Catherine B.
About me
| Catherine B. | |
| Archaeology | |
| Archaeology | |
| Undergraduate | |
| 2002 | |
| United Kingdom |
My employment
| Senior Regional Officer, Northern Ireland | |
| Butterfly Conservation | |
| United Kingdom | |
| Library, museum and information services | |
| 2010 | |
| £12000 | |
| £25000 |
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A day in the life of a Senior Regional Officer, Northern Ireland in the United Kingdom
My career history
Graduated 2002; Volunteer Bosum on Tall Ship Morning Star of Revelation 2002-2003; National Trust Careership Trainee Warden, Hatfield Forest, Essex 2003-2006; Slievenacloy Nature Reserve Warden, Ulster Wildlife Trust, Belfast 2006-2008; Natural Heritage Outreach Officer, Mourne Heritage Trust, Northern Ireland 2008-2010.
Courses taken since graduation
NVQ 2 and 3 in Environmental Conservation through the National Trust's Careership Scheme
Where I hope to be in 5 years
I would love to grow Butterfly Conservation in Northern Ireland and Ireland as a whole both as an organisation and as a concept. I am delighted to see so many young bright people volunteering in the organisation and hope I can continue to support and encourage them on to great things.
My advice to students considering work
I would recommend getting out there and volunteering and looking for these longer term development opportunities. And don't just turn up once a month - throw yourself in, take on responsibility, network, travel, explore and engage with the career/world you want to be part of.
And if you don't know what that world is, don't worry, look for opportunities to try different things, but make sure it's something that excites and interests you.
My advice about working in my industry
Conservation is tough. It's wet, it's cold and it's not always very rewarding. It's even wet and cold in the summer when you're meant to be surveying everything, and nothing you learn can help you with that.
Conservation is depressing. The economic imperative means the war will always be against us and there are many many battles of different scales and sizes. Sometimes we win the battles, but the war will continue until there's nothing left and the odds are stacked against us.
Conservation is remarkable. You will meet people who will inspire and delight you, places that awe and astound you, creatures that amaze and surprise you. Every day is different and you are always learning new and incredible things about the world. You get to switch the light on in people's heads that helps them enter this free, fantastical world we are all part of, but which most of us never see.
What I do
Environmental Sector - Biodiversity and Conservation: Butterfly Conservation is a UK wide charity working to conserve butterflies, moths and the environment.
I am responsible for delivering the Northern Ireland Environment Agency's targets for Lepidoptera (moth and butterfly) conservation in Northern Ireland. The post is funded by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency through their Natural Heritage Grants Scheme.
In my role I;
* Monitor, conserve and increase awareness of the Marsh Fritillary, NI's most protected and threatened species;
* Monitor, conserve and raise awareness of NI's other priority species, 8 butterflies and 66 moths;
* Increase capacity of volunteers and local branch through training in identification, recording, monitoring and networking;
* Engage more people with Lepidoptera through events, outreach, media etc;
The post is a project, funded in three year blocks.
I cover the whole of Northern Ireland and work with landowners, Government Agencies, local councils, NGOs (charities and quangos),local interest groups, communities, individuals, schools and our local branch of Butterfly Conservation to ensure our butterflies and moths are appreciated, recorded and ultimately conserved.
Skills I use and how I developed them
Qualification - BSc Archaeology gave me an appreciation of the impact we as human beings have had on our landscapes over time, the enormous changes we have wrought, even in our earliest days of farming and subsistence. It also taught me a lot of analytical, writing and reading skills, and taught me about my own irrational working rhythms!
Degree level - It's not just what you're given it's what you do with what you've got. (Dick Gaughan) I got a 2:2. I didn't work particularly hard at the bits I didn't like and fell in love with the bits I did. It's about what you love and what you believe in.
Find something that excites you and follow that, but be prepared that if you're after fame, fortune and glamour, conservation will make you poor and bedraggled but with a priceless, remarkable, delightful life.
Degree skills:
I developed a much greater awareness of our significant impact on the planet considering the reletively short time we've been on it compared to its own life.
Extracurricular skills:
I was extremely lucky to end up on the National Trusts Careership Scheme - I'd never heard of it, it looked like fun and it meant I didn't have to think about the future for 3 years. This equipped me with all the skills I needed to go into a starter job in conservation, not my initial plan in life, but then I didn't really have a life plan!
What I like most
Northern Ireland is part of Ireland, and part of the UK, and also place of its own. It is an under-rated and unappreciated part of the country, rich in its people, its landscapes, its wildlife and its culture.
I feel very proud that I work here with a close knit and passionate crowd of conservationists - it's a small world and we have all either worked together already or are about to work together again. Many of my colleagues are also very good friends and it's invigorating to work together on shared positive outcomes.
I have autonomy over my work having helped to write the funding application for the project I am carrying out and trust and am trusted to deliver those outcomes.
Butterfly Conservation are a small but remarkably effective NGO who deliver real outcomes for both Lepidoptera and wider biodiversity, an organisation I am thrilled to now work for having supported them for many years as a volunteer.
What I like least
THE WEATHER!!! Being a butterfly and moth person is not easy when it rains all summer long :(
What would I change? I wouldn't change anything. All the life lessons I have been through have brought me here, and I know I am doing something unique and necessary. If I could change any one thing, I would have tried to study Geology at some point in the past, it really does underpin so much of conservation and heritage and landscape knowledge, I do feel that a grounding in it would have been beneficial, but I didn't know this would be my path.
Next steps...
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