Volunteers in action

Volunteer conservation days on Skye and Nevis bring supporters together to help with the long-term care and restoration of wild places.

This summer volunteers headed to Skye and Nevis to work alongside Trust staff doing practical conservation work including path maintenance, litter picking and the removal of invasive non-native species.

On Skye, volunteers joined Skye Property Manager John Macrae and some of the Trust team to support conservation work across Strathaird. Activities included removing invasive Sitka spruce saplings, mapping invasive non-native species and joining our partners in the annual beach clean at Camasunary Beach.

These tasks support the Trust’s wider programme of habitat restoration, helping to protect peatland, encourage native woodland regeneration and improve the condition of the landscape.

Together, the team removed 158 trees during one day. Throughout the week, an entire skip was filled with approximately 1.2 tonnes of plastic marine  waste, while 321 metres of redundant fencing was removed from the landscape.

John said: “Volunteers are such a vital part of the work we do at the Trust. It was great to see so many people getting involved and making such a practical contribution to the landscape. Thank you very much to all who came along and got their hands dirty!”

At Nevis, seven volunteers joined Nevis Property Manager Steph McKenna and Conservation Officer Julia Robertson for a full day of conservation work in July. Working in small teams, they carried out essential maintenance tasks on the Steall Gorge path, clearing drains and ditches, replacing chicken wire on the wooden bridge to prevent the surface becoming slippery, pruning trees, revegetating trampled areas and litter picking.

Thanks to their efforts, all cross drains on the path were cleared, many ditches were re-dug and two bags of rubbish collected.

Steph said: “Working with volunteers is so rewarding. Not only does it enable us to complete essential work, it also gives them the opportunity to learn new skills, learn about Nevis and be a part of its stewardship.” A massive thank you to all the volunteers who joined us.

• For more volunteering opportunities in future, keep an eye on our website here.