Pondwatch JE 2026 - Free Training Event
Pondwatch JE 2026 - Free Training Event
Discover the wildlife living in Jersey’s ponds and learn how to monitor local species at our annual Pondwatch JE training session.
Get involved, help gather valuable sightings of Jersey’s pond life and become a trained Wild Volunteer to help us assess and conserve freshwater habitats and the species that they support..
Date and Time: Saturday 21 February 2026 10am - 2pm.
Location: Frances Le Sueur Centre, St Ouen.
Reserve your place via Eventbrite
What is Pondwatch JE?
Pondwatch JE is a project that aims to gather sightings of the wildlife living in Jersey’s ponds to help assess their conservation status, distribution and habitat requirements.
How can you help?
There are opportunities for everyone to take part. Depending on your interests, experience and the time you have available, you can currently get involved in two different ways:
Level 1
Spend 30 minutes looking for wildlife in ponds and send us your results. No experience or training is required, but we recommend that you attend the training event to find out more about the survey and the incredible diversity of wildlife that ponds support.
Level 2
Carry out 5 surveys, each taking 30‒60 minutes. You will search for amphibians and other pond life at a pond using three methods; visual searches, netting and nighttime torch surveys. You do not need experience, but you do need to attend the training event.
Training
An in-person training event is held at the start of the Pondwatch survey season each year.
The 2026 training event will take place on Saturday 21 February 2026 from 10am - 4pm at the Frances Le Sueur Centre, St Ouen.
This free event is open everyone although we ask that anyone wishing to attend reserves a place via Eventbrite
Schedule of the day:
09:45 Arrival/coffee
10:00 Welcome and introduction to Pondwatch (Jon Rault and Tim Wright).
10:15 A brief review of what we have learnt from Pondwatch (Tim Wright).
10:25 Pesky pond plants - invasive non-native plants in ponds and how to avoid spreading them (Tina Hull).
10:40 Pondlife identification – amphibians, reptiles and fish (John Wilkinson).
11:10 Pondlife identification – dragonflies and other invertebrates (Jon Rault).
11:30 Short break.
11:40 Carrying out Pondwatch Level 1 - pond survey methods and data recording (Emily Wagdin).
12:00 Carrying out Pondwatch Level 2 - pond survey methods including habitat assessment, safety and biosecurity (John Wilkinson).
12:35 Data entry for Pondwatch Level 2 (Emily Wagdin).
12:45 Practical field session – demonstration, practical session and Q&A.
13:30 Lunch and opportunity to sign up as a volunteer.
During the lunch break, there will be an opportunity to sign up, discuss potential pond sites, allocate ponds to be surveyed and collect survey equipment.
The sessions are free and open to everyone, but please register for a ticket to help us plan numbers. Light refreshments will be available; however, please note that we may not be able to cater for all allergies or dietary requirements.
What if I don't have a pond of my own?
If you don't have a pond of your own to survey the Pondwatch team can allocate you one. Please speak to one of the team at the training event or contact hello@biodiversity.je.
PondWatch Partners: Government of Jersey, Jersey Biodiversity Centre, Jersey Amphibian and Reptile Group (JARG), Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (ARC).
Pondwatch is the successor to both the National Amphibian and Reptile Recording Scheme (NARRS), which ran in Jersey from 2007 to 2018, and Toadwatch, which ran from 2005 to 2018. During this time, volunteers contributed a great deal of valuable information that helped shape the design of Pondwatch and continues to inform conservation efforts for freshwater species.
