Get Involved

We welcome your interest in the Scottish Beaver Trial. Read here about how you to get involved and learn more about Scotland’s most exciting conservation project:

• Volunteering
• Do you have what it takes?
• Beaver Ranger Volunteers
• Volunteer Office Beavers
• Local Events
• Student Placements
• Schools

Volunteering

The Scottish Beaver Trial is a large and complex project with many different aspects. Over the next five years, there will be many opportunities to be involved whether you are keen to make a long standing contribution or join our team on a more temporary basis.

Do you have what it takes?

We always welcome volunteering offers, though it might not always be possible to find a suitable task for every volunteer. We are looking for people who are happy to consider volunteering on a long-term basis, do not expect to be paid expenses or for the project to provide accommodation. Ideally, you should have knowledge of the trial site, relevant previous experience and can work with the minimum of supervision.

The variety of work means that there are jobs to suit different people and their interests. These can be split into two main groups: Beaver Rangers and Office Beavers. Keep reading to find out which post might suit you.

Beaver Ranger Volunteers

Beaver Rangers will be the bodies on the ground assisting the Field Officer with tracking and beaver management work where appropriate.
Beaver Ranger Volunteers should:

1. Be keen and able to work for the Scottish Beaver Trial in sometimes difficult terrain, challenging conditions and unsociable hours.
2. Be happy to get their hands dirty and their feet wet.
3. Accept that we may not always see beavers but that monitoring tracks and signs is just as valuable.
4. Be conscientious and able to follow methods as instructed by the Field Officer.
5. Reliably follow health and safety regulations.
6. Equip themselves appropriately for the conditions in outdoor clothing and stout footwear.
7. Specialist equipment, e.g. buoyancy aids, will be provided.

Volunteer Office Beavers

Not everyone wants, or is able, to go out in the cold and wet lugging heavy equipment around. However, a large chunk of the Field Officer work is back in the warm and dry. There are plenty of aspects of this work with which help would be appreciated.
Volunteer Office Beavers will:

1. Helping at events
2. Working on the beaver volunteers’ newsletter “Beavering Away.”
3. Help to keep equipment in tidy working order
4. Input data
5. Responding to requests for information about the project.
6. Good communications skills would be helpful in this role

If this sounds like you then please contact us. Let us know whether you would like to be considered for a Beaver Ranger or Office Beaver position and if you have any relevant prior experience.

Local Events

Please check our calendar (coming soon) to see if there are any Scottish Beaver Trial events happening soon.

Student Placements

Due to a need to allow the beavers to settle in with no more disturbance than is deemed necessary by the project partners in order to collect essential information, we are currently not in a position to agree to any research proposals from students.

Over the course of the five year trial there may be limited opportunities for students to conduct their own research projects, if considered to be valuable and in keeping with the aims of the project.

The beavers will be closely tracked and information collected will feed into research being carried out on their ecology, behaviour and impacts on the environment and other species.

Each research proposal will be considered on an individual basis by the project team and/or Scottish Natural Heritage, as the Trial’s independent monitors. No projects will be able to go ahead without approval from the partners.

Please refer to this website where any changes or opportunities will be posted in due course.

Schools

Studying the Scottish Beaver Trial is a perfect way to help kids learn about ecology and conservation in Scotland today. We are currently developing a learning pack which will act as a classroom tool to teach youngsters about our project. Please contact us for more information.