Who is your wetland hero? | Marsh Award 2018
For the past two years, we have been rewarding people for their game-changing work with wetlands. So many people across the UK work hard to make a difference for wetland wildlife yet their enormous efforts are overlooked.
That is why this year we have added another dimension to our annual Marsh Award to highlight all the wonderful work going on in the wetlands around the UK. In 2018, we will be giving out not one, but two awards to the people that deserve them. One is reserved for a special person who has devoted a lifetime to supporting wetlands, while the other will be awarded to a person who has made the biggest impact over the last 12 months. This second, new award is about recognising a person who has recently achieved something amazing.
The winner of each award will receive a cheque for £1,000, thanks to the generous support of the Marsh Christian Trust. By working together to celebrate these wonderful people creating and preserving UK wetlands, we aim to inspire even more people to live wetland friendly lives.
You're free to nominate absolutely anyone. But to spark new nominations and provide some inspiration, we have spoken to four heroes who would make worthy winners for their contribution to wetland ways! Simply download and complete our nomination form to put forward one of these or your own suggestion. Our panel of expert judges will review applications after 31 May so please nominate today. It’s another way that as a supporter of WWT you are part of saving and protecting wetlands and their wildlife!
Today we introduce Rebecca Elliott, who has put her all into the Walthamstow Wetlands project.
Becky is Senior Ecologist and Environmental Coordinator for Thames Water (Eight2O) and has worked on the Walthamstow Wetlands project for over four years. She was initially covering a maternity leave post but has since worked tirelessly to support the ecological development of the nature reserve through various projects.
Becky has been continuously liaising with stakeholders and contractors to implement new habitat areas to increase biodiversity of native species on site. She has also helped secure funding to carry out surveys on current populations of water voles, with the hope of strategically managing the habitat to maximise population growth using coir rolls for river bank improvement works.
Most recently, she put in a successful bid application to create a boggy marsh land in a disused area of site previously damaged by contractor compounds. These works would not only create a wildlife haven for dragon flies and damsel flies but also alleviate a large flooding issue we have faced on site since a new concrete road and ramp were installed nearby. Becky has a vision to instil positive environmental enhancements on the backdrop of a heavily industrial operational Thames Water site.
A large part of the work Becky has been actively campaigning for is above and beyond her normal job scope and the successful grants received by the wetlands project are a testament to her hard work and perseverance to improve the natural landscape and ecology of Walthamstow Wetlands.
