Happy New Year! Welcome to 2022

Another year has passed and we now embark on a new year with a new start!

My name is Amee and this is Oatie aka the new reserve manager and bog dog! Many may recognise me as I return back to Stirling NNRs! But this time the return is permanent!

For the last couple of years I have been working as an area officer for NatureScot in the Southern Scotland team where I have strengthened my skills and gained a variety of experience.

Unlike the NNR team I have been primarily based at home trying to work, site visits have been too and far between and face to face interaction with my colleagues down south have been minimal to non-existent. For the first couple of weeks returning to the NNR’s has been overwhelming mentally and physically. I know I won’t be alone in trying to get back to some sort of normality but I am very fortunate that my jobs takes me outside. Getting out in nature has huge benefits for health and wellbeing which has made the transition easier.

So what has the Stirling NNR team got in line for 2022?

Well, until I can take a deep dive into the hand over notes from Dave and create my own plan with my own ideas I can safely say that our work will consist of some peatland restoration, visitor improvements to our sites, a continuation of habitat improvements and creations on our reserves and a list of volunteer events which will help us deliver some of these elements above.

My second week returning saw me removing the Christmas Trees from the moss back to the truck and it physically broke me! Dave and Steve are legends for taking this task on every year and are machines!

Steve helping with navigation

The nearly 2hr slog back to the truck got me thinking. Surely there has to be another bit of machinery, which may be a bit more eco friendly, with the same minimal impact on the bog vegetation and more importantly easier to steer? So I will be on the lookout for a possible new bit of machinery.

So far no one has came forward with any evidence of me getting the machine stuck right at the end, so it was a successful day.

Our team have plans and have great ambitions. So here’s to 2022!

We hope all our readers have a good year and I look forward to sharing our plans and findings over the weeks and months to come with you.