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A group of young people standing in a row and smiling at the camera, while they stand on a raised platform above the trees on a sunny day

Wilder Wardens 2023 (credit: NWT)

Wilder Wardens

This is our practical conservation group for young people wanting to help the environment, learn practical conservation skills, and make new friends!

Wilder Wardens are a collective aged 11-17 who care about nature and are interested in protecting local wildlife. They enjoy being outdoors, learning new skills, and meeting other like-minded people. During their sessions, they get a taste of what it is like to be a warden on a nature reserve – carrying out real management tasks on site including scrub clearance, visitor infrastructure maintenance, and wildlife surveying.

See what the Wilder Wardens have been getting up to in the gallery below.

A group of young people sit in a boat on a sunny day

Wilder Wardens boat trip (credit: NWT)

A teenage boy with brown hair holds a fluffy grey tawny owl chick in a field

Wilder Wardens meeting tawny owl chicks (credit: NWT)

Two boys wearing winter coats stand in a field of reeds, holding a piece of grass between them

Wilder Wardens enjoying a reserve tour (credit: NWT)

A teenage boy wearing a hat takes a photo of a butterfly as it sits on a green plant

Wilder Wardens spotting butterflies (credit: NWT)

Two children holding long pieces of reed, with one of them breaking a stack over their knee

Wilder Wardens building a bug hotel (credit: NWT)

A line of young people sit in a bird hide, with some looking through binoculars

Wilder Wardens bird watching in a hide (credit: NWT)

A group of young people from behind, as they walk down a path and cut back reeds on each side

Wilder Wardens cutting back reeds (credit: NWT)

A line of young people wearing winter clothes kneel down in the mud to plant hedges along a wooden fence

Wilder Wardens planting hedges (credit: NWT)

Two teenagers wearing grey hoodies build a wooden bridge on a grassy patch

Wilder Wardens building a bridge (credit: NWT)

Interested in becoming a Wilder Warden?

Our Wilder Wardens groups are currently based at NWT Hickling Broad and NWT Sweet Briar Marshes.

Our Hickling Broad group is a more structured group, while our Sweet Briar Marshes group runs as individual volunteering sessions.

If you are interested in finding out more please email youthaction@norfolkwildlifetrust.org.uk. You can also see our Youth Action events on our events page, under the 'Youth Action' filter.

Latest news and blogs

Find out what our Wilder Wardens have been up to below.