The Nature of Scotland

SNH Area News
South Highland
Correspondents: Keith Duncan, Kenny Nelson, Corrina Mertens
Mountain rescue
Climbers from Scotland’s national
outdoor training centre have been
roped in to help rescue a rare Highland
plant from local extinction. In a bid to
help boost the population of woolly
willow plants in Glen Feshie climbers
belayed down an inaccessible crag with
plants and digging gear. Woolly willow
(Salix lanata) is one of Scotland’s most
endangered plants and until a few years
ago the Glen Feshie crag had only 14
plants left. Following previous work and
this most recent planting, the numbers
have been boosted to 85.
Phil Baarda of SNH said: “This has
been a real team effort – the seedlings
have been grown on by willow expert
Richard Marriot and the team from
Glenmore Lodge have helped plant
them out on the crag. Across Scotland
the woolly willow population has been
reduced by burning and grazing, but
with this restoration work, and the
management efforts of Glen Feshie
estate, the future of this population is
looking a lot brighter.”
This work is funded by SNH and
the Heritage Lottery Memorial Fund
(HLF) Mountain Restoration project
managed by Highland Birchwoods.
You can find out more at:
www.snh.gov.uk/protectingscotlands-nature/species-actionframework/species-action-list/
woolly-willow/
Gàidhlig anns na Glinn
The rich links between Gaelic culture
and nature have been celebrated on
two Highland National Nature Reserves
this summer.
At Creag Meagaidh a group of
teenagers visited the reserve as part
of their participation in the John Muir
Award through the medium of Gaelic,
run by Comunn na Gàidhlig. They
took part in a guided walk, species
identification activities and made a short
film clip about wildlife management on
the reserve.
Meanwhile, Beinn Eighe NNR
played host to the ‘Fèis Rois Ceilidh
Trail’ musicians, who entertained visitors
with an open-air concert of traditional
music. Roddy Maclean, a regular
contributor to Nature of Scotland, led a
guided walk looking at Gaelic plant lore
along the woodland trail. A barbecue
promoting ‘Scotland’s Natural Larder’
provided the chance to sample some
of the best of our home-grown foods,
including local Beinn Eighe venison
burgers, mackerel and smoked trout.
Emily Edwards, SNH’s Gaelic
communications officer, said, “NNRs
provide an excellent opportunity to
explore the close relationship between
the Gaelic language and nature. Given
the success of the two events this
summer we will continue to use the
NNRs to encourage visitors and locals
to discover more about Gaelic and our
natural heritage.”
Clearing out crayfish
Work got underway this summer in
Lochaber to eradicate the non-native,
North American signal crayfish.
Discovered last year by Highland
Council Rangers, these freshwater
lobster-like animals can have a
devastating impact on Scotland’s native
wildlife. They out-compete many native
species, consuming large quantities of
aquatic plants and invertebrates, and
predating or displacing young fish and
eggs. Their burrows can cause serious
bank erosion or habitat loss.
SNH Area Officer, Corrina Mertens,
explained: “It’s likely that the crayfish
were brought in by people, and this is
the first time they have been recorded in
Lochaber, making it especially important
that this population is prevented from
spreading into nearby rivers and lochs.
A controlled application of a natural
pyrethrum chemical was used to poison
the crayfish, there being no important
wildlife species in the ponds which could
be affected by the process. Wildlife
will re-colonise naturally and Lochaber
Fisheries Trust will keep monitoring the
local watercourses for crayfish.”
If you see any signal crayfish in
Lochaber please contact the Lochaber
Fisheries Trust on 01397 703728.
To find out more about signal crayfish
visit our website: www.snh.gov.
uk/protecting-scotlands-nature/
species-action-framework/speciesaction-list/na-sig-crayfish/
46 The Nature of Scotland