As Scotland enters a momentous new year, the John Muir Trust is urging all political parties to unite behind the proposed wild land map of Scotland in honour of one of our nation's greatest heroes. John Muir died on Christmas Eve 1914, leaving behind him an enduring legacy of respect for nature, ecology and landscape. He is today a household name in the United States for his role in establishing the national parks. In his adopted state of California, streets, schools, museums, health centres, parks, rivers valleys and mountains are named in honour of the Dunbar-born writer, explorer, ecologist, activist,…

Police have appealed for walkers in Angus for information about a poisoned golden eagle. The bird was found dead earlier this month and tests have now revealed that it was illegally poisoned. Anyone who was in the Glen Lethnot area between 10 and 25 November is asked to contact the Police. The eagle, named Fearnan, was ringed as a chick in a nest near Loch Tay in Perthshire in June 2011 and had spent much of its life in Speyside, before moving to the Angus glens in early November. Satellite tracking equipment showed that the bird stopped moving only three…