Geomorphology and Woodland Officer

Background

The Wyre Rivers Trust (WRT) is a registered charity with a remit to improve the ecological status of the river Wyre and its catchment. Founded by three angling clubs and supported by many community groups, the Trust started small with localised projects to improve habitat, especially spawning conditions, for all fish species and completed with contractors and volunteers. However, since 2013 the Trust has grown, became host of the Wyre Waters Catchment Partnership and is now delivering works at the catchment scale with a host of far-reaching benefits.

Projects address a range of issues impacting upon biodiversity, water quality, and water quantity, and tackle these with solutions such as natural flood management, habitat creation and habitat connectivity. The Trust has recently created an Integrated Catchment Plan containing a comprehensive list of priorities within the Wyre catchment, reviewed, and agreed by our partners. Following this process, the Trust was successful in securing funding to support the Brock and Calder Landscape Recovery Project, one of a number of national projects working to deliver the highest tier of the Environmental Land Management Schemes. Within this project, there are five posts which WRT will recruit for within the first 6 months of the project development phase.

A key part of the Brock and Calder Landscape Recovery project is highlighting the plight of freshwater and woodland habitats and species, especially in an upland setting. In order to do this, the project will employ a Geomorphology and Woodland Officer who will be responsible for the delivery of actions related to the development of project plans to support a long-term programme of delivery. The actions will be varied but will focus on freshwater habitats ( fluvial audits and habitat condition assessment) and woodlands ( woodland management plans) and on ensuring that the needs of these habitats are suitably reflected in the aforementioned plans. The officer will also work closely with the Conservation and Engagement Officer to develop and freshwater ecosystem engagement strategy for the project.

The role will be split between home-based working in the north Lancashire area and the Wyre RT Offices in Myerscough, Lancashire. The candidate will be expected to work across the entire catchment and a large amount of time within any given week will be spent outside. The officer will report to the BCLR Project Manager and Wyre Rivers Trust General Manager.

Job Purpose :

The Geomorphology and Woodland Officer will be responsible for the delivery of multiple actions related to the project and the development of key plans during the development phase. The GWO will work to deliver actions related to woodland management plans, fluvial audits and aquatic habitats. These actions will inform the Land

Management Plan and the Monitoring and Evaluation Plan and ensure that each reflects the needs of freshwater ecosystems within the project area. The GWO will also help to contribute to stakeholder engagement by working with the Conservation and Engagement Officer to develop a freshwater ecosystem engagement strategy which highlights the pressures faced by freshwater habitats and species.

Person Description :

The successful candidate will be an exceptional self-starter with the motivation, vision and passion for ensuring that greater value is placed on the river Wyre becoming cleaner and healthier environment. They must be a good communicator with a passion for conservation and knowledge of freshwater and upland environments. Ideally the candidate will also have an excellent knowledge of geomorphology, particularly in relation to upland rivers and the natural processes that should be present within them. In addition the candidate should have some knowledge of woodlands, woodland creation techniques and woodland management strategies. Although extensive training opportunities will be available to upskill the right candidate. The candidate should have a good knowledge of the following topics.

• Catchment science, geomorphology, freshwater environments, and their associated flora and fauna
• Survey techniques related to geomorphology, woodlands, and freshwater habitats and species.
• Catchment and river restoration techniques, particularly those in which improved geomorphology is an outcome.
• Woodlands, their species, their management, and their creation and / or restoration.
• Key interactions between woodlands and rivers in an upland setting and the delivery of projects which seek to increase these interactions.
• The importance of engagement with key stakeholders to support delivery of actions related to rivers, geomorphology and woodlands.

For a full breakdown of the roll responsibilities and person specification, please see the attached job description.