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East Ayrshire Woodlands in the media & on the web
NEWS AND EVENTS
What to look for through the year - Wildlife on Your Doorstep
2010
May - Traditional woodland skills & charcoal burning project starts at Craufurdland Estate
2009
August
2009 - Energy
Agency Event, Auchincruive, Saturday 12th September
Download Poster
April
2009 - Dumfries
House Scouts Event
East
Ayrshire Woodlands staff attended the evironmental day for the cub scouts
leading tree planting activities and birdsong / wildlife walks in the grounds
of
Dumfries House.
January 2009 - Whitehill Colliery Woodland Community Event Poster here
January 2009 - Newmilns Primary Bulb Planting Press Release pdf
November 2008 - Sorn Village Hall Christmas Decoration Event Advertised Poster
August 2008 - New FEI Ayrshire Forest Cluster newsletter available here
August
2008 - Stewarton, new oak bench installed at Crusader Avenue in Stewarton,
in conjunction with SWAT.
August
2008 - Hannahston
community woodland. Youth group involved in making and
installing new nestboxes in the woodland, which unfortunately were quickly
destroyed
and vandalised. This is the second time that all new boxes have been destroyed.
There has also been vandalism to the stone shelter at the entrance.
August
2008 - Catrine
Railway Cutting work continues - planters
are being made for
the area and the new stone seating has now been pointed
due to repeated vandalism,
it is unfortunate that the drystane effect has been lost but this was essential
to
ensure the structure remained in place.
July
2008 - Vacancies
for Assistant Project Manager & chargehand (East
Ayrshire
Woodlands) and Project Manager (Coalfield Environment Initiative) advertised.
July 2008 - Woodroad Park, Cumnock
Work on
revamping the Templand Wood
trail in Woodroad Park has begun with
volunteers from the EASY Project, in partnership with the Coalfield
Environment Initiative.
The first phase includes cutting back encroaching vegetation and scraping
paths and
steps. The trail posts will also be replaced and education / nature worksheets
will be
produced, together with other downloadable resources, available on the website.
June 2008 - Catrine Railway Cutting
The
work on the landscape improvements at the Railway Cutting at Catrine is
complete and a web
page will be live shortly.
June
16th 2008 - New interpretation panel delivered for Lainshaw
Woods,
Stewarton, to be installed shortly
January 15th 2008 - New Footpath Links for Stewarton
Involvement
between East-Ayrshire Woodlands and Stewarton Woodland Action
Trust has implemented the full upgrade of all footpaths within Lainshaw Community
Woodland and was completed just prior to the Christmas break. In total 911
metres
of footpath has now been upgraded and was funded by Forward Scotland. The
path
upgrade which now provides an all-weather and all-abilities link from the
housing of
David Dale Avenue to the main footpath running along the River Annick and
connecting
to other newly installed footpaths.
Further information: Reg Briers, Forester 01290 426973
January
2008 - Willow now available from our Willow Crop. See willow
page for details.
2007
October
1st 2007 - Galloway & Ayrshire Biosphere
initial consultation complete.
Further details at www.sup.org.uk
October 1st 2007 - Fisherman's path now open at Stewarton
The
Fisherman’s Path that links the Anderson’s Mount footpath and the
Lainshaw
House’s footpath is now complete. All construction work is finished and
is now open
to the public to enjoy
July 19 2007 - Galloway & Ayrshire Biosphere Consultation meetings arranged.
July
19 2007 - Additional Footpath Construction Happening Soon………The
Fisherman's
Footpath, Stewarton.
In
addition to the Andersons Mount Footpath that was installed earlier this year
on
the behalf of Stewarton Woodland Action Trust (SWAT). A new all-season whinpath
will be installed during July and August 2007 that adjoins Anderson's Mount
footpath
and follows the course of the River Annick until the property boundary of
Lainshaw
House.
East-Ayrshire Woodlands has been contracted the job of installing 736 metres
of
whinpath with a similar specification used for Andersons Mount. The route
is mainly
designed for the use of pedestrians, push chairs and cyclists. The Fisherman's
Footpath starts (Grid Ref; NS406 449)
approximately
50 metres in from the minor road leading to the Scottish Water
treatment plant and then ends at the property boundary of Lainshaw House
(Grid Ref; NS409 452).
Path planning has been made easier by working closely with the plant manager
at
Scottish Water treatment plant at Stewarton. Firstly, the route of the Fisherman's
Path goes over land owned by Scottish Water and secondly the passage of material
and plant vehicles has been agreed to access the water treatment plant which
has
reduced haulage distances and overall project cost.
Further path work is likely to occur this year with extensions at both ends
resulting
in nearly 3300 metres of newly formed footpath around Stewarton by the end
of
2007.
This route is one of many that is scheduled for upgrading/constructing around
Stewarton and is identified as Route 7 (Annick Water Path) in the 'Stewarton
Access Strategy Action Plan 2006' commissioned by SWAT.
It
is advisable to the general public not to use the route once under construction
as plant vehicles such as tracked dumpers and excavators will be in use at
either end.
For further information, please contact EAW Forester, Reg Briers on 01290
426973
2006
December
5 2006 - Footpath work at Anderson's
Mount, Stewarton
An all-season whinpath will be installed through the mature broadleaf woodland
known locally as Anderson's Mount. The footpath stretches from grid
references
OSGR NS406 451 (Scottish Water plant/Walled Garden) to OSGR NS399 454
(Kilwinning Road). The route is 1000 metres long and is mostly designed for
motorised
wheelchair access, walkers and cyclists. This route is one of many that is
scheduled for
upgrading/constructing around Stewarton and is identified as Route 9 in the
‘Stewarton
Access Strategy 2006’ commissioned by Stewarton Woodland Action Trust
(SWAT).
SWAT
have secured funding from Scottish Natural Heritage and East-Ayrshire Outdoor
Access Unit to cover the cost of path construction and the installation of
waymarkers
and benches. EAW was successful in the tendering process to project manage
the whole
operation on SWAT behalf and has engaged a local sub-contractor to construct
the
footpath and associated draining work.
It
is advisable to the general public not to use this footpath once under construction
as heavy plant vehicles such as tracked dumpers and excavators will be in
use at either end.
For further information, please contact EAW Forester, Reg Briers on 01290 426973
December
5 2006 - Harvesting of 2006 / 07 Willow crop
We have now begun harvesting our willow crop for this year. Visit our willow
resources
page for further information on species available.
October 11 2006 - FEI Activities at Dunlop ECO Day
October 10 2006 - Review of the Ayrshire Local Biodiversity Action Plan.
Ayrshire
contains an amazing array of habitats and species, ranging from the marine
environment of the Firth of Clyde to the uplands of Muirkirk, as well and
the spectacular
Isle of Arran northern mountains. The Ayrshire Local Biodiversity Action Plan
(LBAP)
sets out actions to protect and enhance this important wildlife and guides
the work of
those seeking to achieve these aims.
Since
the LBAP was published in 2001, the context of biodiversity conservation in
Scotland has changed, with the publication of the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy
and the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act in 2004. Because of this it was
decided
to undertake a review of the LBAP, with a view to making it easier to use
and a better
fit with what is going on it the rest of Scotland.
If
you have any comments on how wildlife should be managed in Ayrshire or have
any information that you feel might be of use in the review, please contact
Dianne
Holman, Area Officer for Scottish Natural Heritage on 01292 261392.
October 9 2006 - Harvesting of 2006 / 07 Willow crop
We
expect to begin harvesting our willow varieties around mid November. Visit
our
willow resources page or contact us for further information
August 4 2006 - Formal opening of Hannahston Community Woodland
May 2 2006 - Willow crop resources online
Page
added under communities section highlighted the willow resource we can offer
to community groups,
craft workers and individuals.
For further information please visit our willow resource page.
April 22 2006 - Community Training Wildlife Walks programme begins
April 22nd
saw the launch of the Community Training Programme with an
'Introduction to bird song' walk at Sornbank Plantation,
Sorn at 8am.Those present were treated to the sight and sounds of expected
species such as blue tit, coal tit, robin and wren reacting
well to the recorded sounds, together with wonderful close views of more elusive
species such as chiffchaff, willow warbler and tawny owl.
The second walk took place on Saturday April 29th as part of the Muirkirk
Walking
Festival at Kirk Plantation, Muirkirk, with enthusiastic interaction with
wrens, robins,
blue tits, coal tits, song thrush, mistle thrush, greenfinch and willow warbler.
For
further information on the 2006 programme, visit our
Communities
page.
2005
November 17 2005 - New Handrail at Bellsbank, Press release
October 1&2 2005 - Tree in the Park at Chatelherault Country Park, Hamilton