walkhighlands

Nature

My fair 'lady

Last month on the 21st April, the John Muir Way opened. The same day is also the anniversary of John Muir's birthday. I thought I'd mark the occasion in hindsight by mentioning a place that isn't on the Way, but is close by – the new long distance trail passes within 1km of it. It’s also very close to my heart. Aberlady Bay was the UK’s very first LNR, or local nature reserve, established in 1952, 3 years after the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act was passed. This act allowed the formation of National Parks – the

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Posted in Features, Magazine, Nature

Bringing Scottish ancient woodland back from the brink

Thousands of hectares of ancient woodland that have been planted with non-native trees and impacted by invasive species such as rhododendron will be brought back from the brink through a once in a lifetime project, generously funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. The Woodland Trust Scotland has launched the exciting project with partners RDI Associates Ltd to work with woodland owners in two priority areas in the north of Scotland, the Great Glen and Three Firths, and the Cairngorms and Hinterland. 1,600 hectares of planted ancient woodland in each area will be in a process of restoration by the end

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Posted in Nature

Meeting aims to safeguard dinosaur isle

Local people on Skye are being invited to become voluntary wardens to help safeguard vulnerable fossil sites in a bid to tackle the problem of reckless collecting. Skye is known as the ‘dinosaur isle’ due to its rich heritage of fossil sites, particularly from the Jurassic period, around 200 million years ago to 145 million years ago. And though most people follow Scotland’s Fossil Code, there are still examples of people damaging these sites by collecting fossils in an irresponsible and therefore unacceptable way. A public meeting tonight Tuesday (20 May) will be held at Tigh na Sgire, Portree, at

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Posted in Access issues, Nature

Walk on the Wild Side to showcase nature writing

Nature writing will be the theme of a book day planned for Grantown on Spey in the Cairngorms National Park on Saturday 31 May. Walk on the Wild Side is a day of talks and new book launches by wildlife authors and those whose writing is strongly influenced by the natural world, both in the Cairngorms and further afield. Writers appearing are Jim Crumley, Mike Cawthorne, Derek McGinn, John Murray, Ruary Mackenzie Dobbs, Linda Cracknell and Sara Maitland. The day which runs from 10 am until the late evening costs £20 including some refreshments or tickets for each of the

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Posted in Nature, News

Free Upland Bird Training Days

Do you spend time on Scotland's high mountains? Are you interested in the birds that you see and hear while you are up there? The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) is offering free training to hillwalkers and climbers, to help improve knowledge and enjoyment of upland birds and hopefully increase the number of people recording their sightings to the BTO. The training days will be held on Saturday 24th May near Fort William, on Sunday 25th May in Glenshee and on Sunday 8th June at Cairngorm near Aviemore. During the day you will improve your identification skills and learn more

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Posted in Nature, News

Lost world open day to celebrate 25 years of conservation

Moray-based conservation charity Trees for Life is celebrating its 25th anniversary with a special celebration open day at its acclaimed Dundreggan Conservation Estate in Glenmoriston to the west of Loch Ness on Sunday 25 May 2014, from 10.30 am – 5.00 pm. Members of the public are warmly invited to attend the free event and to join BBC presenter and Trees for Life Patron Vanessa Collingridge for a day of activities at this renowned biodiversity hotspot, as the charity marks a quarter century of restoring the ancient but endangered Caledonian Forest in the Scottish Highlands. A programme of entertainment includes

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Posted in Nature, News

Campaigners call for 7 more Scottish National Parks

The Scottish Campaign for National Parks (SCNP) and The Association for the Protection of Rural Scotland (APRS) are calling for more National Parks to be created in Scotland. On the eve of the two day John Muir Conference being held in Perth, the two organisations will host a free Conference Fringe Event on Sunday 11 May from 6.30pm to 7.30pm in the Royal George Hotel, Perth to outline the case for more National Parks in Scotland. The event is open to all and there will be a short presentation followed by an open discussion. The organisers say that the event

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Posted in Nature

Griff Rhys Jones backs Scottish footpath appeal

TV presenter and outdoors devotee Griff Rhys Jones has urged lovers of the outdoors across the UK to help a Scottish mountain charity repair and maintain footpaths through some of the country’s most beautiful landscapes. The John Muir Trust looks after over 120km of footpaths from woodland and coastal trails to world famous mountain routes that provide access to seven Munros and five Corbetts. These include the final zigzag to the summit of Ben Nevis, the wild and rocky Steall Gorge path in Glen Nevis, the four mile trail to remote Sandwood Bay, the main route up stunning Bla Bheinn

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Posted in Access issues, Nature, News

Monbiot rewilding talk ahead of Cairngorms Nature Festival

Environmental campaigner and activist George Monbiot is to speak on rewilding in the Cairngorms National Park next week. The Guardian columnist will be giving an evening presentation focussing on rewilding, and outlining his own thoughts on current approaches to managing National Parks and protected places. He will also be signing copies of his latest book on rewilding, ‘Feral’. George Monbiot’s talk will take place at the Boat of Garten Community Hall on Thursday 15th May at 7pm. It is free to attend but booking is essential – the talk is almost certain to be full. There will be tea/coffee and

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Posted in Nature, News

RSPB welcomes Wildlife Crime debate

Following this afternoon's debate in the Scottish Parliament on Wildlife Crime, Eradicating raptor persecution from Scotland, an RSPB Scotland spokesperson said: “We welcome today's debate and support the commitment of the Scottish Government to tackle the illegal killing of our native bird of prey species. The introduction of vicarious liability; the current consultation on increasing the investigatory powers of the Scottish SPCA; the review of penalties available to the courts; and the publication of an annual Wildlife Crime Report are all positive measures. We also acknowledge the cross political party support on this matter, including the Scottish Government’s acceptance of

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Posted in Nature


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