Friends of the Ochils Newsletter 19: Autumn 2001
The chairman's thoughts
Alistair Lawson on recent developments
RECENT NEWSLETTERS have sought to convey to members some of the harsh facts with which we need to come to terms when looking at FotO's future. The committee, having stared into the abyss of dissolution, has recoiled from the void and has begun to identify some new initiatives to which we might apply our efforts.
These new ideas are detailed below, but let it be repeated that we remain woefully short of member-involvement. We invite members to come to us with their vision for Ochils-related action - when we will almost certainly lend support and encouragement.
The eternal dilemma is whether it is sustainable and credible for us to be no more than a "watchdog", without having a programme of action of our own. Just at present there are many things happening around us, mostly stemming from the new round of council staff appointments: these mean that we shall soon be surrounded, in all four Ochils councils, by access officers and biodiversity officers. The evidence so far is that they will muster existing organisations, marry their existing programmes of activity, use their existing personnel and energies and so create the core of the councils' access and biodiversity plans. There is, therefore, an onus on us to contribute, and there is the risk of being seen to be wanting if we cannot. If this is to be the new way of the world, then we do need to be more than just a watchdog.
Now, as to new ideas. The committee recently met Joan Geddes, of the Association for the Protection of Rural Scotland. Like us, APRS is a watchdog body; like us, they struggle to keep their members' enthusiasm alive. And, like us, they find themselves debating the balance between reactive and proactive roles. We are exploring with Joan the scope for collaboration.
The committee has also met James Garry, of Clackmannanshire Council. James works in the planning department and has responsibility for countryside matters, including liaison with the Clackmannanshire Heritage Trust and the new Local Biodiversity Action Plan (L-BAP) officer, Lynn Campbell. We have asked James to consider the kind of relationship which Lynn and he would like to see with a voluntary, local, countryside body such as ourselves.
Our programme of lectures, delivered by Robin Kelsall, continues to expand, and the on-screen performance will soon be augmented by a set of display boards which will provide a visual stimulus to those organisations whom Robin is visiting. At other times, we hope that the display boards will be deployed in civic buildings and thus made to work for their keep.
Still on the theme of communication, FotO now has a website, http://sites.ecosse.net/ochils/ more details of which are given elsewhere. It is hoped that this too will be demonstrated at the AGM.
David Gordon is contacting other countryside organisations in the area to investigate the possibility of a joint programme of winter lectures. Rather than have several organisations each pulling in small audiences at marginally viable events, we envisage shared events, pooled audiences, shared energies and shared costs.
The Clackmannanshire L-BAP officer, Lynn Campbell, is in post and is moving towards the establishment of Habitat Action Plans (HAPs) and Species Action Plans (SAPs). To achieve this, she is setting up working groups covering such areas as wetlands, farmlands, uplands, woodlands, "awareness", etc, and drawing together existing organisations and enthusiasts as the lead operators. RSPB, SNH, SWT, FWAG, CARSE and CFSS (that's enough acronyms - Ed.) are all being drawn in and are contributing people, time and action. The uplands theme is where we can play a part and where we need to draw on members' skills. In Stirling, things are further ahead, and their L-BAP document appeared just recently. Our bird expert, Patrick Stirling-Aird, had a hand in that.
Lynn Campbell's doppelganger, the access officer, is not yet in post, but will appear in time. S/he will no doubt set about developing a separate set of action plans, and again there is bound to be an uplands line of thought.
The Clackmannanshire Countryside Group, which has operated in a small way over the past six years or so, has been revived, beefed up and has taken on parallel roles: countryside / L-BAP and countryside / access. Alternate meetings will deal with the one agenda or the other. The group is chaired by FotO member Bobby Stewart and is also attended by myself.
The same two FotO members are also trustees of the Clackmannanshire Heritage Trust, where their contribution is to ensure that the trust includes hills in its thinking. Recent prompts have included (a) the need to talk to Perth and Kinross Countryside Trust, and (b) the need to ensure that the four L-BAPs are at some point joined up to create an Ochils-centred plan.
Turning to woodlands, new FotO member Philip Gordon - who works for the Woodland Trust and is based in Auchterarder - has had a hand in the establishment of the new broad-leaved wood on the north side of Glen Quey (see next article for more on this).
Such woodlands will alter the recreational opportunities available in Glen Devon and environs, moves are afoot to convene an initial meeting involving Forest Enterprise, the Woodland Trust, East of Scotland Water, the Scottish Rights of Way and Access Society, and ourselves. I will speak for us, assisted by Philip Gordon.
As part of our new action-centred way of thinking, it has been suggested that we need to come out of our kennel and fight a campaign or two. Three "causes" have been identified: the unsightly line of pylons which crosses the hills just south of Forgandenny, the similarly unsightly line of telephone poles which crosses from near Gleneagles to the farm at Backhills, and the increasing volume of traffic using the reservoir roads, ie Glen Quey, Glen Sherup and the Frandies.
The committee would be interested to hear members' views on whether we should challenge these "invasions". Likewise, we would be interested to know of other things which members feel should be challenged.