Riverside Enhancement - We Need Your Vote

Next weekend on Saturday the 12th March, there will be a chance to vote for Nairn Riverside to become more attractive. Nurturing Nairnshire Community Grant fund, will be up for grabs in the Nairn Community Centre. I will represent The River Nairn Swans And Waterfowl Trust and be bidding for £800 to Enhance the Riverside. The Trust would like to Plant approx 120 Trees bushes and shrubs, and help to beautify Nairn Riverside a little more.

 The aim is to provide Rowan, Bird cherry, and Hawthorn that will eventually provide berries for the birds, and give some more colour for all to enjoy. The bushes and shrubs will consist of Broom, Gorse, Roses and Honeysuckle giving fragrance and colour, this will also provide shelter and cover for the wildlife. 
This fund is supposed to be a community empowerment exercise, but frankly the rules are anything but !

To Vote you have to register between 9-30 and 10am on Saturday morning at the community centre, and then stay for 3 hours listening to all those who are bidding for funds. Each bidder has to give their pitch for 2 minutes then have a 2 minute Q& A. You will not be able to vote until everyone has given their pitch, and to make it more awkward, you have to vote for 5 different projects for the vote to be valid. WARNING - if you vote for more or less than 5, YOUR VOTE WILL BE INVALID and wont count !! 

The River Nairn Swans and Waterfowl Trust is a voluntary group and already does it's best to care for the lower river by monitoring pollution and river conditions, picking up litter, and caring for the waterfowl. We would like the riverbanks enhanced with blossom, colour, and vibrant with bird life.
You can help make this happen by going to the Nairn community centre next Saturday the 12th and voting for us.
Anyone can vote, but you do have to register !!
Refreshments will be available at 1 pm. 

A Gurn to River Community Council

Quite a few members of The River Nairn Swans and Waterfowl Trust are disgruntled by the habitat desolation between the Merryton and Roadbridge, and rightly so. The removal of many bushes and young trees, also the lower branches of all the remaining trees has added to that look of desolation. Before all this took place, the broken and damaged trees to be removed were marked with paint, and "A light touch would be applied " was the phrase used. I pleaded with RCC Chair Tommy Hogg to leave the bushes and dogwood alone, but he said it was up to Highland Region people who were calling the shots. The Gurn now tells us to go to River community council meetings to air our grievances, and perhaps come up with some suggestions on improving the Riverside! I had a look at the few Alders that have since been planted, but it does not make up for the loss of Rowan, saplings, and bushes that have been removed. Speaking out on behalf of the Trust and wildlife, I have sent the following email letter to the River Community Council in the hope that they will at least make up for the 2012 clearances, and plant a dozen or so Hawthorn and Rowan trees for the benefit of the wildlife.

Dear Stephanie and River Councillors,

The River Nairn Swans and Waterfowl Trust notice that only a few Alder saplings have been planted as tree replacements between the merryton bridge and roadbridge. In view of the fact that more young trees were removed than have been replaced, particularly the young Rowan trees, these should be replaced as a food source for the wild birds.

The removal of all the lower branches of the existing trees and destruction of bushes was uncalled for, and has been detrimental to the wildlife.

The original fallen and broken trees that were marked for removal was acceptable, but most of the removed wild bushes and young saplings should have been left alone, these were cover for the wildlife and a deterrent to dogs.

The Trust would like the replanting of some berry producing trees such as Hawthorn and Rowan to replace, enhance and aid the wildlife there.

Yours Sincerely

Joe Telfer, on behalf of the River Nairn Swans and Waterfowl Trust.