With upwards of 15,000 people passing through the area we were in, on any given Sunday, we felt it was far better for us to do something to promote an event which means so much to us and Dr Goodall, than nothing at all.

We have been involved in a number of events over the past few weeks and these have seen members of the team taking part in…

 The Loch Ness 5K Fun Run

Attending a Champagne Reception hosted by the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society at the opening of the new Beech Grove Garden

And Jelly Making!

We have had a bumper crop of Damsons again this year with well over 60lbs of fruit gathered from one tree alone. We have made Jam, pies and chutney; however, our biggest success must be the various Damson Jellies we attempted as they set as they should and are crystal clear…they taste jolly good too especially our Christmas version!

The fruit which was not utilised was placed around the garden as a treat for all manner of animals and birds, and as almost the same amount of fruit remains on the tree as was picked; there will be plenty to nibble on come the colder weather. As for the jars and jars of produce we will hand these out to local groups and perhaps present an item or two for Christmas!

Unlike folks in the south we saw nothing of the promised Indian summer and with the night’s drawing in fast, we have spent some time capturing photos of the glorious Sunsets we frequently get  up here at this time of year…we hope you like them!

Community

Our team is becoming increasingly recognisable and our new uniforms and vehicle logos have helped establish our identity to the public; we are getting more and more feedback from them with regards what it is they have done either as a direct result of previous contact with us, or because someone they know has spoken to them about us.  Consequently we have also received many requests and offers to either enter into partnership with other groups or undertake an event for them. Whilst this is enormously flattering it also places an enormous strain on a team such as ours with no external resources and extremely limited man power. However, we are slowly evolving a plan whereby members of our immediate team will be increasingly responsible for their own time management and event attendance. We are also developing a strategy whereby we intend to invite members of external agencies to work with us on our existing fixture list in order to not only see for themselves what it is we do and how we operate; but to establish good working relations before commencing new projects with them.

We have been asked to speak with a second pensioner group and this is something we are keen to do as the wealth of knowledge and experience these people have is exceptional. With more and more people incorporating a holistic approach to nature and life in general, their knowledge base is invaluable and we are keen to see if we can emulate similar groups in the USA, and recruit our first Roots & Shoots Pensioner Club. We have also spent time at the other end of the age scale undertaking informal training with potential Roots & Shoots University Team Leaders, in the form of brain storming sessions and practical experience

Individual members of our team have continued to undertake other activities and one of our number, spent a week running in the Scottish Six – Day Orienteering Competion, doing rather well in the process. This event attracts over 4,000 competitors from around the world and Heather sees events such as these as a great opportunity to meet people, share experiences and talk to friends old and new. Heather also enjoyed spending a week undertaking a range of challenging activities in Perth, most of which took place in a woodland setting, with young people from a range of countries including Spain.

We have had a very busy few months carrying out public events of all descriptions in an attempt not only to be useful within our community but in order to continue with our campaign to raise the awareness of the Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots Programme.  We have taken part in Community Fair’s, Flower Festivals, County Farming Shows as well as providing a watering station for a Poppy Scotland Regional Fun Run. We have also assisted Nick Martin’s Scottish Exotic Animal Rescue Centre for the second year running with one member, Jessica Bird, making this her main priority.

The networking contacts we have made through attending events such as those noted above are phenomenal and from one event alone we not only handed out hundreds of information packs, raised almost £200 for our chosen cause of the day, but received a request from the regional commander of the Girl Guide Association to undertake work with them. We were also offered an interview with the management team of the biggest shopping centre in the Highlands, and this led on to our being offered the chance to work with them over the next year on projects aimed at reducing their Carbon Foot Print as well as opportunities to hold events in the centre. The fact that they then offered us an Environmental Activities Week next September surpassed all of our expectations; especially as one of the events we have been given permission to investigate is the holding of a Fashion Show based on Reuse, Recycle and Renew. The Activity Week is to run in conjunction with a Youth Summit which we are also organising. This is due to take place in Inverness next September and we are currently awaiting confirmation of the availability of our Key Note Speaker before making a formal announcement of our schedule. We decided to undertake this project in recognition of the fact that next year is the 21^st Anniversary of Roots & Shoots; and we wanted to do something which reflected Dr Goodall’s vision with regards the worth of young people and their ability to determine positive change.

Local Wildlife

A number of months ago we staged a series of workshops in and around Inverness raising awareness of Roots & Shoots and advising the public about the need for them to prepare a small portion of their garden with wet mud, as winds and unseasonably dry conditions had resulted in House Martins all over the country being unable to prepare their nests. Action was needed as a lack of successful second broods threatened the survival of the species, and whilst it is difficult to think back to those days following the summer we have just had, it was an important message at the time. Reports have subsequently confirmed that there was a significant increase in the number of House Martins successfully breading in the region for the first time in 15yrs; and whether this was a direct result of our campaigning or not, we like to think that we contributed a little to the well being of a delightful visitor.

Whilst we did not conduct specific surveys on the number of Butterflies and Bees in the garden this year, their numbers did seem to be down dramatically on last year and we only recorded one ladybird over the whole of the summer. We spoke to Murdo MacDonald the Bio Diversity for Scotland about this during our field trip with him and he informed the children that weather, colder conditions and a loss of habitat was almost certainly to blame. Whilst we were chatting to Murdo we noticed a beautifully colored Common Lizard resting by our feet. In nearly 11 years of observation in and around our local area this was only the second time we had ever seen one and Mike, our Marine Biologist friend had never seen one at all! The field trip which some of our members undertook with Murdo and Mike on Ardersier Beach was very interesting and slowly built up a picture of the bio diversity of the bay and the importance it plays in the feeding of migratory birds. We were very impressed by the enthusiasm of the two gentlemen and Mike in particular was the epitome of a kid in a sand box, such is the depth of his enthusiasm for his subject.

We have continued to support Nick Martin and his Scottish Exotic Animal Rescue Centre, with one particular member being heavily involved in caring for the animals. Jessica stated “Over the summer I have been helping out with Nick. It has been fun and I learned a lot more about the animals. I have helped him at many Galas and Public Talks, attempting in the process to raise much needed funds. Helping Nick has allowed me grow in confidence not only with the animals but with speaking to the public…something which will be a great help when carrying out our Roots & Shoots work”.

Jessica like all of Nick’s helpers has been taught not only how to care for the animals in his care but to educate the public as well, through the many events and workshops attended.

This has been our best ever session for spotting dolphins and seals in Ardersier Bay which is actually at odds with reports from the WDCS who have recorded a marked drop in numbers this session. Thankfully all of our sightings have been clearly visible and not just imagined humps in the water. We have been particularly impressed with the amount of times we encountered a female and her calf. Our most exciting observation was one evening in early summer when we spotted a pod of 5 or 6 dolphins off the beach at Nairn and we watched enthralled as they cavorted and jumped right in front of us for over half an hour…needless to say I didn’t have my camera!

The team spent a lot of time this summer undertaking various woodland activities, some of which were undertaken as part of their 2nd John Muir Award, and these ventures invariably led to discoveries and experiences of nature caring for itself.

Once again the weather has been the dominant force over the summer months, with team ventures being cancelled on a number of occasions as a result of designated work areas being affected by heavy flooding, leaving unsafe conditions under foot. We have consequently failed to carry out research projects on behalf of a number of national organisations, although the information as to why we were unable to do so is of some benefit to them. The weather also caused delays in a number of our own projects with the rockery and sensory garden being shelved until next year. However, we have made contact with a local nursery and it is hoped that we can undertake a joint project with them and the creation of an authentic indigenous garden and wildlife area is something we are actively looking into.  The weather did not destroy all of our carefully planted vegetables but few reached a standard suitable for feeding to the delicate exotic animals at Nick Martin’s Scottish Exotic Animal Rescue Centre. However, the rain was beneficial in some ways and we are looking forward to bumper Damson and Pear Crops ready for harvesting in a few weeks. One area of success we have had is in the growing of Hedgerow Saplings for distribution to a number of other groups and organisations. These appear to have thrived in the very wet conditions and although the few remaining ones need potting on or out, it is not difficult to see how they will eventually form a fantastic habitat and shelter for all manner of creatures.

We were able to spend a fantastic day in the company of the Bio-Diversity Mentor for Scotland, Mr Murdo MacDonald and Mr Mike Kendall a Marine Biologist working in Thailand. We had wanted to explore the Bio Diversity of the bay at the bottom of our team headquarters for some time and on a day of warmth and sunshine we spent an exhilarating time wandering over the shallow flats stopping every now and then to dig into the soft sand exposing a wealth of interesting specimens. Murdo and Mike slowly built up a picture of the bio diversity of the beach revealing vast swathes of sea grass and numerous types of seaweed. They were amazed by the cleanness of the sand and water and then disappointed to learn that the local council had just agreed to allow a Waste Facility to be built less than a mile from where we were working, with all end products being pumped into the bay. Notification of this led on to a serious discussion about not only Dolphin protection but that of the beach and its inhabitants; as a result of this we have entered into discussion with SNH and SEPA two national organisations involved in the granting of permission for this type of planning application and having done, so we have established, that previously assumed planning steps have not been taken. The Moray Firth Bay at Ardersier is utterly beautiful and once in a while you can forget you are actually in the far north of Scotland. It may be that we can’t take on a multi pound project but sometimes just be raising awareness you can create a ground swell of opinion which can determine effective opposition; we have at least cleared up some points which were of concern to local residents.

Amy Robertson the newly appointed University Coordinator for Roots & Shoots (and one of our founder members) is due to work with Mike on the establishment of follow up research projects in the bay, which will be offered to university groups should they wish to get involved. One other thing of note which came from the meeting with Mike was the fact that he is currently carrying out work in Thailand with an organisation which was initially involved in the Tsunami Disaster Relief Operation. Mike kindly put us in contact with the manager of 12 local youth groups working in his area of research and we will shortly form a partnership with one of these.

The Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society Rangers at the Spey Bay Centre  have invited the team to be partially responsible for the maintenance of their newly developed Beechgrove Garden. The opportunity came about following a trip to the centre by the team to illustrate to new Roots & Shoots individuals the kind of activity they could undertake when running their own team. The whole day was a great success and because of the teams depth of knowledge and commitment to the environment we were invited to take part in filming for the BBC programme noted above. This led on to the request for us to help out with the maintenance and we are currently discussing ways of taking this further with other group’s as there may be potential for combining an educational trip to the centre, with  practical time in the garden and associated workshops for students.

In the near future we are going to be hosting a number of public environmental awareness days across the region, including a Peace Day Take Wing and Pledge event; we are also in discussions with the Operations Manager of our local Shopping Centre about his offer for us to go in and work with them on reducing their Carbon Foot Print. This partnership is expected to last a little over a year and will culminate in our hosting an Environmental Activity Week there next September. Members of our team both here and in England have spent time carrying out activities on the shore and in their local woodlands, we have explored habitats, raised awareness and advocated on behalf of the enviromnet where ever and when ever we can.

One of the oddest things to happen was the appearance of three Hens in the garden mid summer; they came, they liked and they stayed. Unfirtunately had we kept them it would have affected the balance of the garden and after a few days we called the SSPCA. They came and took them away to be checked and then rehoused…or should that be re roosted?

Community

The greater part of our endeavour over the last few months has undoubtedly been our investment in community issues, highlighting the need for greater endeavour with regards the care of our environment and local wildlife. The team have taken part in public awareness days, carried out workshops with numerous youth organisations and raised the profile of Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots Programme where ever and whenever we can.

We have fostered closer ties with our American Partner Group Seneca and if it had not been for some unavoidable delays would already be well under way with our first joint project. Work is also underway for the development of yet another international partnership involving our team and having made contact with a number of other groups around the country we look forward to progressing ties with them as well.

Within our own region the Highland Facilitator Team has been in close discussion with local groups involved in the promotion of care in the community and it is hoped that these discussions will lead to a joint venture.

We have had the honour of meeting Dr Goodall twice within the past three weeks with our first meeting coming about as a result of our being unable to attend the award ceremony in December and Dr Goodall’s invitation at the time, to meet her in St Andrews in May. It was an amazing day which began with our being invited to take part in a workshop with some of the best students St Andrews University has to offer! It was such a treat and whilst Tara and Dr Goodall both spoke passionately about the Roots & Shoots Programme, we were captivated by Dr Goodall’s reminisces of her childhood and the influences behind her career choices.

The role of the Highland Facilitator Team was noted in glowing terms on more than one occasion which was very humbling. Dr Goodall was interrupted on a number of occasions by one member of our group who is Autistic. It was seemingly a first for her and despite the shocked intake of breath from those gathered she dealt with his questions with great aplomb.

Dr Goodall told us afterwards that she had thought it highly amusing and noted on more than one occasion during the day that she had welcomed his interruptions as it meant that she at least knew that he was not only listening to what was being said but that he also had prior knowledge of her work. So much of her time is seemingly spent addressing rooms full of people so completely in awe of her that she is never sure if they really hear what she has to say.

Again I would love to say that being interrupted was the only “first” of the day for Dr Goodall but no, and I now know the truth in the saying never work with animals or children, as having answered numerous questions from the floor Dr Goodall finally said “anyone else” and our youngest members hand shot up.

I have no idea what it was I expected her to say but I doubt that anyone in the room could have predicted her request of “can I have a cuddle?” Dr Goodall duly gave her, an enormous hug to the delight and amusement of the audience. 

There was a brief lull after the Workshop as Dr Goodall was whisked off for an interview and we were taken upstairs to wait for our meeting with her. When Dr Goodall joined us our eldest agent showed her a selection of photos we had brought along illustrating our work and Dr Goodall and the others present seemed delighted with everything the children were doing.

We spent about 20 minutes or so with Dr Goodall before she had to leave to prepare for the lecture that evening and just before she disappeared from view, she turned her head and gave a short rendition of her famous chimp call grinning widely at the children’s surprised laughter as she did so.

Dr Goodall exuded such an amazing sense of calm and passion during her lecture that you knew you are in the presence of someone very, very special.  She captivated young and old alike and the thing which struck me the most was just how simple her message really is.

Our second encounter with Dr Goodall occurred a few weeks later, when we were invited to take part in the 50^th Anniversary Celebrations commemorating Dr Goodall’s work the chimpanzees of the Gombe National Park. The event was held in Bournemouth which necessitated a round trip of some 1500 miles for us. We had prepared a number of pieces of art for the Art Exhibition whilst also hosting the largest display of our work we have undertaken to date. We had actually arrived in the area two days before and having hired an entire tepee village spent Saturday conducting a workshop of our own with numerous friends and family which culminated in a large barbeque in the evening and the building of a shelter in the dark!

Sunday was a fantastic occasion for us as those members of our team who live in England were able to join us for the day along with more friends and family, including Barbara the Gardener.  Dr Goodall held a workshop in the morning as well as spending time with each of the teams, who like us were representing the work of the Roots & Shoots Programme through their displays.

The day was of course a celebration of Dr Goodall’s 50^th Anniversary of association with the chimpanzees of the Gombe National Park and we were especially pleased when Dr Goodall took time to look over our project about her “Lost Diaries”.

We had never encountered other teams before and it was actually the first time we had a sense being a part of something bigger than ourselves. It felt really good to belong and to finally have an opportunity to network.

Dr Goodall once again showed care and regard for the children of our team, as did members of her immediate family; and the atmosphere throughout the day was more akin to a large family get together than anything else.

This feeling carried over with the showing of Dr Goodall’s new movie; it was utterly enthralling, beautifully filmed, honest and so poignant that it begs the question of not why should we follow her vision but rather how could we not.

However, there was a moment at the end of the day which spoke more than any words can about the utter humanitarianism of Dr Goodall because in the midst of what must have been an emotional day for her the boy who had interrupted her in St Andrews and who had just studiously ignored her for the whole day, tentatively flurried his fingers towards her across the foyer and she responded in kind.

She matched his actions exactly when he blew her a small kiss and I don’t remember how it came about but suddenly they were in an embrace of such tenderness and trust. It was an entirely private moment and I don’t know if anyone else even noticed against the melee of people milling around. I would have missed it entirely if it were not for the fact that he is my youngest son and I always have half an eye on him when we are out and about.

No words were spoken by either of them throughout, and when I asked him later why as a boy who is hardly ever demonstrative what it was that had drawn him to Dr Goodall, he looked into the distance for a split second and then with a tiny smile on his face said…

“She has such an aura of gentleness about her that she makes me feel safe and secure”

And I would hazard a guess that this is the reason why chimpanzees trust her, children want to dedicate their lives to her and why we should all look forward to the continued success of the Roots & Shoots Programme.

Wildlife

The severe storms which have caused so much havoc to our garden area in recent days has also disrupted much of the work carried out over the last year with regards the establishment of animal habitats and feeding stations. Some of these have been destroyed beyond repair, whilst others have been blown away altogether. We can of course replace all that has been lost but storms such as these do cause irreparable damage such as the loss of two active bee hives near here.

Agents continue to spend time assisting Nick Martin at his Exotic Animal Rescue Centre in Inverness and we have begun to use our experiences with Nick as part of our patter when speaking to local groups and organisations. We hope to accompany Nick to a number of public events this summer as well as making use of his animal knowledge to conduct a series of woodland related workshops. 

One issue which we have been active in advocating to the public in the last month or so has been the need for individuals to prepare a small portion of their garden with wet mud. Recent winds and unseasonably dry conditions have resulted in ground all over the country being too dry. This is a very real problem to House Martins as they have been unable to complete the building of their nests in time for their first broods to be laid. If this situation continues it could put the continuation of the entire species in this under series threat.

Conversely, RSBP experts in the region have expressed great concern in recent days following the stormy weather as it could have seriously impacted the breeding success of many wild birds. Ground-nesting birds and those who nest on or near water are said to be worst hit as well as birds of prey. One Red Kite nest is reported to have been blown 200 meters out of a tree to the demise of the chick. Upwards of a 1,000 nests on the Insh Marshes nature reserve, are said to be underwater including those of wading species such as lapwing, snipe, redshank and curlew.

Environment

The severe storms in recent days have left our Pond destroyed, Green Houses up ended and Plants cast aside like pieces of grass. Many of our bushes and young saplings have been badly scorched by the high winds which battered the region prior to the torrential rain which later fell.

It makes little sense then to now describe all of the hard work and effort which had gone into preparing for our participation in the Gardening Scotland Show due to take place at Edinburgh next week.

However, it is the loss of our food supply to Nick Martin and his Creepy Crawlies which is a stark reminder to all, of just how desperate a situation this would be if it were a family caught up in this disaster without hope of rebuilding for lack of resources. It is early enough in the season (just) for us to salvage much from the damage and work has already begun to take down broken tree branches, reset bean poles, to remove destroyed vegetation and to plant new crops.

Thankfully, our new row of raised beds appears to have survived intact despite having a Green House land upside down on one of them, twice!  It means we have fresh areas available for immediate planting and can crack on without delay. We are very excited about the beds as they have been arranged from full sun to partial shade and we will be able to plant crops across the whole spectrum because of this.

We are in the process of converting an old shed into a potting area, much closer to our area of work, and which will hopefully enable our agents to spend more time observing and making note of butterfly and bee movements, especially in our wild garden. The decision was taken at the end of last year not to intrude in this area and to see what re-emerged this spring. True to expectations many of the flowers and grasses seen last year have grown back and have proved remarkably resilient to the recent weather with many flowers bursting into bloom all over.

We have also taken note of the distribution of flower types from this very contained area and have begun to encounter plants known only to be within the wild garden in other areas across the whole of the garden.

A number of none indigenous trees were removed from the garden in recent weeks and plans are underway to utilise the space revealed to form a rockery come sensory garden area. We had hoped to provide sensory equipment to a local school but were meet with a firm rebuff and have therefore decided to use the items ourselves; as they will be of benefit to those children of our own group who have sensory issues.

In recent months the team have been in contact with numerous woodland based organisations and groups and arrangements have been made for the group to spend some time this summer with a local Community Woodland Trust undertaking work for the benefit of said a woodland area. We are also going to undertake a number of woodland awareness days as part of our follow up to the discovery we made of a rare Sawfly, on Ardersier Common last October.

Quite by chance we find ourselves with a subsidiary branch in Buckinghamshire and we are looking forward to engaging with our agents there. They will adhere roughly to the Highland Facilitator Team’s agenda and will be supported and encouraged to undertake joint projects, which we hope will in turn lead to increasing independence and the eventual establishment of their own group. I have been a little slow in our response to their requests for inclusion but hope that they appreciate that this is caused by prior commitments and we thank them for their patience in this matter. Apart from anything else The Highland Facilitator Team has been heavily involved in the creation of stronger ties with local groups and organisations and I will write a special report about this in due course. Rhona Brindle our Tesco Community Champion was recently nominated Tesco Community Champion of the Year and as part of her prize was given additional funds for use in her local area. We are extremely grateful that she deemed our endeavours worthy of support and cannot thank her enough for her contribution to the team.

It was only through reading an article about Rhona’s success that we were made aware of her other voluntary work and a decision was taken by the group to aid her in this. Rhona has spent each of the last five summers assisting children in Romania who are HIV positive and although we are going to provide art materials for them, we once again thought out of the box and felt that perhaps one way we could help was by supplying new clothing to the adult helpers, many of whom live in extremely poor circumstances. These individuals give so much of their time and energy to helping the children in their care, that they do not have the facilities or resources to pamper themselves and we just wanted to show them how much their work is appreciated. 

Senior members of the Highland Facilitator Team then approached numerous shops in the area as well as attending sales etc and with the generous help of “Barbara the Gardener” we were able to purchase many pieces of clothing for no more than £1.00 per item. These and all other goods will be presented to Rhona for distribution as she chooses.  

Last weekend a number of team members attended the Highland Environmental Network Conference in Fortrose. It was an extremely interesting event and during one of the workshops our young people were exposed to an element within the environmental community whom we had yet to come in contact with; namely those who not only passionately believe that there is no place for youthinvolvement at any level in environmental undertakings, they can see no worth in small enterprise endeavours. We were completely taken aback by the absolute dismissal of all that we hold and believe in as members of Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots Programme, and I must therefore highlight the resolute defence given by Amy Robertson, the current Jane Goodall Individual Endeavour Award Winner. Amy and others were able to counter with hard and indisputable fact the sheer size of youth involvement in this country and around the globe, and the amazing results they are achieving. Such was their ability that throughout the remainder of the day they were congratulated by many delegates, who said that not only did they agree with our position, some had even had their opinions changed.

I received an e-mail a few days later from  Caroline St Johnston, Administration Officer (Climate Change) Sustainable Development Commission Scotland, with regards our experience whereby she stated that she was glad that Amy had the strength to stand up to people who clearly had differing viewpoints. I should point out that the opinions expressed during the workshop represented the view of a few and not those of the Highland Environmental Network.

Howling gales and heavy snow falls in recent days have made it is a little hard to concentrate on the fact that spring has definitely sprung. Thankfully most of our undertakings continue to be indoors at present although we are going to have to brave the elements and tend to the garden in readiness for the coming season. However, the difficulties we have experienced are as nothing compared to the catastrophes which have assailed Japan.

As a group living in such close proximity to the dolphins of the Moray Firth we have always taken a keen interest in the work of Ric O’ Barry, the director of Save Japan Dolphins.org, and his team. They have campaigned to put an end to the Japanese drive fishery slaughter of dolphins as well as attempting to stop the capture and live trade of dolphins to zoos and aquariums around the world. Many of you may have seen the Oscar-winning documentary The Cove which highlighted the appalling practices which Ric and his team strive to abolish. The Cove movie focused on the town of Taiji and the brutal dolphin drive hunt, which kills 1500 to 2000 dolphins annually. Many of the dolphins killed in Japan are offshore Dall’s porpoises, one of the fastest of the dolphin tribe.  But not fast enough for dolphin harpoon boats. 

Save Japan Dolphins is active in creating worldwide pressure against the Japanese dolphin slaughter and to date they have generated petitions with more than 2 million signatures from 151 countries.  The team is also involved in investigations and monitoring at the Cove and in exposing the toxic mercury in Japanese dolphin meat products. However, much of the hunting of Dall’s porpoise takes place in Iwate Province in northern Japan and Save Japan Dolphins’ Brian Barnes recently headed up to Iwate to report on the dolphins being killed there. On the morning of 11^thof March 2011 Brian filled his report, only to find that mere hours later he and his team were at the epic centre of the biggest earthquake and subsequent natural disaster Japan has ever faced. In the moments following the quake the team immediately headed for higher ground, witnessing as they did, the massive tidal wave which swept away the Iwate town of Otsuchi in the valley below them. The survival of the team has been put down to the overwhelming generosity of ordinary Japanese people in the midst of extraordinary circumstances. Thankfully news is now filtering through that like Brian many of Ric’s colleagues in Japan are also safe, if shaken by all that has occurred.

We like many people have enquired in recent days about the safety of the dolphins and whales of the area and have been reassured by reiteration of the information that whilst the colossal debris does not help the pollution load in coastal waters, the most damaging areas in a tsunami are at the shoreline so most deep-water sea life should not have been impacted. Ric O’ Barry, a man who has been harassed and victimized in Japan for his actions was recently quoted as saying “Our campaign is not against Japan or the Japanese people. Our campaign is not about hate, but about helping dolphins and the people of Japan”. The Japanese coastline has been ravaged and search and rescue efforts continue in a country confronting the very real possibility of a full nuclear meltdown. Natural disasters can and do occur, and the lessons we learn and the way we react to these situations tests us all; like many environmentalists we are dedicated to protecting the lives of whales and dolphins in Japan, however now is the time to show openhanded humanitarianism to those faced with the utter destruction of all that they knew.

Donations in aid of Japan can be made via Ric O’ Barry’s own organization, all you need do is go to japandolphins@earthisland.org and click on Donate.   If you do chose to contribute to Ric’s informal fundraiser he asks that you send him an e-mail and he will add your contribution to the grand total.

I don’t think anyone of us would doubt that Dr Goodall is a worthy candidate in her own right, nor would we fail to acknowledge the fact that she has inspired, motivated and enabled hundreds of thousands of young people across the world to act in defence of their communities, environment and local wildlife. The award may not have the prestigious of some of those she has received, but as the winner will be decided by public vote every single vote cast in her favour, would be affirmation of the affection and support she has, from grass roots members. We saw our nomination as an opportunity to do something far bigger than our size would dictate we were capable of, whilst also raising awareness of the phenomenal success of Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots Programme. We would also like to urge all of you to consider showing your support by making the requested donation of £30.00 (all donations welcome). Any organisation with a membership of over 500,000 young people must be doing something right and if that is the case, it is definitely worth continuing.

Some of you may have read about our being unable to attend the award ceremony in London last December due to the awful weather conditions sweeping the country at the time. The children’s disappointment was short lived if deeply felt as the day after the ceremony Jasmina Marcheva was able to fly north to present the team with their Gold Awards and a book signed by Dr Goodall. Jasmina also brought news that one member of the group Amy Robertson (17) had received the Jane Goodall Roots & Shoots Individual Endeavour Award for 2010. Unbelievably Dame Goodall then rang and spoke to the group via speaker phone for over 15 minutes, she gave them her famous chimp greeting and chatted about growing, vegetables, carrying out projects aimed at protecting wildlife and the environment and then invited them to meet her in May of this year.

One of the things which Dr Goodall stated she was pleased we had undertaken was our joining the Roots & Shoots Partnerships in Understanding project, as this endeavour is something she is very keen to support. The Roots & Shoots Partnerships in Understanding project pairs groups together from around the world in order to promote better understanding of the issues affecting individual teams as well as offering an opportunity to work on similar projects. Partner groups receive a welcome kit full of ideas and suggestions to get them started and we hope to include regular updates about our own experiences with our particular partner group, as the year progresses.

We have kick started our association by sending a parcel jam-packed with information, photos, gifts, booklets and other odds and ends to illustrate who, what and where we come from. We hope to be able to work together to undertake activities in association with the USA’s National Environmental Education Week, which is due to take place in April. This year’s theme is “The Oceans” which ties in nicely with our intended Roots & Shoots Water World Project. One of the activities we have planned to undertake with regards this forthcoming project is to carry out research and observation work with the Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, here and at Spey Bay in Moray. We hope that this will not only carry forward the understanding our agents gained last year when studying for their Dolphin Diplomas but also raise their awareness of the plight of Dolphins and Whales around the World and the need to care for our planets oceans. The recent curtailing of the Japanese Whaling Fleets season by committed environmentalists both at sea and on land, highlights the need for a call for open discussion within Japan itself, on what for many, is a totally unnecessary and barbaric annual event.

Another of the projects we are looking forward to is about to start following receipt of a potato seedling pack from the Potato Council, with the result that we will be chitting away on the 1st of March in readiness for the big Scottish potato growing competition. We are very lucky that we have been chosen by the Royal Highland Education Trust as one of the schools/groups to be supported throughout this project by a local farmer and we are especially delighted as we have been paired with the farmer who owns an Organic Farm situated about 100yrds from our base. Consideration of organic practices on this particular farm formed the basis for our first Roots & Shoots undertaking and we are excited with the prospect of learning more not only about organic farming but green issues in general as Donnie Macleod (the farmer in question) is a well known activist on environmental and anti war issues here in the Highlands, standing as a parliamentary candidate in the past for both Westminster and Holyrood.

Rhona Martin, our Tesco Community Champion, has asked if we will assist her during our local Tesco Extra’s Climate Week events and apart from helping with their actual Challenge in store on the 21st of March, we have been given an opportunity to hold a Climate Awareness Day on the 26th. We are looking forward to both of these events as well as our forthcoming “Have an Eco Easter Day” which is planned for the 16th of April. Rhona has been very generous in displaying photos and information about our group on her community notice board situated just inside the store…and again I would urge you to consider getting in touch with your own local stores and discussing your needs with your designated Community Champions as this is another way of promoting the Roots & Shoots Programme as a community based endeavour.

We recently undertook a tour behind the scenes of our own Tesco Extra in order to see for ourselves the effort being made by the store to minimise its carbon footprint. We were all very impressed with the sheer amount of recycling which goes on as well as the large clearly read information boards which were placed at strategic intervals around the store rooms and loading bays to help all members of staff to know exactly what it is they are supposed to recycle and where it is supposed to go. I think many of us would still have issues with Tesco, as we would with all stores, about the excessive use of packaging etc on food, but they are obviously aware of the poor image this often presents and are actively attempting to make some inroads with this.

Apart from our Water World Project we intend to spend sometime this year looking at the Biodiversity of Hedge Rows and in fact we are currently awaiting delivery of a range of saplings which we intend to use to create our own row. We are excited about this project as getting muddy digging holes has always appealed to certain members of our team! Murdo MacDonald Biodiversity Mentor (Scotland), came to the base recently and give a thoroughly entertaining talk and PowerPoint presentation on issues relating to Biodiversity and the Secret Life of the Alder. Murdo also brought a whole host of goodies for the team as well as offering to take them on a field trip later in the year with Mike, a local Marine Biologist.

We have continued to raise awareness of our work and Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots Programme by setting up displays of our work in two local libraries, with a third scheduled for the end of this month. We have found that libraries are very keen to engage with young people and presenting displays etc. is a fantastic way of showing the wider community what it is that you have been doing, and we often use these opportunities to canvass local people on issues relating to our community, environment and local wildlife. A recent chance encounter with an RSPB officer has lead to our forming closer ties with this organisation and it is hoped that we will soon be in a position to offer official resources about the work of the RSPB to the general public. We have also agreed to undertake one event on behalf of the RSPB, whilst they have offered to assist us with one of our awareness days. Other opportunities for talks and field trips for the group have been discussed and we are very excited by the prospect of finalising some of these.

As noted above one of our team members, Amy Robertson, recently received the Jane Goodall Roots & Shoots Individual Endeavour Award for 2010; however, what is not commonly known is that Amy has suffered from the debilitating effects of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome for over 5yrs, with the result that she is in constant pain and wheelchair dependent for months at a time.The effects of CFS can be devastating and one of our undertakings this year is to raise awareness of this life altering illness to the general public, by conducting at least one event in support of AYME, the Association for Young M.E. Sufferers. It is widely accepted that CFS/ME is particularly common in school age individuals and we therefore also hope to carry out a number of displays about CFS and AYME in Community Libraries located within Secondary Schools around the region.

As a team we want to share our experiences in the hope that we can reassure friends and family with regards the importance of the role they play in helping an individual to feel motivated and of worth; and the many ways in which association with Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots Programme can assist them to do this. Amy started by planting single herbs and flowers whilst lying on a sofa in her sitting room too ill to stand up, utterly exhausted by the effort of placing a seed in a pot; however, through the understanding of those around her she did it. Amy hopes that by telling her story she will motivate and inspire sufferers not only of CFS but other debilitating illnesses and/or disability to recognise that that they too can be responsible, proactive environmentalists irrespective of their own circumstances, simply by being willing to try.

The potential magnitude of this undertaking has just been revealed to us as at this point in time I believe we are the only group registered to carry out an official ballot here in the Highlands. The desperately disappointing thing about this apart from the lost opportunities it represents is that not one of the schools we have contacted to date are even aware of what is in effect a national campaign, or the relevance it holds for their students.

In effect Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots Programme, is currently responsible for providing some 30,000 Scottish Children an opportunity to physically cast their vote, in a ballot, which will help shape all their futures. It sounds very dramatic but without our association with the programme we would never have had the notion of participating in such an event, never mind find the confidence to attempt that which we are about to undertake.

We are working hard with Fay, an administrator from the Commissioner’s Office to ensure that we receive an adequate supply of resources and in the last day alone we have been able to add 3 additional sessions to our list, with the prospect of many more being added. Unfortunately we don’t have the ability and/or the finances to facilitate a physical voting experience for every child and we will therefore also be contacting schools in the region in the hope that they will encourage their students to register their votes on-line. Our goal is to facilitate a minimum of 3,000 registered votes; our hope is to achieve ten times that number.

As noted at the beginning of this submission we recently held a “Have a Green Halloween” day at one of our local Tesco Stores. It was a great success with hundreds of pledges being made, free goodie-bags distributed and money raised for Green Projects. We were also able to give away hundreds of leaflets filled with ideas and suggestions on how to make Halloween a Green Experience, without detracting from the fun of the occasion.

The team have also successfully completed the Discovery Level of the John Muir Award Scheme, and as a consequence of this we have been notified that the award administrators wish to publish an article about the group to help inspire others to get involved in biodiversity. This will be utilised as part of the John Muir Award Schemes wrapping up of their connection with the International Year of Biodiversity 2010. Once again we have been left feeling humbled by the attention of such an organisation and we are very proud to be associated with them.

One piece of news which we are all very relieved about is the world’s first successful captive hatching of a particular species of Gecko at Nick Martin’s animal centre in Inverness. The baby is doing very well and with three other eggs due to hatch it is exciting times and we hope to be able to submit photos of all of the babies in due course. We have been invited to discuss the group’s activities at a meeting of local pensioners after their Winter Break, and have also been asked to arrange a display of photos highlighting our work, at a Carers workshop at the end of this month.

Autumn continues to amaze us with stunning colour changes, blooming flowers and even sunny days. We have taken full advantage of this and had numerous trips out in to the countryside.

We continue to recycle and reuse items and have undertaken activities aimed at designing  alternative ways in which to use these for the benefit of  local wildlife. We have also liaised with members of other environmental groups in our area and we have all agreed to plant certain species of wildflowers to encourage wildlife and in particular bees.