Meetings


Tooth fungus at Boat of Garten. 

Illustrated talk by Stewart Taylor

Church Hall, Nethybridge

28th September 7.30PM

All welcome. Admission Free

Please download, print and display event poster.

Photo: © Laurie Campbell

Illustrated Talk and Annual General Meeting
Tuesday 29 November 2011
Carrbridge Village Hall (in the smaller room)
AGM 7.00-7.45pm
Talk:   ‘Helping the Highland Tiger – the Cairngorms Wildcat Project’ by Dr David Hetherington, 8.00pm 

The AGM is for members only, but after the AGM we have an illustrated talk on that is open to anyone on the Cairngorms Wildcat Project starting at 8.00pm.  The talk will be given by Dr David Hetherington who has been leading the project since it started a few years ago. The wildcat project  now only has a few months to run and David will be telling us about the work of the project as well as future prospects for wildcat conservation.

More details to follow.

Cock capercaillie displaying in Strathspey

Illustrated Talk by Dr Robert Moss

Church Hall, Nethybridge, Wednesday 5th October  7.00pm

All welcome.  Admission Free.

Please download, print and display event poster.

Illustrated Talk by Cat Robinson, Scottish Mink Initiative & Andy Holtby, Highland Council, non-native plants and current action in the Spey.

Wednesday 29th June 2011 at the Active Cafaidh, Grampian Road, Aviemore. PH22 1PT, 6.30pm for 7.00pm

Wholesome food and refreshments will be available.

BSCG’s next meeting will be an illustrated talk about invasive species in the Cairngorms with Cat Robinson who is working on mink in the Cairngorms area and Andy Holtby of  Highland Council  who will talk about non-native plants and current action in the Spey.

We are particularly grateful to the Active Cafaidh who have made their premises available free of charge. We are starting the meeting early to take advantage of the refreshments the café has to offer.

The Scottish Mink Initiative which is a community based initiative covering the whole of north east Scotland and the western Highlands.  Cat Robinson covers the Cairngorms and Moray area.

The Scottish Mink Initiative is working to eradicate breeding mink from north east Scotland to protect nationally important populations of declining wildlife including the water vole and ground nesting birds such as lapwing and curlew.  They are recruiting local volunteers to monitor mink rafts which involves taking ownership of a raft and visiting it once a fortnight to check for mink footprints.  It is a great opportunity to see what wildlife there is on local lochs, burns and rivers as footprints often found include otters, and where they are still found, water voles.  They are also going to be running water vole surveys and non-native plant surveys in the Badenoch and Strathspey area so that their distribution can be monitored, and are looking for volunteers to help with this.

Please download and display poster.

The Scottish Mink Initiative (SMI) is looking for people to join over 200 volunteers in the monitoring and removal of breeding American mink.  The SMI covers over 20,000 hectares of north Scotland and the Highlands, and incorporates the previous water vole conservation projects.

As the new work area is much larger than before, new volunteers are being sought to monitor mink rafts every fortnight and report on any footprints found.  Equipment, training and support are provided by the Initiative through local Officers.

The Initiative is being carried out in partnership by the Rivers and Fisheries Trusts of Scotland (RAFTS), Scottish Wildlife Trust, the University of Aberdeen, Scottish Natural Heritage, the Cairngorms National Park Authority and more than 16 other organisations.  

The £920,000 funding has been awarded in recognition of the huge impact American mink have on native wildlife.  Species which are particularly at risk are those which mink find easiest to catch; populations of water voles have been found be disappear from areas which mink have colonised and birds such as curlew and oyster catchers are vulnerable as mink catch adults as they sit on the nest and raid nests to eat the eggs.

If you would like to find out more about the Initiative and how you can get involved, please contact Cat Robinson at either This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or on 07825 185178.

Illustrated talk  by Dave Genney, 7.30pm on 31 March, Nethybridge Church Hall.  Everyone Welcome.

The next meeting of the Badenoch & Strathspey Conservation Group is an illustrated talk on ‘Discovering Lichens of the Highlands’ by Dr Dave Genney. This will take place on Thursday March 31 at 7.30 in Nethy Bridge Church Hall. Scotland has a remarkable 1,500 species of lichen and their abundance and variety makes them internationally important. They grow in an enormous range of habitats from the seashore to the high tops, including in extreme environments hostile to many other forms of life.

Dave Genney is Scottish Natural Heritage’s lichen specialist. He made the exciting find of a new lichen for Scotland when he came across the black beaded lichen in the west highlands.

Lichens are sensitive indicators of pollution, food for reindeer and nesting material for  birds. They were once commercially important for traditional dyeing in Scotland, giving rise to the proverb ‘Cattle on the hills, Gold on the rocks’.

The meeting is open to everyone and non members are welcome.

Please print and display Event Poster.