Findhorn Watershed Initiative

We're delighted to be able to offer a limited number of tickets to our Findhorn Watershed Deer Forum event 𝐀𝐧 𝐄𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐉𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐑𝐲𝐚𝐧 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐧 to our wider network. Join us on Friday 4 October (6-8pm) at The Long Room - Logie Steading, for a social evening of stories about deer and wildlife management from America. 𝐉𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘑𝘰𝘩𝘯𝘴𝘰𝘯 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘸 𝘶𝘱 𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘔𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘢 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘞𝘺𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨. 𝘈𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘎𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘈𝘧𝘧𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘴 𝘋𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘺𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘍𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘰𝘤𝘢𝘤𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬. 𝘑𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘤𝘰-𝘧𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘥𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘰𝘳𝘺 𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘕𝘞𝘍 𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦, 𝘈𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘴 𝘚𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘴𝘸𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘯, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘭𝘴𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘺 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 2% 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘚𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘢 𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘔𝘰𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘯 𝘏𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘴𝘮𝘢𝘯 (𝘝𝘰𝘭 4) 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘨𝘶𝘭𝘢𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘶𝘵𝘰𝘳 𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘗𝘰𝘥𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘵 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴. 𝐑𝐲𝐚𝐧 𝐊𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐧 𝘈𝘴 𝘢𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘰𝘳𝘦𝘴, 𝘙𝘺𝘢𝘯 𝘒𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘯 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘺𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘎𝘢𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘍𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘋𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘷𝘪𝘰𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯𝘷𝘰𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘠𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘞𝘰𝘭𝘧 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵. Both Jess and Ryan are passionate hunters, conservationists and wildlife advocates, with a deep appreciation for wildlife and wild lands. As well as talking us though some of the aspects of their fascinating work, Jess and Ryan will share some of their many adventures in the wilderness. Please book online via Eventbrite (link below), or contact us on info@findhornwatershed.com for more information. #findhornwatershed #riverfindhorn #deer #deermanagement

To mark this year’s #eatscottishvenisonday, we are pleased to announce the launch of our first-of-its-kind Watershed Deer Forum and associated Deer Management Strategy. When we set out 18-months ago to restore riparian woodland and other habitats along the banks of the River Findhorn and its tributaries, little did we know that deer management would quickly present itself as such a key and cross-cutting issue. Since then, we've worked with deer management expert and local resident, Linzi Seivwright, alongside land owners and managers from across the watershed area, to foster a coordinated, collaborative approach to deer management at a landscape-scale; from the open hillsides and uplands of the Monadhliath mountains, downstream to the wooded gorge and continuous cover forestry of the lower catchment. Back in May, we marked the official launch of the Findhorn Watershed Deer Forum with a celebratory venison burger lunch - provided by talented local chef Brett Mather of Forres Coffee House and kindly hosted at Logie Steading - followed by a participatory afternoon of breakout workshops gathering insights to help inform the first phase of the Forum's work. With 25 landholdings represented in the Forum's membership (including landowners, estate managers, deer stalkers, and foresters), together we plan to: 🌳 Positively contribute towards mitigating the climate and nature crises, by managing deer and other herbivores in a collaborative way which helps to enable natural woodland and peatland regeneration. 🌳 Protect and enhance nature-positive economic interests, by reducing grazing pressure on timber production restocking sites and nurturing a stronger local market for venison. 🌳 Develop skills, create new jobs, and build capacity for deer management, through the provision of training opportunities. 🌳 Leverage funding and influence policy as a best practice example of place-based, bottom-up leadership on this complex issue. For more info, please visit https://lnkd.in/e_VfZMfT #findhornwatershed #riverfindhorn

It was a pleasure to be invited back to the Fisheries Management Scotland conference earlier this year to share an update about our progress developing the Findhorn Watershed Initiative. FWI Strategy Lead Elle Adams and FWI Project Officer Guy Harris’s double act presentation is now up online for anyone interested in learning more.

Members of the Findhorn, Nairn & Lossie Rivers Trust team & Board were delighted to welcome Acting Minister for Climate Action, Dr Alasdair Allan MSP, and Scottish Greens MSP for the Highlands & Islands, Ariane Burgess, to the River Findhorn yesterday to provide an update on the Findhorn Watershed Initiative. One of just 24 projects to receive funding from the first year of the Scottish Government's Just Transition Fund, and as part of a £500 million, 10 year commitment to supporting the transition to net zero in the northeast of Scotland, the Initiative was launched in 2022, with the Trust having been awarded a significant 3-year grant of £970,000. #findhornwatershed

𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗠𝗶𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗲! We are pleased to share that our first woodland creation project in the upper Findhorn watershed is now well on the way to becoming a fantastic new habitat. Nestled between the main stem of the River Findhorn and the high peatlands of the Monadhliath mountains, this tributary is a key spawning burn for wild Atlantic salmon returning from their epic migration.  Across 30 hectares, natural regeneration from the remnant ancient woodland and targeted planting is now slowly creeping above the heather. The birch, willows, and Scots pine starting to emerge will shade nearly 1.2km of the burn, create shelter and forage for wildlife, and become the seed source of the future. For us, this represents an exciting first step to seeing the pipeline of nature restoration projects become reality. This is the beginning of something special for nature restoration in the Findhorn watershed, and we look forward to being able to share the progress with you. #findhornwatershed #riverfindhorn #naturerecovery #woodlandcreation #riparianwoodland #riverwoods #naturerestoration

Catch us on Saturday 6th July at Scone Palace, where Elle Adams will be speaking about our coordinated approach for nature recovery and connection at a watershed-scale, as part of the The GWCT Scottish Game Fair ‘Listen to the Land’ programme at 11am. https://lnkd.in/eqc_Upq8

The waters of the River Findhorn begin high in remote, peat-covered uplands, characteristic of much of the Highlands of Scotland. These carbon rich and internationally important landscapes are, however, at a crucial turning point. For thousands of years, peatlands have been characterised as a system of accumulation; storing layer upon layer of plant organic matter. Over time, a huge carbon store has been retained. With erosion now greatly accelerating, this balance has shifted, ultimately leading to major carbon losses. Notice the dark colour of the River Findhorn, especially after high rain events - this is peat being lost out to the Moray Firth from the thousands of hectares of degraded peatlands. Restoration techniques are now being rolled out across the catchment to try and reverse this trend and, in turn, improve the habitats of our river and its watershed. From drain blocking and re-profiling, to herbivore impact reductions - the tide of peatland degradation is changing to a story of optimism and hope. Certainly on the Findhorn, however, we still have a long way to go. #findhornwatershed #riverfindhorn #naturerecovery #peat #peatland #peatrestoration

Last week, we took a quick look at riparian woodland - what it is, why it’s important and how we’re working to protect and restore it. Next, we’ll look at ancient woodland and the lost woods of the Findhorn Watershed. Nestled in remote corners of the upper catchment of the River Findhorn, the occasional gnarled willow, birch or aspen hangs on, perched by ravine or burn. These lonely veterans hint at a landscape changed. High up in the Monadhliath, these remnants are often all that remains of ancient woodlands, and their unique and locally adapted genetics. Many of these woodlands are simply fading away, becoming ‘Lost Woods’, lacking the regeneration needed to ensure a next generation. With this loss, we lose the very genetics that ensure they are able to survive on the exposed, windswept hillsides of the upper Findhorn. The Findhorn Watershed Initiative is working closely with land managers to find ways to allow these woodlands to become the resilient habitats they once were. #findhornwatershed #riverfindhorn #naturerecovery #ancientwoodland #woodlandrecovery photo: SCOTLAND: The Big Picture

On Wednesday 20 March, we welcomed Rebecca from BugLife’s Guardians of our Rivers team to Tomatin to deliver practical training in Invertebrate Monitoring for our volunteers and staff living and working in the upper catchment. Thanks to their efforts, 6 people from local watershed communities are now ready to start their Citizen Science journey, monitoring invertebrates and the health of the River Findhorn and its tributaries. #findhornwatershed #riverfindhorn #naturerecovery #invertebratemonitoring #citizenscience #volunteering #tomatin #strathdearn

Recently, we shared the Findhorn Watershed Initiative’s three focal areas – nature recovery, nature connection and a nature-positive economy. We now want to delve deeper, highlighting how we plan to achieve these aims across the length and breadth of the Watershed. First up, nature recovery - riparian woodland (or ‘riverwoods’). Restoring our landscapes and rivers takes many forms, and improving the extent and quality of riparian habitat is critical. Despite being the interface between two habitats - aquatic and terrestrial - many of the rivers and burns of the Findhorn watershed are now absent of all but a few remnants of woodland. With this, comes the loss of the benefits this habitat provides, from shading during hot summer months to the provision of corridors necessary for wildlife movement through a fragmented landscape. The Findhorn Watershed Initiative is working closely with landowners and managers to restore these river woodlands, allowing them to become once again integral to a resilient and healthy landscape. #findhornwatershed #riverfindhorn #naturerecovery #riparianwoodland #riverwoods #habitatrestoration photo: SCOTLAND: The Big Picture