Day 2 - So many squirrel organisations!

There are simply a huge number of different organisations working in England, Scotland and Wales working to protect the red squirrel. When I first started my job in this field, about 2 years ago, I thought "how am I ever going to remember who they all are?!"

It doesn't help that they are generally referred to by their acronyms, which almost always have an "RS" (red squirrel!) in it somewhere.

To give a few examples we have:

RSST - Red Squirrel Survival Trust. New kids on the block - launched recently (April 3rd 2009). A charity set up predominantly to provide funding for rs conservation in the UK.

RSSS - Red Squirrels in South Scotland - as its name suggests, the Scottish squirrel project!

RSPP - Red Squirrel Protection Partnership - one of the more controversial projects, now inactive I think. Began in about 2006/7 to undertake grey control in Northumberland (a county in the north of England)

P&DRSG - Penrith and District Red Squirrel Group - a volunteer run charity working in the Penrith area of Cumbria (another North of England county) doing grey control and raising awareness.

ESI - European Squirrel Initiative - the European side of red squig cons.

NRS - Northern Red Squirrels - A loose umbrella organisation that the numerous local volunteer groups, such as P&DRSG, can be grouped under.

SoS - Save our Squirrels - the project I work for. A publically funded (as opposed to government funded) project based in the North of England. An initial 3 years of funding was granted by HLF and some other organisations, which is nearly up. We're looking to get more funding to continue. We are the UK's largest species conservation organisation...with a grand total of 8 full time members of staff to cover the whole of the North of England. A tough job. www.saveoursquirrels.org

There are a million more out there, all of which have different goals, aims and way of working. Trying to bring everyone in together and pulling in the same direction is a more challenging task than the conservation work itself.

As I said before, the subject of red squirrels is one that triggers passion, obsession, and fierce ideas on what should be done in equal measures. The cold, logical science behind strategies doesn't always agree with the passion, and so sparks fly and rifts are created.