Conservation Hero: Angela Salmon

She volunteers as a La Societe council member and open day assistant, plus a Guernsey Conservation Awards judge, while sitting on the Biodiversity Partnership Group, which scrutinises the States of Guernsey biodiversity strategy.

She has been the Guernsey Conservation Volunteers project co-ordinator for over a decade and a member for longer.

Her nominator for the Butterfield-sponsored Conservation Hero award, Huw Sharp, said: ‘Angela’s invaluable work for GCV and other conservation organisations is all achieved in a voluntary capacity. She is instrumental to the operation and success of GCV.’

Undertaking year-round planning for GCV programmes and risk assessment, she communicates seamlessly to efficiently circulate duties.

‘Angela liaises with landowners – principally the States of Guernsey, National Trust and La Societe – ensuring that conservation aims and landowners’ requirements are met.’

Volunteers are briefed on conservation objectives, tool use, safety and site hazards.

She carries out work parties every fortnight across island sites.

Tree planting, pollarding and aftercare are some of her duties, as well as hay meadow management, removing non-native invasive species or dominant local species, reed bed management and beach cleans to douit clearance.

Angela preserves rare species found in Guernsey, from the black backed meadow ants and loose flower orchids, extinct in the UK, to the Granville fritillary butterfly, in the UK found only in the Isle of Wight.

She actively promotes conservation and well-being in the media and regularly maintains an online presence.

Her students learn about Guernsey and ‘the wider world of nature, its awe and wonder and the need for conservation’.

‘Guernsey’s habitats and environment are in a better place because of the GCV, which is principally due to Angela’s commitment, knowledge and willingness,’ said Mr Sharp.