Iceland Wilderness Management Programme

Ex-Volunteer Feedback Extracts

Alisa Macleod joined the programme from 17th to 29th July 2011 and gives her feedback on the project:

I was the first of my group to arrive at Landmannalaugar so the Rangers kindly took me in for a cup of tea until the rest turned up. The group were great fun, well organised in the mess tent and everyone got on, pitched in and made me feel really welcome as the only 'newbie'. I don't think I've ever laughed so much in one week either. The trail work was physically hard work but manageable and we had good instruction from Jamie & Joe. The Rangers were lovely too - always on hand to help and chat and the last night bbq/chilli night with them was cool.

Landmannalaugar was an awsome place to be, I had read about and seen photos beforehand but they really weren't able to convey the spectacularness of the area - the colours, shapes, warmth and eeriness of the midnight sun too!

For the second week, after a bit of to-ing and fro-ing I was able to head over to Skaftafell with half of the group I was with and then onwards to Laki. It was nice to meet the other volunteers at Skaftafell that the group had been talking about and also have a day or so to get used to a different bunch of people that I'd go with to Laki.

Roger was leading this group and he wasn't afraid to tell you off if you weren't doing what you were told! We stayed in a refuge/bunk-house without electricity or running water, so took turns to fetch water from the 'lake' a couple hundred yards away. Luckily we had loo paper for the long-drop loos outside. The weather had turned for this week from bright sunshine to proper grey, wet and windy days so there was ample opportunity to clamber into orange waterproofs. It's amazing to think that we put stone steps that will hopefully be there for years into one of the Laki craters and marked out a new path up the mountain! Rangers: Kari and Eyglo were brilliant and interesting as guides on walks in the lava channels, as was Kari's grandson Sindri who was over for the holidays and had a giggle messing about with us and teaching us Icelandic words & phrases.

Again, the landscape was awsome but completely different to the previous week and fantastic to climb to the top of Laki Mountain and see the spine of craters lining the route between Myrdalsjokull and Vatnajokull.

Even though the 2 weeks were physically demanding I came home completely relaxed and inspired. I would definitely go back to Iceland and see more - volunteering was an excellent way of seeing a number of places and meet some super people.

Alibhe Murphy volunteered on the Iceland Wilderness Management project in Summer 2011, and describes the experience:

My time in Iceland was fantastic.  Living in that weird and wonderful landscape was such a treat and I loved being out doors all day everyday.  Ian was a very attentive and caring leader and the rangers Brodthi and Volti (forgive the spellings) had a pride in their country that was infectious.  Working along side the volunteers that had been there for 3 months greatly added to the experience and I learnt alot about the country through their stories.

Matthew Craig writes about his experience in Iceland in July 2010:

I applied for conservation work in Iceland for a number of reasons. Primarily, as a keen geographer, I wanted to make a positive difference to the environment. Secondly, I was fascinated by the prospect of observing- and interacting with- the environmental work, development, and ethics of one of the world’s greenest nations. Thirdly, I was keen to meet new people with similar values to myself- with whom I could positively interact and work alongside- in order to create a better environment.

The work was split into two weeks. The first week was spent working on a path alongside the ‘Dettifoss’ Waterfall. Large amounts of tourist erosion had occurred off the main path, upon the surrounding vegetation. The objective was to line the original path with boulders as a deterrent to people straying onto the surrounding area. The eroded path was then resurfaced with soil from a designated area; which was then covered by pumice stone- obtained by deposits of the nearby river. Through the exploitation of natural, renewable resources, the importance of sustainability in a work environment was observed.

Teamwork was essential here; whilst around half the 13-strong team prepared the path to be lined, the remainder collected the boulders in pairs, making a large number of trips to and from the path. Independent work would have been ineffective, so it was necessary to use teamwork skills. The tiring, repetitive nature of the work made an enthusiastic attitude essential; in order for the work to be carried out efficiently, it was necessary to encourage others to keep going in spite of fatigue. Moreover, the importance of remaining enthusiastic in spite of circumstance was highlighted on a personal level. Further teamwork was used in collecting soil and pumice; a ‘human chain’ system was developed, whereby the material was transported quickly and effectively to and from the path.

The second week involved the extensive removal of lupus- an invasive, foreign plant species- from a number of different ecosystems. Working alongside senior members of the Iceland Environment Agency, I gained a valuable insight into the daily routines of such an organisation, and its values of teamwork, efficiency, and sustainability. Although the work was repetitive, teamwork and high morale were used to develop different ways to remove the lupus most effectively.

Both weeks required a strict schedule to be met. On both weeks, the team was camping; on work days (every day except for the weekend), it was necessary to be awake by 8am; to be out of the tent, to have had breakfast, and to have made lunch by 9am; and to have set off for work as soon as possible thereafter. The team carried out conservation work until mid-late afternoon, with the exception of a number of short breaks throughout the day. Optimistic targets were set for each day; with high morale, good teamwork, self-motivation and effective scheduling, the targets were met without fail.

Overall, my time in Iceland proved to be a valuable experience, during which I developed a wide range of employability skills- and during which I acquired a valuable knowledge into the importance of conservation and sustainability, for our natural environment.

Iceland Wilderness Management Programme Volunteer - Alan Silcock, from the UK, writes about his experience in Iceland and gives his feedback on the project: