The Nature of Scotland – Autumn 2011 – Issue 13

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Do you enjoy visiting your local woodland, nearest
beach or favourite walk? Well, bear in mind that a
bunch of volunteers have probably been involved
in making them such pleasant places to be… so
why don’t you become part of that effort!
For example, volunteers are involved in:
– managing woodlands through planting native trees and
removing invasive species such as rhododendron. This
helps ensure that more native insects, fungi and plants
live in the wood.
– removing litter from a beach. This stops wildlife being
trapped and killed, as well as making it safer and more
pleasant for people.
– repairing and maintaining paths. The John Muir Trust and
the National Trust for Scotland both work with volunteers
on maintaining upland paths.
– promoting peat-free gardening by visiting garden clubs,
schools, etc. Peat comes from peat bogs, which are
special places for rare plants and animals.
– supporting organisations that encourage people to walk,
cycle or use public transport to reduce carbon emissions
and help address climate change.
Here are some other ways that volunteers have been
working to improve the environment.
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Gathering wildlife records is important for
conservation. It can also be a fun and social
pastime.
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Ranger Victor Partridge (right) and volunteers
replace tree tubes on junipers planted two years
ago in the Pentland Hills outside Edinburgh.
Rat race refuge
The Pentland Hills Regional Park set
up a voluntary ranger service in 1997
to patrol the paths at weekends, give
advice to visitors, help with guided
walks and surveys, and carry out
practical work.
The volunteers need to have
a friendly nature and be good
communicators, as well as being
passionate about the area. The service
has been a big success and was
an integral part of the regional park
winning and retaining the Green Flag
Award, which is the national standard
for parks and green spaces in the UK.
One of the volunteer rangers who
has found the experience extremely
rewarding is Robin Wickes, who spent
the whole of his working life based in
Edinburgh. “I had frequent days out in
the Pentlands to escape the rat race of
the city and the pressures of the office,”
explained Robin.
“So when I retired two years ago, it
was a natural step for me to become a
voluntary ranger. By supporting the fulltime
rangers, I can do my bit towards
the upkeep of the Pentlands and help
other escapees wind down and enjoy
themselves as I used to do.”
To find out more visit
www.pentlandhills.org/info/3/
discover/19/pentland_hills_
voluntary_ranger_service
www.snh.gov.uk 27