Clara Risi

Experience

• 

  Gean House

  Oct 2016 - Oct 2018

  Waitress

  I worked as a waitress for 2 years, waiting in functions, meetings, weddings and associated events. Duties include general waitressing, cleaning, KP work and setting up for dinners etc. This has helped to improve my communication skills with the public, aiding them in any way I can.

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  Direct Ecology Ltd

  Jun 2018 - Sept 2018

  Field Staff

  I worked for this ecology company during the spring and summer of 2018, carrying out bat surveys in the field. This helped me to develop my survey methodology training and understanding in different environments, gaining valuable experience with an ecology consultancy.

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  Peatlands Partnership and RSPB

  Jul 2019 - Aug 2019

  Flows to the Future Intern

  I have worked for two months for the 'Flows to the Future' project which has been set up in order to aid in the restoration of blanket-peat bog within the Flow Country which has been damaged by forestry practices. During my time in this role I was tasked with several publicity, communications and public relation roles. I have been partly responsible for updating their website and assisting in the day-to-day running of the project. I have also worked with members of the public within the reserve visitor centre and during events. At events I have led members of the public to do activities such as pond dipping, painting with children and educating people on the project. During this role I have also been able to work alongside the reserve team, completing practical conservation duties with working holiday volunteers. This consisted of assisting and leading working holiday volunteers of all ages in activities such as best practice monitoring, conifer regeneration control and installing plastic piling dams. Show less

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  RSPB

  Sept 2019 - Feb 2020

  Conservation Skills Trainee

  I spent 6 months as a residential volunteer at RSPB Forsinard Flows in Caithness, Scotland. Here I gained a range of experiences and built upon my knowledge of practical conservation work.I carried out a range of surveys including common scoter counts, vegetation quadrats (best practice monitoring), otter surveys, hydrological (dipwell data collection, datalogger retrieval + installation). I analysed camera trap data and used Merlin to map historic and current native woodland on the reserve. I was trained + am proficient in the following training courses: safeguarding level 1, GDPR, Lantra brushcutter, strimmer, clearing saw, 4x4 and sit-aside ATV. I also completed a winter hill skills course and a two-day outdoor emergency first aid course. I led, worked + lived with local, short term and long term volunteers, carrying out a range of practical habitat management in remote and challenging terrain including removing fish exclosures in four lochs (using dry suits in winter for a few hours), hydrological monitoring, best practice monitoring, regeneration control (using a variety of tools that require everyone to follow health and safety guidelines), deer fence removal and plastic piling dam installation. I often worked alone in remote areas using GPS, map and compass over difficult terrain. Including open bog, felled conifer forests and standing forests. I was also involved in staffing the visitor centre, delivering information on the reserve and the local area during the summer season, collecting money from donation + pin badge boxes, preparation + working at reserve events, setting up and being responsible for evening guest talks and doing school visits. I also undertook trail maintenance (ordering equipment and putting up relevant signage for visitors to follow on the reserve). Show less

• 

  The John Muir Trust

  Mar 2020 - Oct 2021

  Community Ranger

  I was employed as a community ranger in the John Muir Trusts Western Isles Partnership. Here I spent nearly 2 years working between the Trust, Galson Estate, North Harris Trust and the West Harris Trust (community owned estates). During this role I was involved in community engagement, practical conservation and education. I carried out a summer programmes of guided walks, organised + led volunteer days, aided schools in their delivery of the John Muir Award, created + updated risk assessments, maintained social media channels, wrote articles for local papers, created environmental educational material, completed ad-hoc wildlife surveys, WDC Shorewatches, machair wildflower surveys, deer counts and best practice monitoring (habitat impact assessments). I engaged with local residents, crofters, trustees + tourists (including implementing and educating people on the Scottish Outdoor Access Code). I was also involved in the development and writing of land management plans + background documents for several Trusts. Including the use of GIS mapping and analysing data for future use. I maintained records of all activities, visitor numbers, donations, identifying areas of the estates needing work (ie culvert repair), amount of marine litter collected etc. and reported regularly on my position for funding bodies. I undertook practical land management tasks, both lone working, with colleagues and volunteers. Some of the projects I worked on include building footpaths, planting native woodland + building fenced areas for a community growing project. I also worked alongside the Woodland Trust ‘Croft Woodlands Project’ to assess residents crofts for suitability of native woodland planting and to inform them on funding options. I often worked alone in remote locations using a map, compass and GPS to navigate in peatlands, hills, machair grasslands and rocky steep shorelines. I also led volunteers + guided walk participants in these areas in all weather conditions. Show less

• 

  APEM Ltd

  May 2022 - Nov 2024

  In this role I work across South West, Central and South East England and parts of Wales undertaking freshwater aquatic environmental surveys. I frequently undertake the following activities; water sampling, flow gauging, fisheries surveys (sein & fyke netting, electric fishing), aquatic invasive species monitoring & trapping, mapping of aquatic protected species habitats, SOAF, walkover pollution surveys, borehole monitoring, eDNA collection, otter surveys, bat roost tree assessment and invertebrate sampling & relocation. I have become the lead team member on all of my current surveys, leading teams of up to three people at a time. I liaise with project managers before fieldwork begins, prepare kit, organise transport, hotels and survey locations. I lead the survey once on site, ensuring that all data is collected currently and working around any unanticipated problems that arise. I ensure that all staff remain safe and feel comfortable. I have also been involved in the project management side of consultancy, participating in writing tenders, methods statements, risk assessments, incident reports, data analysis, project reports and producing maps/surveys for use on tablets and phones in the field (qGIS, qField, Survey123, FieldMaps).I have also become a facilities manager and have the responsibility for ensuring that our southern team have all the required kit they need on a weekly basis, liaising with colleagues, managers and other hubs to ensure everyone has what they need before setting out. This requires forward thinking, planning and logistics due to the distances we travel and everyone’s location in relation to our base. I have been heavily involved in the maintenance and running of the store room, carrying out weekly fire warden checks, problem solving teething issues such as bin services and building a suitable delivery box for couriers to deliver kit. I am also the main contact for our landlord. Show less

  • INNS Consultant

    May 2024 - Nov 2024

  • Field Scientist

    May 2022 - May 2024