SNH Area News Northern Isles and North Highland
Correspondents: Ann Johnson, Ian Mitchell, Christine Skene
Shetland Nature Festival
Now in its fifth year, the annual Shetland Nature Festival will take place from 7th – 15th July 2012. The Festival has grown over the past half decade into a Shetland-wide celebration of the islands’ diverse wildlife and landscape. Wildlife filmmaker Simon King has had a long involvement with the event and in 2012 he took on the role of the Festival’s patron. This year events will focus on a different region of Shetland each day, including Noss National Nature Reserve, Northmavine, South Shetland and the most northerly island of Unst. A range of events including guided walks, family activities, talks and workshops will ensure that there is something for everyone. The Festival is organised by a partnership that includes Scottish Natural Heritage, the RSPB, Shetland Amenity Trust, and Shetland Islands Council. The event is run in association with Geopark Shetland and European Geoparks Week – a Europe-wide festival that celebrates geo-heritage and highlights the importance of conservation. Festival membership details can be found via Facebook and at
www.shetlandnaturefestival.co.uk
Rockin’ at Knockan
The far north-west of Scotland is one of the oldest landscapes in Europe. The rocks here tell of ancient oceans, vast deserts and ice sheets. Knockan Crag National Nature Reserve (NNR), located thirteen miles north of Ullapool, is renowned internationally as one of the most important sites for understanding how the landscape of northern Britain formed.
In 2001 Scottish Natural Heritage opened a series of trails on the NNR, a novel visitor area called The Rock Room and a trail of roadside interpretation panels called the Rock Route. The site will be transformed over the next few months, as part of a major refurbishment programme funded by SNH and the Highland LEADER Programme, with new interpretation, including life-sized sculptural models of the famous Victorian geologists, Peach and Horne. Touch-screen computers with interactive programmes will augment the information available in the Rock Room and a new panorama display made of stone and glass will identify the mountains of Assynt and Coigach and give visitors a chance to hear their names spoken in Gaelic. The Rock Route will also be completely refurbished. All the new interpretative materials will be bilingual in English and Gaelic.
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Dragon hunting in Orkney!
Would you like to visit Orkney to see the North Hoy Dragons? Exploring pools and burns on Hoy looking for dragonflies is one of many activities to be promoted on the new ‘Outdoor Orkney’ website.
Getting people outdoors to enjoy
Orkney’s natural world is a priority for the ‘Outdoor Orkney’ partnership. SNH has an ongoing involvement with this group, which is led by Orkney’s Rangers and other local organisations keen to promote Orkney’s natural and cultural heritage. This year we are funding the group to develop an ‘Outdoor Orkney’ website. With a fun section for kids, resources for teachers, information about walks and an online events calendar the website will be full of exciting and useful information. The online calendar will include events run by Orkney’s Rangers – here is a flavour of their activities. The World Heritage Site Rangers invite teenagers to try ‘Digging up the Past’ at the Ness of Brodgar, taking part in one of the most exciting ongoing excavations in the world. Or join the Sanday Ranger on a ‘Periwinkles and Orchids’ coastal walk, and the Scapa Flow Ranger for a boat trip around the Flow, discovering its marine wildlife and its role in two world wars.
The Nature of Scotland
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