At La Société Guernesiaise, we’ve spent more than a hundred years studying, protecting and celebrating the natural heritage of Guernsey. From Archaeology and Botany to Marine Biology, Astronomy, Bats, Birds, Family History, Historic Buildings and beyond, our specialists have been at the heart of the island’s scientific and educational landscape.

Now we’re opening that expertise up to the business community with a brand‑new Corporate Partnership Programme. It’s designed to give companies a hands‑on, meaningful way to support island conservation while providing their staff with unforgettable outdoor learning experiences.

EY Channel Islands CSR Day, July 2025

Why a Corporate Partnership?

Many organisations today are looking for tangible CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) projects that go beyond a cheque‑box exercise. They want something that:

• Delivers measurable environmental benefit – direct involvement in habitat restoration, wildlife monitoring and species protection.
• Engages employees – team‑building outings that combine adventure with learning.
• Boosts brand visibility – recognition on our website, newsletters and social channels.

Our new programme checks all those boxes, and it does so in a way that fits each company’s interests and schedule.

What Partners Get

Each corporate partner receives a four‑event package per year that we tailor to your team’s goals. Here’s what’s included:

Corporate Partners Receive:

• Four CSR events each year, planned around a company’s interests and capacity
• Social media and membership recognition for each event
• Access to La Société publications and resources
• Logo placement on website and selected partnership materials,including the newsletter

CSR Activities Include:

• Wildlife Surveys (including Rockpooling and Dolphin Watching)
• Bespoke wildlife tours (including meeting the Conservation Herd)
• Lunch and learn sessions with conservation experts

“Many businesses are looking for practical ways to make a positive impact,” says Becky Ogier, Education and Conservation Lead at La Société Guernesiaise. “This programme gives them the opportunity to contribute directly to local conservation while offering valuable, educational experiences for their teams.”

An annual membership of £2,000 covers the entire four‑event package and directly funds our Education and Conservation Team. That contribution also helps us purchase essential tools, develop new educational resources, and plan long‑term projects with confidence.

Ready to Join?

If you’re interested in turning your CSR objectives into real‑world conservation work, we’d love to hear from you.

• Learn more: https://societe.org.gg/wp/corporate
• Contact Becky Ogier: ecl@societe.org.gg

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Cattle grazing has returned to the Icart headland for the first time in almost 100 years.

La Société Guernesiaise Conservation Herd’s latest assignment is grazing the headland at Icart.

The States-owned Icart field has been undergoing habitat restoration since 2017 as part of a project run by Agriculture, Countryside and Land Management Services (ACLMS) in an effort to encourage a wide range of plants, insects and birds to thrive.

“It is amazing to see the ongoing rejuvenation of the site in such a short space of time,” said a spokesman for the department. “Since the clearance of some scrub and bracken, native wildflowers in the existing seedbank have flourished.”

Manager of La Société Guernesiaise Conservation Herd, Dave Bartram, commented: “Grazing will return the area to a wildflower rich grassland by keeping scrub from establishing and creating a diverse glassland sward, whilst their dung is a great food source for many invertebrates.”

The cattle will be grazing for several weeks and is being checked daily by the team that cares for them.

See the article here: https://gsy.bailiwickexpress.com/gsy/news/why-use-mower-when-you-can-use-mooer/#.YXpcS57MKUm

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Clare has extensive marine conservation experience, having volunteered for the Cornwall Wildlife Trust, the Marine Biological Association, and the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, as well as several other organisations. More recently, Clare has become involved in the Bailiwick Eelgrass Exploration Project here in Guernsey, and she is planning to undertake her own research project on the island’s seagrass habitats.

Seagrasses provide several important functions including: blue carbon capture and storage, reducing coastal erosion, and acting as a nursery ground for important commercial fish species and other protected species such as seahorses.

“It is essential to gain a full understanding of seagrass presence, location and composition in Guernsey, which is currently lacking. This small research project has the potential to make a huge impact on the local environment, for instance in advising marine spatial planning. The aim of my research project is to map the extent and biodiversity of eelgrass beds in Guernsey, and extending the project to collect more data from the other islands would be my ambition.”

We also have an update from Charlotte Burgoine, last year’s bursary winner. Charlotte’s final year dissertation research was on the impacts of hedge-cutting on biodiversity in Guernsey, and we were delighted to hear that she was the overall winner of the Sparsholt University Dissertation Poster Competition. We look forward to welcoming Charlotte to the Frossard Theatre to learn more about her research.

Details of the 2022 bursary will be released early next year.

The post Bursary Award 2021 appeared first on La Societe Guernesiaise.

The bursary is a single payment of £1,000 and is intended to support a student who is studying or researching a subject related to biodiversity and conservation of the natural environment.

Who is eligible to apply for the bursary?

Any person who:

(a)  is ordinarily resident in the Bailiwick of Guernsey at the commencement of the 2020-2021 academic year; and either

(b)  is attending, or will be attending in the autumn term 2020, a course of higher education in biological, ecological, or environmental science, or a course which contains a substantial element of such science; or

(c) is undertaking or wishes to undertake research on Guernsey’s fauna, flora, ecology, or other discipline supported by La Société.

Applications may be made in respect of undergraduate and postgraduate courses.

For candidates wishing to undertake on-island research, the Guernsey Biological Records Centre can offer office space, advice, and support.

We would expect applicants to be members of La Société Guernesiaise. Student membership of the organisation costs £5 per annum, and may be purchased on La Société’s website.

In the unlikely event that no suitable candidates are found in any given year, the bursary will be carried forward to the following year.

How to apply:

Please download the application form and complete it.

Along with your application form, please supply a personal statement covering:

What aspects of nature and conservation you are interested in.

What activities related to the study and conservation of nature and the environment you have been involved in.

How your course and/or research relate to your interest in nature and conservation.

How you intend to use the bursary to support your study/research.

Your plans for the future in respect of the study and conservation of the natural environment.

The completed form and the personal statement should be emailed to La Société’s Scientific Committee before 31 May 2020.

How we will deal with your application:

We will ask you to inform us of the results of any A Level or other academic examinations taken this year.

In addition, we may wish to interview candidates. Candidates will be shortlisted in the first half of June 2020, with interviews taking place later in June or in July.

We intend to decide on the award and inform the successful applicant by 31 July 2020. The £1000 bursary will be presented during December 2020.

The recipient will be expected to deliver a presentation on their research, or an aspect of their university work, at La Société’s Frossard Theatre, at a time convenient for them.

Please e-mail any queries to our Scientific Committee Chair, Laura Bampton.

We look forward to hearing from you.

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The list of library books can be opened and downloaded as a PDF file La Société Guernesiaise Library Catalogue 2019 or it can be downloaded to one’s computer as a list in an Excel spreadsheet which is searchable.

The post List of Book in La Société Guernesiaise library appeared first on La Societe Guernesiaise.

1966 – 1967          Victor Coysh
1968 – 1969          Peter J Girard
1970 – 1971           Jean Le Pelley
1972 – 1973           Nigel Jee
1974 – 1975           Rev Victor Collas
1976 – 1977           Dr Richard H. Le Pelley
1978 – 1979           Colin J McCathie
1980 – 1982          Eric H Bodman
1983 – 1984          Mrs Marie de Garis
1985 – 1986          Tim Peet, FRCS
1987 – 1988          Tim D C Earl
1989 – 1990          Richmond A Austin
1991 – 1992           Tim Peet, FRCS
1993                       Sir Charles Frossard, KBE
1994 – 1996           Maj-Gen F G (Griff) Caldwell, OBE, MC
1996 – 1997           Nick M Ozanne
1998 – 2001          W (Bill) T Gallienne
2002 – 2004          David O Le Conte, FRAS
2005 – 2006          Dr Charles David
2007                        Richard Hocart (to June)
2007                        Dr Charles David (from June)
2008 – 2010           Pat Costen, BA, RN
2011 – 2013            Rodney L Collenette
2014 – 2015            Pat Costen, BA, RN (died 13 September 2015)
2015                         Dr Andrew Casebow, Acting President from September 2015
2016 – 2017            Dr Andrew Casebow
2018 – 2019            Yvonne Burford

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