and I am working on the Green Minds Project in Plymouth as ‘Urban Ranger’. I joined Devon Wildlife Trust in 2014 as the Community Engagement Officer for the Devon Greater Horseshoe Bat Project (which ended in 2021).
Watching David Attenborough’s Life on Earth series as a child opened up my eyes to the wonders of nature. Then whilst studying Geography at University I became even more interested in conservation and the environment. After some travelling to wild and wonderful places around the world, I realised that was what I wanted to do….
My advice to women who want to enter this sector is to get involved with local conservation and learn as much as you can. There are lots of events you can attend in Devon such as online talks and in person walks. I started off as a volunteer doing practical conservation - this gave me some great experience for my CV. You don’t have to be an expert in everything; general knowledge and understanding of the issues are just as important. You’ll definitely never earn a fortune, but you will be richly rewarded in terms of your job satisfaction, and making a meaningful difference to the natural world.
Katie Wilkinson - Wilder Communities Team Leader
I was always curious of wildlife and was definitely an outdoor, bug hunting child growing up. But a pivotal moment came when I had the opportunity to join an international expedition with my school. We visited a tropical rainforest and from that day forward I knew I wanted to work in a field that helped/conserved/defended the natural world.
The thing I enjoy the most about my role is the diversity of work and being able to help people take action for wildlife! I really enjoy talking to people – their passion and enthusiasm really rubs off on me and gives me hope that when we all stand up for nature we can make a real difference.
The advice I would give to women entering the conservation sector is 'Be your own person'. It’s not a race – you don’t have to know everything about everything. Be open to learning and new experiences. Your path is your own and there’s no right or wrong route to follow – follow your passion!
I think it’s important to celebrate International Women’s Day because we contribute so much to the movement as a whole. We have diverse roles in the sector from a practical outdoorsy role to education to fundraiser. We can do it all and that is worth celebrating!
Andrea Pinder – Wildlife Help Desk Volunteer
My name is Andrea and I’ve been volunteering on the Wildlife Help Desk since last summer. I don’t remember ever not being drawn to wildlife. My “local” wildlife has differed vastly over my lifetime - and it’s always fascinated me.
From my early childhood of rummaging through Dulwich Woods with my family; exploring the incredible diversity of our beautiful gardens in Africa; being amazed by the sheer size and smell of animals on safari; to discovering chipmunks in the woodpile stacked next to our house in Washington - nature has never ceased to lift my spirits and offer comfort.
Since returning to the UK from Israel I have enjoyed rediscovering our local wildlife and, with the expert guidance offered by staff at the DWT, learning about how to encourage birds, insects, mammals and native flowers to my garden. It has given me a positive project to focus on as I attempt to navigate my new “single-Mum” status.
I’m so grateful to be involved in offering guidance and information to the public, to encourage their interest in and enthusiasm for conservation. I hope this is just the start of my journey with the Devon Wildlife Trust.