Ben is currently finishing his Masters in Environmental Forestry at Bangor University with a placement in Papua New Guinea.

Ben said he was “really looking forward to living and working on Bute, meeting the community and helping them to get the most out of their forest.

“It is an exciting project which has a vision and opportunity to deliver real benefit to the island. The large amount of community interest and involvement is an invaluable asset which sets Bute Forest apart from so many other forests in the UK.”

Owen Patterson Walker started this week as the Forestry Assistant. He will be joined at the end of July by Ben Robinson, our new Forester.

Owen was born and went to school on Bute. He has since worked on a number of estates across Scotland as a gamekeeper before returning to Bute a few months ago.

Owen will be learning to fell trees, milling Bute Forest timber, constructing timber products to commission on the island and carrying out conservation and maintenance work.

http://www.naturedetectives.org.uk/art/?ext=ndnewsmay2012artcompetition&utm_source=nd_newsletter_may2012&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nd_artcompetition

See here for more information: AICCTBackground InfoFINAL-2.

And here for the questionnaire: AICCT Questionnaire PDF Final

Mountain bike trails poster

• Mountain Bike Trail Build Day – Sunday 19th April, 10am – 4pm. We are aiming to get the first part of this trail completed, with bridges built, brushwood cleared and design finalised. Please wear sturdy boots, sensible clothes, bring gloves and tools if you have them and a packed lunch. Contact Emma to register your interest.
• Work Programme - Volunteering opportunities on week days for unemployed people. Please ask your Jobcentre Plus advisor for more details.
• Timber milling & building projects – Weekdays and weekends we still need volunteer assistance with building sheds and fences to order. This is a great opportunity for someone who wants to help the forest generate an income or who wants to learn how to do these tasks. Contact Emma for more info.

If you see the bird boxes please keep your distance in order to avoid disturbing nesting birds.

Newsletter March 2012

Teams of people arrived this weekend on Saturday and Sunday to continue marking a foot trail in the commercial forest, complete the first mountain bike trail (fingers crossed) , build a compost toilet and finish the shed for the allotments, make some repairs to the access track and of course make friends, get fit and have fun! We had volunteers aged 1 to 70 (well, I didn’t ask so I’m just guessing), including 2 BCLC Directors Christine McArthur and Sara Goss and 2 Bute Forest Directors Richard Matts and Ellen Lambert.

The mountain bike trail went well on both days, with the Saturday team completing 2 bridges and clearing the top stretch of trail and the Sunday team, including the Boys Brigade, finishing one bridge and making a good start on another, although I have to admit the preparation and consumption of hot chocolate rather dominated Sunday afternoons work!

Instead of chatting more, here’s a few images of the weekend instead – and don’t blame me for the number of bottom shots – Sara took on the important role of photographer!