This is a short update about setting up a ‘Project Advisory Group’ for our East Lammermuir River Catchment Restoration Project. Thanks to all those who attended the ‘launch’ event that we held back in February and many thanks for all the very useful input that you gave at the meeting, or subsequently. We are proposing to hold another meeting in June and will be in touch again about this in a few weeks time.
By then we hope to have a clearer proposal to share and discuss regarding the future form and remit for an Advisory Group — all in the context of the recent recommendations from East Lammermuir’s People and Nature Workshop report.
Meantime, in brief, we have all but completed the initial survey work on the Spott, Dry, Thornton and Dunglass catchments and hope to shortly start surveying part, at least, of the Biel Water catchment. A high-level overview of the findings to date is available here.
Activities with Stenton and Innerwick Primary Schools, run by Wilder Outdoor Education, will continue until the end of June along with a further programme of arts workshops -more on which very soon.
More news will follow as we have secured development phase funding for the next year (in partnership with Forth Rivers Trust) to develop shovel-ready, nature restoration plans for the Spott and Dry Burn catchments.
Building on our initial surveys, we will have capacity to deepen relationships with landowners/managers so as to identify and design a portfolio of credible and fundable habitat enhancement and restoration interventions — such as riparian tree planting, natural flood management measures, habitat connectivity improvements, and invasive species control etc.— across the two catchments.
To coordinate this work we are now recruiting for a Catchment Restoration Development Officer. Please share this with anyone who may be interested.
Philip Revell
Trustee
