|
There are lots of ways you can get involved with our work from taking on a raft to helping us develop our outreach work. Below are some more details but if you are interested in any of these opportunities please get in contact with us. We also have a number of information sheets which may be of interest.
Unfortunately we are not able to be everywhere all of the time so your American mink sightings play an important role in helping us direct and focus efforts. If you have seen a mink, dead or alive, we would really like to hear from you. We would also like to hear about your sightings of water voles as remaining populations really need our help and if we don’t know where they are, we cannot protect them. Click on the title to go to our sightings submission form.
We are often going to events to promote our work and if you’d like to help us do this, please get in contact with your local Mink Control Officer.
|
Monitoring a raft takes a few minutes once a fortnight and just involves checking a clay pad for American mink footprints. We provide training and equipment to do this, along with a footprint guide so you can identify any tracks you find. Over the last few months, we have recorded prints from otter, stoats, polecats and unidentified birds!
More information about what is involved in monitoring a mink raft can be found in the film on the What We Do page
|
Jamie Urquhart (C) |
Whereas rafts can be checked every fortnight, it is a legal requirement that a set trap is checked every 24 hours. We have some volunteers who are not able to commit to do this so we try and pair them with someone who can if the need arises. Traps are only set for 5 – 7 days and all that is required is that you contact someone if the trap has been sprung. If nothing is caught after this time, the raft is returned to monitoring mode until futher mink signs are detected.
Jamie Urquhart (C) |
As not everyone is willing or able to dispatch American mink, we are also looking for people who can do it on their behalf. All dispatchers are required to meet with the local Mink Control Officer to go over the correct procedures and receive training, before any dispatching is carried out. Please contact us for more information. |
- Volunteer Information Sheets
Please find below identification and information sheets to help you with your mink raft checks. We ask all our volunteers to complete and sign a liability disclaimer and an agreement form, also listed below.
Adobe reader is required to download these documents, this can be obtained from Adobe's website
- Useful information for volunteers
Why not check the river levels in your area before setting out to check your rafts? Visit the Scottish Environment Protection Agency's rivel level site- updated throughout the day. Choose a river from the list, then click on the graph symbol to give you accurate, current river levels
SEPA River Level Data
Flickr photo-sharing site. Scottish Mink Initiative has a Flickr photo-sharing site, which is free for anyone to join. Join our community of volunteers and upload images. Other volunteers and our staff can help with identifying footprints |
