Well March has flown by and it’s been a busy month. Since my last blog I have been getting to know some of the established community groups in Ellon and Balmedie and finding out what they value most about the area and what they work towards. I went out and helped to plant some trees with the local biodiversity action group and it’s amazing what they can get done on a Saturday morning with a handful of people and a couple of spades. It’s so refreshing to see the enthusiasm and dedication of these groups and I look forward to the opportunity of working with them to build a green network in Ellon. I have started preparing a consultation for the wider community in Ellon and I hope to have it finished by the end of May. I’m very eager to find out what the people of Ellon would like to see happen as part of this green network project and can’t wait to see what ideas will pop up.
Tree planting in Ellon
I have also been to some great events and seminars this month. The North East Biodiversity Partnership had a stall at Discovery Day organised by the Satrosphere Science Centre. We were promoting citizen science and demonstrating the use of camera traps to record mammals. We also hosted a Peatlands Seminar at the James Hutton Institute this month and we had a great talk from Maureen Potter from the Friends of Langlands Moss LNR on community-led bog management. This group has been doing fantastic things to restore the bog and raised around £100,000 to put in a board walk to improve public access. It was inspiring to see how much a community can achieve when they take ownership of a project.
Promoting Citizen Science at Discovery Day
It’s been a great month and I’m sure April is going to be just as busy. Look forward to telling you all about it.