Stirling Council Ranger Service Annual Report 2012

Introduction This report highlights some of the achievements of the Ranger Service over the past year and, where relevant, outlines our future approach. It covers our key areas of work and how they fit with Council priorities. Our work directly contributes to achieving the objectives of the Central Scotland Green Network (CSGN) and the Stirling Single Outcome Agreement (SOA).

Staff changes within the Ranger Service Throughout 2012 the core staff of the Ranger Service: area rangers Claire Bird; Jennifer Davidson and Douglas Flynn and Biodiversity & Ranger Coordinator Guy Harewood, was boosted by the arrival of Scott Mason (Apprentice Ranger) and Kate Williamson (Community Support Ranger).

Scott is with the Ranger Service on a two-year modern apprenticeship and is working towards an SVQ Level 2 in Environmental Conservation. His progress has led to him being nominated for the Lantra apprentice of the year award in Environmental Conservation.

Kate joined the Service on a one-year placement from TCV and worked closely with the Communities Team to deliver a high quality programme of activities aimed at engaging the residents of Cultenhove.

Inner Forth Landscape Initiative In July the Inner Forth Landscape Initiative (IFLI) learnt that it had been successful in its application to the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF). It has secured approx £75,900 to take forward the 12 month Development Phase before submitting a Stage 2 application in Nov 2013 for £1.9 million of HLF funding towards a £3.8 million project. Project delivery cannot begin before January 2014.

The IFLI covers an area of 202km2 which includes the river and floodplain of the Forth as it flows from Stirling Bridge to Blackness Castle on the south shore and Limekilns on the north shore.

IFLI is lead by RSPB Scotland and with a large number of partners, including Stirling Council. Information is available at http://innerforthlandscape.wordpress.com/

Rangers on Facebook & Twitter In 2011 we launched our Facebook page to promote the activities of our service and those of our partners. We currently have 330+ people who ‘Like’ our page and we reach, on average, 250 people each week. Building on our successful use of social media, in 2012 we created a Ranger presence on Twitter and, at the time of writing, we have 169 followers.

'Follow' us on Twitter at https://twitter.com/#!/SCRangers

'Like' us on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/stirlingcouncilrangers

The Ranger Team in 2012

The Forth in Stirling

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The Ranger Service runs a year-long programme of activities including a minimum of one action day and one public event each month. We also work closely with schools, communities and partner organisations to deliver projects as well as giving talks to local groups. Environmental education and awareness raising

Stirling SOA Strategic Topic 3. Making Stirling a place where lifelong learning is valued and encouraged

Strategic Topic 6. Making Stirling a place with a high quality environment No Attendees School visits 27 945 Talks 3 96 Total 30 1041 No Attendees Events 27 741 During 2012 we continued out work with Stirling’s schools. Alongside the usual short-term involvement we worked with 4 of the schools in the Stirling cluster to successfully deliver the John Muir Award.

Having Kate and Scott in the team enabled us to work closely with Youth Services on their Create programme, running orienteering and natural craft events, and deliver a summer programme of 7 activities aimed at encouraging residents of Cultenhove to appreciate their environment.

Building on from the success of our joint archaeological dig with Murray Cook, the Council’s archaeologist, we supported 3 further digs at Abbey Craig, Killearn Glen and Plean Country Park. Hundreds of volunteers took part across the 3 events and found a number of notable artefacts, including the foundation stones of ‘The Place of Killearn’.

Volunteer and community action days

Strategic Topic 4. Making Stirling a place where improved well-being adds life to years, not just years to life

Strategic Theme B. Encouraging participation and responsibility

No Attendees Action Days 21 321 Corporate Volunteers 1 20 Total 22 341 Equivalent hours 1705 On 1st December over 50 volunteers turned out to plant 2000 native trees at the Forthbank Loop. This marked the start of a much larger project to create a 17ha woodland on the site.

The site has been included in the Woodland Trust’s Diamond Jubilee Woods project and in October Stirling Council was presented with a certificate by HRH the Princess Royal in recognition of its efforts to create one of the UK's Diamond Woods.

Volunteering with the Ranger Service

Strategic Topic 2. Making Stirling a place with jobs and opportunities for all

We continue to provide volunteers with opportunities to develop their skills and gain experience of conservation work. In October we held our second annual Volunteer Celebration Barbeque at Plean Country Park. 30+ people attended, some learning how to prune fruit trees, some clearing paths around the park but all enjoying a well earned burger and piece of cake.

Guy is presented with the Volunteers planting at certificate by the Princess Royal the Forthbank Loop

John Muir Award with Archaeological dig at Borestone Primary School Killearn Glen

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LBAP delivery

Strategic Theme B. Encouraging participation and responsibility

Strategic Theme C. Making Stirling more sustainable

Strategic Topic 6. Making Stirling a place with a high quality environment

The Stirling Biodiversity Steering Group met only two times during 2012 with the last meeting in June. Although progress to produce the Stirling Biodiversity Action Plan stalled in 2012 a lot has been achieved.

In September the second Forth Valley Wildlife & Landscape Forum was held at Alloa Academy. Approximately 80 people attended the Forum with 25 stalls set out and 13 speakers. The feedback showed the Forum to again be a resounding success and it will now become an annual event. Next year’s Forum will be held in Falkirk at a date TBC. http://bit.ly/YTqAg3

Delivery of the Council’s biodiversity duty

Strategic Theme C. Making Stirling more sustainable

Strategic Topic 6. Making Stirling a place with a high quality environment

For the past two years the award winning ‘On The Verge’ campaign has worked with partners to create areas of native wildflowers that provide feeding stations for our dwindling bumblebee populations.

The success of the project was recognised in March at the inaugural Nature of Scotland Awards where On the Verge was highly commended in the Species Champion category.

Stirling Council is a key partner and has sown wildflower seeds in more than 20 areas, mainly in and around Stirling. In Spring 2013 4000m2 will be sown in a prominent location at Stirling Bridge.

We worked closely with six of community groups and schools to enhance the biodiversity of some of Stirling’s open spaces through the planting of native fruit trees that will provide benefits to our local biodiversity and communities for years to come.

In 2012 we increased the amount of time spent providing ecological advice to our colleagues, with badger and bat surveys undertaken for road realignment and bridge repair projects respectively.

We provided a good deal of ecological input into the planning process, both relating to individual developments and the assessment of the ecological impacts of major developments and Council plans and policies. Much effort went into ensuring that adequate policies and supplementary guidance were included within the Stirling Local Development Plan.

2013 Year of Natural Scotland The Year of Natural Scotland 2013 seeks to inspire our people and our visitors to celebrate Scotland's outstanding natural beauty, landscapes, wildlife and biodiversity.

The Year will be used as an opportunity to promote the responsible enjoyment of Scotland's built and natural heritage. It will promote conservation and encourage people to enjoy Scotland's outdoors.

We intend to make use of the Year of Natural Scotland to raise the profile of our activities and the opportunities that we provide for residents and visitors to experience, enjoy and learn about our natural heritage.

Delegates at the Forum

Above: On the Verge receiving its Nature of Scotland Award. Below: Volunteers planting the fruit trees at Blairlogie

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Site monitoring, maintenance and management

Strategic Topic 4. Making Stirling a place where improved well being adds life to years, not just years to life

Strategic Topic 6. Making Stirling a place with a high quality environment

We continue to manage sites that have been our responsibility for a number of years. Ensuring that they are safe and welcoming places for people to visit. We have installed a suite of new site welcome signs with the accompanying interpretation panels due to be in place in the coming months. We have also been asked to contribute our expertise to the management of ‘new’ sites, such as King’s Park, where there is the opportunity to enhance their biodiversity value.

We have developed a number of significant partnerships to help us to achieve benefits for our sites, including working with the Friends of PCP to deliver workdays and activities to draw people into the Park.

We have worked hard to make our sites accessible to as many users as possible. Last year saw the one of the 6 qualifying rounds of Scottish Cycling’s Mini Downhill Series come to Abbey Craig. Despite the weather last year it was one of the most enjoyed venues amongst competitors with little impact on other site users. We plan to run the race again this year.

Accessing external funding Many of our activities have the potential to attract funding. In 2012 the following was secured: CSGN – £17,000 for the production of a woodland creation plan for Polmaise. SRDP - £82,000 for the woodland creation at Forthbank Loop,

- £17,000 for works to enhance the condition of Wester Moss, - £7,600 for woodland works at Killearn Glen, - £40,000 for improvements to the Bannockburn Heritage Trail.

We are also worked with external partners to secure large scale funding for the following projects: RSPB – Inner Forth Landscape Partnership bid - £76,000 for the development phase FEL - £1500 to plant native fruit trees on Council owned sites

Biological data – collection and management

Strategic Topic 6. Making Stirling a place with a high quality environment

The Stirling Biodiversity Group has identified the need to improve our biological information as a priority and we are involved in actively collecting this data. We continue to monitor biodiversity on our sites, working with volunteers to complete regular butterfly transects and an annual count of local populations of the Greater Butterfly Orchid.

We also contribute to the collection of data for national surveys through WeBS counts, butterfly transects and surveys for great crested newts.

We provide training to volunteers that enables them to collect valuable biological data. For the past few years we have held regular training days for butterfly surveying and fungi identification.

Access promotion

Strategic Topic 6. Making Stirling a place with a high quality environment

The ‘Great Outdoors Festival’, run with the Ranger Services from East and West Dunbartonshire, attracted hundreds of walkers, riders and kayakers who enjoyed our area’s fantastic environment.

We continue to work closely with access colleagues and communities to enhance the Core Path Network, including works to improve signage and path surfaces.

A Greater Butterfly Orchid at Plean Country Park

Above: A racer at the Abbey Craig mini-downhill

Guided walk up the Whangie