Tools for the job | Scottish Wildlife Trust

Can you help get us the tools for the job?

The management of our 120 wildlife reserves is at risk with an urgent need to replace a range of vital equipment – can you help?

As the last of the autumn leaves drop and temperatures fall, our reserve managers’ thoughts turn to woodland management. But, before we start such vital work, we must first check, repair or replace the equipment that makes it possible.

Can you make sure our staff and volunteers have the tools for the job by making a gift today?

Reserve staff and volunteers work so hard to protect our precious reserves

Our staff are fortunate to have the support of a small army of dedicated volunteers. These hardy souls valiantly turn up in all weathers and make a real difference to our most special places. Take Carron Glen for example. Here, midway between Cumbernauld and Stirling, native oak and ash cling to the steep-sided gorge carved out by the River Carron. The reserve is a haven for woodland birds whilst the river provides prime fishing for dippers and kingfishers.

Staff and volunteers have been beavering away to manage the woodland – removing non-native species, repairing bird and bat boxes and felling dangerously diseased trees. Their hard work improves the health of this precious fragment of ancient woodland and keeps safe paths open for visitors to enjoy the site.

Across our network of reserves £17,000 is needed to replace old and worn out equipment – from strimmers to saws to mallets and everything in between.

Our purse strings have been particularly tight in recent years and there is a pressing need to replace some of our chainsaws. We would like to swap the old petrol-fuelled types with battery driven versions where practicable.

In this section

Collectively, we already achieve great things with limited resources – but there comes a time when investment is needed. That time is now.

Your support could help get so much done

Keeping the Trust’s 120 wildlife reserves safe and healthy relies not only upon the dedication and expertise of staff and volunteers but also on the generosity of members like you.

Your gift can help ensure our staff and volunteers have the best tools for the job

Donate today

Of course tools are only of use if we can get them to where they are needed. As we inspect our wildlife reserves, there are countless times where we couldn’t achieve what we do without specialised transport.

Moving mountains

We often need to move bulky material and heavy equipment across uneven tracks, muddy terrain and large distances – like the timber used to create this sand martin bank at Gailes Marsh (Irvine). Bearing this in mind, we are particularly worried about the condition of some of our trailers. The journey alone to some of our most remote reserves can be an ordeal in itself.

We have replaced just one trailer in the last decade, but the time is near when several will need to be decommissioned.

Getting to the heart of the matter

At Balnaguard Glen (Perthshire), we have fenced off areas of ancient juniper to protect these slow-growing bushes from overgrazing. Unfortunately, heavy winter snows can bring fences down. Without immediate action, deer and other grazers can quickly devastate new growth.

Getting volunteers with fencing materials to repair sites is only possible with the use of a 4-wheel drive vehicle.

Don’t forget we work on water too!

A boat stored in the Forth estuary is used to transport equipment and volunteers to three locations – all of which are inaccessible by land. This enables us to monitor breeding bird populations and allowed us to build artificial nests for terns on one island.

Only with the right tools and equipment can we really care for our wildlife reserves – please give a gift today and help us protect Scotland’s wildlife and wild places.