Wilder Wardens

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)

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. If you are interested in finding out more please email youthaction@norfolkwildlifetrust.org.uk