Wanted - Holyrood Valentines

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Written by Gus Jones

Category: Debates

Published: 14 February 2013

Three cheers for those MSPs who have agreed to champion one of the Highland species affected by human impacts such as development, habitat loss, climate change and pollution.

Over twenty parliamentarians have signed up to the scheme. Champions for Highland wildife include Dave Stewart (Greater yellow bumblebee), Rhoda Grant (Golden eagle and wildcat), Mary Scanlon (Freshwater pearl mussel), Jamie McGrigor (narrow-headed ant), Rob Gibson (rusty bog moss), and Dave Thompson (sandeel). Mr Stewart recently tabled a parliamentary motion encouraging more MSPs to become wildllife champions, while Mr McGrigor has officially asked the government what it is doing to protect the narrow headed ant.

But other species are in danger of being left on the shelf. They include -otters; adders; juniper; the one-flowered wintergreen; the dark bordered beauty; the pine hoverfly; the aspen hoverfly; the northern damselfly; the kentish glory, a moth extinct in England but found in the Highlands.

One species yet to find a champion is the Violet oil beetle (Meloe violaceus), a cuckoo of the insect world. The beetle's larvae find flowers likely to be visited by a solitary bee. When an unsuspecting bee appears, the larva hitches a ride to the bee's underground nest .Here it devours food the bee has gathered for its own young and eats the bee's own eggs. Oil beetles also produce a bitter 'oil' from their leg joints that wards off enemies. Intriguingly, this oil attracts midges that feed on the 'oil' without harming the beetle. Some oil beetle species are extinct in Britain.

Many species with no parliamentary champions are associated with the Cairngorms. We hope that before Valentines day is over more of the unclaimed species will have found partners.

AGM & Talk: The Cairngorms Rare Plants Project

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Written by Administrator

Category: Meetings

Published: 05 November 2012

AGM on Thursday 15th  November at 7.00pm in Inverallan Church Hall,  Grantown.

8.00pm, Public Talk: ‘The Cairngorms Rare Plants Project’ by Dr Andy Scobie

The talk will be given by the Project Officer, Dr Andy Scobie, who will be describing his discoveries and updating us on the findings of this fascinating project.

Letter: Another proposed development for the Mossie

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Written by Administrator

Category: Debates

Published: 21 September 2012

Dear Sir,

I feel compelled to write to you about further potential development plans for the area of land in Grantown known as the Mossie.

Grantown residents will recall that the Mossie is a floodplain and a hot spot for a wealth of rare and interesting wildlife. The burns that run through it provide a foraging route for Otter.

Many residents and a local conservation group believe that the Mossie should be preserved as a nature reserve.

The furore surrounding the recent Muir Homes attempt to develop a large part of the Mossie with over 200 homes should still be fresh in the minds of the residents of Grantown.

With that in mind, you would think that the same application would still be reasonably fresh in the mind of Cairngorm National Park Planners, especially since they took a great deal of flack from local residents, conservationists and ultimately Scottish Government Reporters in connection with that matter.

SEPA sustained an objection to the development throughout that application on the basis that built development cannot take place on a functional flood plain. New development itself would not only be at risk, but it would add to the risk of flooding elsewhere.

As a direct consequence of Muir Homes’ failed application, National Park Planners zoned a large area of land to the south-west of Seafield Avenue for future housing development. This now forms part of the National Park adopted Local Plan.

It is worth pointing out that not one brick had been laid in this large virgin newly zoned area.

It may then come as some surprise that National Park Planners are quietly seeking opinion about zoning an area of land on the Mossie for future housing development. Park Planners are describing this as a ‘future opportunity’ and describing this process as an ‘informal consultation’.

The area of land in question is directly to the west of Mossie Road with the only conceivable access via the small cul-de-sac off Mossie Road.

Park Planners have officially sought the opinion of the Grantown and vicinity Community Council whose members did not feel that the Mossie should be developed for housing.

There was no such engagement for the residents of Grantown whose only hope of uncovering the information regarding this ‘informal consultation’ would have been to trawl through the Park’s website. It would seem that Park Planners have not felt the need to connect directly with the local communities which they serve.

Residents could be forgiven for thinking that there is sufficient land already zoned for future housing development in Grantown. It may be that some of your readership supports this ‘opportunity’, or perhaps your readers would prefer to see the Mossie safeguarded as a Nature Reserve. Whatever their opinion, they have a right to express it and should inform Park Planners before Friday 28th September 2012.

Comments can be emailed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  or sent to Albert Memorial Hall, Station Square, Ballater, AB35 5QB.

More information, including maps, can be found on The National Park’s website: www.cairngorms.co.uk/park-authority/planning/local-plan/local-development-plan/

Name & address supplied.

Published in The Badenoch and Strathspey Herrald, 20 September 2012.

The Scotsman: "tiger like ferocity and chemical weapons"

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Written by Gus Jones

Category: Debates

Published: 27 August 2012

Hairy wood ants on threatened sites in Strathspey.

The Scotsman newspaper has reported on 25 August 2012 that despite "tiger like ferocity and chemical weapons" wood ants including the hairy wood ant that are among key species on Scotlands nationwide biodiversity list are still no match against destructive development in Strathspey.

See The Scotsman.

Wood ant nest near  proposed caravan site at Granish.

Hairy wood ants on threatened sites in Strathspey.

Letter: Controversial Position On New Town Proposal

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Written by Roy Turnbull

Category: Debates

Published: 23 August 2012

Letter published in Strathspey and Badenoch Herald 23 August 2012

Dear Sir,

In promotional advertisements for Rothiemurchus Estate, Sir David Attenborough is quoted as describing this key location within the Cairngorms National Park as “one of the glories of wild Scotland”, (Strathy, 9th August).  The ‘An Camas Mor’ or ‘Cambusmore’  area of the estate  near the River Spey is known to be a remarkable site within Rothiemurchus. It falls entirely within a National Scenic Area and supports priority habitats and priority species.  It includes stands of trees on the Ancient Woodland Inventory and lies near to sensitive European Conservation sites. The site lies within one of the highest ranked important areas for invertebrates in the Cairngorms area and is a home to protected wildlife.

An Camas Mor, Rothiemurchus.

On the one hand,  Rothiemurchus estate proudly advertises glorious wild countryside. On the  other hand, ACM LLP, whose partners are the laird of the estate and his son, is pushing  to secure permission for an entire new town of 1500 houses at An Camas Mor. The controversial position adopted by the Cairngorms National Park Authority has been to give strong support to this proposal.

The Chief Executive of the CNPA, Jane Hope, has told readers (May 24) that a large new development at ACM would “take the pressure off the countryside” i.e. would take the pressure off  for developments in other parts of the National Park, the pretence being that if the Strath had a new town there would not be need for so many other developments elsewhere.

However, this claim is flawed and unreasonable. Firstly, An Camas Mor is itself prime quality countryside. Secondly,  there is no evidence that the pressure for development elsewhere has been relieved: quite the contrary.

It is lamentable that in a key area of the Cairngorms National Park one of Attenborough’s glories of wild Scotland is under assault, whilst his name is apparently being used to suggest otherwise.

Yours sincerely,

Roy Turnbull (Vice-convener, Badenoch and Strathspey Conservation Group)