Archive for the ‘Environment’ Category

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Loch Ness Unusual Ideas for Visitors

Friday, March 15th, 2013

Only our participation in Visit Scotland’s  Year of Natural 2013 for Loch Ness would make me notice this but apart from all the usual stuff holiday makers and visitors get up to during a visit to our favourite part of the world, there is so much more happening all around Loch Ness that you could easily miss if you don’t know about it from an insider like me.

I guess most folks visiting for the first time will at some point during their stay, do a trip around the loch calling in at the obvious tourist hot spots along the way, but for adrenaline junkies, artists, nature lovers, whisky tasters, hill runners, in fact all of you who like to do something a bit different when on holiday need to check out our Year of Natural pages. For those with more specialised interests it’s easy to miss out if you don’t ask around. Events are easy, there is a good calendar full of stuff for all months  of the year on Visit Loch Ness Event Calendar

Our Loch Ness Year of Natural promotion highlights on the website some of those more unusual or specialist activities offered by our member businesses to anyone interested, and common theme this year is environment and nature.

Browse our Year of Natural page and click on a theme or themes that interests you, whether it be rock climbing or wilderness painting, have a browse and do some advance planning for your holiday especially if you are visiting in summer or bank holidays. There’s nothing worse than seeing the disappointment on kids faces when you can’t get on that trip or activity because it is fully booked. We are adding new member offers weekly so add the page to favourites so you can check back regularly for updates, and if there is something you would like to do and its not showing on the site do contact us, we are happy to help whenever we can.

Weaseling at Loch Ness

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A species on the brink – Freshwater Pearl Mussel

Wednesday, October 31st, 2012

A species on the brink – Freshwater Pearl Mussel

They can live for over a century, they have one of the most bizarre life-cycles of any species you’re likely to find and they’re one of the reasons why the Romans invaded Britain. What’s more is that their future is in our hands. The freshwater pearl mussel might not have the glamour of some other iconic ‘Scottish’ species like the golden eagle or red squirrel, but they’re incredibly important. Scotland holds around half of the world’s population of this fascinating creature and they are currently balancing on a knife-edge.

Populations are found in some of the rivers flowing into Loch Ness.

Freshwater pearl mussels are very slow-growing and live at the bottom of clean, generally fast-flowing rivers. These animals, which spend the early part of their life harmlessly attached to the gills of trout and salmon before settling onto a suitable substrate are now extinct across most of their former range. Highland rivers are a stronghold for the species.

As their name suggests, they very occasionally bear a pearl, and this has in many ways led to their downfall. The taking of mussels by ‘pearl-fishers’ has been the main reason for the massive declines in these populations, but they have also been affected by pollution and river-engineering works.

The freshwater pearl mussel was given full legal protection in 1998 but unfortunately illegal activity still continues. Every year we still come across significant ‘kills’ where piles of hundreds of empty shells mark the scene of a few hours illegal fishing, where a whole population of this globally threatened species can be wiped out in a couple of hours.

These threats to the species have meant that the freshwater pearl mussel is a UK Wildlife Crime priority. This means that the Police work closely with Scottish Natural Heritage, anglers, bailiffs, river users and a wide-range of other organisations to help tackle these crimes by improving awareness, collection of intelligence and better enforcement to safeguard the species.

However, whilst the police and other organisations do their best to help tackle wildlife crime in this way they can’t do it alone, and the help of the public can be absolutely crucial. Pearl fishing is often carried out in remote locations, or very early in the morning when there is less chance of being detected, and often during the summer when daylight hours are long and the rivers are low. Fishing is often carried out by wading out into rivers and using glass-bottomed buckets to find the mussels and a cleft stick to recover them. If anyone sees or suspects that pearl fishing is taking place we urge people to report it to their local police station and Wildlife Crime Officer as soon as possible.

At the same time there are numerous projects aimed at active conservation of the species, including a recent £3.5 million project funded by the European Commission’s LIFE+ fund and secured by Scottish National Heritage and 14 other organisations. The project will improve habitats for the species, encourage simple and effective positive management of rivers where they are present, improve awareness and understanding of the species as well as helping address wildlife crime issues.

So it’s not all doom and gloom for this remarkable species, and everybody has a role in ensuring it’s survival – let’s hope that we can bring the freshwater pearl mussel back from the brink.

If you would like more information on the species visit SNH’s website at http://www.snh.gov.uk/about-scotlands-nature/species/invertebrates/freshwater-invertebrates/freshwater-pearl-mussel/

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Loch Ness Gets the Nuts!

Friday, October 26th, 2012

Destination Loch Ness has been given £25,000 from the Natural Growth Fund to promote wildlife, the scenery and outdoor activities to encourage visitors to extend their visit to the Loch Ness area .

In a statement supporting its funding application,  Destination Loch Ness said: “Loch Ness has always been known for one thing, ‘Nessie – the The Loch Ness Monster’, and while this has been very important to the awareness of the area, visitors are sometimes not aware of what other natural wonders and wildlife we have here”.

“This project, by profiling the natural landscape around the loch and all the activities to be enjoyed, plus events, will make visitors realise Loch Ness really does have a lot to offer, thereby encouraging more visits and  longer stays .”

Graeme Ambrose, who  is executive director at Destination Loch Ness, said: “The south side of Loch Ness is virtually unknown to a lot of people because they just see the north side, for the monster [attractions] and Urquhart Castle.
 “There is so much to do on the south side, it’s very much more of a wilderness area where you can cycle and walk, and it is rich in wildlife. There is a large population of red squirrels and also pine martins.”

The money, which must be match-funded by the applicants, will also be used to highlight lesser-known activities showcasing nature in the area, including “weaselling”, which is like potholing but done among rocks.

The £150,000 Growth Fund from the Year of Natural Scotland, launching next year, is aimed at supporting marketing projects showcasing Scotland’s unique natural environment and supporting the growth of tourism across the county.

It was opened to applications last month and provides awards on a 50:50 match-funding basis from £2,500 to £25,000.

Statistics suggest 40 per cent of tourism spending in Scotland is on nature-based activities; the value of wildlife tourism is estimated at over £270 million.

VisitScotland chairman Mike Cantlay said: “Not only is Loch Ness renowned around the world and a key Scottish icon, it is also very important area of outstanding environmental and cultural heritage. This award will help position Loch Ness more strongly as a year-round natural destination in key UK markets.”

Posted in 100 Things to do Loch Ness, Blether, Environment, loch ness, Loch Ness Area News, News from Loch Ness | Comments Off

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