For World Female Ranger Week, Amy Telford tells us about her career journey
While many National Parks across the world can be quite remote, Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park can be reached within an hour’s drive by 50% of Scotland’s population. This accessibility means that our Ranger Service face a challenging role that must balance nature and conservation with the millions of visitors who come every year to enjoy the National Park. This #WorldFemaleRangerWeek, we’ll be checking in with some of the team to find out what inspired them to follow this career path.
First, we’ll be hearing from Ranger Team Leader Amy Telford, who joined the National Park as a Seasonal Ranger back in 2019.
Tell us about your career journey
I have a BSc in Tropical Environmental Science and MRes in Ecology & Environmental Sustainability.
After graduating I did a LOT of volunteering for The Conservation Volunteers (TCV) and RSPB and eventually got paid short-term contracts with them. I then did a paid TCV Traineeship working for the RSPB at Loch of Strathbeg as Community Outreach Officer, engaging the local community in the natural history of the area. This was brilliant for my career as I was working in a ‘real’ job but was supported by them through lots and lots of training to boost my career prospects.
After that I did a season with Scottish Wildlife Trust at Jupiter Urban Wildlife Centre as an Assistant Warde, before getting my first long-term contract working as a Community Ranger for Forestry and Land Scotland and The Woodland Trust in the Kilpatrick hills. This was a brilliant role where I got to combine all of my skills to deliver practical conservation tasks, work with volunteers, run education sessions and develop marketing and communications material too.
I then took a career break to have my daughter. When she was little, I started working for the National Park seasonally for a couple of years as bank staff. This was a brilliant position for me as I could combine family life with a flexible job in the outdoors supporting the valuable work of the park. I also developed a completely new skill set, learning all about our camping management byelaws.
Finally, I went back to work for the RSPB at their Loch Lomond reserve, as a Community Engagement Officer for a couple of years, before returning to the park in 2023 to take on the role as Ranger Team Leader, a position which is perfect for my background in conservation, working as a ranger on the ground and knowledge of the park.
Did you always want to work in the outdoors?
Yes – before I moved to Scotland as a child, I was born and raised on the Cumbrian coast, near the Lake District National Park. I spent lots of time playing on beaches, hiking in the fells and exploring outdoors. I always loved nature and animals and was fascinated by all things natural history. When I finished school, there was no doubt for me that I wanted to go into higher education and pursue a career in this area.
What is your favourite part of the job?
My favourite part of the job is working alongside a team of people who are all passionate about the same thing, protecting and enhancing this special place for the enjoyment of others.
What are the challenges?
The hardest challenge is the employment prospects. There are always lots of highly qualified and skilled people going for the same positions. Most people have to do lots of volunteering to get their foot in the door in the first place and often roles are funded, short-term contracts. It’s an amazing job to have but not always easy getting one!
What’s your favourite place in the National Park?
My favourite place in the park is Cashel, both the forest and down by the loch. I live locally and I love going there for a hike or a swim with my husband, kids and dogs. It’s always a little bit more peaceful the other hotspots on East Loch Lomond, I can get there in ten minutes and the views are amazing, right in the middle of Conic Hill and Ben Lomond.
Tell us about how you feel connected to nature.
I love observing the ebb and flow of the seasons and the changes that brings around the park. I always notice the geese arriving for the winter, the Osprey fishing over the lochs in the spring, listening to the cacophony coming from the rookery every morning as they all wake up for the day, bluebells blossoming and then making way for lush green trees.
Now I have children, I love seeing nature through their eyes and the pleasure they take in little things they encounter daily, as simple as watching a snail on the path. I think this connection to nature is important, so you can understand your place within it.