The Nature of Scotland â Autumn 2011 â Issue 13

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In our third article to mark the 2011 European Year of Volunteering, we look at how you can help improve the environment 1 Lending a hand 26 The Nature of Scotland
2 Do you enjoy visiting your local woodland, nearest beach or favourite walk? Well, bear in mind that a bunch of volunteers have probably been involved in making them such pleasant places to be… so why don’t you become part of that effort! For example, volunteers are involved in: – managing woodlands through planting native trees and removing invasive species such as rhododendron. This helps ensure that more native insects, fungi and plants live in the wood. – removing litter from a beach. This stops wildlife being trapped and killed, as well as making it safer and more pleasant for people. – repairing and maintaining paths. The John Muir Trust and the National Trust for Scotland both work with volunteers on maintaining upland paths. – promoting peat-free gardening by visiting garden clubs, schools, etc. Peat comes from peat bogs, which are special places for rare plants and animals. – supporting organisations that encourage people to walk, cycle or use public transport to reduce carbon emissions and help address climate change. Here are some other ways that volunteers have been working to improve the environment. 1 Gathering wildlife records is important for conservation. It can also be a fun and social pastime. 2 Ranger Victor Partridge (right) and volunteers replace tree tubes on junipers planted two years ago in the Pentland Hills outside Edinburgh. Rat race refuge The Pentland Hills Regional Park set up a voluntary ranger service in 1997 to patrol the paths at weekends, give advice to visitors, help with guided walks and surveys, and carry out practical work. The volunteers need to have a friendly nature and be good communicators, as well as being passionate about the area. The service has been a big success and was an integral part of the regional park winning and retaining the Green Flag Award, which is the national standard for parks and green spaces in the UK. One of the volunteer rangers who has found the experience extremely rewarding is Robin Wickes, who spent the whole of his working life based in Edinburgh. “I had frequent days out in the Pentlands to escape the rat race of the city and the pressures of the office,” explained Robin. “So when I retired two years ago, it was a natural step for me to become a voluntary ranger. By supporting the fulltime rangers, I can do my bit towards the upkeep of the Pentlands and help other escapees wind down and enjoy themselves as I used to do.” To find out more visit www.pentlandhills.org/info/3/ discover/19/pentland_hills_ voluntary_ranger_service www.snh.gov.uk 27
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Page 10 and 11: 1 The power of natural play 8 The N
Page 12 and 13: value of smaller scale, loose, natu
Page 14 and 15: 7 8 If you go down to the woods Nat
Page 16 and 17: People of all backgrounds and circu
Page 18 and 19: Personal stories On the edge of Dun
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Page 22 and 23: NEWS Greater protection for shark,
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Page 30 and 31: 3 Floating homes Office workers wel
Page 32 and 33: Dualchas coitcheann Common heritage
Page 34 and 35: Supporting sporting interests 32 Th
Page 36 and 37: 2 Bad press Promoting country sport
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Page 44 and 45: SNH Area News Northern Isles and No
Page 46 and 47: SNH Area News Strathclyde and Ayrsh
Page 48 and 49: Events diary 2011 October Friday 7
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Page 52 and 53: Bruce Percy 1 Coming from an arts b
Page 54 and 55: Lorne Gill Lorne is the full-time p
Page 56: Sandra Bartocha Sandra is a German
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Page 61 and 62: 1 Red kites are good for business.
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The Nature of Scotland â Autumn 2011 â Issue 13

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The Nature of Scotland â Autumn 2011 â Issue 13