An endangered animal species has found its last safe haven in the meadows around Hildesheim – the field hamster.The German Wildlife Foundation has committed to protecting this species through a nationwide project. You will be working together with the Regional Co-ordinator of Lower Saxony in order to learn about the field hamster and get to know its habitat. Your contribution to the project will help to provide important data on how this rare species spreads. You will be going into the countryside, directly to the harvested stubble-field. Here you will search for hamster burrows and measure them using the GPS device and the iNaturalist app. Besides this, you will be collecting hair samples for genetic analysis. You will enter into a dialogue with various local farmers, where you can learn about their farming methods and cutting-edge species protection methods in the agricultural sector. You can find more information at http://www.feldhamster.de

Accommodation: You will be staying in comfortable shared rooms in the sports academy at KreisSportBunds Hildesheim e.V. You will be sharing the large communal area with another ijgd workcamp which will be taking place at the same time as yours. The group will get full catering

Hildesheim is an old, historical town with 100,000 inhabitants. The cathedral and St. Michael’s Church are both UNESCO World Heritage Sites. There is a large, free arts and culture scene with every type of music, theatre, exhibitions and parties. Besides this, there is an outdoor swimming pool. The marketplace is transformed into a city beach during the summer – a popular meeting point with events in the middle of town. Hanover, the capital city of the Lower Saxony region, is only 30 minutes away by train. https://www.hildesheim.de/tourismus/english-information.html http://www.hannover.de https://www.hannover.de/en

You need to be able to ride a bike – it’s about a 5km journey from your accommodation to the various work sites.

There is an additional administration fee of 50 € for participants who are not from Germany. You need to be able to ride a bike – it’s about a 5km journey from your accommodation to the various work sites.