SNHMagazine Summer2008

www.snh.org.
uk
Scottish Natural Heritage
Summer 2008
The Nature of Scotland
Tiger of the Highlands Have you seen a wildcat? Isle of May Discover this Firth of Forth gem Wild Calendar Summer wildlife highlights
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Contents
Features
8 Facing up to the challenge Planning ahead for climate change 12 Make a world of difference Take the pledge sign up to a greener Scotland 14 Community opportunity Broadcaster Lesley Riddoch looks forward to big changes on the island of Rum
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24 Tiger of the Highlands Find out how you could help conserve the Scottish wildcat 30 Art and nature Making the link Environment Minister Michael Russell mixes nature and culture 32 New campaigns are serious fun Raising awareness among wild campers and dog owners 45 All the fun of the farm Farmers open up for the day 46 Uncertain future for Scotlands river gem Its criminal the hazards facing freshwater pearl mussels 48 Reviving the king of sh Efforts to boost wild salmon numbers in our rivers 54 Have an ice day! Savour the natural avour on a visit to the Cream o Galloway 60 Myths, legends and giant stanes On your bike look out for some big surprises at 7stanes 62 Getting a buzz out of biodiversity Celebrating the variety of life
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Regulars
2 Where we are SNH contact details 3 Welcome
4 Wild calendar Wildlife to see and places to visit over the coming months 20 News Natural heritage updates 34 Events diary Guide to whats on 36 Reserve focus Discover Isle of May NNR 42 Area news Reports from around the country 58 Kids only! Activities for our younger readers
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Credits
The Nature of Scotland The Magazine of Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) Issue Number 1 Summer 2008 Published quarterly SNH 2008 ISSN 1350 309X Editor: John Walters Tel. 01463-725-222 Cover photo: Wildcat stalking on track in pine forest, Cairngorms National Park. Photographer: Peter Cairns Images: Lorne Gill/SNH, unless otherwise stated Share your views and opinions about any of the content in The Nature of Scotland by writing to the Editor: SNH Magazine Great Glen House, Leachkin Road, Inverness IV3 8NW Email: enquiries@snh.gov.uk To suggest articles, features or images for future issues please contact the Editor. Some changes may be necessary to letters and articles submitted for publication. The views expressed in the magazine do not necessarily reect those of SNH. You can nd contact details for SNH ofces throughout Scotland opposite. Printed by: Woods of Perth, Scotland
Where we are
You can contact SNH by letter, telephone or email. The following details should enable you to nd your nearest local ofce, but bear in mind that there are also smaller ofces than those listed. A full list of our ofces appears on the SNH website: www.snh.org.uk
Area ofces
Argyll and Stirling The Beta Centre, Innovation Park, University of Stirling, Stirling FK9 4NF Tel. 01786-450-362 Dumfries and Galloway Carmont House, The Crichton, Bankend Road, Dumfries DG1 4ZF Tel. 01387-247-010 Northern Isles Ground Floor, Stewart Building, Alexandra Wharf, Lerwick, Shetland ZE1 0LL Tel. 01595-693-345 East Highland Fodderty Way, Dingwall Business Park, Dingwall IV15 9XB Tel. 01349-865-333 North Highland Main Street, Golspie, Sutherland KW10 6TG Tel. 01408-633-602 West Highland The Governors House, The Parade, Fort William, Inverness-shire PH33 6BA Tel. 01397-704-716 Strathclyde and Ayrshire Caspian House, Mariner Court, Clydebank Business Park, Clydebank G81 2NR Tel. 0141-951-4488 Tayside and Clackmannanshire Battleby, Redgorton, Perth PH1 3EW Tel. 01738-444-177 Western Isles 32 Francis Street, Stornoway, Isle of Lewis HS1 2ND Tel. 01851-705-258 Forth and Borders Laundry House, Dalkeith Country Park, Dalkeith, Midlothian EH22 2NA Tel. 0131-654-2466 Grampian 16/17 Rubislaw Terrace, Aberdeen AB10 1XE Tel. 01224-642-863
Corporate headquarters
Great Glen House, Leachkin Road, Inverness IV3 8NW Tel. 01463-725-000 Email: enquiries@snh.gov.uk
Other main ofces

Battleby, Redgorton, Perth PH1 3EW Tel. 01738-444-177 Silvan House, 3rd Floor East, 231 Corstorphine Road, Edinburgh EH12 7AT Tel. 0131-316-2600 Caspian House, Mariner Court, Clydebank Business Park, Clydebank G81 2NR Tel. 0141-951-4488
Paper: This magazine is printed on Arctic Volume High White. This paper contains materials sourced from responsibly managed and sustainable forests, certied in accordance with the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council).
When you have nished with this magazine please recycle it. Dispose of it at your local waste-collection point or pass it to another reader.
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Welcome
Ian Jardine, Chief Executive Scottish Natural Heritage
Welcome to the rst edition of The Nature of Scotland, a new quarterly magazine from Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH). One of SNHs key roles is to promote the understanding and enjoyment of Scotlands natural heritage its wildlife, geology and landscapes. Our new magazine aims to celebrate the range and variety of nature in Scotland, a national asset which underpins our economy, provides places for our leisure pursuits and contributes greatly to our quality of life. In this edition, youll nd a feature on the Scottish wildcat, a prole of the Isle of May National Nature Reserve and an article on new art installations around the 7stanes mountain bike centres, as well as a host of other articles and news. Also included is a Wild Calendar showcasing some of Scotlands wildlife highlights over the summer and where you can go to enjoy them. On the subject of wildcats, you may have seen the incredible footage of this elusive species on the BBCs Springwatch programme. No-one really knows how many wildcats there are in Scotland and the last survey of their numbers was back in the 1980s. Earlier this year, we launched a campaign encouraging anyone who works in or enjoys the outdoors for leisure to report wildcat sightings. Our article talks about this and how you can help. You may not know that there are more than 50 National Nature Reserves around Scotland. These are truly special places, set up to protect Scotlands amazing range of wildlife and landscapes, and theyre open for everyone to experience and enjoy. We plan to feature a different National Nature Reserve in each edition of this magazine and we start with the Isle of May in the Firth of Forth. We also feature an article by our Minister for the Environment, Michael Russell, on how culture and the environment are intertwined through the arts, a subject close to his heart and an area where SNH are active through our grants and funding programme. As a public body, its also important that we take time to explain a bit about what we do and why we do it. But its equally important that we take the time to celebrate Scotlands nature and landscapes and encourage everyone to get out there and enjoy them. I hope that you enjoy this rst edition and I look forward to hearing your feedback and ideas for future editions.
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Wild calendar
Kenny Taylor gives some seasonal tips for savouring Scottish wildlife and landscapes.
Abundance of life is the essence of late summer. Flowers are everywhere. Look closer at them and you could enjoy some of Scotlands many kinds of butteries, bumblebees and hoveries. Along the coast, seabird colonies still have plenty of action in July and early August. Inland, the best colours of our world-renowned heather moors stretch for a few weeks from mid-August. Late September can be one of the best times for appreciating the beauty of spider webs, while grey geese and other autumn migrant birds y overhead.
Shark encounters
The Firth of Clyde and the seas from the west of Mull north to Skye are particular hotspots for the basking shark, second largest sh in the world. Take a scheduled ferry, such as from Arisaig or Mallaig to the Small Isles, or Oban to Tiree, and watch for two ns one large and oppy, the second smaller and more erect moving in line through the water. With luck, a basker swimming nearby might also reveal the white lining of its enormous mouth. But dont panic. Basking sharks are lter feeders and harmless to people. Web tip: www.news.bbc.co.uk/ 1/hi/uk/4096504.stm
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Come on, jump!

Parents wouldnt usually encourage their offspring to jump from a high-rise apartment. But thats precisely what common guillemots do in the closing weeks of July. Guillemots breed on cliffs, where they jostle with neighbours on ledges that can be high above the sea. When a pairs single chick is only three weeks old and still ightless, the parents cajole it to leap into the sea. After that, it drifts with Dad for the next few weeks, learning to sh and growing its ight feathers. Pay a late evening visit to a large seabird colony and you could hear some of the guillemot action, with anxious adults calling from the waves and chicks chirruping (even more worried) from the cliffs. St Abbs Head in Berwickshire, Fowlsheugh in Aberdeen and Marwick Head on Orkney would be some of the impressive sea-cliff venues accessible without a boat trip. In August, watch for father-and-chick duos farther out to sea in places such as the Minch. Web tip: www.welcomescotland.com/ contentuk/content/index_guillemot.jsp
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Ospreys up close
The Scottish osprey population is thriving, so there are now many places where you could enjoy views of this elegant sh hawk. Closed circuit nest cams are in operation at the best-known eyries (Loch Garten, near Boat of Garten, and the Loch of the Lowes, near Dunkeld) and at newer sites such as Kailzie, near Peebles, and the David Marshall Lodge, near Aberfoyle. Part of the benet of going to one of these places in July and August is that you could have a chance of seeing an osprey in ight nearby. The mouth of the River Findhorn is a favourite osprey shing place. Sit outside the wildlife centre at Tugnet for a chance to see some osprey action and enjoy the many other kinds of waterbirds where the river meets the sea. Web tip: www.wdcs.org/connect/ wildlife_centre/index.php
1 Basking shark. Image by Alan James/Naturepl. 2 Kenny Taylor. Portrait by Gerry Cambridge. 3 Guillemots breeding on cliffs. 4 Nesting ospreys. Image by Laurie Campbell. 5 Machair in the Outer Hebrides.
Full-on ora
For blow-your-socks-off summer ower colour, the machair grasslands that sit just inland from the sandy Atlantic beaches of the Outer Hebrides are magnicent. Major stretches run from South Harris along the rim of the Uists and Benbecula to Barra and its satellite islands. Wild carrot, meadow cranesbill and orchids can all be part of the machairs beauty (as can the calls of corncrakes). But a large part of the allure comes from the huge numbers of common plants, such as daisies or buttercups, and the way that different islands have their own distinctive blends of owers. Machair hopping by bike on inter-island ferries could be a green and pleasant variation on a tourist theme for anyone with an eye for some good blooms.
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Its almost impossible to avoid the constant ow of media reports on climate change, along with pleas to save energy and improve our carbon footprint.
Facing up to the challenge
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Whatever doubts you may have had in the past, its now clearer than ever that climate change is the most serious threat facing us all. Theres maybe still scope for some debate about the scale and rate of change that has occurred and will occur in the future. Whats beyond reasonable doubt though is that the increase seen in average temperatures over the last 60 years is due to increases in greenhouse gas levels caused by humans. (1) This was further borne out by the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, when he stated recently: The science is clear. Climate change is happening. The impact is real. The time to act is now. (2) Whilst this message may have been mainly directed at governments around the world, its not one that any of us can choose to ignore. SNH have for some time recognized the importance of climate change and what it might mean for the natural heritage and people of Scotland, commented John Baxter, SNHs Head of Terrestrial Ecosystems. Our position on climate change will be set out later this year in our policy statement Climate Change and the Natural Heritage. This will highlight ve key areas where SNH can help tackle the problem. We will: help people understand the effects of climate change and what they will mean for the natural heritage; advise on how to harness renewable energy with the least damage to the natural heritage; improve peoples understanding of managing land to keep carbon locked up in the ground; help nature adapt, as far as possible, to a changing climate and guide people to make the best use of natural processes in preparing for climate change; encourage other organisations and individuals by showing how we have reduced the amount of greenhouse gases that our operations produce. Along with the policy statement, SNH are developing a Climate Change Action Plan, continued John. This will identify what SNH will be doing over the coming years to deliver on these ve key areas. These actions will aim to help with adaptation measures to cope with climate change or they will play a part in the mitigation of climate change. The main effort will go into the adaptation measures. Theres much to build on:
1 Our ski areas had a good winter this year but winter snowfall may reduce by 50% or more by the 2080s. 2 Some research has suggested that capercaillie may be badly affected by climate change. Its therefore important that we monitor the situation and manage areas where they live to provide them with a better chance of coping with the harmful effects of climate change. Image by Laurie Campbell.
The science is clear. Climate change is happening. The impact is real. The time to act is now.
The MONARCH programme looked at the impacts of likely climate change on a range of wildlife in Britain and Ireland. It identied where the climate is likely to become favourable or unfavourable for different species and how this might affect their distribution. The Marine Climate Change Impacts Partnership(3) recently highlighted how climate change is already having important impacts on the sea and the goods and services it provides. The UK Climate Impacts Programme(4) will report at the end of 2008 and indicate the scale of changes in climate that may happen over the next century.
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Were already seeing many changes, including: average annual temperatures rising; longer growing seasons; changing rainfall patterns; sea surface temperatures rising; and the acidication of the seas because theyre taking in larger amounts of carbon dioxide. The effects of these and other changes are many and complex. For example, some bird species are laying their eggs earlier, several buttery species are appearing weeks before they did 30 years ago, and a range of spring owering plants are blooming earlier. These changes can lead to mismatches between species where one depends on the other. For instance, some breeding seabirds are having trouble nding enough of the sh species upon which they depend because the sh have moved to different areas due to warmer seas. SNH are responding to these clear and early indications of the changes to the natural heritage that climate change will bring, added John. Were working hard to support both adaptation and mitigation measures, as well set out in our action plan. Climate change is not going to go away the effects will denitely get worse before they get better. Change is inevitable. Our responsibility to future generations is to act now.
1 2 3 4 As reported by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 2007 In his address to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Bali Website: www.mccip.org.uk Website: www.ukcip.org.uk
Several buttery species are appearing weeks before they did 30 years ago, and a range of spring owering plants are blooming earlier.
3 Twinower is a plant seriously threatened by climate change. Its found in the pinewoods of eastern Scotland but the future climate there will not suit the plant. 4 Pearl-bordered fritillary could be a climate change winner. However, this would be the case only if we also manage places to help the species. 5 Mountain hare numbers are thought to have fallen in Scotland and climate change could lead to a further decline in numbers. 6 The future may bring an increase in areas that have suitable climate conditions for corn buntings.
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Adaptation
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Adaptation measures aim to reduce the impact of current and future climate change through various actions. These include new ways of managing land and water, developing networks of habitats, conserving soils, removing articial barriers that hinder species migration, and managing targeted species (including moving species to other areas if necessary). Ongoing research will provide the answers on which to base future actions.
Mitigation
Mitigation aims to reduce the severity of further climate change by reducing the amounts of greenhouse gases we produce. This will require changes in behaviour across society and greater use of different and novel ways of generating energy. These changes will challenge everyone to do their bit.
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Make your pledge to go greener and enter the draw to win a green break in Scotland.
Make a world of difference
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In Scotland were lucky to have lots of high-quality resources on our doorstep, including huge potential to develop renewable energy and world-renowned food and produce. Were blessed with beautiful landscapes and countryside surrounding our towns, cities and villages, not to mention parks and urban greenspaces. All of these are home to an amazing variety of wildlife and plants. Not only can we take pride in Scotlands natural heritage which boosts our enjoyment and quality of life but the natural environment and wildlife provide jobs in sectors from forestry to shing, farming to tourism, as well as food and drink. However, if we continue to put too much strain on our environment, we and our children wont be able to enjoy the same quality of life in the future. Every time we get in the car, turn on a light, buy our groceries or go on holiday, were leaving our mark on the planet. Our lifestyles have had a clear impact on Scotlands climate in recent years. Climate change is here now and evidence shows that Scotland is already feeling the effects: temperatures are rising and rainfall in winter is increasing dramatically. The visible effects of climate change have already made many of us stop and think about reducing our impact on the environment. We are taking action more of us are recycling, using the car less, and buying seasonal and unpackaged produce.
1 Image by Bruce Lonngren/ iStockphoto 2 Image by Montreal Photos/ iStockphoto
Every little thing we do adds up to big change. Its by working together that we can make a real difference in tackling climate change and improving the environment of Scotland. From recycling waste at home to joining a local conservation group, we can enjoy a good quality of life now while safeguarding the environment for future generations and do something really positive for the environment of Scotland. Below are the 10 greener pledges that the Scottish Government are encouraging people to sign up to throughout this year to help reduce Scotlands environmental footprint. Many of these pledges are easy to adopt as part of your everyday life, so why not start now and do your bit? Of course, you dont need to stop here. The pledges are simple steps that should help any of us on the journey to adopting a more environmentally responsible lifestyle, but there are plenty of other things you can do to reduce the mark you leave on the planet. To sign up for one or more of the 10 steps to a Greener Scotland and nd out about a range of other actions you can take go to: www.infoscotland.com/ourfuture. And by joining the campaign youll be entered into a draw to win a green break in Scotland worth up to 500!
10 steps to a Greener Scotland 2008 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Recycle household waste using locally provided facilities. Turn the tap off when brushing your teeth. Switch to using energy-saving light bulbs. Leave the car at home at least once a week, and cycle, walk, share a car or use public transport more often. Use rechargeable batteries instead of disposable ones. Reuse carrier bags when you shop. Buy more seasonal and unpackaged food. Hang your washing up to dry rather than using a tumble dryer. Organise or volunteer for an environmental project in your local community. Pay back the environmental impact of any ights you take and choose not to y when theres a suitable alternative.
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Community opportunity
Journalist and broadcaster Lesley Riddoch is Chair of the Task Force for the island of Rum. The group are charged with developing a dynamic community thats not solely dependent on SNH. She outlines the background to the Task Force being set up and the work theyre undertaking.
1 Looking north from Kilmory Bay to the island of Skye. Image by Laurie Campbell/SNH. 2 Visitors picnicking outside the community shop and hall. Image by John MacPherson/SNH. 3 Kinloch sits at the head of Loch Scresort and is the main settlement on the island. Image by P&A Macdonald/SNH.
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Background In 2004 SNH and the Rum community developed a blueprint for Kinloch village that would support community development on the island. Last year the community established the Rum Community Trust and the plan to transfer the islands land and housing assets to the Trust began to take shape. At the moment SNH are responsible for most of the infrastructure on the island, including the housing, pier, roads, water supply and power supply. Passing on these assets will allow SNH to channel our energy and resources into the management of the reserve, while supporting the development of an independent community and independent economic activity. Environment Minister Mike Russell set up a Task Force in December 2007 to support this handover, headed by journalist, broadcaster and former Eigg Trust member Lesley Riddoch.
Rum has been run as a National Nature Reserve (NNR) for half a century in the interests of natural rather than human ecology. No wonder half a century ago when the Bullough family handed the island to the Nature Conservancy Council, there werent a lot of humans about. Rum was completely cleared of people in 1826 and run as a sporting estate until conservationists took over in 1957. Today, the islands ecology is still deemed to be of national importance because of the 30-year study of the islands deer herd, golden and sea eagles, peatbog habitat and the population of Manx shearwaters nesting on inland sandstone cliffs. Kinloch Castle is a considerable draw for tourists, with 6000 visitors a year. The Rum Cuillin ridge is like a mini-version of its larger cousin on Skye there are no Munros on Rum but plenty of elegant, conical peaks, framed by the striking outlines of neighbouring island groups. On a good day, Rum appears majestic and heroic. On a bad day, it appears to have the largest, most vicious midge population in the northern hemisphere. Rums annual rainfall is ve times higher than Nairn, and the island was described in 1845 by geologist Hugh Miller as a landscape without gures. With a population of just 31 when I landed earlier this year, it seemed that nothing much had changed, except for the political will to reinvigorate Rums human population and devise a plan to convert the largest of the Small Isles from a small company town to a larger and genuinely independent community. Easier said than done!
Transfer plan
The ball started rolling before my involvement in late 2007, when former Hebridean islander Mike Russell was appointed Environment Minister in the new SNP Government. Mike, who once lived on Benbecula, visited Rum and agreed with SNH that the islands human ecology needed urgent attention. Continuing to pour money into Rum in the way it was done in the past has not made things better, he said. So the Government and SNH management devised a plan to transfer ownership and management of day-to-day domestic issues to the island community, relevant quangos and Highland Council, freeing SNH to concentrate on managing the National Nature Reserve. And since such plans had been oated before and had oated away before I was appointed at a meeting in December to make sure substantial progress was actually made by the end of 2008. Why me? Im not sure. Ive been involved with community groups from Assynt to Africa most of my adult life. As an Island of Eigg Trustee during those long, hard years before the successful buyout in 1997, I was closely involved with the threatened evictions, changes in ownership, setbacks, growing pains and small successes that culminated in change. And last year, while Eiggachs were luxuriating in their latest achievement renewable mains electricity I was launching a book about every aspect of Hebridean life with islanders from Barra to the Butt. But every island is different. And every transfer to community control is different too. Eigg took almost a decade to gather momentum, a unied sense of purpose, cash and the
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skills of asset management. The Rum community doesnt have to nd the cash but, compared with its community controlled neighbour, it will have to develop and mature almost overnight. This is where the Rum Task Force comes in. With representatives of SNH, Lochaber Enterprise, Lochaber Housing, Highland Council, the Eigg Trust and the Rum Community, weve tried to crack a few problems as the community gets organised. And there are a fair few problems to crack! Over the decades, Rum islanders have become dependent on the conservation quango for jobs, electricity, water, housing, transport and heating. With one or two exceptions, housing has not been available to non-SNH employees. If staff leave their jobs, they lose their house and their place on the island too. The result has been the creation of a very unusual island community, where no-one is old, no-one is second generation local, few are self employed and few have teenage children. Growing families face the difculty of sea journeys to secondary school in Mallaig and have generally opted for a move back to the mainland instead.
When it became a nature reserve in 1957, the Nature Conservancy Council (NCC) declared: Visiting and living will be strictly controlled so as to minimise every kind of human impact not essential to research and conservation. That access policy has relaxed. But just as the public were not encouraged to visit the forbidden island, so SNH staff have not been encouraged to settle or make Rum their permanent home. Without the ability to own land or expand a business, facilities have been limited. Until recently, the local shop was staffed by the community, and, since most people work nine to ve, that meant the shop was open in the evening only much to the disappointment of visitors. Over the years there have been B&Bs (and several fabulous Rum Music Festivals) but currently the marvellous and very busy hostel at Kinloch Castle is the only place to stay, apart from the campsite which is reportedly very midgey in the summer. Staff with conservation skills spend time catching ropes from supply boats, xing drains and mending roofs. The mismatch causes stress, which isnt helped by winter isolation and limited ferry access.
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Factle
Lying 25 kilometres off the coast of Mallaig, on the west coast of Scotland, Rum became Scotlands second National Nature Reserve in 1957. The island has 31 residents. Nature to see 10,684 hectares of mountain and moorland fringed by steep cliffs 120,000 pairs of breeding Manx shearwaters three pairs of golden eagles two pairs of white-tailed sea eagles 8 to 15 pairs of red-throated divers over one million native trees planted hotspot for otters 1200 red deer 250 to 300 wild goats 28 Highland cattle 20 rare-breed Rum ponies Steeped in history 19 Scheduled Ancient Monuments 7 listed buildings historic designed garden Kinloch Castle built by industrialist George Bullough at the end of the 1890s nest surviving Edwardian interior in the UK automatic orchestra (orchestrion) programmed by punched paper rolls How to get there Calmac ferry from Mallaig private yacht moorings at the two older jetties and slips wildlife cruises from Arisaig Where to stay 55-bed hostel in Kinloch Castle self-catering facilities or bistro two mountain bothies at Dibidil and Guirdil campsite at edge of Loch Scresort
4 The Rum Cuillin viewed from the track to Harris. The mountains provide one of the nest ridge walks in Scotland. Image by John MacPherson/SNH. 5 The impressive Galleried Hall, which greets visitors when they enter Kinloch Castle.
6 Researchers have been studying the deer on Rum for over 30 years, making it one of the longest running studies of a large mammal anywhere in the world.
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Work in progress
So whats been done? The Rum Community Trust was set up in April, and has employed Eigg man and former Community Land Unit staff member Ian Leaver as Development Worker in a two-year post jointly funded by SNH, Highland and Islands Enterprise and Highland Council. Five crofts have been marked out and are awaiting approval. A new housing allocations policy means that badly housed Rum residents are being relocated in renovated empty SNH properties. SNH have spent almost half a million pounds bringing the islands water supplies up to European standards. A community representative now sits on the NNR Board. Options for renewable energy have been found and environmental reports should be ready before the end of the summer to end Rums historic electricity outage problem. The day before Environment Minister Mike Russells visit on 6 June, a housing seminar with mainland experts let islanders explore all the housing/funding options available before deciding their master plan for development. And nally, the Scottish Government will announce the transfer of land and housing ownership to the Rum Community Trust (RCT) when the paperwork, nancing and accounting has all been agreed. Like its big sister on Eigg, the RCT will then: manage and own Rums 12 existing homes; manage allocations to those homes; renovate or demolish and rebuild the derelict Tattie House, perhaps as a self-catering, income-generating eco-home, with housing association support and local labour; receive receipts from land sales; act as a guarantor for shared equity schemes.
7 Golden eagle arriving at an island eyrie with prey for its two chicks. Image by Laurie Campbell/SNH. 8 Visitors step out on the track to Harris Bay. Image by John MacPherson/SNH. 9 The weathered entrance to Dibidil Bothy. Image by John MacPherson/SNH.
Managing communityowned assets is a weighty responsibility and a timeconsuming affair.
Freelance future
The shift in ownership will let the community (with SNH) plan out a new logic for the whole village and new developments may be easier to fund out of SNH control. This new freelance future may not be what every Rum resident desires. Managing community-owned assets is a weighty responsibility and a time-consuming affair especially for people who have full-time jobs and young families. Every asset the community inherits must be maintained and that means the RCT must generate income. Thirty-one people (including kids) is not a big enough population to sustain Rum. And yet newcomers might appear to be competing for work and land. Decisions taken remotely will soon be taken locally and that will demand excellent interpersonal skills, constant communication and high levels of impartiality. So itll be hard work, and the Task Force must devise innovative ways to provide support. But the prize is the future. A future where human and physical ecology develop apace and Rum emerges from two silent centuries to become a mainstay of the rejuvenated Small Isles community.
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SNH News
Its good to talk
Do you get involved in giving talks to others about biodiversity? If you do, theres now an online toolkit to help make your communications clear, relevant and consistent. This new resource aims to help organisations and individuals with an interest in biodiversity issues who talk to the public and other audiences about Scotlands huge variety of living things. Inside the communications toolkit youll nd the key messages about biodiversity and all the tools you need to deliver them. Youll also nd practical advice on how best to put together the broader biodiversity messages with your own. By using the toolkit, youll be contributing to a shared effort communicating the importance of biodiversity to the people of Scotland. Click on: www.snh.org.uk/biodiversitycommstoolkit to access the toolkit.
Bigger boundary bid
between August and October 2008. You can nd further information at www.snh.org.uk/nationalparks, by Later this year well be offering you the emailing: cairngorms@snh.gov.uk or chance to have your say on a proposal by phoning 01479-810-477. to make the Cairngorms National Park Meanwhile, in a separate but (CNP) bigger. linked initiative, the Scottish Government Scottish Government Ministers propose are carrying out a ve-year review of to extend the Park into Perth & Kinross. Scotlands two National Parks. The new boundary line would roughly The review is focused on ensuring follow the one in the Cairngorms National that the CNP and the Loch Lomond & the Park Boundary Bill put forward last year Trossachs National Park are being run by John Swinney, MSP for North Tayside. as efciently and effectively as possible. The Government have asked SNH to But it will also look at whether theres consult other people and come up with any need for further boundary changes. detailed proposals on: exactly where the new boundary should lie and how many Image courtesy of CNPA. people from each local authority should sit on the CNP Authority Board, taking into account the new boundary. Well be seeking the publics views on these two issues in a consultation
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SNH News
Fish out of water
A fossil sh new to Scotland has been identied in a layer of rock dating back 380 million years at a Caithness quarry. The nd was made at Achanarras Quarry, which is an abandoned agstone quarry near Halkirk. The former roong slate quarry is owned by SNH and is a Site of Special Scientic Interest (SSSI) where fossil sh have been collected and studied since the 19th century. Scotland lay south of the equator some 380 million years ago and had a hot arid climate. The sh lived in a vast freshwater lake and the rivers that fed it. The discovery of the new sh (pictured right) suggests that there were links with Estonia in the Baltic region at that time, as thats the location for previously known nds of this sh. An amateur collector found the specimen some years ago, but its importance was only realised when a picture appeared on a website. Professor Nigel Trewin of Aberdeen University and fossil collector Mike Newman have published details of the nd and describe it as a signicant discovery. Lots of expert collectors have worked at Achanarras for many years, commented Prof Trewin, so you can imagine the surprise when this turned up. Hopefully, a complete specimen will be found and a full reconstruction made of this rare sh. The nd coincides with the formal opening of a 40,000 new visitor facility at Achanarras. The increasing popularity of the site has prompted SNH to upgrade on-site facilities to include new interpretation at the car park and a visitor shelter within the quarry itself. Fossil collecting adds to our record of past life and environments on planet Earth. The recently published Scottish Fossil Code encourages fossil collectors to collect responsibly and manage collections in a way that will be useful to future generations. Responsible fossil collecting, following guidelines in the new Code, is encouraged at Achanarras Quarry. You can view the Code and download it from www.snh.org.uk/fossilcode, or you can receive a paper copy by contacting our Publications Department at Battleby, near Perth, tel. 01738-458-530.
DCS and SNH merger goes ahead

The planned merger between SNH and the Deer Commission for Scotland (DCS) is to go ahead. The Scottish Government have announced the decision following a consultation earlier this year. The bulk of the DCS staff are already located at Great Glen House in Inverness, alongside the staff of SNH. However, it may take up to two years before the merger is complete and becomes law. Scottish Government Environment Minister, Michael Russell, said the move made absolute sense. The merger will cause minimal disruption and I believe it can build on the success of the partnership working approach to deer management in Scotland, he added.
Image by Laurie Campbell/SNH.
www.snh.org.uk
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SNH News
Its public knowledge

Everyone now has the right to see information thats held by any public body. This reects the trend partly driven by new laws for governments across the UK and Europe to become more open and transparent. The principle that information held by public bodies is public knowledge is becoming an established one. This was evident in May when measures were announced in the Scottish Parliament to improve the publics right to know. As a public body, SNH are committed to making as much of the information we gather and create as widely available as possible. Weve been working to create electronic stores for information that anyone can access using specially designed web pages on the SNH website. This will give access to information on wildlife and protected areas in Scotland, as well as information on the work of SNH. Weve also been working with other public bodies to give access to all of the information on the environment in Scotland. We hope that by making this information available, people will gain an understanding of how SNH works and what were delivering on your behalf. We also hope that other organisations can use this information to help them conserve our natural heritage. Visit our new information service at www.snh.org.uk/snhi and see whats special about your area!
profession, property searchers and conveyancers searching other registers for property titles, etc. Following its launch, SNH will continue to provide the Registers of You can now access information about Scotland with the necessary information, Sites of Special Scientic Interest (SSSIs) more easily through a new online new and reviewed SSSI documents SSSI Register, which was launched at the to maintain the Register. Youll be able to get further information about each end of June. SSSI (such as Arthurs Seat Volcano The Registers of Scotland (RoS) SSSI in Edinburgh, pictured above) website www.sssi.ros.gov.uk hosts the through a link. new Register and provides all users If you have any questions, please with free access to the legal documents contact Stewart Pritchard, for every SSSI notied under the Nature email: stewart.pritchard@snh.gov.uk Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004 or tel. 01738-458-649. (or previously under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981). Image by Glyn Satterley/SNH. The Register does not include details of the few remaining SSSIs notied under the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949. A particular aim of the new Register is to help ensure that new owners are made aware of any SSSIs on land theyre buying. With the Register being hosted by RoS, this information will be only one click away for those in the legal
Online SSSI register launched
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SNH News
Conference on managing species
Get in touch now if youd like more information on a major conference were organising that will look at the challenges and solutions involved in managing species. The conference will take place in the Edinburgh Conference Centre at Heriot-Watt University from 29 to 31 October and will include a number of case studies from Scotland and around the world exploring the issues and solutions relating to species management. To receive further information please get in touch with Gordon Simpson by emailing: gordon.simpson@snh.gov.uk
Image by David Whitaker.
New rural service for land managers
their 30,000 or so visits each year across Scotlands 26,000 farms. These changes should result in fewer and better coordinated visits, with a lot less hassle for A new service aimed at providing a land managers. simpler, more efcient support service to Meanwhile, a new dedicated contact land managers in Scotland was launched centre will deal with enquiries from rural at this years Royal Highland Show. land managers. Staff have been trained SNH are one of several organisations to organize a response across all the behind the development of the new public bodies behind SEARS. Likewise, Scotlands Environmental and Rural staff within each of the organisations Services (SEARS). will also be able to respond to enquiries. One year in the making, the service Highlighting the aims of the new will initially focus on three broad areas: service, Environment Minister Mike sharing data, co-ordinating inspections Russell said: SEARS will be a huge and providing a dedicated contact centre. step forward for those in rural areas who come into contact with the Government Its been a source of frustration for and its agencies. This all ts in to the many land managers over the years that First Ministers agenda for making things theyve needed to provide the same information to several organisations. simpler and more streamlined and helps to present government in a better, more Under the new service theyll have to do understandable way. this only once. Public bodies are able to access and share the information, which But SEARS is only a rst step. Im very heartened by the tremendous buyshould make them more effective and in from all the agencies that report to me reduce the burden on land managers. and Im constantly encouraging them to Changes have also been made to take SEARS further. the way in which public bodies make
www.snh.org.uk
The organisations behind SEARS are: Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Cairngorms National Park Authority, Crofters Commission, Deer Commission for Scotland, Forestry Commission Scotland, Loch Lomond & the Trossachs National Park Authority, Animal Health, Scottish Government Rural Payments and Inspections Directorate, and Scottish Natural Heritage. Further information can be found at www.sears.scotland.gov.uk
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Tiger of the Highlands

If youre out and about in the Highlands this year then you may be able to help with a national survey of one of our rarest mammals, the Scottish wildcat.
Image by Peter Cairns.
A wildcat, furre in a bracken bush, Twitches his club-tail, rounds his amber eyes At rockabye rabbits humped on the world. The air Crackles about him. His world is a rabbits size.
From Mutual life by Norman MacCaig
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Whats in a name?
Despite being rarely seen, the wildcat is one of Britains most iconic species. People tend to link the name with ery, no-nonsense behaviour, and its used widely in everyday life. The wildcat appears on the crest of at least two Scottish clans. Perhaps most famously it features in the centre of the Clan Macpherson emblem, along with their motto Touch not the cat but a glove. This is reckoned to be a reference to treading warily, as a cats claws when unsheathed are a erce weapon; when the claws are drawn in theyre said to be gloved. When workers withdraw their labour suddenly and unexpectedly its called a wildcat strike. The Wildcat Theatre Company, formed in 1978, produced feisty and often controversial work, tackling sensitive political and social issues. The tough, physical world of professional rugby has seized on the wildcat name. Wakeeld Trinity Wildcats club are the most well-known users of the name in rugby league, but there are also notable Wildcat clubs playing rugby union.
Scottish Natural Heritage have commissioned the rst survey of wildcats for over 20 years and are keen to hear from anyone whos been out walking or working in the countryside and may have seen one.
Were trying to nd out how many wildcats still live here, and where, so that conservation efforts can focus on the best areas, explained Ro Scott, Policy and Advice Ofcer with SNH. We need up-to-date information on the population if were to come up with effective ways to protect them. However, theyre very elusive which makes them difcult to survey. And one of the big problems is that they can mate with domestic cats and create hybrid animals that are difcult to tell apart from true wildcats. The wildcat was once found throughout Britain but it was heavily hunted and deprived of suitable areas in which to live, so it ended up conned to northern Scotland. Sometimes called the Tiger of the Highlands, its now one of our most endangered mammals. Wildcat numbers have been falling across Scotland for the past century, continued Ro. In the 1990s there were reckoned to be only about 3500 remaining. The species has been here since the end of the Ice Age and its the only native member of the cat family now found in the wild in Britain. But it could be in serious danger of extinction.
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the threats to wildcats remain and their numbers have continued to fall.
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1 The wildcat can be up to 50% larger than the average domestic cat and can occasionally reach over a metre long from nose to tip of tail. Image by Peter Cairns. 2 Wildcats have squarer, broader heads than domestic cats. Image by Terry Whittaker/FLPA. Cat illustrations by John Tasker
Hunter hunted
People have often had a blinkered attitude towards predators, and in Victorian and Edwardian times the wildcat was hunted ruthlessly. On the sporting estates of these periods pest control was severe and gamekeepers got rid of any animal that was seen as a threat to game species. Alarm bells began to ring, however, when people realised that the wildcat had disappeared from England, Wales and southern Scotland by 1880. The decline in Scotland continued into the 20th century and numbers reached their lowest about 1914. The fact that the wildcat survived at all probably had a lot to do with its secretive nature.
Threats remain
To a certain extent the Scottish wildcat staged a mini-recovery on the back of the two world wars. The First World War (19141918) saw many gamekeepers called up and therefore withdrawn from sporting estates while the war lasted. The gradual decline of the sporting estates was another factor in the wildcats favour. There was even some help from the start-up of the Forestry Commission. Their widespread tree planting created new woodlands where wildcats could survive. However, the threats to wildcats remain and their numbers have continued to fall. There are still cases of accidental snaring and shooting in parts of Scotland. And cross-breeding with domestic cats reduces their numbers further and increases the chance of domestic cat diseases being spread. The last survey in 19831987 suggested very low numbers in some parts of the country where youd expect to nd the animals. Work in Glen Tanar on Deeside suggested that there were about 30 wildcats per 100km2 whilst Ardnamurchan had 8 wildcats per 100km2.
How to spot a wildcat

Similar to a striped tabby domestic cat, there are seven main ways to tell a true Scottish wildcat from a cat thats just living wild. Look out for: a black stripe along its back but not extending down its tail a blunt black tail-tip distinct black bands around its tail unbroken stripes on its anks and hindquarters little or no spots on anks and hindquarters number and thickness of stripes on nape of neck number and thickness of stripes on shoulders.
Wildcat
Looking to the future

If youre a cat owner in the north of Scotland then you can do your bit to help the wildcat population. Having your pet cat neutered and vaccinated will prevent it from posing a threat to local wildcats. Other measures that might help secure their future include identifying key areas for wildcats and encouraging land managers to use methods that favour wildcats; and promoting awareness of the importance of wildcats as part of our natural and cultural heritage.
Non-wildcat
Species Action Framework

The Species Action Framework is a ve-year programme, launched in January 2007, to provide a strategic approach to species management in Scotland. Scottish Natural Heritage, along with various partners, has identied 32 species, including Scottish wildcat, in need of priority action. Inclusion on the list can be based on several different factors. In the case of the Scottish wildcat, its because it needs conservation work to increase the species range or population size.
www.snh.org.uk
www.snh.org.uk/speciesactionframework
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Rough guide to wildcats

The Scottish wildcat is one of the hardest mammals to see in Britain. Shy and secretive, the wildcat mostly appears at night. It comes out at late dusk and goes to ground in early dawn. When it does venture out during the day it remains in thick cover. The wildcats diet varies across the country: in the east they eat mainly rabbits, while voles and mice are the main prey in the west. They have good night vision, very sensitive hearing and a keen sense of smell its thought they can detect meat up to 200 metres away. Tiger-stripe markings and a bushy, blunt tail with dark rings are among the standard ways to tell a true wildcat. Wildcats avoid high mountain areas, exposed coasts and heavily farmed areas. They prefer to live on the forest edge, around the margins of mountains and moorlands. Wildcats live alone for most of the year, socialising only briey to breed and raise kittens. They seldom ght amongst themselves, avoiding each other for much of the year. Males can be aggressive to each other during the mating season over access to females. Theyre usually silent but during the mating season, from January to March, the female makes loud night-time wailing cries in search of a mate. Mothers also purr with their kittens. Females have only one litter per year, around May, with usually three or four kittens. The wildcat is said to be the only completely untameable wild animal, even when brought up in captivity.
People have often had a blinkered attitude towards predators, and in Victorian and Edwardian times the wildcat was hunted ruthlessly.
3 Kittens start walking at 1620 days, play at 45 weeks, and may follow their mother hunting from 1012 weeks. Theyre largely grown by 10 months. Image by Michael Callan/FLPA. 4 Wildcats may be active throughout the day and night in winter if theres a lack of food. However, heavy snowfall and rain can force them to remain under cover. Image by Peter Cairns.
Get in touch
Please send details of any wild-living cats you may have seen (not just those you think are wildcats) through the website at www.naiadecology.co.uk Alternatively, call Adrian Davis on 01350-727-201 or write to Naiad Environmental Consultancy, Birnam Guest House, 4 Murthly Terrace, Birnam, Dunkeld PH8 0BG. You can also download a copy of the Scottish Wildcat Survey leaet from the SNH website: www.snh.org.uk The survey runs until the end of 2008.
www.snh.org.uk
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Art and nature
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Michael Russell MSP, Minister for the Environment, gives his personal view on the links between natural and cultural heritage.
One morning in September 1803, the English poet William Wordsworth and his sister Dorothy alighted at the tiny pier of Inversnaid on the northeast shore of Loch Lomond, intent on walking the seven miles to Loch Katrine. On their return a rather damp return by their own account they were given shelter and some food in the house of the ferryman. It was there that Wordsworth saw the lovely Highland Girl he immortalised in his poem of the same name, which concludes with these words addressed to her: For I, methinks, till I grow old As fair before me shall behold, As I do now, the cabin small, The lake, the bay, the waterfall; And thee, the spirit of them all! In the same month, 78 years later, another poet visited the same spot. Gerard Manley Hopkins contemplated mostly the same sights though the girl must have been long dead yet the last lines from his poem of place nish in a very different way: What would the world be, once bereft of wet and of wildness? Let them be left, O let them be left, wildness and wet; Long live the weeds and the wilderness yet. Even allowing for the vagaries of weather, taste, poetic fashion and individual writing style, these two reactions to the same landscape are telling. Wordsworth, no stranger to the rugged and heroic, focused on the person in the picture and made that person stand as representative and dominant feature of her setting. Hopkins saw the opposite the need to have places in which nature can be pre-eminent and which, consequently, prioritise something other than the human. I share both those views because Ive lived in the wild north and the wet west and grown familiar with high hills and deep lochs. Yet Im from the lowlands and still spend much of my life amongst the tended elds of Dumfriesshire. But in a sense that contrast of views is not the issue the real issue is that we all react to where we are and what we see in different ways and with different passions. Our individual emotions are stirred by our environment (positively and negatively) and two centuries on from Wordsworth that fact can now help us to meet the present collective environmental challenges we face.
www.snh.org.uk
Thats why Linda Fabiani, the Minister for Culture, and I have embarked on a joint project to bring together our responsibilities to energise Scotlands artists in their response to Scotlands environment. After a successful seminar held in Lanark at which the poet Jim Carruth launched his emotional and entertaining new sequence Baxters Old Ram Sang the Blues were now working on a series of ideas which include contributions to 2009, the Year of Homecoming. We hope that in a number of communities in Scotland the inspiration of the environment will lead to permanent memorials to the year and to some of the key gures and issues in our national story. SNH are helping us to deliver such innovations, along with a range of environmental and cultural bodies, as well as many other committed and enthusiastic individuals. At an event on St Andrews Day last year, SNH helped to host a groundbreaking seminar on just this subject, bringing together in Inverness climate change experts, artists and commentators. It was a huge privilege for me to be on the same platform as many of them, but the most exciting thing was to see at rst hand in Great Glen House the wonderful installations by Matthew Dalziel and Louise Scullion called More than Us. The scale of these landscapes in which, for example, a single Scotch burnet moth sits as colour and focus is breathtaking. And the clean passion (an apt term given their expanses of white) that these pieces display for the environment is inspirational. And that, of course, is the point. Art that takes us into our environment also makes us think about our environment and helps us to understand our responsibility for that environment. What governments do best is to create contexts for action. Many of our best artists and animateurs are already deeply engaged with the countryside around them. By providing some assistance and a few new ideas I hope that Linda Fabiani and I can not only help those things that are happening, but encourage some new things to happen too. New things that will place human beings and nature side by side and thus help us all to survive the present environmental pressures that threaten both people and place.
1 Reections on water. 2 Detail from More than Us by Matthew Dalziel and Louise Scullion.
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Look out for a couple of new outdoor access campaigns well be running this summer if youre a dog owner or like to go camping.
New campaigns are serious fun

The campaigns are part of our ongoing efforts to raise awareness and understanding of the Scottish Outdoor Access Code. The Code explains in detail peoples access rights and responsibilities in the Scottish countryside. The people behind the new programmes are Suzanne Downey and Eleanor MacGregor, who outline below what the campaigns will be focusing on.
Suzanne
For more information on the dogs campaign, and copies of leaets, posters and dog tidy bags, contact Suzanne. Email: suzanne.downey@snh.gov.uk Tel. 0141-951-0833
For many of us, a walk in the countryside just wouldnt be the same without our dog. The company of a dog is a big part of enjoying the outdoors. But it also brings its own special responsibilities. Dog owners have a key role to play in making Scotlands Access Code a success. The main things to remember are to make sure your dog doesnt foul, stays away from sensitive wildlife, and doesnt worry or attack farm animals. Our new campaign aims to persuade dog owners to think about their responsibilities when out walking their dogs around towns or in the countryside. The campaign is supported by the Scottish Canine Council and promotes the message to owners: Your dog doesnt know any better. Make sure you do. The campaign is based around three amusing dog characters Daftie, Loopy and Dotty whom we trust will appeal to all dog owners. We hope theyll get the messages across in a fun and entertaining way. After all, local communities have a right to expect their neighbourhood to be clean and to be able to enjoy the outdoors in a safe environment. Careless litter, and dog mess in particular, can really ruin other peoples enjoyment of an area. Spare a thought too for farmers, land managers and visitors. Poorly controlled dogs can be upsetting and harmful to farm animals, as well as disturbing wildlife and alarming other people. They can also spread disease or infection if theyre not properly cared for. The campaign will run across national outdoor advertising, concourse posters in Glasgow underground, and nationwide leaet distribution to vet surgeries, kennels and various tourist and public locations. There will also be a series of local family events where dog owners can speak to SNH staff and receive free supplies of dog tidy bags, dog merchandise and easy-tofollow advice literature.
Heres what you need to know when out with your dog: Cattle Keep yourself and your dog at a safe distance as cattle can act aggressively. Planted elds Avoid taking your dog into fruit and vegetable elds unless theres a clear path. Livestock Keep your dog on a short lead around livestock and during the bird breeding season (usually AprilJuly). Never let it worry or attack livestock or disturb nesting birds. Dog waste Pick up and dispose of carefully.
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1 The three friendly characters who feature in the new dogs campaign. 2 One of the cartoon characters being used to carry a hard-edged message to a specic group of wild campers.
Eleanor
For more information on the camping campaign contact Eleanor. Email: eleanor.macgregor@snh.gov.uk Tel. 01463-725-213 Youll nd more detailed guidance at www.outdooraccess-scotland.com
Heres what you need to know to camp responsibly: Lighting res Never cut down or damage trees. Use a stove if possible. If you must have an open re, keep it small and under control, and remove all traces before leaving. Human waste If no public toilets are available, carry a trowel and bury your own waste and urinate well away from open water, rivers and burns. Litter Take away all your rubbish, particularly bottles, cans and plastic. And leave your campsite as tidy as you found it. Parking Use a proper car park where possible and never block a road or lane, an entrance to a eld or a building.
www.snh.org.uk
Weve all got our own idea of the perfect camping spot. And Scotlands access laws mean that everyone can go camping pretty much anywhere with a few reasonable exceptions as long as its done responsibly. However, this has created major issues for some landowners and local communities in the countryside and around our towns and cities. Over the last year, there have been a number of headlinegrabbing cases of antisocial and careless behaviour at wild camping sites. Some locations were affected by vandalism, out-of-control res, rubbish, dumped equipment and pollution from unburied human waste. So weve developed a campaign to try and help campers avoid causing problems with human waste, out-of-control res and litter. There are two distinct styles to the new campaign. The rst is a reminder of good practice for genuine lightweight wild campers, who generally cause few problems. The key messages will be distributed on swing tags, which will be carried on tents and camping equipment in outdoor stores throughout the summer, as well as via adverts in relevant publications. The second style uses humour to try and communicate with a more difcult target audience. Its especially aimed at casual and occasional campers who pitch up beside popular roads or lochs with little regard to the good practice guidance in the Scottish Outdoor Access Code. Theres no doubt that some inexperienced or less thoughtful campers can present real problems. Access rights depend on responsible behaviour, and its vital that people think about how their actions might affect others and the environment. So weve developed some cartoon characters with a bit of attitude to try and get across the message. The Dont Mess with Nature campaign takes a more radical approach than SNH might normally use. It sets out to attract the attention of people who go camping mainly to drink and party, as we think that theyre likely to be the ones causing a lot of the problems. Most of this target audience seem to come from urban areas, so the Dont Mess with Nature campaign will appear at music festivals and on selective advertising in and around our towns and cities.
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Events diary 2008
July
Tuesday 8th July Wednesday 9th July Open Day, Isle of May NNR, Firth of Forth Family event with childrens activities, guided walks and picnic provided. Booking essential. Tel. 01334-654-038 lisa.duggan@snh.gov.uk Saturday 12 July Beautiful Botany St Cyrus NNR, Grampian Join botany expert David Welch and SNH staff on a guided walk through the ower-rich grasslands of the reserve. Booking essential. Tel. 01674-830-736 Saturday 12th July Open Day Noss NNR, Northern Isles The annual Isle of Noss Open Day activities including marine viewing, kids events, face painting, guided walks. Booking essential. Tel. 01595-693-345 noss_nnr@snh.gov.uk Saturday 12 July Damsels and Dragons Loch Leven NNR, Tayside Pond-dipping, net-catching fun. Booking essential. Tel. 01577-864-439 Saturday 12th July Edibles and Medicinals Muir of Dinnet NNR, Grampian Highlands Long before supermarkets and chemists, people had to feed and doctor themselves with the plants around them. Find out which plants they used. Booking essential. Tel. 01224-642-863
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Sunday 13th July Family Fun Day St Cyrus NNR, Grampian Come and join in the fun. Lots of games and activities for all the family at the visitor centre. Tel. 01674-830-736 Sunday 13th July
Thursday 17th July Introduction to Inchcailloch Loch Lomond NNR, West Highlands Explore part of Loch Lomond NNR with a ranger, who will reveal the history, wildlife and management of this special island. Booking essential. Tel. 01389-722-100
Meet the Wardens Loch Leven NNR Drop into the boathouse hide and discover more about the wildlife of Loch Leven. Tel. 01577-864-439 Sunday 13 July Alpine Treasures Corrie Fee NNR, Angus Spend the day in Corrie Fee and discover the importance of its animals and plants. Booking essential. Tel. 01575-550-233 Wednesday 16 July Wardens Day Caerlaverock NNR, Dumfriesshire Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes at one of the UKs largest NNRs? Come along and discover for yourself. Booking essential. Tel. 01387-770-275 Thursday 17th July Family Day Tentsmuir NNR, Tayside Come and join the Reserve Manager for a day of fun on the beach at Tentsmuir. Booking essential. Tel. 01382-553-704 Thursday 17th July Osprey Walk Loch Leven NNR, Tayside Join the search for the elusive osprey. Booking essential. Tel. 01577-864-439
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Sunday 20th July Island Explorer Loch Lomond NNR, West Highlands Be an island adventurer and explore the woodlands of Inchcailloch, an island in Loch Lomond. An afternoon of fun and discovery for the whole family. Booking essential. Tel. 01389-722-100 Saturday 26th July Be a Warden for the Day Loch Leven NNR, Tayside Find out about the everyday work of the Reserve Wardens. Booking essential. Tel. 01577-864-439 Sunday 27th July Fun Day, Muir of Dinnet NNR, Grampian Highlands Come and join in the fun. Lots of games and activities for all the family at the visitor centre. Tel. 01224-642-863 Sunday 27th July Management Proposals Consultation Launch Muir of Dinnet NNR, Grampian Highlands Your Nature Reserve needs you! Have your say in how we manage Muir of Dinnet NNR over the next ve years. Tel. 01224-642-863
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August
September
Tuesday 5th August Introduction to Inchcailloch Loch Lomond NNR, West Highlands Explore part of Loch Lomond NNR with a ranger who will reveal the history, wildlife and management of this special island. Booking essential. Tel. 01389-722-100 Wednesday 6 August It Came From the Deep! Caerlaverock NNR, Dumfriesshire Ponds are fascinating places, full of bugs and beasties and, at Caerlaverock NNR, the rare natterjack toad. Explore the murky depths! Booking essential. Tel. 01387-770-275
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Sunday 17 th August Dragons and Damsels Corrie Fee NNR, Angus Join the ranger for a guided walk through Glen Doll to discover the variety of dragonies and damselies to be found there. Booking essential. Tel. 01575-550-233 Thursday 21 August Introduction to Inchcailloch Loch Lomond NNR, West Highlands Explore part of Loch Lomond NNR with a ranger, who will reveal the history, wildlife and management of this special island. Booking essential. Tel. 01389-722-100 Saturday 23 rd August
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Wednesday 3rd September Sharing Good Practice: Flying Flocks, Cupar, Fife Grazing has played a key role in creating some of the most valued landscapes and habitats in Britain. This event will look at conservation grazing. Tel. 01738-458-556 sgp@snh.gov.uk Saturday 6th September Sunday 7th September Scottish Nature Photography Fair, Redgorton, Perth Annual nature photography fair. Speakers from home and abroad. Booking essential. Tel. 01738-458-571 snpf@snh.gov.uk Saturday 6 th September Funky Fungi St Cyrus NNR, Grampian Join fungi expert Liz Holden for a guided walk to explore the fascinating fungi found at St Cyrus NNR. Booking essential. Tel. 01674-830-736
Tuesday 9th September Sharing Good Practice: Assessing the Impacts of Windfarm Developments on Birds, Battleby, Perth Good quality, clear ornithological chapters in Environmental Statements greatly assist decision making. This event will cover the entire process. Tel. 01738-458-556 sgp@snh.gov.uk Saturday 13th September Beach Clean St Cyrus NNR, Grampian Do your bit to keep St Cyrus beach beautiful and take part in the Marine Conservation Societys annual Beachwatch event. Tel. 01674-830-736 Thursday 18th September Sharing Good Practice: Managing Inspiring School Visits on Your Site, Vane Farm, Loch Leven, by Kinross This event is aimed at managers of National and Local Nature Reserves and other natural heritage sites who wish to work more effectively with schools. Tel. 01738-458-556 sgp@snh.gov.uk Tuesday 23rd September Sharing Good Practice: Aquaculture and the Landscape, Battleby, Perth This event will examine the landscape and visual issues concerned with the development of sh farming on Scotlands coasts. Tel. 01738-458-556 sgp@snh.gov.uk
Sunday 10 th August Treasure Island Loch Lomond NNR, West Highlands Learn about the people and the woodland and all those hidden treasures of nature. Fun and activities for the whole family on Inchcailloch. Booking essential. Tel. 01389-722-100 Thursday 14th August Osprey Walk Loch Leven NNR, Tayside Join the search for the elusive osprey. Booking essential. Tel. 01577-864-439 The Sands of Time St Cyrus NNR, Grampian St Cyrus NNR is much more than just golden sands and beautiful owers; the area is steeped in human history too. Discover its past on a guided walk. Booking essential. Tel. 01674-830-736 Sunday 7th September Monday 25th August Between the Tides St Cyrus NNR, Grampian Join local salmon sherman Jim Ritchie on a walk to learn how local folk have harvested salmon from the St Cyrus beach for hundreds of years. Booking essential. Tel. 01674-830-736 Sunday 31 August Ice & Fire St Cyrus NNR, Grampian Celebrate the start of Scottish Geology Month and travel back in time to uncover the clues to St Cyrus past hidden in the cliffs and dunes. Booking essential. Tel. 01674-830-736 Images by Richard Learoyd.
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Fungi Foray Muir of Dinnet NNR, Grampian Highlands Join fungi expert Marysia Stamm for a guided walk to explore the fascinating fungi found at Muir of Dinnet NNR. Booking essential. Tel. 01224-642-863
www.snh.org.uk
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Jewel of the Forth

Anchored on the edge of the Firth of Forth, the Isle of May is a magical mix of seabirds, seals and smugglers. In early summer the cliffs are heaving with nesting seabirds, in a noisy spectacle you can witness from the cliff-top path. The island is also home to the unmistakeable pufn, a comical looking bird that dazzles visitors with its brightly coloured bill. Theres a dark past here though, with monks, Vikings and smugglers on the list of previous visitors.
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Isle of May Trail

1 One of the must-sees for most visitors to the island are the pufns. The May is home to the largest colony of pufns in the North Sea. 2 Two SNH staff live on the island from spring to early autumn. They meet and greet all of the 7000 day visitors to the May.
1 Starting from the visitor centre you catch a glimpse of the many stories that the island has to tell. Your senses are overwhelmed by the sound and smell of the birds, whilst your feet stand on slabs from the Mays days as a naval base during both world wars. Generations of lighthouse families built and tended the walled garden around you. 2 Turn south and walk across the grass to the Priory. This ruin is a scheduled monument and can tell the islands story as a centre for early Christian worship, Viking raids and pilgrimage. Terns breed in this area, forming shallow scrapes in the gravel, and will rise into the sky to noisily defend their territory.
3 Go down the steps, through the wall, turn right and take the most level route to the cliffs along the wide grass path. At Ladys Bed you can gaze south to the volcanic mass of Berwick Law or simply watch birds crammed onto ledges, safeguarding eggs or feeding chicks. Look out for seals hauled out on the rocks below and watch the pufns returning from the sea or simply sitting on the grassy banks. 4 Walking west on the narrow rocky path, youll climb around the South Horn, built to keep mariners off the islands rocks. The horn is open to explore and tells the story of the islands two foghorns and three lighthouses.
Isle of May Trail

Heres a short walk that will take you to some of the islands highlights. Use the numbered map to guide you round.
Main Light South Horn Pilgrims Haven Start Palpitation Brae

Mill Door Green Face The Chair Greengates
eP oo l Th
Bishops Cove Slipped Disk
Altarstanes
Silver Sand
West Tarbet
Shag Rock Pilgrims Haven Maiden Rocks
7 5 2 1 6 8
East Tarbet Norman Rock
Mars Rocks
Ladys Bed
3
Clett Willies Hole Island Rocks The Pillow The Spout Foreigners Point Colms Hole The Middens
Ladys Bed
Priory
Holymans Road
North
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3 Razorbills come ashore only to breed and they winter in the northern Atlantic. About 2700 pairs nest on the island. 4 Looking out across Green Face seabird cliff to South Horn.
5 Heading north, follow the path to Pilgrims Haven. You can still see the air pipe that carried compressed air to the horns and you may spot a nesting eider sheltering beneath it, amidst the thrift and campion. Looking down onto the beach, imagine it in winter, densely packed with pupping seals all jostling for position. You can view this spectacle via the live camera links at the Scottish Seabird Centre in North Berwick. 6 On returning to the visitor centre, turn onto the tarmac track and climb the hill to Fluke Street. Youll pass lighthouse keepers cottages, now used by staff and researchers, and the engine room that housed the engines which produced the compressed air for the horns. On climbing Palpitation Brae, catch a much needed breath and look across the man-made loch. If youre lucky you may see female eiders bringing a group of chicks to swim in the murky green water.
7 At the top of the hill you arrive at the Main Light. This grand building, built by George Stevenson, is owned by the Northern Lighthouse Board and still acts as a guide for sailors. Looking east you can see the remains of the Beacon, the oldest lighthouse in Scotland. 8 Heading north on the high road, turn east onto McLeods Path, past the white navigational markers and head over the bridge to the Low Light. Many of the paths were walled or marked to help the keepers nd their way on dark, foggy nights. Turning south and passing under the bridge you can return to the visitor centre and harbour via Holymans Road, a narrow, sheltered path, which gives views over some of the most densely pufn-burrowed areas of the island. Route length: approximately 2.3km (1.4 miles)
www.snh.org.uk
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Essential information Boats Boats sail from April to September. Best time to see birds from April to July. OS Maps Landranger 59, Explorer 371. If sailing from the East Lothian side you may also want Landranger 66/67, Explorer 351. Trail length Approx 2.3 km (1.4 miles). Terrain Paths vary from 2m wide tarmac to narrow grass paths. Some steps, exposed rocks and steep gradients (maximum 1:6). Can be slippy when wet. Stout footwear recommended. Some paths and viewpoints are on the edges of unfenced cliffs. Dogs The boat operators are allowed to carry only registered assistance dogs, so check with the operator in advance on suitability. Bus Contact Traveline Scotland: Tel. 0871-200-2233 www.travelinescotland.com
Getting there Anstruther

Boat operator Anstruther Pleasure Trips Tel. 01333-310-054 www.isleofmayferry.com Boat description 100 seats, 35 covered, refreshments on board, toilet on board, partial disabled access Journey time Up to ve hour round trip, one hour each way on the boat Car parking Long stay, pay and display, 20m away on eastern harbour Bus stop East shore 10m away outside Scottish Fisheries Museum Train station N/A
Dunbar
Boat operator Forth Charter Services Tel. 07974-168-606 www.forthcharterservices. co.uk Boat description 12 covered seats, refreshments on board, toilet on board, partial disabled access Journey time Up to four hour round trip Car parking Free parking on the harbour, 30m away from the harbour Bus stop High Street, 300m away Train station Dunbar mile
North Berwick
Boat operator Island Hopper Tel. 07967-872-676 www.northberwickis landhopperboattours.com Boat description 12 seats, fast open boat Journey time Up to three hour round trip Car parking Free parking on Melbourne Road, 300m away from the harbour Bus stop Church Road, 500m away Train station North Berwick mile
5 Tour boats take visitors in close to the island cliffs so that they can get good views of the breeding seabirds. 6 Guillemots are among the most numerous birds in the great seabird cities around Scotlands coasts. About 15,500 pairs breed on the Isle of May each year. 7 Grey seals hauled out on rocks at low tide. About 1800 pups are born on the island each autumn.
Isle of May is one of 51 National Nature Reserves in Scotland. Find out more at www.nnr-scotland.org.uk
www.snh.org.uk
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SNH Area News

East Highland
Correspondent: David Carstairs
We never close
Were currently consulting over our proposals for the future management of Creag Meagaidh NNR and wed like to hear your views. Creag Meagaidh lies between Laggan and Spean Bridge in the Central Highlands, stretching from the shores of Loch Laggan to the summit plateau at 1130m. It presents a mosaic of sunless coires, wind-clipped heath, grassland and bog, creating an atmosphere of truly wild land. A remote and, at times, inhospitable landscape, its the true home of some of Scotlands most striking animals: golden eagle, ptarmigan, dotterel and snow bunting. Red deer, which are controlled to allow the return of the once healthy natural forest, roam the high glens. This wonderful place is not just about conserving wildlife, said the Reserve Manager, Rory Richardson. Our visitors are very important to us and we want them to come and enjoy themselves throughout the year. Weve recently opened two trails suitable for everyone and we hope they give a avour of whats on offer. If youd like to know more about the story of the reserve and our management proposals, please get in touch: tel. 01528-544-265, email east_highland@snh.gov.uk
Stranger in our midst

Reports of a grey squirrel at Milton of Leys, South Inverness, have sent teeth chattering among our own popular red squirrel of the old Scots pine forests. First introduced to England during the late 19th century, the varied diet of grey squirrels has allowed them to spread northwards from open woodland to urban parks. But, despite their efforts, the door to the wild pine forests of Scotland has so far remained rmly locked. So, whats one grey squirrel among friends? In a word: squirrelpox. A virus carried by greys but fatal to reds, the arrival of even this one squirrel could be serious, especially if its infected. But how did it get here? Experts say it could be like many visitors: up the A9. Board a lorry load of straw bales, enjoy the view and hop off in Inverness! Red squirrels are among the most threatened land mammals in Britain, as theyre also at risk from development and loss of areas in which to live. The appearance of a stranger on the block is not to be welcomed. If youd like to help with red squirrel conservation in the Highlands, why not contact Juliet Robinson of the See Red Highland project on 01349-860-916 or go to www.highlandredsquirrel.co.uk on the web.
Merkinch gets green gong

The expansive waters of the Moray Firth provide a wealth of opportunities to enjoy the coast. Whether youre a sailor, canoeist or simply like being by the seaside, there are loads of places to visit. Now theres another one and a very special one at that. Recently, Merkinch a sea-salt slice at the edge of Inverness has been recognized as a Local Nature Reserve, the 50th in Scotland, for its outstanding wildlife, easy access and benets to the local community. Merkinch Greenspace are an energetic group who have promoted their local environment for everyone to enjoy, remarked SNH Area Ofcer Tim Dawson, who has been key to our involvement. Everyone agrees there are lots of health benets from visiting places like this. Merkinch is rich in plants and birds. Dolphins are regularly seen, as are otters and roe deer. For those who just want to enjoy the scenery, there are walks along the sea wall, boardwalks and a myriad of other routes, some of which have been identied as part of the core path network. For more information visit: www.merkinchgreenspace.org.uk
Image by Peter Jolly.
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SNH Area News

Western Isles
Correspondents: Iain Macleod, Mary Harman, Gwen Evans
Shrinking the mink menace Stranded Mexican visitor

The Western Isles are having great Earlier this year a turtle normally found success with one of the most ambitious in the Gulf of Mexico turned up on schemes in the world for removing a Benbecula. This was the rst Kemps non-native species. Ridley turtle ever to be seen in the American mink have been causing Outer Hebrides. major damage to the populations of Unfortunately, the turtle was dead when ground-nesting birds in the Western local crofter Davie Shepherd discovered Isles, as well as taking large numbers it at Poll na Crann. Only 35 Kemps of wild salmon and other sh. The only Ridleys have ever been found on British long-term solution is to remove them shores, with just two of them appearing permanently from the whole of the in Scotland one near Kinlochbervie and Western Isles. the other near Ayr, both in 1949. Phase 1 of the Hebridean Mink Kemps Ridley turtles have been in Project cleared them out of the Uists and serious decline in their home area. In reduced numbers in South Harris. Phase 1963 it was reckoned that at least 40,000 2 is looking to remove them from the turtles came ashore to lay eggs along whole of the Western Isles. one mile of shore in one day at their The 12 trappers access the traps in main colony. However, predation and various ways but most trapping involves accidental catching by shing boats have walking anything up to 24 km a day, ve brought the number of breeding females days a week. When possible they use down to no more than 900. With boats to access remote and coastal protection there are signs that the areas, as well as canoes for the complex number of nesting females is increasing. loch systems of Lewis. The Benbecula turtle was identied We have a dedicated team of by Bob Reid and Jason Barley of the trappers who love their work, even when Scottish Agricultural College in the sun doesnt shine, remarked Iain Inverness and has been passed on to Macleod, SNHs Project Manager. the National Museums of Scotland. Were determined to rid the Western Image by Anne MacLellan. Isles of mink and show that its possible and cost-effective to remove them from large areas and thereby protect our native wildlife.
Answers on a postcard
Picture postcards with interesting facts and gures about the wonderful wader birds of the Uists and Benbecula could be yours at the click of a mouse. Send your address to: uwp@snh.gov.uk and well send you a set of the six new postcards, which feature stunning images of the birds on the front with information about them in Gaelic and English on the reverse. The postcards feature dunlin, lapwing, redshank, ringed plover, oystercatcher and snipe. The Uists support some of the largest populations of these birds in Europe, but most species have dramatically declined over large parts of the islands. Research has shown that theyre under threat from non-native hedgehogs introduced to the islands in the 1970s. The birds lay their eggs on the ground where the hedgehogs are able to eat them, causing major damage to the breeding success of the birds. SNH and partners are working through the Uist Wader Project to remove the hedgehogs and protect the island birds. The postcards are bright and attractive, with interesting information about each species, remarked Gwen Evans, Uist Wader Project Ofcer. We hope theyll raise awareness of what special birds these are and why we need to take urgent action to make sure they still have a future in the Uists.
Image by Andrew Stevenson/SNH.
www.snh.org.uk
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SNH Area News

Strathclyde and Ayrshire
Correspondents: Kat Jones, Martin Twiss, Gail Foster
Natures treasure island

Under stunning blue skies, and without a midge to be seen, the third Arran Wildlife Festival took place in May. The week-long celebration attracted thousands of people to the island to view some of Scotlands most spectacular wildlife. In the biggest festival yet, 64 events including sea-life cruises, eagle watching and a wildlife safari took visitors and residents to all corners of the island in search of natural treasures. Visitors had the chance to combine sampling some of Arrans famous ale with learning about bats and to mix tasting Arrans malt whisky with seeking out a tree found nowhere else in the world, the Arran whitebeam. Arrans a fantastic place to experience exciting wildlife, commented Kat Jones, one of the SNH staff involved in organising the festival. I hope people whove heard about or experienced the festival will come to Arran at other times of year too. Jim Cassels, Arran resident and member of the organising committee, said: The festival not only attracted visitors to the island but I was heartened by the number of local people who took part. The input to the local primary schools was also a fun way of getting the young people of the island involved with their wildlife heritage. You can nd more information about the festival at: www.arranwildlife.co.uk
Image by Tom Marshall/RSPB.
Take the branch line

Hop on a train at Glasgow Central and 20 minutes later you could be stepping out among the oak, ash and elm trees of an awesome ancient woodland in the Clyde Valley. The Clyde Valley Woodlands NNR consists of six separate gorge woodlands, which dominate the Clyde Valley between Hamilton and New Lanark. These woodlands have survived because theyre on steep gorges unsuitable for commercial forestry, farming or development. This is one of the few NNRs in central Scotland, and its less than an hours travelling time from the two million people who live in Glasgow, Edinburgh and the towns of the Clyde Valley. Unusually amongst NNRs, one of the woodland sites, at Chatelherault, actually has a railway station on its doorstep. The reserve provides a wonderful opportunity for the people of Lanarkshire, and visitors from farther aeld, to get out and enjoy these ancient woodlands. SNH manages the NNR in partnership with the Scottish Wildlife Trust and South Lanarkshire Council. Over the last year SNH has carried out lots of improvements to the path network in the woodlands at Cleghorn Glen and Cartland Craigs. So why not come along and see for yourself these wonderful woodlands. You can nd further information at: www.nnr-scotland.org.uk or call 01555-665-928.
Dammed ditch training

How to dam a ditch was the subject of a recent training event in Lanarkshire aimed at land managers and contractors interested in restoring peatbogs. Ditch damming is one of the main ways to restore the natural plantlife on peatbogs that have been drained in the past. Land managers with a peatbog SSSI in the scheme area can register to become part of the South of Scotland Bog Scheme and receive payments for restoring their site. The training day took place at Carnwath Moss in South Lanarkshire, thanks to local landowner David Baillie. Carnwath Moss is a raised bog that was heavily drained in the distant past for farming and forestry. The dams aim to slow down water loss from the peatbog, which helps to restore the naturally high water levels. The high water levels encourage the growth of sphagnum mosses, the building block plants in a bog. SNHs wetland adviser and dam guru, Andrew McBride, showed the 25 folk at the training day how it was done. Then they were let loose with plastic piling and mallets to have a go for themselves. Fortunately, the hard hats remained just a precautionary measure!
Image by Gail Foster/SNH.
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Farmers from Moray to Galloway opened their gates to the public last month in a celebration of Scottish agriculture.
Thirteen Scottish farms of all types and sizes welcomed folk in to discover the sights, sounds and smells of a working farm. Activities on offer at Open Farm Sunday ranged from farm walks and tractor rides through to food tasting, pond dipping and farmers markets. The event in Scotland was part of a much bigger initiative set up and organised across Britain since 2006 by LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming). LEAF reckon that this years Open Farm Sunday reached out to a total audience even larger than the 150,000 who attended in 2007. Sponsorship for the day came from many bodies, including SNH. Our support through funding and farmers workshops promoted the importance of sustainable farming and encouraged farmers to highlight the key principles of the Scottish Outdoor Access Code take responsibility for your own actions; respect the interests of other people; and care for the environment.
1 Tractor and trailer ride at Tarrylaw Farm, near Balbeggie, Perthshire.
All the fun of the farm
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Freshwater pearl mussels were once common in Scotland. But pollution of their rivers and criminal activity have put their future in doubt.
Uncertain future for Scotlands river gem

Theyre said to have been the reason that Julius Caesar and the Romans invaded Britain in 54 BC. And you can nd one of their nest among Scotlands crown jewels. But while the freshwater pearl mussels place in history may be secure, its future appears to be less certain. Despite the fact its fully protected under the law anyone taking, disturbing or harming it faces prosecution and possibly prison the freshwater pearl mussel continues to be taken illegally. The species faces a major criminal threat which threatens its future survival, so its been identied as one of the UK wildlife crime priorities for 2008. SNH, Scottish police forces, the National Wildlife Crime Unit and other frontline agencies are working together to raise awareness and reduce wildlife crime.
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1 Freshwater pearl mussels live buried or partly buried in coarse sand and ne gravel in clean, fast-owing and unpolluted rivers and streams. Image by Sue Scott/SNH. 2 Shell shock abandoned mussel shells left by poachers after theyve opened and thereby killed them in their search for pearls. Image by Peter Cosgrove. 3 Many of our rivers, like this one in the Cairngorms, have been targeted by poachers in the past.
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The action is necessary as Scotland is a stronghold for the pearl mussel. We have around 60% of the worlds known breeding populations in our waters. By contrast, theres just one river with a viable breeding population in England and none in Wales. In fact, the situation with several rivers in England and Wales recently became so serious that several populations were taken out of their rivers and into captive breeding projects to stop them becoming extinct. However, the current Scottish population also seems to be in trouble. Pollution from various sources such as sewerage systems, industry, intensive farming and forestry, as well as engineering on river beds, have all played a part in its decline. Those carrying out engineering works on river beds may in some cases be breaking the law if the works disturb pearl mussels. Added to these factors are the criminals who go pearl shing in search of the pearls that the mussels sometimes contain. This continued environmental pressure, and the slow rates at which they mature, make the pearl mussel one of the most endangered species in Scotland. Criminal activity is more likely at river locations during MaySeptember when water can be shallower. So if youre out on the river bank this summer and happen to see anything suspicious, or if you suspect that an offence may be committed, please contact your local police station immediately to inform them. If possible, try to speak to the Police Wildlife and Environmental Crime Ofcer, or telephone Crimestoppers on 0800-555-111.
Scotland is the global stronghold for this species with more than half the worlds known viable populations, explained Iain Sime, Freshwater Policy & Advice Manager with SNH. Freshwater pearl mussels can live for 80100 years but only mature after around 1015 years, so young mussels cant form a sustainable population. We urge people not to disturb this precious asset in our rivers with all the benets that it brings to our natural heritage. Taking this species is illegal and could result in criminal prosecution and jail. The freshwater pearl mussel thrives in clean, fast-running water thats low in nutrients and calcium, with stones and sand on the river bottom. Larvae attach themselves to salmon and trout gills in the summer, and remain, without harming the sh, until they drop off the following spring and burrow into the river bottom to grow into adults. The mussels act as biolters, which means they lter out particles and help to maintain the water quality. Mussels were once common in Scotland. The Kellie pearl, found in a tributary of the River Ythan in 1621, was one of the largest ever found in Scotland. It was presented by the Lord Provost of Aberdeen to King James VI and now forms part of the Scottish crown jewels. Pearl mussels used to support a major industry in Scotland worth hundreds of jobs, but too many were taken and stocks were almost wiped out. In 1998 they were given full protection as numbers plummeted to critical levels.
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Reviving the king of sh

Your chances of seeing a wild salmon leap up one of our rivers have improved greatly thanks to a 3million project thats now drawing to a close.
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The Conservation of Atlantic Salmon in Scotland (CASS) project started in 2004 with the aim of restoring waterways and tackling threats to the sh in some of Scotlands top salmon rivers.
Four years on, it has overseen a huge range of work aimed at raising sh numbers in eight of Scotlands main salmon rivers the Dee, Spey, Tweed, Tay, South Esk, Bladnoch, Oykel and Moriston. Scotlands rivers are a stronghold for Atlantic salmon and include 80% of the UK population, explained Project Ofcer Ruth McWilliam. But the numbers of wild salmon returning to our rivers have fallen dramatically in the last 30 years. Were not alone however numbers have fallen across most of the salmons range. The CASS project has been about trying to meet some of the challenges that the species faces and improving its chances for survival. The European Union have supplied half the funding for the project, which was led by SNH and included the Scottish Government, Forestry Commission Scotland, the Association of Salmon Fishery Boards, District Salmon Fishery Boards, Fisheries Trusts and private industry. Amongst the tasks the project funded were: bypassing or removing man-made obstacles to help access; developing areas for spawning by improving the river bed; fencing and tree planting on riverbanks to stop sides being worn away; restocking improved areas with hatchery-reared local salmon; buying up netting rights to stop commercial netting. A lot of the work thats been done is for the long term and doesnt produce immediate results, so it will be a few years before we see numbers of salmon increasing, Ruth continued. But where weve removed obstacles in rivers, sh are already being noticed in places where theyve not been seen for many years, which gives us a lot of hope for the future.
River Bladnoch
0 0 20 miles 20 kms
River Oykel
River Spey River Moriston River Dee
River South Esk
River Tay
River Tweed
2008 Ashworth Maps and Interpretation Ltd
1 Atlantic salmon return to fresh water to breed. Image by Gilbert van Ryckevorsel. 2 Before and after the CASS project has removed obstacles like this old bridge and replaced with improved designs to allow salmon to move up river. Images from CASS project. 3 Children from Madderty Primary School, near Crieff, have a close encounter with young salmon at a day out on the River Almond.
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Rough guide to salmon Salmon begin their life in fresh water and then move out to sea to feed. They come back to fresh water to breed. They battle their way up river to their spawning grounds, often having to leap up large walls of water. Female salmon dig out hollows or redds in the gravel of the river bed where they lay their eggs. An accompanying male fertilises the eggs before the female covers them over with gravel. Hatching usually happens in early spring and the young sh remain in the redd for a few weeks. When they emerge from the gravel in April or May, theyre about 2.5cm (1 in) in length. After 14 years the salmon migrate downstream to the sea. The young sh leave the rivers during the late spring. Most will be gone by June. The young sh move in schools while heading off to deep-sea feeding areas. Known feeding locations are the Norwegian Sea and the waters off southwest Greenland. Salmon have a homing instinct that draws them back to spawn in the river of their birth after 13 years in the sea. This homing behaviour means that each river has a stock of salmon thats genetically different from any other river.
Salmon in the classroom Linked to the CASS project is a scheme that aims to help schoolchildren discover for themselves the lifecycle of the Atlantic salmon. The Salmon in the Classroom project has been a big success, with many schools across Scotland taking part. Children grow salmon from eggs to small sh in tanks in their classroom and then return the sh to their home river. Salmon in the Classroom gives children a really personal experience of the wild salmon lifecycle, Ruth explained. And they also get to nd out about their own local burns and rivers, along with the sh that live in them. For teachers the project ts well with the school curriculum focus on environmental studies. The children are responsible for looking after the young salmon and they begin to appreciate how important wild salmon are to both nature and our economy.
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www.snh.org.uk
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Wealth and work

As well as being a vital part of our natural heritage, the salmon is important to Scotlands economy. A 2004 study reckoned that salmon and sea trout angling in Scotland provided the equal of 2200 full-time jobs and that anglers spent a total of 73 million a year in Scotland on items linked to salmon and sea trout shing. Wild salmon are highly important to rural parts of Scotland, added Ruth, as they support a lot of jobs in areas where theres not a lot of other work. Its therefore a big concern for many people that wild salmon numbers have been falling. However, many of the problems faced by salmon are at sea, where reduced food levels and climate change may be having an impact. A lot of research is now under way to look at these issues. In the meantime, projects like CASS aim to make conditions as good as we can in the freshwater part of the salmons life, so that they have their best chance of survival when theyre out at sea.
4 Scotland is renowned worldwide for the quality of its salmon shing, and its a big earner and employer for the rural economy. Image by Glyn Satterley. 5 The Craw Stane, a Pictish standing stone with a salmon carved on it, near Rhynie, Grampian.
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Is that a fact? Theres only one species of Atlantic salmon, but there are six kinds of Pacic salmon. The Atlantic salmon is found in many countries around the North Atlantic, including populations in Canada to the west, Norway in the north and Portugal to the south. It was named the King of Fish more than three centuries ago by the English writer Izaak Walton and has long been the most sought after of sporting sh. Atlantic salmon can grow very large. The UK record rests with Miss Georgina Ballantine, who landed a 29kg (64lbs) giant on rod and line in 1922 on the River Tay. The way that salmon return to their home river is one of the marvels of nature. In the ocean they probably swim close to the surface and use the sun, moon and stars, as well as the Earths magnetic eld and sea currents to guide them back. Near the coast and in the rivers, salmon are thought to smell or taste their way. Each river has its own particular chemical make-up that salmon remember. The highest leap recorded for a salmon in Scotland was 3.7m (12ft) at the Orrin Falls in Ross-shire. The rings on the scales of a salmon can tell you the age of a sh. The early peoples of Scotland revered salmon. The rock art of 7th century Pictish standing stones points to their high regard for the species. To the Celt, the salmon was the oldest animal in the world and the source of wisdom.
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Scotlands rivers are a stronghold for Atlantic salmon and include 80% of the UK population.
www.snh.org.uk
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What have 150 cattle, 500 sheep, an adventure playground, nature trails, cycle tracks and a dog walk in rural Galloway got in common? The answer is ice cream!
Have an ice day!
1 Cream o Galloway offers an appealing mix of farm tours, ice cream parlour, outdoor adventure and wildlife watching. 2 CoGs 15m (50ft) viewing tower offers superb views over the Galloway hills and its the only place in Scotland where you can look onto a rookery at eye level. 3 A rm favourite with visitors is the Ice Cream Experience, a daily event where you get to sample a selection of the 30+ avours that Cream o Galloway produce.
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Natural partners
So she lled out a grant application and sent it in to SNH and in 2003 the organisation helped with the salary of an environmental interpreter. SNH and CoG still work in partnership so that this important part of the work can carry on. Financial support from SNH has been fundamental to our environmental work here at Cream o Galloway, Wilma remarked. Initially it gave us the condence to hire the top-class staff needed to communicate the importance of working with the environment. Environmental issues are important to us personally, and we have to be very careful that we dont let our passions undermine the viability of the business. SNH recognise that were in an almost unique position to communicate with a broad audience and that we have staff with the enthusiasm to trigger an interest in visitors who rarely take environmental issues into account. Without SNHs continued support we wouldnt be able to provide this service. For many years, Rainton Farm offered farm tours for school groups. Some years ago they expanded the programme to include pond dipping, mini-beast hunting and ice cream-based activities to t in with the school curriculum. When they decided to offer the same activities to their general public visitors the uptake was incredibly positive and demand soon began to overwhelm the two people trying to deliver all the programmes.
Cream o Galloway ice cream factory produces a range of delicious organic ice creams but its also one of the most visited tourist attractions in Dumfries and Galloway. Located just outside Gatehouse of Fleet, you can enjoy a day out at their visitor centre on the family run organic farm and join a farm tour, go wildlife watching or let off steam in a natural adventure playground built for adults and children as well as choose from over 30 avours of ice cream! Cream o Galloway (CoG) is based within the organic Rainton farm and has developed from humble beginnings as a small-scale ice cream producer and farm shop. Eight years ago the company was looking to expand and diversify its existing business and at that time SNH became involved. Initially we simply gave some advice that the company used to develop an interpretive and marketing strategy, explained SNHs local Area Ofcer Alastair Clark. The strategy advised CoG to look at including countryside conservation within the business and they were happy to do this as it tted well with their principles and beliefs. SNH recognised early on that the core business of CoG centred round the farm, ice cream and activity trails. This meant that from a business point of view the bulk of resources had to go into these aspects of the business. However, the owner, Wilma Findlay, was keen to use CoG to reach visitors and locals alike (more than 2500 schoolchildren now explore the ponds and wildlife at the farm each year) and help them better understand and appreciate their countryside.
www.snh.org.uk
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Enthusiastic staff
The enthusiasm of our visitor centre staff and their willingness to be involved in all aspects of the visitor experience now mean that almost all of the permanent team are trained to deliver the various activities for visitors, explained Helen Fenby, the Visitor Centre Manager. So the staff that are mainly here to scoop ice cream and sell playground tickets also lead farm tours and lead activities for school groups. Working this way gives all the staff more variety in their work, greater contact with the visitors and a better overall awareness of the way the farm, ice cream business and visitor attraction all t together. Our visitors generally come because theyve heard they can get a delicious ice cream here. They come back for a second and third visit because they know theyll get a friendly welcome and can spend a day enjoying all the extra things there are to do here. Most people are fascinated to learn how an organic farm works and to see the whole process of food production from start to nish: meeting the dairy cows, seeing where theyre milked and tasting the ice cream that was made on site. Having qualied staff to lead tours and explain how organic farming benets the land and wildlife, as well as the farm animals, provokes people to think about where their food comes from. We hope that knowledge will inuence the choices they make in their everyday lives. SNHs Alastair Clark says the company deserves its success. SNH were approached to help realise this dream way back in 2003 when we gave CoG grant aid to employ a project manager. Its great that the successful candidate is still employed here, now as Visitor Centre Manager, and has a small but welltrained and highly motivated team of environmental interpreters, or rangers, working for her. Through further grant aid SNH has supported the development of other staffs skills to allow them to become involved in the interpretation service that CoG provides. It makes sense that caf staff arent necessarily limited to counter and table duties and, after appropriate training, can get involved in leading walks around the farm, Alastair added. We fully support this approach. I think its wonderful that you can order a coffee and get expert advice on the mating habits of painted lady butteries at the same time! For more information visit www.creamogalloway.co.uk
SNH is a partner in the current Scottish Rural Development Programme. SRDP is now a primary funding service for rural land management and rural business diversication projects like this one.
More than 2500 schoolchildren now explore the ponds and wildlife at the farm each year.
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4 Pond dipping and bug hunting sessions are held throughout the summer. Children can search for minibeasts in and around the purpose-built wildlife pond. 5 CoG owner, Wilma Findlay (centre), with Visitor Centre Manager, Helen Fenby, and SNHs local Area Ofcer, Alastair Clark. 6 A major draw for visitors is the woodland adventure playground, which was designed and built by the farm staff. All images courtesy of Cream o Galloway.
www.snh.org.uk
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9/7/08 19:59:53
Kids only!
What does a Scottish wildcat look like? ha at s wildc lo like cat

It looks a bit like a large tabby cat but more muscular. The wildcat has a black stripe along its back, with stripes on its neck and shoulders.
Where do they live?

Wildcats live in Scotland, north of Glasgow and Edinburgh. They prefer to live in areas on the edge of moorland. During the day wildcats lie up in dens among boulders and rocky cairns.
What do they sound like?

Wildcats are silent most of the time, but, like your cat at home (if you have one), they purr, mew, hiss and growl.
Wildcat lifecycle
They normally live alone in their own home territory. The males and females only come together to breed and have one litter of three to four kittens a year. Wildcat kittens are blind at birth but covered in fur.
Where can I see a wildcat?

Wildcats mainly come out at night, so theyre difcult to spot in the wild. But you can see them at the Highland Wildlife Park at Kincraig, just outside Kingussie.
Did you know?

Wildcats are good climbers but they come down trees backwards. They can also swim well when they have to.
nds cotla t S op ca to go on t
have ld k you e cool wi here hin t If you o see som k again! T als m n it safar ls, then thi ng wild ani me! i o t anima nty of exci closer to h e are pl ound living f to b e For in
Wildcat images by Peter Cairns. Maze illustration by Louise Cunningham.
Q What do you call a wildcat thats swallowed a duck?
stan the Sco ce, theres S co tti which is sh wildcat (ca tlands little tig t-adha er Britains ic cat fam ily living only remainin h in Gaelic) gm in carnivo re (mea the wild. Its a ember of the t-eating ls animal) o the rarest in the U K.
A duck lled fatty puss.
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Can you lead the wildcat back to its kittens?
Q Illustration by Louise Cunningham.
What do wildcats like to eat for breakfast?
I K E X W V O Y P S J P L K R
G H O G Y F E R A L K J I I N
D V C B D N F O N P W V D T F
B N M H C P I T J K B Y W T N
L A A U R L W I U A I C X E U
N W U L E D D R V L Z T W N D
N D H R D I N R D Y R H A A O
Z X A F W O Q E S A F C W E Z
T R K T X H O T H S C O F N B
T A C D L I W W T J I L I H Q
N J P Q K F O R T A X Y A C I
W E R P Z Q I G H Q S C R W G
E O D D L P N Z R Y Z P U Z S
J C A A E S J L K V Q L F G X
Y J G S B R M A S C H L V T K
Wildcat wordsearch
Wildcat Stripes Fur Woodland Den Kitten Claws Feral Rare Territory
Mice Krispies.
Find more wildcat games at: www.snh.org.uk/games/wildcats

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www.snh.org.uk
9/7/08 20:00:22
Some of Scotlands nest mountain biking venues have become even more spellbinding places to visit with the arrival of seven giant mysterious sculptures.
Myths, legends and giant stanes

1
You can search out the huge eye-catching works of art on bike, foot or horse at the 7stanes network of mountain biking centres across the south of Scotland from the heart of the Scottish Borders to Galloway in the west. The stone sculptures reect southern Scotlands myths and legends. Up to three metres (10ft) high and six tons in weight, the sculpted stanes (the Scots word for stone) stand in prominent locations on the trails and each carries its own coded message. To encourage people to visit all seven sites, Forestry Commission Scotland (FCS) are launching a competition for budding photographers and amateur detectives. So if youre a photographer, you can send in your arty interpretation of the sculptures, while sleuths have the chance to decipher the inscribed symbols on the stones into well-known sayings. For competition details visit www.7stanes.gov.uk. The sculptures form part of a drive by FCS to persuade more people to get out and enjoy Scotlands forests. The 7stanes centres cater for all abilities from family rides to extreme thrills. There are also opportunities for walkers and horse riders, as well as those who just want a quiet picnic. SNH has been a partner in the 7stanes project for a number of years. The 7stanes centres offer some of the best mountain biking venues in the world, remarked Mike Scott, SNH Access Ofcer in Dumfries. But this project is not just about hard-core mountain biking. Its really about opportunities to enjoy the outdoors and about creating a long-lasting tourism product to support the local economy. This has drawn in a wide range of partners, and more and more local businesses are becoming involved as they recognise the potential of 7stanes. SNHs nancial backing for the project has been helpful in attracting funding from other sources, and weve provided advice and support to make sure that the project works for the long-term benet of the environment and local economy.
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1 The Heart Cleft Stane can be found at Dalbeattie, which was once the heart of the granite industry in the south of Scotland. 2 The Border Stane at Newcastleton lies right on the border between Scotland and England. People can stand on either side and shake hands through the stane. 3 The Giant Axe Head Stane at Glentrool harks back to the areas stone age past and looks like a Neolithic stone axe. 4 The Talking Head Stane at Ae looks south towards the Solway and carries a translation of a Norwegian poem. All images courtesy of Forestry Commission Scotland.
9/7/08 20:00:34
9/7/08 20:01:27
1&3 Perth Youth Theatre entertained the shoppers in their town centre with stories about the birds and the bees in their play Zoom. 2 Scottish Biodiversity Week kicked off with Environment Minister Mike Russell (left) and Colin Galbraith, SNHs Director of Policy & Advice, encouraging folk to grow bee-friendly plants. Image by Dougie Barnett/SNH. 4 Raring to go this young enthusiast joined in the wildower planting at Carmunnock Cemetery in Glasgow.
The theme of the 2008 Scottish Biodiversity Week was beekind in your garden, making the point that bumblebees need the help of Scotlands gardeners. Bumblebees eat only nectar and pollen, so theyre entirely dependent on the right kinds of owers. Many of the native wildowers that bumblebees rely on have become scarcer in the countryside and in our gardens. So Environment Minister Michael Russell took the opportunity at the launch of Biodiversity Week in May to highlight that we can all help bumblebees and other wildlife by planting native species in our gardens. Scottish Biodiversity Week lets us see and enjoy the big, important things but also the small, just as vital, aspects like bumblebees and wildowers, he remarked. We can all make a difference by planting owers that bees feed on, whether youve got a garden or just a window box on the windowsill of your at. To help people make a start, SNH provided 20,000 packets of wildower seeds for Biodiversity Week event organisers and Eco schools around the country to hand out. The packs have a mixture of foxglove, poppy, cornower and knapweed seeds, providing a colourful and positive way to help our native wildlife. Over 100 events took place across the country in this years Scottish Biodiversity Week. Top events included street theatre in Perth, trips to see a pufn colony in Caithness, wildower planting to create a wildlife haven in Glasgow, badger watching on Loch Ness-side, an expert-led coastal walk in Fife to discover fossilised giant millipede tracks, hen harrier watching at Clyde Muirshiel Country Park and a Homes for Wildlife drop-in session at the Royal Botanic Garden. Our photographer, Lorne Gill, caught up with a couple of the events and snapped some photos for us.
Getting a buzz out of biodiversity

Our annual week-long programme of events to celebrate Scotlands wildlife had a real buzz about it this year.
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Did you take a cracking photo during Scottish Biodiversity Week? If so, then why not send it in to our online photo competition. First prize is an all expenses paid day with top professional nature photographer Neil McIntyre. Second prize is a fabulous whale and dolphin watching trip from the Isle of Mull, kindly donated by Sea Life Surveys, and the third prize is a years subscription to BBC Wildlife magazine. Email your photo(s) by 31st July as a JPEG attachment to bit@snh.gov.uk with photo contest in the subject line. For details of competition rules go to: www.snh.org.uk/biodiversityweek.
www.snh.org.uk 63
9/7/08 20:02:04
Summer 2008
Scottish Natural Heritage

We hope you enjoyed the rst issue of our new magazine. If youre not on our mailing list or your address has changed, then please spend a moment lling in this form. You just need to pop the form in an envelope and post no stamp required.
Please send completed form to: Customer Relations Team Scottish Natural Heritage, Great Glen House FREEPOST RRBY-UACB-EGAY Leachkin Road, Inverness IV3 8NW
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9/7/08 20:02:30

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