Published: Wednesday, 12th March, 2008 10:00
Volunteers rewarded for their conservation work
By Bob Lovik
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Toby Clark (left), from the John Muir Trust, and Dick Clark, chair of the biodiversity steering group, show off the portrait of John Muir by artist John Byrne.
Pic by: Dick Clark
A GROUP of volunteers have become the first in Clackmannanshire to receive the John Muir Award after building a nesting wall for threatened birds.
Members of the Wee County’s biodiversity steering group and local rangers volunteered their time to build the 17m long nesting wall for sand martins at Gartmorn Dam. The nesting wall contains an astonishing 60 tonnes of sand which is where the birds build their nests.
The John Muir Award encourages the discovery and conservation of wild places in a spirit of fun, adventure and exploration.
To qualify for the award, groups or individuals must meet four criteria – they must discover a wild place, explore that wild place, help to conserve the wild place and share their experiences with others.
One member of the Clackmannanshire group who received the award was Dick Clark, chair of the biodiversity steering group.
He told the Advertiser how the nesting wall came to be.
“The idea came about two years ago when the steering group was walking around Gartmorn Dam to look at wildlife in the area
“When we were walking down the north side, near a bird-viewing hut, and we saw literally hundreds of sand martins skimming the water.
“We saw an opportunity to do something and to encourage nesting sand martins.”
The John Muir Award is named after the Scottish conservationist credited with setting up the world’s first national park.
He was born in 1838 in Dunbar and emigrated to America as a child where his explorations of the high Sierra and Alaska made him aware of the threats to wild places. He successfully campaigned for the establishment of Yosemite Valley in California as a national park.
The award recently celebrated its 10th birthday and over 60,000 people have received it for encouraging awareness and responsibility in the UK wilderness.
The John Muir Award regional manager for west Scotland, Toby Clark, said, “It is fitting that volunteers here in Clackmannanshire have followed in the footsteps of John Muir by giving biodiversity a helping hand.
“It was Muir himself who pioneered what we now call ecology, the study of the web of life. Congratulations to all involved, and good luck to all that will benefit from ‘Bobby’s Bank’.”
It is hoped that the nesting bank will see its first arrivals of sand martins, who migrate to Europe in the summer from Africa, towards the end of this month.
While Mr Clark said he was thrilled to see the John Muir Trust recognise the work of people in Clackmannanshire, he was also delighted with a recent purchase he made in support of the trust.
During an online auction held last November to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the award, Mr Clark purchased an original portrait of John Muir donated by acclaimed Scottish playwright and artist John Byrne.
The portrait, titled ‘The Ecologist’, will be copied by the John Muir Trust and distributed to offices around the country.
Mr Clark said, “Over the years of reading, and having the opportunity to walk in some of the footprints of John Muir, and having been also a firm fan of John Byrne’s work I really wanted to secure his view of John Muir.
“To me this is an iconic masterpiece which radiates the forward thinking of John Muir, who changed the world as his idol Robert Burns did.
“Both their thoughts on the world around us continue to influence thinking in arguable every country in today’s world, topsy turvy as it is.”
The recipients of the John Muir Award for their work in Clackmannanshire were: Hugh Brown, Dick Clark, Lisa Ford, Christine Hall, Guy Harewood, Ewan Hills, Ishbel McGregor, Graham Roy and David Taylor.
p TOP: Countryside ranger Lisa Ford with Sir Bobby Stewart and Toby Clark , of the John Muir Trust, after receiving her award.
p RIGHT: Toby Clark with Dick Clark, who shows off the John Byrne portrait of John Muir which he bought in an auction and has now loaned to the trust.
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