Hello everyone,
I’m Meryl the Invasive Species apprentice! Not going to lie but that is a pretty awesome job title… one which raises a few eyebrows when I introduce myself but generally gets a good reaction!
I’ve been in post now for a few months, the summer months, which tend to be the busiest in the world of invasive species. I’m based with the Cromarty Firth Fishery Trust up in the Highlands and feel very privileged as it is such a beautiful area.
Working with the fishery trust I have been carrying out invasive plant surveys along a number of rivers in the area which are important for the salmon and trout habitat. The surveys are targeting the top 4 invasive plants here which are: Giant Hogweed, Japanese Knotweed, Rhododendron and Himalayan balsam. I also include a few other species, such as Snowberry, which can be quite invasive but at the moment are just being recorded to monitor their spread.
During the surveying I have found myself wandering along beautifully manicured river banks bumping into anglers, scrambling through gorges clinging to the edges, battling through ten foot bracken and nettles whilst spooking the odd deer and even coming across some confused looking cows on the river banks…’all in a days work!’.
As well as surveying for the invasive plants I have been involved in manually eradicating them, the eradication project for most of the species is going to last up to five years and luckily the local BTCV group are the contractors carrying out the work so it’s great that I get to work so closely with them too. Many a summers day have been spent pulling up Himalayan balsam with the volunteers and on occasion the Green Gymers!
It’s been great to see the enthusiasm of the volunteers especially as the control work can be quite tough going and repetitive but they keep coming back for more which is really nice to see. I’m about to get more involved with the Highland mink project so there will be stories to follow on that!
As I am part of the fishery trust I get to experience and learn the skills associated with working in this area so I have been out learning about fish habitat and carrying out lots of electrofishing. I’ve even chanced my hand at fly fishing for salmon and caught…a rock! Oh well there’s always next time!
Since I’ve been in post I have also taken part in a couple of BTCV BioBlitz events which have been great fun and a great learning experience for me.
I’ve tried to absorb as much information as possible from everyone I’ve met so far and it’s fantastic to be able to meet so many different people. I’m now a member of the Highland Invasive Species Forum which meets every few months and is made up of people from a wide range of organisations from Scottish Natural Heritage to the Forestry Commission. This has been a great opportunity for me to meet people from each of these organisations who have a specific role regarding invasive species and I hope to spend a few short placements with some of them over the next year. In addition to being a member of the Highland Invasive Species Forum I have also been able to join the Ross and Cromarty (East) Biodiversity Group which is a really interesting group who are involved in delivering a wide range of projects and I’m looking forward to designing an event for next years biodiversity week.
The next couple of months are going to be keeping me just as busy as ever! I’m going to be attending conferences, pesticide training, a river restoration day and meetings! So I will have lots to share in my next blog so stay tuned!
For now I’m off…to kick some invasive species’ butts!…and maybe fit in a spot of fishing!