Eradicating Giant Hogweed in the Lothians

David Quarendon talked about ‘Eradication of Giant Hogweed from the Lothians’ on June 27th 2024. A video recording of his talk can now be viewed; just click on the title for this item to find the link.

Although Giant Hogweed was introduced to Scotland in the 19th century  as an ornamental plant it soon spread out of control – helped by deliberate planting near to rivers and ponds. Its sap contains a toxic chemical, which sensitises the skin to sunlight and causes severe blisters. Strong advice is, if you encounter Giant Hogweed – DO NOT TOUCH IT.

In  this ESK VALLEY TRUST EVENING TALK David Quarendon discusses ‘’Eradicating Giant Hogweed in the Lothians’’

The talk will be given (by Zoom) on 27 June 2024 and can be viewed here.

David is a trustee of the East Lothian Countryside Volunteers charity, and has worked as a volunteer with the council’s Countryside Service for many years. Now retired he has been closely involved in the eradication of Giant Hogweed from the county since 2015.

In his talk David outlines the volunteer-led programmes established to eradicate Giant Hogweed on the River Esk and River Tyne.  He discusses why eradication is needed, the role of landowners, ‘spotters’ and technology, and highlights the progress achieved so far.

THE STATE OF NATURE IN SCOTLAND – WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE?

Professor Des Thompson will give his views on this topic in the next Esk Valley Trust evening talk starting at 7.30pm on Friday 17th May 2024. His talk will follow immediately after the 2024 Annual General Meeting of the Trust which will start at 7pm.

For the first time since before the Covid lockdown this meeting will be held IN PERSON at St David’s Hall, 41 Eskbank Rd, Dalkeith EH22 3BH. All are welcome and there is no cost. Only members can vote at the AGM but non-members are very welcome to attend.

Des Thompson was the Principal Adviser on Biodiversity and Science with NatureScot, Scotland’s Nature Agency. He worked closely with the Scottish Government devising the Scottish Biodiversity Strategy 2022-2045, and its Delivery Plan. Now a Leverhulme Emeritus Fellow with the UHI North, West and Hebrides his interests include the conservation ecology of north European shorebirds, upland ecosystems, and science-policy biodiversity decision making.

If you are interested in Biodiversity this is not a talk to miss.

The Esk Valley Trust Annual General Meeting for 2024 will be held on Friday 17th May

For the first time since Covid broke out our AGM this year will be held in person at St David’s Hall Dalkeith.

The full address for St David’s Hall is: 41, Eskbank Road, Dalkeith, EH22 3BH. The AGM will start at 7pm. Papers for the meeting can be found by clicking these links:

Agenda

Draft Minutes from AGM 2023

Report and Accounts for 2023

After the AGM and starting at 7.30pm there will be a talk by Professor Des Thompson  about:

“The state of nature in Scotland – what needs to be done?”

Only members of the Trust can vote at the AGM but the talk is open to everyone and non-members are welcome to attend the AGM before the talk begins.

The Hewan Bog has been gifted to the Esk Valley Trust

The Trust is delighted to receive, as a gift, the area of land (around 12 hectares) at the northern end of Roslin Glen known as ‘The Hewan Bog’.

The title belies the natural beauty of this piece of countryside that sits right next to the Hewan Wood by the North Esk River near to Polton in Midlothian.

This most generous gift is from the estate of the late Professor David Baird who, sadly, died in February 2022. David was one of the country’s most eminent figures in the field of obstetrics, gynaecology and reproductive biology. An outstanding researcher and clinician he established Edinburgh as a world centre for the study of reproduction, and was a passionate advocate for the rights and health of women and for women in medicine. He also had a lifelong love of Scottish mountains and the great outdoors and bought the Hewan Bog in 1998, letting it to the University for sheep grazing and also keeping half a dozen pet Herdwick sheep of his own there. Each April he would take them to the family cottage in Strath Tummel and then bring them back to Roslin for the winter.

David’s wife, Professor Anna Glasier, said “David loved spending time at Roslin where he kept some of his own sheep. We often used to take a picnic when we went to check up on the sheep and sit in the sun drinking in the view and counting the variety of birds that inhabited the field. David would be very happy to know that the Esk Valley Trust has taken over the Hewan Bog and his sons and I hope that others will enjoy it as much as he did.”

You can read a fuller account of David’s achievements here.

Both the Hewan Bog and the Hewan Wood form part of the corridor of ancient woodland along Roslin Glen – a place of great natural and historical richness. In line with its broad purpose of stimulating public interest and care for the beauty, history and character of the valleys of the Esk Rivers the Trust will take care to manage this land to sustain and, if possible, to enhance its natural value and keep it for visitors to enjoy.

Angus Miller: ‘Rivers past and present: the geological story of the River Esk’ See the video of the talk presented in March 2024

This talk covers the ancient origins of the Esk rivers, the impact of the ice ages and what may happen next.

Angus Miller discusses ‘Rivers past and present: the geological story of the River Esk’

Angus is a geologist based in Edinburgh and a teaching fellow at the Centre for Open Learning at the University of Edinburgh. He is heavily involved in the Edinburgh Geological Society and the Scottish Geology Trust and has led key initiatives to promote the geology of Scotland, including Scotland’s Geodiversity Charter and the first Scottish Geology Festival. He runs Geowalks, exploring Scotland’s amazing geology and how it has shaped our landscape and human history.

In this talk Angus explores the ‘deep time’ record of flowing water in the area of the Esk valleys, which is responsible for creating many of the rocks of Midlothian including the coal fields. He also considers the course of the current river, and how this has evolved during the current Ice Age, with some thoughts about what might happen next!

To watch the video of this talk click here

If you want to learn more about the geology of the Esk river valleys:

Lothian and Borders GeoConservation leaflets (click here) give information on The Esk Valley, Pentland Rocks, Dalkeith’s Building Stones, The Geology of Dalkeith Park and the two geology walks at Vogrie Country Park.

The British Geological Survey site gives access to a wide range of geological information and data (click here)

If yyo want to join Angus on one of his Geowalks, click here.

Storm Damage in the Hewan Wood – January 2024

Storms Isha and Jocelyn in January 2024 have damaged a number of trees in the Hewan Wood.
PLEASE TAKE SPECIAL CARE WHILST WALKING IN THE WOOD until we are able to clear and make safe the damaged trees.

The Restoration Forth project

The next Esk Valley Trust evening Zoom talk will be about the Restoration Forth project and will  be on Thursday evening 1 February 2024 starting at 19.30.

Restoration Forth is a marine restoration project in the Firth of Forth to re-establish seagrass meadows and re-introduce native oysters.  Oysters and Seagrass bring many benefits to the marine environment, including water filtration and carbon capture.  Restoration Forth is focusing mainly on the impacts oysters and seagrass have for biodiversity, as seagrass meadows and oyster beds are a foundation for habitat for a wealth of other creatures.  The project aims to demonstrate the possibilities and create a toolkit for restoration that can be taken forward and inspire more people to protect and restore our Firth of Forth.

The Restoration Forth project team gave an excellent overview of the project. You can watch the presentation from Eleri from the Scottish Seabird Centre, and Anna from the Marine Conservation Society here.

More than Lighthouses

In November 2023 Mike Bullock, CEO of the Northern Lighthouse Board, talked about the Board’s rich heritage and how it operates today.

The Northern Lighthouse Board has provided a vital safety service to mariners since 1786 and is responsible for the superintendence and management of all lights, buoys and beacons within Scottish and Isle of Man waters. The service makes a significant contribution to the prevention of accidents and incidents around the coastline, safeguarding not only lives and property, but also protecting our precious marine environment. Find out about NLB’s rich heritage and history and how the organisation operates today in this engaging and informative talk.

After a career in the Royal Navy our speaker, Mike Bullock,  joined the Northern Lighthouse Board as Chief Executive in April 2014. During his naval career of 34 years, he served in six ships and submarines, worked in the British Embassy Washington DC, the NATO Headquarters in Northwood London, the Ministry of Defence in Whitehall and the Pentagon as the UK representative for Logistics. His final appointment was in Navy Command Headquarters, Portsmouth, where he had responsibility for Logistics and Infrastructure for the Royal Navy, Royal Marines and Royal Fleet Auxiliary.

He is a graduate of the Royal College of Defence Studies and holds an MA in International Security and Strategy from King’s College London. He is a Non-Executive Director of the Scottish Maritime Cluster, a member of the Hammermen of Edinburgh and High Constabulary of the Port of Leith, a Fellow of the Institute of Transport and Logistics, a Trustee of the Museum of Scottish Lighthouses in Fraserburgh, a Trustee of the Northern Lighthouse Heritage Trust and a Trustee of The Royal Yacht Britannia Trust.   He was awarded an MBE in 1990 and an OBE in the 2021 New Year’s Honours list for Services to the Safety and Welfare of Seafarers.

Citizen Esk – Tackling River Problems with Community Solutions.

A video recording of the talk given by Ross Hughes of the Forth Rivers Trust on Thursday 21 September is now available to view.

Ross is the Environment and Community Development Officer of the Forth Rivers trust supporting and developing community understanding and engagement with the rivers of the Esk catchments. He has been driving the Citizen Esk project over the last 18 months. The project aims to enhance awareness amongst communities along the rivers Esk of the issues (not least the impact of pollution on the health of the rivers) that impact the river systems and the people around them.

A video of the talk that he gave on ‘Citizen Esk – Tackling River Problems with Community Solutions’ can be seen here.

Midlothian Outdoor Festival 2023

This year’s Festival takes place on 12-16 October.

Once again the Esk Valley Trust is delighted to be helping with the Festival which is organised by the Midlothian Ranger Service and supported by a wide range of volunteer organisations.

This year’s Festival takes place on 12-16 October.

Once again the Esk Valley Trust is delighted to be helping with the Festival which is organised by the Midlothian Ranger Service and supported by a wide range of volunteer organisations. If you enjoy the outdoors have a look at the programme which contains a range of walking and other events.

You can find the programme of events by clicking here.