Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Authority has launched a recruitment drive to find Volunteer Rangers to help look after the National Park and to ensure visitors have a great experience when they arrive.
The Volunteer Rangers will have the opportunity to work on a number of activities including helping out at Visitor Centres, delivering events, helping visitors at popular sites including village centres and working on environmental projects, such as wildlife monitoring.
Speaking about the new role, Mike Cantlay, Convener of the National Park Authority said, “We have the largest professional Ranger Service in Scotland but with an area covering over 720sq miles, we need Volunteer Rangers to support us in achieving even more. We are looking for people to make an ongoing long term contribution to the work of the Park and who can share their enthusiasm for the stunning landscapes we have in Loch Lomond and The Trossachs with the people who visit the area. This is a fantastic opportunity to escape urban living and to learn new skills with a professional service.”
“With a minimum commitment of two days a month, Volunteer Rangers will be involved throughout the whole year. There are no specific qualifications needed to get involved but we are looking for people with certain qualities. We’re looking for confident people who are able to meet a wide variety of people and share what they know and love about the National Park with others. If you have a passion for interacting with people, being outdoors and want to demonstrate or improve your existing skills, we want to hear from you.”
Zoe Morris, Volunteer Development Manager said, “We already have a dedicated team of 200 volunteers who take part in various practical conservation projects. We want to build on the success of this programme and give Volunteer Rangers the opportunity to get more involved in the breadth of National Park work. Training will be provided in the New Year so Volunteer Rangers are ready to start in April 2011.”
A pilot scheme was held this summer with ten Visitor Management Volunteers, helping out at popular visitor sites providing information, helping out with events and carrying out visitor surveys. This was the first time Volunteers have been involved in positive visitor management activities and National Park Volunteer, Tracey Hamilton spoke about her experience of participating in this pilot, “Overall I think the pilot scheme went really well and I personally got a better insight into other areas of the Rangers jobs and found out there is more to it than you might think. My first weekend I helped at a Bat and Moth Night which was an educational event to teach members of the public more about identifying bats and moths in the area. I also had the opportunity to deliver an event on a subject I was interested in connected with the National Park and I decided to do it on the biodiversity of the area as 2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity. The Rangers I was placed with were really good at letting me know what we were doing, where we were doing it, and my role in particular, everything was well organised for my involvement. I would recommend anyone with a real interest in the National Park and working outdoors to get in touch.”
An open evening will be held on Thursday 14 October, 6-8pm for anyone interested in becoming a Volunteer Ranger. This will be an opportunity to meet some of the Rangers and find out more about the role. The minimum age for applying to become a Volunteer Ranger is 18. For further information about becoming a volunteer ranger see the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park website.