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From urban jungle to Worcestershire’s rainforests…

Meet Jess and learn more about her journey in becoming a conservation trainee...

Hi I’m Jess, one of the new conservation trainees. I can’t believe it has already been three months since I started on this adventure and I’ve been loving every minute!

I've made quite the leap, from working as a senior architect at Passivehaus Designer in a busy city office, to spending my days exploring and working on some of the most beautiful and special natural sites in Worcestershire. At first glance you might wonder 'what’s the connection'? Essentially I have always been passionate about environmental sustainability, with a strong belief that we all need to do our bit to protect this wonderful world that we share.

After studying and working for over 15 years in the built environment on healthcare, schools and university buildings, doing my best to encourage sustainable approaches in a commercial world, I found my life being consumed by the urban environment and I missed spending real time outside, connecting to nature. You shouldn't have to choose between city or nature, everyone deserves access to the natural world and a successful building should connect to the surrounding landscape (but this is often overlooked or cut from the budget). If we don't prioritise looking after nature now, then there will be nothing left for us to connect back to!

Feckenham Wylde Moor in summer

Feckenham Wylde Moor by Jess Morrison

I knew something in my life needed to change and I found myself signing up online to my local work party at the beautiful nature reserve of Feckenham Wylde Moor, where I first volunteered with the Trust back in 2019. Fast forward to now, after several years of volunteering at Feckenham and discovering the fantastic roving volunteer work parties last year, I have officially left the city behind and I am embracing every moment outdoors as a conservation trainee.

Being new to the conservation sector, this traineeship has already allowed me to learn so much first hand; working in a wide variety of habitats, developing my practical skills (I’ve already got a bit of a reputation for being covered in mud), learning what makes each habitat so valuable to wildlife and discovering how to manage these. This knowledge has been imparted though our team leader, Andy B, whilst out and about as well as through numerous courses, talks and walks covering topics such as animal monitoring and management, heathland bird identification and dormouse surveying at Ribbesford (I could barely contain my excitement on this one). Most recently, I spent a wonderful day at The Knapp and Papermill nature reserve learning all about grassland plant identification.

When I started the traineeship, nesting season was well underway and despite the rather unwavering wet weather this spring, everything was busy growing and coming to life on our nature reserves. I have learnt that at this time of year it’s best to let nature get on with its thing, giving us the opportunity to take stock of our reserves and focusing our efforts on annual site maintenance; checking and repairing stock fencing, vehicle access and footpaths for general wear and tear. 

Trainees improving ride drainage

As new trainees, we learnt the importance of site access and infrastructure the hard way when Andy got his hands on a digger. We spent a week (in the mud and midges) improving drainage along one of our woodland rides, with the hope to install deer fencing soon after. After week of much-needed sunshine, the track was drying out nicely. However, the night before work started again, the heavens opened! The deer fencing still had to be installed, leaving us with no choice but to lug the equipment up the very long and very muddy track.

Although it turns out that all this rain is good for some things, we were on our way with the team to one of our ancient woodlands to fix a footbridge and clear some fallen trees blocking the paths, when Andy B casually dropped into conversation that we were going to a rainforest! Just the suggestion made my imagination go wild. As a child I was fortunate to spend a lot of time walking and exploring the mountains and valleys of North Wales and occasionally I would find myself in these magical pockets, where mist hung in the air and the trees were dripping with mosses, lichens and ferns. At the time, I didn't appreciate the global significance of these incredible places or that they were in fact part of a globally rare habitat – temperate rainforest.

Technically speaking,  “Worcestershire’s rainforests” are not strictly temperate rainforests but this doesn’t make them any less magical or important. Due to the unique geological features of the nature reserve, the conditions are perfect for a rich and distinctive ecosystem reminiscent of a rainforest. The woodland comprises of an incredible array of flora and fauna and is a precious home to many specialist species. Coincidentally, it was also these geological features that made accessing and fixing the footbridge with two large concrete kerb stones an interesting challenge; for the mountain lovers amongst us, Andy likened the tree-covered ridge that the footpath followed to that of Crib Goch!

I feel like I have stepped into a whole new world over the last three months, experiencing nature in a new way through the guidance and support of the traineeship and the wonderful people at the Trust. Every time I start to figure something out, it just opens up a whole new expanse to explore and I can’t wait to see what the next few months bring.

In 2019, architect Jess joined us as a volunteer to spend more time in the natural world. Now a trainee, she is hoping to pivot to a career in conservation.

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