A dozen volunteers came to help build two artificial otter holts at a big wetland site in West Yorkshire. From Canterbury, Hampstead and Malmesbury they came to help otters, Joining a BTCV weekend nature break work party, prepared to pay for the privilege of doing practical conservation work. Hidden away in the floodplains of the River Calder, they cut down invasive sycamore to build the log pile holts at the edge of the marsh.

As otters slowly return to the region's rivers these stepping-stone habitats will help them re-establish, whilst the natural habitat improves.

All around us, common and brown hawker dragonflies buzz incessantly as the holts take shape. Brian Lavelle, from the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust's Otters and Rivers Project has masterminded the siting and design. It was he who spotted the chance of using non-mature sycamores growing nearby as a source of timber.

Elsewhere on the site, managed by Jerry Harrington, local volunteers have been cutting reedmace, to prevent it closing up the open waters, which lies in the depressions left behind after sand extraction and mining subsidence. Wondering what to do with piles of chopped reedmace stems, Jerry has hit on a wonderful conservation wheeze. He makes grass snake piles. He simply piles the cuttings out of the way and lets nature take its course. The decomposing heaps warm up, grass snakes living in the surrounding wetlands find it, lay their eggs in the necessary warmth and presto! You have positive management for a declining species.

I wonder if people would travel 250 miles and pay money for the opportunity of helping snakes? I'm afraid the furry cuteness of the otter will win every time.