Aberdeenshire Council has developed a strategy and action plan to try and alleviate the problems caused by gulls nesting and scavenging in our communities, including attacks on people. Whilst the Council has no statutory duty to take action against gulls it does recognise the need to protect communities. The Council has employed the services of a falconer to operate in various locations between April and September, and as a building owner, will continue to take steps to deter gulls from nesting and will arrange for removal of nests and eggs. The council cannot deal with the this issue alone and requires the active involvement of the public and businesses, in particular-

Building owners and occupiers

Owners of food and take aways, and other businesses

General public and community groups.

The leaflet – Survivor’s Guide to Living with Urban Gulls – gives practical advice to the public, building owners and businesses on what you can do to help reduce the problem.

Survivor’s Guide to Living with Urban Gulls (pdf 966 KB)

If you have problems with Seagulls there are several methods of discouraging them from roosting on your premises.

Aberdeenshire Council has established agreements with a company to provide seagull control services for residents and businesses in Aberdeenshire. These services commenced on 1 April 2014 for a period of 3 years

Being a regular litter picker, I am only too aware of the amount of supermarket  carrier bags strewn across our towns and villages. I was pleased that legislation to introduce a charge for the use of single-use carrier bags was approved by the Scottish Government in May.

 Scotland’s environment now has an opportunity to directly benefit from that legislation, and that benefit could be felt in our ward through environmental action by local volunteers.
 
Tesco are conducting a public vote through their website on the charity that should benefit from their bag levy proceeds in Scotland – and Keep Scotland Beautiful is the only registered Scottish charity in the final shortlist. I would encourage you to click on the link below and vote for Scotland’s environmental charity to be the beneficiary of this significant funding which is anticipated to be £1m.
 
www.tescoplc.com/bagyourvote
or
http://www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org/bagsofopportunity
 
The vote is open until Friday 22nd August, and the result will be declared the following week. I’ve cast my vote!

Saturday 23rd August is National Bat Night – why not come along to Arnhall Moss on this date and celebrate with Aberdeenshire Council Ranger Service and North East Bat Group. Bat detectors will be provided on the night. Please dress warmly and bring midgie repellent and a torch. This is a free family event and booking is essential. Bats recorded on the night will be sent to the North East Biological Records Centre as part of the North East Mammal Atlas which is being produced in the near future. Contact the Garioch Ranger Phone 01467 681470

Mobile 07786 021781

Email: garioch.ranger@aberdeenshire.gov.uk

Following her trip to Uganda as a Global Teacher, Gillian Crawford returned to Crombie Primary and shared her experiences with the pupils, staff and parents. The pupils learned about a variety of global issues and this resulted in the setting up of a pupil-led Fairtrade Steering Group. This group drew up the Crombie Fairtrade Policy which was endorsed and signed by representatives of pupils, staff and parents.

After eighteen months, Crombie Primary is very proud to have been awarded their Fare Achiever School Award.

Well done Crombie!

An invasion of non-native plant species across Aberdeenshire, and how best to tackle the problem, was the subject of a recent multi-agency workshop. Aberdeenshire Council hosted the workshop for government agencies, river trusts, community councils, landowners and volunteers to look at what work is already being done to control problem plants. Local people are now being urged to help in the fight against invasive non-native species (INNS) which have been introduced deliberately or accidentally to the north-east, well outside their natural geographic range. Plants like Giant Hogweed, Japanese Knotweed and Himalayan Balsam become established in the local environment and can spread rapidly at the expense of native habitat and at substantial financial cost to us all. More than 50 people attended the workshop which provided an opportunity to review efforts to tackle invasive species, much of which is carried out by volunteers. With much more work to be done to tackle the enormous challenge, keeping volunteers motivated is a key challenge and communities across Aberdeenshire are being urged to help stamp out these species before the problem gets any bigger. Chair of the council’s Infrastructure Services Committee, Councillor Peter Argyle, said: “This is a big problem which affects us all and costs us all money. Aberdeenshire Council and other organisations simply cannot deal with this alone. “If you want to be a good citizen and do something that really will make a practical difference – take part in some or all of the five actions listed below. Together we really can help.” Three key INNS are affecting land in Aberdeenshire: Giant hogweed – Can grow to over 3m tall and is seen on many Aberdeenshire river banks. The sap contains a toxic chemical which causes blistering of the skin when it is exposed to sunlight. The hogweed forms dense stands, shading out native plants, blocking riverside footpaths and exposing river banks to erosion when it dies back in the winter. Japanese knotweed – A tall species with bamboo-like stems, which was originally introduced as an ornamental plant. It is now found on river banks, waste ground, roadside verges and some gardens. Able to grow from a tiny fragment of root, the plant spreads easily in soil and extensive roots can penetrate roads, paths and even concrete causing structural damage and shading out native plants. Its destructive nature means its presence close to properties can affect the ability of homeowners to sell or get a mortgage. Himalayan balsam – This plant has attractive pink flowers and is popular with beekeepers, but forms dense stands along river banks where its seeds spread readily. It competes with native plants and can result in erosion of river banks. With INNS already firmly rooted in the Aberdeenshire area, dealing with these species is going to be a long-term task and the recent workshop focused on what needs to be done to take eradication work forward effectively. There is much that local people can do to help tackle this serious problem. Here are a few practical tips which can help: • Learn to recognise these species – good identification guides are available online • Help put together a more accurate picture of where these plants are growing by sending in a record of any you see, in town or the countryside, to the Local Biological Record Centre • Join the conservation volunteers who help organise work groups to control these pests • Join an environmental group working to tackle the issue in your local area, and if there isn’t one, get together with your friends and neighbours to set one up. • Check your own garden or land for invasive species and prevent them spreading.

I was disheartened to see the football pitch at Carnie strewn with litter once more. Most of it consisted of plastic bottles – of all shapes and sizes – but there was also fag packets, tabbies, clothes, wooly hats, discarded inhalers as well as broken glass, chewing gum and sweetie papers.

There are organised teams who use the pitch on a regular basis, but the use of the pitch, I think, works best and always has done because kids can pop on and have an informal game of football as and when they like.

The facility is being spoiled though for everybody.  I have previously encountered dogs being exercised on the pitch, kids on their bikes tearing along the surface and there’s the litter problem.

Local people stopped me tonight to say how well used the area is but they didn’t like the mess.  I filled ten black bags of rubbish from the pitch and the outside boundary. I have asked Aberdeenshire Council to brush the surface and pick up the remainder of the rubbish – broken glass and the smaller pieces of paper – and also if they can provide a bin or couple of bins for pitch-users.

I have also asked if the sand pile can be removed from the car park and the area around the pitch and car park be cleared of weeds.

Other residents I spoke to while on site tonight commented on the state of the field behind the pitch which leads to Carnie Woods. Problems there include dog poo, drainage and general untidyness. This piece of land is managed by Greenbelt so I would hope to have some action from them also.

I was heartened to speak to residents who do care about their surroundings and delighted to hear from one who wanted to be involved in the litter pick group to keep Westhill & Elrick tidy!

Let’s get Carnie tidied up!

I have recently requested Aberdeenshire Council to clear up the verges between Mason Lodge and Sauchen which are heavily strewn with litter. It appears that most of the litter has been thrown from moving vehicles.

Although the council has a duty to keep areas free from litter, is it the best use of tax-payers’ money to pick up after others?

Aberdeenshire Council’s authorised officers can serve £50 fixed penalty notices to anyone found littering and this includes littering from a vehicle. The officer requires to obtain a statement from the person reporting the offence. The statement will include the vehicle’s registration number (and where possible the make, model and colour), details of where and when the offence took place, a description of the offender if possible and whether there are any additional witnesses.

Unfortunately these offences cannot proceed based on an anonymous report as the DVLA, who provide information on the vehicle’s registered keeper to the Council’s authorised officers, require evidence in the form of a statement from the witness. The good news is that fixed penalty notices can be served based on the evidence of one person only – it is one of the few offences in Scot’s law that does not require corroboration.

From April 2014, the fixed penalty is to be raised to £80 for littering.

Fly tippers and litterers should be reported to the Wasteline on 0845 600 3900. Let’s get Aberdeenshire cleaned up!

I’ve had various emails and phone calls recently about overflowing bins especially in the play area at Broadshade. Please note that maintenance of land, including emptying bins has been handed over by the developers to a company called Life Property Management and is not a council responsibility.

The Manager with responsibility for Broadshade is Mr Alistair Wallace and you can contact him on 0844 822 6563.

This number provided is specifically for Broadshade residents to notify the company directly of maintenance issues. More information on the maintenance company along with email contacts and office opening hours can be found here:

http://lpmonline.co.uk/index.html