Co-op Community Fund awards Findhorn Dunes Trust £2200 for signage
A group dedicated to looking after a local beauty spot of natural interest has been awarded nearly £2200.
Findhorn Dunes Trust (FDT) has accepted £2190 from the Co-op Local Community Fund for information boards to be erected next year.
FDT convenor, Dr Steve Worth, hopes to source the signage from local suppliers.
He said: “The trust has no regular income, only receiving donations from walks and talks, so the award from the Co-Op is a fantastic gift.
“We can now purchase information boards which will allow visitors to the dunes to understand this varied and fragile environment and the work required to maintain it.
“These will be small boards intended to highlight to walkers' specific types of flora and/or the habitats we have.”
FDT was formed in 2003 following the donation of land by Dunelands to the residents of Findhorn, Kinloss and visitors. The trustees manage it with the aid of volunteers - maintaining the biodiverse balance of its 67 hectares along the shoreline east of Findhorn.
Dr Worth said: “The area is a wonderful mosaic landscape of dunes, shingle heathland, grassland and woods which support a wide variety of flora and fauna, each benefitting from the variety of habitats found there.
“We aim to to maintain the biodiverse nature of the dunes, ensuring that the invasive lodge pole pines and gorse have not taken over the open spaces of the dune area, maintaining the mosaic landscape.”
Individuals and formal work parties clear and maintain specific areas assisted by volunteers including personnel from neighbours 39 Engineer Regiment at Kinloss barracks.
“One of the less pleasant, but very important roles, we find ourselves doing is clearing up litter across the dunes,” said Dr Worth.
“This involves not only dropped litter, thankfully the majority of people who use the area either use the bins available or take their litter home. However, abandoned camping equipment requires cleaning up along with broken glass, with its obvious danger to dogs and wild animals.”
FDT aims to raise the profile of the dunes area, highlighting rare species of flora and fauna along with sites of archaeological significance. This is achieved via guided tours, such as during the Moray Outdoor Walking Festival.
