What are Wildlife Wardens?
The Wildlife Warden scheme is part of Action on Climate in Teignbridge (ACT) which was set up in 2019 to support all of Teignbridge’s Councils and communities as they tackle the Climate and Ecological Emergencies. You can find more information about ACT here: actionclimateteignbridge.org
Wildlife Wardens work with their communities to support, protect and increase our parish’s wildlife and improve its chances of surviving the ecological and climate emergencies we face.
Who are we?
In Bridford we have 3 Wildlife Wardens who work together. We are:
Katreen Harding:
I have lived in Bridford since 1977. I enjoy walking my dog along the many footpaths in the parish and surrounding area. I have always had a keen interest in the environment and nature and since retiring I have had plenty of time to indulge my passion. I love to experience the changing seasons, there is always something new to see. I try to garden with wildlife in mind, for example, I have planted trees and a wildflower meadow, as well as creating other habitats. With climate change to the fore this has become even more important. I hope to enthuse other people to do a little bit for nature and hence our planet.
Kitty McCrea:
I have lived in Bridford since 2007. Like Katreen I walk the tracks and paths of the parish daily with my dog and I too have always been interested in wildlife and the countryside. I am particularly interested in farming and the impact that intensive/extensive farming practices have on our wildlife. When I first came to Bridford I would see hares, skylarks, and yellowhammers on my walks. Not anymore. I am keen to find ways to work with our local landowners to help them work towards increasing biodiversity on their land and climate change mitigation. As a Wildlife Warden I will help to co-ordinate our activities and to liaise with the Parish Council and other local organizations and will try to ensure that we communicate effectively with the wider community.
Kerri Watson
Nature and wildlife fascinate me and have done since I was very young. At sixteen my father took me out to volunteer on practical nature conservation tasks with my local wildlife group. At University I studied Countryside and Environmental Management followed by four voluntary nature reserve warden apprenticeships. I landed my first job working as an Assistant Farm Wildlife Consultant. Following this, I worked in agri-environmental research at the University of Reading. I worked on some fascinating projects with studies including agro-forestry, biological control, pollination, wild bees, botanical surveys, energy crops, conservation grade farming, organic farming and stewardship schemes. When my contract came to an end I moved back to the consultancy sector, and into Ecological Consultancy which is where I have remained for almost 10 years. I enjoy my job, helping developers to achieve a biodiversity net gain within their proposed schemes but would like to do more to conserve wildlife for the future, and give it a fighting chance amidst the growing human pressures and climate change. Where better to help than in my local parish?
Get involved!
If you are interested in any of these issues and have comments or ideas to contribute or would like to volunteer to help with any of our projects please get in touch with us. You can email us at wildlifewarden@bridfordvillage.co.uk. We look forward to hearing from you.