Wildlife conservation charity People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES) is calling for volunteers in all corners of England, Scotland, and Wales to survey endangered water voles, whose populations have plummeted by a staggering 90% since the 1970s.

Once a common sight along Britain’s waterways, habitat loss, fragmentation, and predation by invasive American mink have driven water voles close to extinction in the UK. Help is needed UKwide to protect these iconic ‘ecosystem engineers’.

Until 15 June, ‘water vole watchers’ are being asked to visit their nearest stream, river, ditch, or canal in search of water voles or their signs. Tell-tale indicators include feeding stations, a neat pile of vegetation near the water, latrines, piles of droppings, burrows, or the characteristic ‘plop’ of a vole diving into the water.

The PTES website has more information about the survey and how to participate. Participants can also find a list of nearly 900 pre-selected sites or register a new one.

Emily Sabin, Water Vole Officer at PTES, points out that while “Whiling away a few hours along a local waterway surveying for water voles is really enjoyable and rewarding, it’s also a fantastic way to take part in conservation and to make a difference to the wildlife that lives around us”.

Despite monitoring 1,174 sites since 2015, “more help is desperately needed to fill the gaps. If you have any spare time between now and June, then I’d urge you to get involved if you can.”

As part of the National Water Vole Monitoring Programme, the results of your survey will help conservationists find where water voles are living, how their populations are changing each year, and where they’re no longer found.

This data is crucial for PTES to understand where their conservation efforts will have maximum impact, such as restoring rivers, improving habitat connectivity, and controlling American mink.