Autumn 2011

NEW LEAF NEWS
Volume IV Issue 2 Autumn 2011
Community Green Initiative
JOINING FORCES : Your Community Green Quarterly
The environment is everything that isn't me. - Albert Einstein
FREE ONLINE FULL COLOUR SUBSCRIPTION: http://www.cgiscotland.org
NEW LEAF
NEWS IS FREE!
Please take a copy
home and pass it
to a friend when
you’ve finished
reading it!
Japanese
Knotweed,
Himalayan Balsam,
Giant Hogweed
& other invasive
species are taking
over!
See Page 13:
FREE Awareness
Training Day!
12th October
Grangemouth
Town Hall
REGISTER NOW!
NEW LEAF NEWS
Page 2
Volume IV ~ Issue 2 Autumn 2011
IN THIS ISSUE:
CGI AGM, Larbert Forest Festival
2
Something to Crow About: CATCA
3
Our Man on the River, Old Gala Park
Consultation
4
Margaret Rita Hunter
5
Not Easy Being Green,
The Carron Connect Partnership HLF Win
6
The Rare Scottish Dark Bee
7
Community Bulletin Board ,
Plean Country Park Update
8
Reduce/Reuse/Recycle - Festivals!
9
CGI Application Form, Larbert Forest Festival
10
Planet Pages Book Reviews
11
A Good Night‘s Sky: The Mysteries of Gravity 2
12
Invasive Species : Aliens Among Us!
13
Green Dog Walkers: Canine Capers!
14
Auld Lang Syne: Some Abbotshaugh History
15
CGI AGM FEATURES DENNY HS
ECO REPORT; OFFICERS ELECTED
The CGI AGM was held on 25 August. A special presentation
was made by Heather Muir Deputy Head Teacher of Denny HS
regarding the good eco work the students are doing. Heather
has taken the initiative to visit local primary schools who will
have students at DHS, to identify and tie in P7s who have been
involved in eco projects at the primary level. This way, the first
week they arrive at DHS, they are approached to sign up and get
involved in DHS eco plans. Heather got a round of applause!
After reports on the year‘s projects and finances, the meeting
concluded with a tribute to the late Mick McIntosh, who was the
chairman of CGI from 2008-2011.
The new Officers for CGI are Chairman: Graham Stirling; VP:
John Watson; Secretary: Michelle McCallum; and Treasurer:
Christine Bell. If you are interested in being considered for the
CGI Managing Committee, contact the Secretary.
CGI meets on the 4th Thursday at 7.30 in the
Heritage Rooms, Dunipace.
~communitygreeninitiative@yahoo.co.uk
To our funders,
advertisers and generous
patrons...from those of our readers
who prefer to read their NLN as a
printed copy (over a nice cup of tea)
instead of on a computer screen—
THANK YOU! We couldn‘t do it
without you! Of course we are also
on line at www.cgiscotland.org
Cllr Jim Blackwood
Scottish Labour Party
Ward 3, Denny & Banknock
Office 01324506145
Home 01324812489
Email
jim.blackwood@falkirk.gov.uk
Surgery Schedule:
Banknock Community Centre
Every Monday 6.15pm till 7.00pm
HOUSE VISITS
BY ARRANGEMENT
Fankerton Hall
First Monday of the Month 5.15pm till 6.00pm
Community Flat Bridge Crescent Denny
First Thursday of the Month 6.00pm till 6.45pm
Archibald Russell Centre Dennyloanhead
First Thursday of the Month 7.00pm till 7.45pm
Nethermains Primary School Denny
Second Thursday of the Month 6.00pm till 6.45pm
Allandale Bowling Club
Last Friday of the Month 7.15 till 8.00pm
Volume IV ~ Issue 2 Autumn 2011
Page 3
NEW LEAF NEWS
SOMETHING TO CROW ABOUT! Success stories
A picture (and a list*) — worth a thousand words. . .
Communities Along
the Carron
Association
River Regeneration
Project Phase 1 (2011)
Complete!
The River Carron Regeneration Project began in June 2011 after Communities Along the Carron Association (CATCA ) secured £57k to
enable the first phase of the river clean between Fankerton to Larbert Viaduct to begin. Part 1 of this iconic and historical environmental
river regeneration project took 7 weeks, 3000 contractor man hours and received invaluable technical / engineering and environmental
expertise from the River Carron Fisheries Management Group. By removing
industrial, commercial, social and domestic waste from the river system, there has
been an immediate improvement on pollution and water quality. The visual impact
for local communities is
also already noticeable. The
project will hopefully
increase public environmental awareness and
respect for the river. In addition, log jams in certain tributaries were removed to
allow Atlantic Salmon and Sea Trout to migrate into spawning areas that have
been unavailable due to these blockages. CATCA plans to tackle Phase 2 in 2012
— Larbert to Grangemouth. It will benefit all 16 communities along the river
from Carron Valley to Grangemouth. It is an environmental, wildlife conservation,
biodiversity project and brings many public, social and economic benefits to the
area. The majority of the funding to enable this work to proceed was secured
from Falkirk Environment Trust
(FET) with additional funding
received from Falkirk Council, The River Carron Fisheries Management Group (RCFMG),
Callander Estate Trustees and CATCA. FCE Consultants were the Project Manager;
Walker Landscapes were awarded the contract to professionally clean up the river; and
Creative Management Solutions carried out the landowners consents work. The project
finished on plan, on time and under budget as forecast, with zero Health & Safety
incidents. The project will ultimately cover the entire river system (including its tributaries) and has begun to include the assistance of voluntary litter picking groups working in
conjunction with Falkirk Council's Litter Strategy Team. For more information please
view the CATCA website: www.catca.org.uk and the RCFMG website www.rcfmg.co.uk
*What did they find in
the river?
See page 4!!!!
PHOTOS: Top left: Scrap Heap at end of project, Tony Harris (FCE Consultants), Ian Howarth
(CATCA), Ian Campbell (RCFMG); Middle Left: Teamwork Angling Improvements at Larbert;
Right: Flytip Clearing at Denovan M876; Lower Right: Struan Macnee (Walkers Landscaping),
Tony Harris, David Walker (Walkers Landscaping) Week 2
All photos on this page are protected: FCE Consultants © 2011
Do you have a green success
story to share for
“Something to Crow About”?
Next Deadline:
15th December
Page 4
Volume IV ~ Issue 2 Autumn 2011
NEW LEAF NEWS
RCFMG Report from Our Man on the River
Angler and environmental consultant Tony Harris will give NLN readers a quarterly
report on the health of the River Carron and its tributaries.
River Carron Fisheries
Management Group has
been busy, but the most
dramatic thing we can report this quarter is the list
of items which were (dare we say fished?) from
the River Carron during the flytip clean up (see
page 3) sponsored by CATCA. RCFMG volunteers put in hundreds of hours on this clean up
and gave technical/engineering and environmental
expertise to the project.
14 miles of Watercourse Cleaned and Log
Jams removed for migratory fish access including
the main river and all tributaries from Fankerton
to Larbert
15 tons of Mixed Scrap Metal removed
removed via skips.
migratory fish access.
(source - Denny STW failures)
List of Items Removed (A-Z)
3 Dead Cats 2 Dead Foxes
1 Dead Mink 1 Dead Mallard Duck
1 Dead Rabbit 1 Car Axle
1 Garden Shed 1 Pinball Machine
2 Motorbikes 3 Wheelbarrows
45 Bicycles Artificial Christmas Trees
Badminton Racquets and Shuttlecocks
Barbed Wire Barbeques Bed Mattresses
Bricks and Mortar Broken Glass Broken
Mirrors Buggies Bulk 1 Ton Tote Bags
Car Axles Car Batteries Car Bonnets Car
Bumpers Car Chairs Car Doors Carpets
Ceramic Toilet Bowls Chairs Christmas
Tree Lights Clothes Line Poles Clothing
Coins Cookers Corrugated Iron Sheets
Crutches Cushions Doors Drain pipes
and gutters Electrical Cable & wire
Electrical Underground Services Tape
Exhausts Farm Gates Fence Posts Fire
Extinguishers Fire Hearth Baskets Fishing
Reels Fishing Rods and Nets Fishing
Tackle - Lures, Spinners, Flies, Floats
Football Goals Footballs Fridges Garden
Fencing Garden Furniture Garden Gates
Garden Lawn Rollers Garden Tables
& Chairs Garden
Waste (Trees,
Shrubs, Cuttings)
Glass Bottles and drinks cans Golf Balls Golf
clubs Heris Site Security Fencing Hessian
Sacks Hoses Industrial Rollers and Levers
Kids Scooters Kids Soft Play Balls Ladders
Laminate Flooring Lawnmowers Light
Fittings LPG Gas Bottles Medical Syringes
Lime fruit with a Sewing Needle through it!
Microwave Ovens Mill Grinding Stones
Mobile Phones Nets Oil Drums and
Containers Oil tubs Paint rollers Paint Tubs,
tins and brushes Palisade Security Fencing
Pallets Petrol tubs Pillows Plastic Bags Plastic
Containers and drums Plastic Sacks Plastics
Polystyrene Polythene Prams Push Chairs
Radios Road Barriers Road Cones Road
Signs Road Signs Roof Tiles and roof slates,
concrete Roofing Felt Rubbish Bins and Lids
Rugs Saws Scaffolding poles and frames
Scooters Settees Shopping Trolleys Springs
(Continued on page 7)
OLD GALA PARK
COMMUNITY CONSULTATION:
Herbertshire Castle Park / Old Gala Park
Dunipace
Community Fun Day and Consultation
Saturday 29th October 2pm – 5pm
Bring the whole family!
Events planned include - cycle ramps, bouncy castle, bungee run,
guided walk, heritage of the park, yurts, information about bats!
Help us find out what the communities of Denny and Dunipace
would like to see happen with their park.
For more info contact: jweir77@btinternet.com
01324 821024
Sponsored by CGI with funding support from CSFT.
Thanks to Falkirk Council for help & support!
WWW.CGISCOTLAND.ORG
Volume IV ~ Issue 2 Autumn 2011
NEW LEAF NEWS
Page 5
Margaret (Rita) Hunter (1915-2011)
Outstanding Commitment & Endeavor...
Margaret Marshall, or as she was better known, Rita, was born on the 30 th August, 1915 in
Larbert. The Marshall family, as coal merchants, were well known in the Larbert and
Stenhousemuir area. Like Rita, her brothers and sisters, William, James and Netta all played
an active role in the local community.
As a teenager, she was a talented runner, winning many of the short-distance races, in what
would now be the equivalent of the County Sports. She began her working life as a
children‘s nurse, and then in the lead up to and during the Second World War, she was a
member of staff in the Falkirk and District Co-operative Society, taking over duties from
many of the men around the district, while they were away fighting in the armed services.
It was also during this period that she met her husband, Ben. They married in 1949 and
moved initially to Hall Street, in Denny and then in 1955 to Allan Crescent in Dunipace.
Before her marriage she was a Sunday School Teacher in Larbert Old Parish Church and
from 1938, when her warrant as a scouter was signed by Lord Baden-Powell, she was an
Assistant Cub Master in both the 62nd Larbert and 2nd Torwood, under Sir Ian Bolton.
After her marriage she re-established her links with the Scouting Movement, initially with Mrs. Henderson in the 17 th Denny and then the
9th Dunipace, which she had been asked to help set up by the Rev. Walter Gordon, whom she knew from her time in Larbert and through
the church linkage at that time between Dunipace and Larbert Parishes. Her commitment to Dunipace Cubs alone was to last more than 35
years. During this time she was also appointed District Commissioner for Cubs, which at that point, covered a huge geographical area, out
to Kilsyth and Strathblane. This required a lot of travelling by public transport, since she didn‘t drive.
In 1968, following the loss of sponsorship by the local Co-op, an independent group was formed to raise funds and take over the running of
the Gala. She volunteered to help on the Committee and acted as Minute
Secretary for the next 33 years, until it became too much for the small core
group to undertake. It should be emphasized that her involvement was not just
as Minute Secretary, but like the other members of the Committee, raising
funds, helping to run the sports, making decorations for the floats, organising
catering for guests and making up hundreds of bags for distribution to the
children on the day itself.
Following her long association with Dunipace Primary School, she volunteered
to organise the School Bank, and for over 25 years raised substantial sums,
which were re-invested to benefit
the pupils. When volunteers were
being sought to assist in the running of the new Strathcarron
Hospice shop in Denny, she again
stepped forward and for more
than 20 years she worked in the café on a Tuesday and Saturday.
In 1974 the new local government set-up established Community Councils. Again, of her own
volition, she put herself forward and was voted on to the first Denny and Dunipace
Community Council - a role that she fulfilled for the next 30 years. In 2007, at the age of 92,
her work in Denny and Dunipace, and indeed wider afield in Stirling County, was recognised
by the Community Council through a unique presentation in the Dunipace Institute, which
included a special annual award to
Denny High School – The Rita
Hunter Award for Outstanding Commitment and Endeavour.
Her commitment to the local Churches in Dunipace was also without parallel.
She was an Elder and Session Clerk for 10 years in Denovan Old, the first
female Session Clerk on the local Presbytery, and then Clerk to the Board of
Dunipace Parish for another 12 years.
While she became frailer in recent years, her death on the 4 th August nevertheless came as a shock to the local community. Her funeral service on the 10 th
August in Dunipace Parish Church was attended by representatives of the wide
range of organisations, which she had dutifully and diligently supported
throughout more than 70 years.
Photos: Top Left: Crowning Rhona Wilson, D&D Gala 1970; Middle Right: 9th
Dunipace Scout Troup Celebrates 50 years of scouting; Middle Left: Opening of the
9th Dunipace Scout Hall April 1975; Lower Right: 9th Dunipace Scout Troup w/
Rita Hunter
Page 6
NEW LEAF NEWS
NOT EASY
BEING GREEN
...A wee bit smaller this
time...but great as ever!
Dear Readers,
I think once a year we deserve a wee break,
so this issue is a bit shorter than usual. You
will see that some regular features such as
Eco Arts, Green Kids, Whole Lotta‘
Walkin‘ and Biodiversity are missing, but
they will return in the Winter edition.
Cllr. John
McNally
Ward 3:
Denny & Banknock
Scottish National Party
I would like to draw your particular attention to the upcoming ALIENS AMONG US! Free Invasive
Species Awareness Training Day on 12th October at
Grangemouth Town Hall. The poster and information are
on page 13 herein. A great event you should not miss if
you can still get in — see the advance registration link on
the poster, or contact me and I‘ll see if there‘s still room
for you…
Surgery Hours:
Mondays 6-7 pm
Heritage Rooms ~13 Milton Row ~ Dunipace
1st Tuesday every Month 5.30-6pm
Fankerton Hall
Meanwhile, we at CGI/NLN send you all good wishes for
the rest of the year. Our next issue will come out in
January after the holidays...we anticipate lots of snow time
to work on it, unless Mother Nature surprises us...which
is what she‘s good at!
Warm wishes to you all from us at Community Green
Initiative.
Volume IV ~ Issue 2 Autumn 2011
Fridays during school terms 5.30-6pm
Nethermains Primary School
email:
john.mcnally@falkirk.gov.uk
House visits arranged.
01324 506282
STOP THE PRESS! On the eve of publishing this issue
of NLN we were notified that we have received
Colin McLean, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund in Scotland, said:
funding for the next four issues! More details on this
―The factories and foundries of Bainsford played a central role in the
very exciting turn of events in the Winter issue!
~ Michelle McCallum, NLN Editor
The Carron Connect Partnership
Bainsford Industrial Heritage Project
The Carron Connect Partnership have received funding of
£6,900 from The Heritage Lottery Fund to record and publish
the memories and photographs of ex workers from the local
factories/foundries operating in the Bainsford area of Falkirk.
As well as training local people to gather this information they
will be publishing what they have found out on a DVD,
dedicated Website and a booklet.
Alex Russell Chairman stated ―This is really great news as we
have been working on the application for some time and would
like to take this opportunity to thank The Heritage Lottery
Fund for all their help and support.
―We have a long industrial history that dates back to the
beginnings of the Industrial revolution and many of us have
memories of what it was like to live, work and play in our
industrial landscape. Sadly all of this has gone and none of us
are getting any younger, this project will provide a timely
opportunity to capture and record these memories to share
with young and old now and into the future.‖
history of the area bringing with them jobs, housing and economic
prosperity. The Heritage Lottery Fund is delighted to support this
project as it will bring people together to record and share those
memories which, without an oral history project such as this, would be
lost forever.‖
If anyone has some time to spare and would like to help with this project
or has any old photos or memories they would like to share please call
Val or Alex on 01324 679795.
Falkirk is a priority area for the Heritage
Lottery Fund. It is working hard with lots of
local groups to make sure that they make the
most of the lottery grants available to them.
The area has an amazing history – its industry,
architecture, landscape and traditions. HLF
would like the communities of Falkirk to
experience the rewards of HLF investing in them and is enthusiastic to
hear from groups with other heritage project ideas.
Using money raised through the National Lottery, the Heritage Lottery
Fund (HLF) sustains and transforms a wide range of heritage for present
and future generations to take part in, learn from and enjoy. From
museums, parks and historic places to archaeology, natural environment
and cultural traditions, we invest in every part of our diverse heritage.
HLF has supported almost 3000 projects, allocating over £500 million
across Scotland.
www.hlf.org.uk
Volume IV ~ Issue 2 Autumn 2011
NEW LEAF NEWS
Page 7
The Rare Scottish Dark Bee, Apis Mellifera
Mellifera, now in Denny
An article by a local amateur beekeeper
Acharine (Acarapis woodi) is a small parasitic mite that infests the airways of the honey
bee. The first known infestation was observed on the Isle of Wight in 1904, the mystery
illness known as Isle of Wight Disease quickly spread to the rest of country and virtually
wiped out the entire bee population of the British Isles. The native species Apis Mellifera
Mellifera, the dark bees were already being suplanted by the Italian honeybee since the mid
-19th century as it was seen as more hardworking and placid while the dark bees are
perceived as gathering a smaller honey crop and of being aggressive. What should have
been borne in mind is that although the Italian/hybrid bees produce more honey, they also
devour more for their own use so that evens itself out. If the native bees are of a pure
strain and not hybrid then they are relatively docile to handle. In any case a few did
survive, mostly in remote parts of the UK. Some specialists breeders have kept the breed alive alongside feral colonies in the isolated areas
where the breed remained.
The welfare of bees is much in the news as their populations are being decimated as are the numbers
of other pollinators. There are a number of causes for this primarily crop spraying, Varroa mites,
Nosema and a host of other infections and then there are the deadly American Foul brood & European
Foulbrood which necessitates that the whole hive and its contents must be burned to stem its advance.
At the moment European Foulbrood has occurred near both Stirling & Linlithgow which is a constant
worry to beekeepers.
In the case of the Italian type hybrids the last few years has seen their population fall by 30 per cent, so
many breeders now want to reintroduce the indigenous bee to hives, in the hope that the hairy, hardy
insect will be less vulnerable to disease, mites and bad weather. Erratic weather, particularly the wet
summers and artic winters of the past few years, has hit bees badly but the black honeybee has thick
dark hair and a large stocky body, giving it a higher metabolic rate so it keeps warm in the cold.
< Here is an image of a large frame of honey being displayed upright, and below that is a section of
purely natural comb entirely created by the Apis Mellifera Mellifera bees themselves which they created
in a gap left between the frame and the side of the hive.
At present in Denny there are around 80,000 of these very pure native bees being bred solely to proliferate the breed as part
of a future breeding programme. This very large hive have proved themselves not only to be hardy survivors but also extremely
industrious honey producers, which refutes the argument of the species not being a commercially viable honey bee ! But it is not
about honey……….It is about the survival of the bees.
FISHED FROM THE CARRON,
Cont from Page 4 RCFMG Report
Stainless
Steel
Kitchen
Sinks and
Taps Steering Wheels
Street Lamp
Posts Sun
Loungers
Superser
Gas Fire
Tables Tarpaulins
Television
Tennis Balls
Tennis
Racquets
Tools Spades,
Shovels,
Pick Axes Toys Traffic Lights Trailer Axles TV Aerials
Tyres - Tractor, Van, Car, Wheelbarrow, Bicycle Tyres (all
sizes) PVC windows Various Advertising Signs Various Fly
Tipping Items Wagon Wheels Washing Machine Waste
Food and Shopping Items Wheel trims Wheelie Bins
Wheels (all sizes) Wood items (various)
ARE YOU A RIVER CARRON COMMUNITY?
Please visit our new website
and send information about
local regeneration if you are
one of the 16 River Carron
communities!
www.catca.org.uk
Carron Valley, Fankerton, Stoneywood, Dunipace, Denny,
Larbert, Camelon, Grangemouth,
Stenhousemuir, Carron, Carronshore, Bainsford,
Langlees, Mungal, Bothkennar, Skinflats
Free Community Pages are now being
developed for these 16 communities. If you are
in an organisation, school, community council
or river-related service in these areas and have
environmental/river projects, activities or
community events to report, please contact
Michelle at cmcc.michelle@btinternet.com.
NEW LEAF NEWS
Page 8
nity
mmu
Co
tin
Bulle
d
Boar
Volume IV ~ Issue 2 Autumn 2011
Free notice board—December 15th deadline for Winter issue.
All communities in Falkirk area welcome. First come first served!
Bring your own blue tac or stick pins!
Growing Communities in Scotland Regional Networking Event in Inverness on 20 October 2011
This event is aimed at all those working in community,
therapeutic or allotment gardens. The day will start with an
interactive session on marketing with Mairi MacDonald,
Community Development Officer for Badenoch and Strathspey, who has experience of small business start-up. The group
will also enjoy a tour of REAL – a market garden/school farm,
set up in 2006 to introduce pupils from year 3 and 4 to all
aspects of growing plants and vegetables. Please book by the
Thursday, 13 October 2011.
Adult Learning ~ computing ~ drugs ~ cookery ~ reading ~ writing ~ democracy ~
health issues that affect you & your community. To find out more about learning
opportunities in your area phone Anne Campbell on 01324 504260,
Denny Community Education Centre, Duke St, Denny.
You can download a programme and booking form using
http://www.farmgarden.org.uk/farms-gardens/your-region/
scotland
Please return forms to Genie
info@trellisscotland.org.uk 01738 624348
CFSLA Payroll Lottery: Visit www.cfslalottery.org.uk
if you want to apply for support for your local community group or
charity. Applications for equipment, fundraising support for our
members and applications to join plus information on the Clackmannanshire Falkirk Stirling Local Authority Payroll Lottery
For application forms and guidelines:
Russell.Taylor@centralscotland-vjb.gov.uk
THERAPEUTIC GARDEN?
Do you have an interest in the potential for
a therapeutic garden at Forth Valley Royal?
There will be an outdoor meeting at the
hospital at 10:30am on Thursday
13th October 2011 to discuss this with an
organisation called Trellis, who have years
of experience in creating and advising on
these kind of projects. If you are interested
in attending please contact Gordon Harper
by email or phone on 07798668125.
FRIENDS OF DOLLAR
PARK COMMITTEE
We aim to: act as a forum for
people with an interest in Dollar
Park; restore it to its former glory;
and promote its use and enjoyment
by the local community. New
members and suggestions welcome.
susanmyles@hotmail.com
FRIENDS OF CALLENDAR PARK
COMMITTEE: With a grant from FC,
aspirations are to assist in improvements to Callendar Park by highlighting
where work would best be done to
improve facilities & environment. New
members welcome. Contact Dan
Mailer at eastburn94@yahoo.co.uk
WASP Local Heritage Group meets
once a month on a Friday afternoon
between 2-4 pm at Denny High
School. Student led, covers a wide
range of activities including walks,
guest speakers and various projects.
If you are interested, phone the
WASP office on 01324 822895.
Greenvoice.com
walks their talk!
www.greenvoice.com
Community Health Partnership
Meetings in your area! Denny/
Bonnybridge and Larbert/
Stenhousemuir Info on dates/
times: david.cairns@nhs.net
CVS—Council for the
Voluntary Sector—serves the
Falkirk area to support the
voluntary sector locally and
support community development.
Volunteer Centre, Hosts Free
Workshops and Events. Funding
available through Growing
Communities Fund.
For more information:
info@cvsfalkirk.org.uk kirk.org.uk
Friends of Plean Country Park. We are a group of like minded people who are committed to
improve and enhance the area for the benefit of all park users and the environment. New members
are always welcome. For more info on our meetings etc. Contact; Fran Barr 01786-812723 or
fbarruk@yahoo.co.uk Jennifer Davidson 01786 442464 or 01786 817511 davidsonj@stirling.gov.uk
FALKIRK CREDIT UNION
Credit Unions are used by people from all walks of life. By choosing to save with a credit union you are
supporting your local community. There is free life insurance on the savings and loans at no extra cost giving you peace of mind if anything should happen. Give us a call on
01324 473695 or visit www.falkirkcreditunion.co.uk
A lot of TLC going on:
Report from Friends of
Plean Country Park
A helping hand
August saw a flurry of activity in the park with a group of volunteers helping to complete several tasks during two sessions, a
weekday and on a Sunday. We were very lucky with the weather
and frequent cold drinks and biscuits were required to keep us
going. One team cleared all the overgrown vegetation from the
horse trails and received several cuts and bruises for their
troubles. A great job done as the growth over the summer season
Volunteers—Action Man and his helpers
has been phenomenal. Another team had to slip into their wellies
and brave the ditches to clear out some of the debris from storms earlier in the year. They were then able to use the branches and
vegetation cleared to make habitat piles for beasties and the like. Many other much needed jobs were carried out giving our volunteers a very
satisfying feeling of a job well done. It felt especially rewarding when other park users congratulated us on our hard work. (Cont on page 16)
Volume IV ~ Issue 2 Autumn 2011
NEW LEAF NEWS
New Leaf News Funders:
Vol 1 — Earlsburn Wind Farm
Community Benefit Fund
Vol II — Falkirk Environment Trust
Vol III — Earlsburn Wind Farm
Community Benefit Fund
Page 9
If you are a community group of any kind
operating in the Falkirk Council Area, and have
an idea for an environmental project, please
contact Arthur Berg on 01324 504816
info@fet.org.uk www.fet.org.uk
Festivals!!!
Did you notice the
number of supermarkets which were
prominently displaying
camping equipment
this year? It was
almost certainly aimed
at the festival goers
market and proves a)
how big that has
become and b) how
much cheap camping equipment must be getting discarded at the
end of a festival to be replaced next year. Music festivals such as T
in the Park are notorious for the tents, chairs, sleeping bags etc
Each quarter local environmental writer Leslie Wallace
shares his “3R” Suggestions, Solutions and Strategies with
NLN readers.
that get left behind as well as general waste. For something that
doesn‘t actually produce a material product, but is an entertainment, festivals can be incredibly wasteful. Much of their equipment
gets used only once, surplus stock gets dumped and still too often
no proper recycling facilities are available to the public. On the
other hand festivals are very high profile and can serve as
excellent examples to contractors, suppliers and visitors as to
how to reduce, reuse, recycle. In the past few years some such as
the Hay and Edinburgh International Book Festivals have become
very effective reducers and recyclers of waste. Here are a few tips
to help push others to follow their example.
● If a festival does not provide recycling bins for visitors ask why
not. If you are told that the rubbish gets sorted out for recycling
don‘t be fobbed off. This is an inefficient way of ‗recycling‘ (if it‘s
really happening at all) and results in contaminated, low quality
loads. There is no substitution for separation at source.
Congratulate festivals that are doing it properly.
● Look to see if Festival programmes and other literature are
printed on recycled paper (not the vague ‗sustainably produced‘).
Again if not ask the festival organisers to do so, it‘s just as important as recycling. Some festivals also encourage people to put
programmes back where they came from so they can be reused,
excellent!
● Does the festival provide stand pipes so visitors can get a drink
without having to buy bottled water – a very expensive and
wasteful product? It would cut down on a lot of packaging waste
and is also a health benefit, making water available and free.
● If the festival has a boardwalk and it‘s carpeted (usually it‘s
green) that will almost certainly be dumped at its end, a phenomenal waste! Ask the organisers to end the practice, it‘s only for
cosmetic purposes - wire netting over boardwalks is much better
for preventing slips – after all you don‘t go festivals to admire
boardwalks and the thought of resources being wasted like that
reduces your enjoyment. Be aware some conferences also use
disposable carpeting.
(Continued on page 10)
Michael Matheson
MSP for Falkirk West
Falkirk West Parliamentary Office
15A East Bridge Street
Falkirk FK1 1YD
Telephone: 01324 629271
Fax: 01324 635576
Email: michael.matheson.msp@
scottish.parliament.uk
See press or contact office
for details of upcoming
local surgeries
Jupiter Urban Wildlife Centre:
Jupiter Ranger Stephen Owen
on 01324 486475 or
mobile 07739 428203 or email
jupiterranger@swt.org.uk
WEB: http://www.swt.org.uk/
Hours: Monday - Friday, 10.00am - 5.00pm
A haven for wildlife and people,
situated on ex-industrial land.
Growing Communities in Scotland Networking Event—
in Edinburgh on 16 November 2011 The Edible Gardening Project with
funding from The People's Postcode Lottery aims to help people grow their
own through practical volunteering opportunities, drop in training sessions,
and demonstration plots. This networking event aims to support good
practice development with specific reference to: food growing, project
planning and development, strategies for recruiting and supporting volunteers,
project evaluation and meeting outcomes within a limited time frame. Please
book by Wednesday, 9 November 2011. For more information on the Edible
Gardening Project, please visit
http://www.rbge.org.uk/whats-on/ediblegardening
You can download a programme and booking form using the link below
http://www.farmgarden.org.uk/farms-gardens/your-region/scotland Please
return forms to Naomi naomi@farmgarden.org.uk 0131 623 7058
NEW LEAF NEWS
Page 10
Volume IV ~ Issue 2 Autumn 2011
Larbert Forest Festival
Forestry Commission Scotland is inviting the
local residents of Larbert as well as staff, patients and visitors to Forth Valley
Royal Hospital grounds for a fun packed forest event on Wednesday
19th October 2011.
Held at Larbert House, Forth Valley Royal Hospital, Larbert, the event will
feature plenty of activities for families, including storytelling, a puppet show,
willow weaving and making wooden products.
At Larbert House Lawn...
Gordon Harper, Community Ranger with Forestry Commission Scotland
advises: ―There will be a lot of work undertaken within the woodlands we
manage in the grounds of Forth Valley Royal Hospital area to make it more
accessible and welcoming to the local community. We are keen to get more
Festivals!
Continued from page 9
people actively involved in their local forest as it is a great natural resource
right on their doorstep. There‘s plenty of fun activities being held on the day
and we welcome everyone along.‖
The Forest Festival at Larbert House is on from 11am -4pm and is free with no
● When camping is required to attend a festival please take
all your equipment home again for reuse. Ask the organisers
if they have a scheme where unwanted camping equipment
can be donated on site for Third World/Disaster Relief.
booking necessary…just go along and join in. (see poster pg 2)
For further information please contact gordon.harper@forestry.gsi.gov.uk or
call 01555 660 190. Forestry Commission Scotland works as the Scottish
Government‘s forestry directorate. www.forestry.gov.uk/scotland
● Ask about the festival‘s general environmental policy and
what it‘s doing to improve upon year by year. Progress is
more likely if visitors show an interest. ~ Les Wallace
NEW LEAF NEWS
Volume IV ~ Issue 2 Autumn 2011
planet pages
Page 11
Books with a green aspect
.
Can We Save
the Tiger?
Thank you Denny Library for
always letting us know about great
new eco books for kids! (lions and
tigers and snails, oh my!)
And f
or th
e gro
wnup
s...
Rewilding
the World
By
Caroline Fraser
Picador 2010
ISBN-13:
978-0312655419
Habitat destruction
may continue apace,
but simultaneously in a growing number of places
‗rewilding‘ is taking of. As the word suggests this involves
returning the land to its natural state (or as close as
possible) before human interference. Native plants and
tree can be sown, artificial dams and invasive species
removed, and most famously locally exterminated animals
reintroduced – wolves, elk, bear, lynx etc. This superb
book profiles places where it‘s happening Western
Australia, Austria, Brazil and the southern United states
amongst others. It‘s upbeat without putting too rosy a
picture of the on the ground difficulties these progressive
schemes have.
What I found most encouraging was the book‘s honesty.
It does not take the predictable PC stance – sometimes
local communities are just apathetic and selfish and
conservation organisations bureaucratic and corrupt. In
spite of this rewilding is growing and if the honesty in this
book becomes more prevalent than political correctness
then that can only grow as the obstacles are tackled not
avoided out of embarrassment.
Scotland with a beautiful, but badly degraded landscape
has more than most to benefit from ecological restoration – please read this book! A copy is available from
Falkirk Library shelf location 333.9516. ~ Les Wallace
By Martin Jenkins
Publisher: Walker (7 Feb 2011)
ISBN-13: 978-1406319095
―Humans have changed the world
a lot over the years—to make
room for ourselves and the things
we need. Some of the other animal
and plants we share the earth with have coped with the changes
very well. But some haven’t…‖
In this extraordinary book, conservationist Martin Jenkins
celebrates some of the world‘s most endangered species and
shows us why, though nothing is simple, we can and must try
to save them.
~Denny Librarian
The Sound of
a Wild Snail
Eating
By Elisabeth Tova Bailey
Algonquin Books of Chapel
Hill 2010
ISBN 978-1-56512-606-0
Wisdom through the
microcosm. The book is small
like a snail but enormous in its
breadth, message and
revelations about a relationship
between a woman and a
gastropod — opening up contemplations on time, social relationships,
illness and health...and providing a fascinating glimpse into the small but
profound world of these tiny creatures that will probably outlive
mankind.
The book is a form of meditation by the author who was immobilised
entirely by a disease, and spent her time observing, impacting and being
impacted upon by a wee snail at her bedside. In a letter to her doctor
she wrote: ―Watching another creature go about its life...somehow gave
me, the watcher, purpose too. If life mattered to the snail and the snail
mattered to me, it meant something in my life mattered, so I kept on…‖
Highly recommended, this wee book will leave a shimmery snail trail
across your heart. (Thank you to Stella for sending it on from
Albuquerque, New Mexico for us to read and review!)
~ Editor
NEW LEAF NEWS
Page 12
A good
night’s sky
Volume IV ~ Issue 2 Autumn 2011
“The loss of the night sky is most troubling for children. Whole
generations of kids in cities and suburbs are growing up seldom if ever
having seen the milky way and what a sky full of thousands of stars
looks like. . . .I'm afraid that's the case for many people...that they can
count on the fingers of one hand the times they've seen a good night's
sky."
~Timothy Ferris, Astronomy Writer
THE MYSTERIES OF GRAVITY Thank you to Alex Houston, editor of The Mercury, the
quarterly journal/newsletter of Stirling Astronomical Society and
Part 2 - The end of Newtonian
mechanics as a universal theory
By Derek Allen
to that society, for their permission to reprint Derek Allen’s
article in Vol 22, No. 2 April 2007. www.themercury.org.uk
As we saw in Part 1 in the last issue of Mercury, Newtonian
mechanics was accepted for a long time as the unchallenged basis for
describing and predicting the movements of heavenly bodies and the
behaviour of bodies of all descriptions in the presence or absence of
forces acting on them. This was because it was always seen to work
- no discrepancies were ever detected in its use, and for most
practical purposes this is still the case. In order to examine more
modern ideas about the nature of gravity we must first look at
developments which took place after Newton, of which Newton
could not have even imagined.
waves through empty space. If an electrically charged object
vibrates, he reasoned that part of the electromagnetic field
surrounding the charge would become detached and propagate
away from the charge as a wave. But a wave in what? Unlike sound
waves in air or waves on water, it appeared to require no
propagating material medium - it would propagate through the
vacuum of empty space. He was even able to calculate from his
equations the speed at which such a wave would propagate - about
186,000 miles per second, which was known to be the speed of
light. This was a startling discovery. The precise nature of light was
then unknown, and this was the first clue to the fact that light is a
form of electromagnetic radiation. It was only after Maxwell's
death that the existence of his waves was confirmed by the German
physicist Hertz, who invented an oscillator to create them and a
receiver to detect them. Hertz
also confirmed experimentally
that in a vacuum they propagated with the speed of light.
In the nineteenth century important discoveries and develoments
were taking place in another field of physics - electricity and magnetism. In 1820 Oersted
discovered that an electric
current could move a
magnetic needle in a
compass, which meant that
Most physicists of that time
a n e l e c t r i c c u rr e n t
were so steeped in the Newproduces a magnetic force.
tonian view of a mechanical
Then Ampère showed that
Universe that they assumed
a current flowing in a circuit applied not only to the
lar loop produces a
movements of bodies acting
magnetic force identical to
under gravity or other forces,
that produced by a conbut that it must also apply to
ventional magnet, such as a
all other physical phenomena.
magnetised iron bar. This
They could not accept that an
was followed by Faraday's
electromagnetic wave propadiscovery that under
gates in empty space, i.e. in
certain conditions the
nothing, and so invented the
reverse happens—magnets
existence of an all pervading
can produce electric cur- Electromagnetic Machine, from Ganot‘s “Cours élémentaire de physique” 1872
medium throughout space rents. More specifically, he
demonstrated that it was a magnet's movement that induced an the so-called aether, specifically to provide Maxwell's waves with
electric current - the principle behind the dynamo and electricity something to propagate in. The speed of light - and of all electrogeneration in the modern world. The concept of a magnetic field magnetic radiation - was thought to be its speed through this aether
surrounding a magnet originated with Faraday, and that it was and relative to this aether, which totally fills space and is at rest
changes in this magnetic field which induced an electric current. He with respect to the Universe as a whole. The aether did not affect
later used the similar concept of an electric field to describe the material bodies in any way and so could not be detected directly.
influence of electrically charged objects on one another. Faraday did
not have the mathematical ability to develop his discoveries into a The Earth therefore moves through the aether as it orbits the Sun
systematic theory. This was done by Maxwell, who was borne in (the movement of the Sun around the centre of the Galaxy was not
Edinburgh in 1831, the same year that Faraday had discovered known at that time). It was argued by some, however, that the
electromagnetic induction.
Earth could drag the aether immediately surrounding it along with
Maxwell's equations relate the variation of a magnetic field to the it, and so could appear to be at rest in the local surrounding aether.
induced current, or more generally to variations in the induced This was shown to be untrue by the existence and measurement of
electric field. A field can vary in both space and time - at a given stellar aberration caused by the Earth's movement around the Sun.
point in space a field can vary in time, or at a given time it can vary From this is was concluded that the Earth does not drag the aether.
from point to point in space. As Maxwell developed his mathemati- If the aether is at rest in the Universe and the Earth moves through
cal theory of electromagnetism he realised that logically it predicted it, this should be detectable by its effect on the speed of light as
an entirely new phenomenon - the propagation of electromagnetic
[Continued on page 14]
Volume IV ~ Issue 2 Autumn 2011
NEW LEAF NEWS
Page 13
The Falkirk Invasive Species Forum (FISF) has been set up to help progress action to control invasive non
-native species across the Falkirk Council area. Its members include interested community groups, landowners,
businesses, environmental agencies, statutory bodies and Falkirk Council. Communities Along the Carron
Association is a volunteer group working to regenerate the River Carron. These two groups have joined
forces to sponsor this event to provide some free teaching seminars to educate those who deal with or may
encounter invasive non-native species in the course of their work, with a particular focus on the invasive
species Japanese Knotweed. This event is funded by FET and FC Development Services. ADVANCED
RESERVATIONS, LIMITED SEATING, FREE FOR EVERYONE: http://guestlistapp.com/events/69771.
Page 14
NEW LEAF NEWS
Volume IV ~ Issue 2 Autumn 2011
Take the Pledge—You and your Pal! Wearing the GDW armband
signifies that you are a responsible dog owner - you clean up after your dog,
you carry extra dog bags for those who forgot theirs, you are a friendly
ambassador for changing dog fouling attitudes. Contact us for more
LEAVE ONLY PAWPRINTS!
information, for your pledge form and free armband:
greendogwalkers@yahoo.co.uk or call 01324 501108.
...was a grand success! 700 humans, 400 doggies, contests, prizes and
fun for all! The dog charities raised lots of money, 85 new Green
Dog Walkers pledges were signed!
Watch this space for the 4th
annual Canine Capers 2012 (July) which will join forces with the Helix
Project!
Gravity, Continued from page 12
measured on Earth. If the speed of light is constant in the aether
then its speed as measured on Earth would be different at any
time by the speed of the Earth moving through the aether. This
became the basis for the famous Michelson-Morley experiment
performed in 1887 using an extremely accurate interferometer,
which gave the result that variations in the Earth's speed through
the aether had no effect on the measured speed of light.
The experiment was repeated making it even more accurate and with
possible sources of error being eliminated, but the result was still the
same. More recent repetitions of the experiment using even more
accurate electronic techniques have always produced the same result that variations in the Earth's speed through the hypothetical aether have
no effect whatsoever on the measured speed of light. This fundamental
result undermined the whole mechanical basis of the aether in interpreting Maxwell's theory of electromagnetism, and the scientific community
was at a loss to explain it. Some ingenious ideas were put forward but the
problem remained. As we know now, the real problem was the concept
itself, of the aether at rest in the Universe providing a unique frame of
reference for all motion. It was not until this concept was abandoned that
any progress was made.
This is where Einstein came in, with his special theory of relativity in 1905.
This is based on two concepts, the inertial frame and the principle of
relativity. An inertial frame is any region of space in which all objects
move in straight lines with constant velocity, in which the effects of gravity
and other forces are absent or can be neglected. The principle of relativity
states that the result of any physical happening within an inertial frame is
independent of the velocity of the frame with respect to any other inertial
frame, so that the laws of physics are the same in all inertial frames. This
was nothing new in traditional Newtonian mechanics. What Einstein did
was to extend it to the laws of electromagnetism, so that it now included
the speed of light. In Newtonian mechanics the speed of light is a quantity
determined by observation and which can depend on the velocity of the
observer. In the special theory of relativity the velocity of light is an
absolute quantity, independent of the observer, which is the same in all
inertial frames, whatever their velocities with respect to one another. All
motion is therefore relative and there is no absolute rest frame of
reference, such as the aether, by which motion can be measured. It also
Best Biscuit Catcher! John Girvan © 2011
After a busy summer of pledge
stalls at fayres and dog events,
1150 Falkirk dog owners have
taken the pledge!
follows from this that the relative motion of an object can
never exceed the speed of light.
The special theory of relativity is not directly relevant to ideas
about gravity and so will not be discussed further here.
Sufficient to say that as well as abolishing absolute motion, it
also abolished the previous Newtonian concept of absolute,
universal time which is the same for all observers. Depending
on their relative velocity, the same event would be timed
differently by different observers and their clocks would run at
different rates. The equivalence of mass and energy, given by
the famous equation E = mc2, is also a direct consequence of
the special theory. It needs to be emphasised that relativistic
effects only become significant at very high relative velocities.
That they exist has been demonstrated experimentally over
and over again, and many aspects of the modern world depend
on their consequences - atomic energy is perhaps the most
obvious one.
Einstein then went on to develop his theory of relativity to
include gravity, in an approach which looks at gravity in a revolutionary new way. Einstein's general theory of relativity has
superseded Newton's theory of gravitation because of its ability to explain accurately deviations from Newtonian mechanics
subsequently found in the observed behaviour of some
heavenly bodies. (More on this in Part 3, next issue.) ~Derek Allen
Volume IV ~ Issue 2 Autumn 2011
NEW LEAF NEWS
Page 15
The Kincaids of Orchardhall
Some Pictures & Bits of Abbotshaugh History
Auld Lang Syne
Orchardhall was a working farm prior to the industrialisation of the lands in the
19th century. It is now part of Abbotsford Park. (Googlers: see
http://www.abbotsfordbusinesspark.co.uk/) It extended either side of the A9,
which in a previous incarnation was the Orchardhall branch line, built in about
1902.
(See http://www.railbrit.co.uk/slideshow/slideshow.php?loc=Orchardhall. Also
see Maps 7 and 8 at http://hsewsf.sedsh.gov.uk/eschedule/show?id=6768&OK=Y.
Prior to 1768 the river Carron flowed south to what is now Abbots Road, then
east to what is now Dalderse Sewage Works before turning north to the site of
the present river.
The Kincaid family were the proprietors of Orchardhall farm for over a hundred
years and had extended family in East Stirlingshire for over 300 years. Alexander Kincaid was the brother of the celebrated author and soldier
Captain John Kincaid. When Alexander died, his son James inherited the farm. James died in 1855 having maintained some 18 acres of
farmland by the work of his own hand. Having left no will, his brother Thomas Kincaid was appointed tutor in law for his three surviving
nieces, Agnes, Jane and Margaret. In 1856 Thomas sold of the crop and the livestock and was granted permission to lease the farm for 15
years to Mr Hardie, owner of the nearby Ironworks for the benefit of the trustees. In 1881 James‘s wife Agnes and daughter Margaret were
still living at Orchardhall with another sister, Jane Clark MacCall living at nearby Forganhall with her daughter Agnes Kincaid MacCall.
By 1942 the lands were being farmed
the lands of Orchardhall north of the
ministry of Aircraft Production to
1974 Orchardhall house was owned
and old English sheep dog Louise. The
ium Company with George having a
after his death and the site including
chilled storage plant.
―I am a native of that land which some
poets‘ lips and painters‘ hands have
pictured barren and treeless.‖
~Captain John Kincaid. 95th Rifles.
by the Browns of Dalderse Farm and
railway line were acquired by the
build an aluminium rolling plant. By
by George Stratton, his daughter Jean
house was bought by British Aluminlife lease. The house was demolished
the orchard is now part of Asda
In his book Random Shots of a Rifleman (page 70) Captain John Kincaid tells the tale of the burial of the last laird of Abbotshaugh. He had
probably heard it first hand and, from his description, was familiar with the countryside of his time. Abbotshaugh distillery, which is
mentioned in his version of the tale, is shown on the reform act map of Falkirk — on which the site of Orchardhall is shown as Dalderse
house which was part of the old barony of Dalderse. Random Shots of a Rifleman can be found in PDF on Google Books and read in its
entirety on line. (I am creating a slightly larger version with links as an html for publishing on the web and may be contacted for further
information at russellalex25@yahoo.co.uk .)
Another bit of Abbotshaugh history...the last piece in the jigsaw regarding the Goodlet family of Abbotshaugh has finally surfaced. The
Goodlets owned Abbotshaugh from about 1614 to about 1765. After the burial of the laird in 1738 the estate was inherited by the
Goodlet-Campbell's who sold it to Charles Gasgoine just after the birth of the industrial revolution.
~Alex Russell
Photos McCallum © 2009, Courtesy CATCA Archives: Timbers on the River Carron in Abbotshaugh area—remains of a ferry
and Carronbank wharf; this section of the river was created in the early to mid 1600's with the wharf about 1760; river from
here to Sealock/Grangemouth circa 1768.
Page 16
NEW LEAF NEWS
Legal Bumf: All NLN content CGI © 2011, except where otherwise noted. The link to NLN may be
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writers, reporters, researchers, artists,
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the distributors (thanks all CGI &
community volunteers!), Denny Library,
all publishers who let us reproduce material
& all who offered brilliant suggestions &
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Plean Country Park Update, cont from pg 8
Bark In The Park
The Friends group assisted Stirling Council Ranger Service with preparations for this year‘s event which was held on Sunday 21 st August. We
were lucky with the weather which brought out a great crowd who
enjoyed a day of all things canine. With face painting, dog obedience
display, search and rescue display, food and ice cream vans, commercial stalls and charity stalls there was something for everyone. The
charity stalls were supported well by the public as was the Friends of
Plean Country Park. A big thank you from the Friends to everyone
who supported the event, and a very big apology to anyone who was
not able to enter their dog into one of the classes. As they say
hindsight is a great thing and with hindsight we should have had bigger
classes in the dog show, a lesson learned for next time.
Park Improvements
As a group we are still working together with Stirling Council to make
improvements to the park. At a recent walk round with Council
Officers we agreed a number of enhancements which will be carried
out in the coming months. Watch this space.
Tools Of The Trade
We have been fortunate to receive a grant to enable us to buy some
tools and protective clothing for the Friends, so we will no longer have
to rely on borrowing tools for our action days. We intend to use our
new purchases when we take part in the CSV Make a Difference Day
which is the UK‘s biggest day of volunteering. This year it takes place
on Saturday 29thOctober. We intend to run an event in the park for
volunteers who will be rewarded with a hearty lunch. Details will be
published soon. Please come and join us.
Volume IV ~ Issue 2 Autumn 2011
New Leaf News is an all volunteer
creation, free to the public, published by
Community Green Initiative (CGI)
© 2011 in partnership with
Environment Action Network
Printed by Printworks, Falkirk
2008-2009 printed version funded by FET,
advertisers and donations
2010-2011 printed version funded by
Earlsburn Wind Farm Community
Benefit Fund, ads and donations
Online version thanks to CVS Growing
Communities 2009 which funded the CGI
website created by FDS Developments
Editor in Chief: Michelle McCallum
Associate Editor: Arthur Berg
communitygreeninitiative@yahoo.co.uk
ARE YOU our next guest history
writer? Our regular history feature page
( Auld Lang Syne see pg 15) seeks articles (est 300
words) & photos from anyone in Central Scotland
who has a story to tell about local heritage and history, including oral history projects, relics, memoirs,
etc. Deadline 15th December / Winter issue.
...Finally
Words from our Ranger Jennifer in brief:
As usual summer has been a busy time for the Ranger Service and
no less so than in Plean Country Park. Jennifer spent a day with
volunteers carrying out the mammoth task of counting each spike
of the Greater Butterfly Orchids and found that the numbers
appear slightly down this year. After the flowers of all the
wildflowers have set, contractors will cut and bail the meadows
during the first week in October, weather permitting.
One
Ranger
event which was
particularly well
received
this
summer was the
Mini
Beast/
Pond
dipping
session held in
August. Some 40
people attended
and most of the
children
were
not the least bit
phased by the
various big slugs
and
beasties.
W e a t h e r
Wonder Woman! What it takes to clean up a park...
permitting,
the
dipping pond will
be cleared out in November. Let‘s all hope this winter is a bit more
kind to us. Bye for now.
~Fran Barr- Friends of Plean Country Park.