Latest News in South Highland

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Dead wood ……is dead good

This was the message at a recent event at Abernethy National Nature Reserve  . Dead and dying wood is crucial in maintaining the wealth of wildlife which makes Scotland's forests so special. A whole range of different plants and animals depend on deadwood for food and shelter, from lichens, fungi and insects to the bigger and more visible wildlife like woodpeckers.

Deadwood can get a bad press.  It can be seen as untidy, or even as abandonment, or poor management of forests. There is pressure to collect firewood as fuel, and deadwood can be seen as a harbour for forest pests and potentially a risk for wildfires. The day was a chance to look at some of the work which RSPB have been carrying out at Abernethy    to conserve the rare pine hoverfly  . This is one of Britain's rarest insects with only 2 recorded sites, and it depends on dead wood in pine forests for its life cycle.

The day was organised by Scottish Natural Heritage and hosted by RSPB and brought together managers of woodlands around the Strathspey area, including private estates and organisations like Forestry Commission Scotland  , Trees for Life  and the National Trust for Scotland  . A visiting group of Slovenian foresters were able to give a European perspective.

Launch of the Great Glen Canoe Trail guide

A complete guide to Scotland's first formal canoe trail along the Great Glen    will be launched on 22 October. The guide was written by Donald Macpherson, Project Officer for the canoe trail, and is a great new resource to help you plan your journey through the Great Glen across Scotland. It covers the calm waters of the Caledonian Canal    to the challenging open waters of Loch Lochy    and Loch Ness  . You will find advice on how to deal with the conditions as well as tips on food, equipment, safety, communication and rescue.

The best craft for the adventure are open canoes, sea kayaks or touring kayaks. There is also advice on choosing the right craft, loading it, and the best ways of carrying it over portages.

The coast to coast route can normally be completed in three to five days. The guide splits the route into a five day expedition and each day is described in detail, including camping and other forms of accommodation. There are also numerous single day options and, for more advanced paddlers, suggested routes that link stretches of river with lochs and canal sections.

Web: www.greatglencanoetrail.info 

Twitter: @GreatGlenCanoe

Facebook: www.facebook.com/pages/Great-Glen-Canoe-Trail/363662555605 

Great Glen Ways: www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDsHePyhuYY 

Beinn Eighe Visitor Centre strikes gold

The Beinn Eighe National Nature Reserve visitor centre  in Wester Ross has added to its accolades with the award of a Gold standard under the Green Tourism Business Scheme  . The centre, in Kinlochewe  , is managed by Scottish Natural Heritage and has attained silver awards for several years, after annual assessment of how the visitor facilities perform as a sustainable tourism operation.

Alison Rowe of SNH explained: "We're delighted to get this gold award as we are continuously looking at ways of minimising energy use and our impacts on the environment. Many of the measures are simple to do, such as switching over to low-energy light bulbs."

The visitor centre has been running since 1974, and has just closed for the winter, having had over 10,000 visitors through its doors this summer. The network of trails are open to visitors all year round though, allowing people to experience Britain's first National Nature Reserve.    Plans are being made to upgrade some of the visitor information and displays over the next few years, maintaining the Reserve's status as a key visitor attraction in Wester Ross.