Ranger Service calls for public support as NTS financial crisis could see them lost forever
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Hundreds of children and adults across the north-east have benefited over the years from the knowledge of the North East Ranger Service.
Now the team are calling on the public to help them in their hour of need.
The North east Ranger Service work at properties across Aberdeenshire to undertake estate maintenance, habitat management and wildlife monitoring.
They also provide environmental education to schools and events throughout the year and cover locations including Crathes Castle, Drum castle, Castle Fraser, Cragievar Castle, Leith Hall, Pitmedden Gardens and Fyvie Castle.
We're at risk of losing them completely.
The Scottish Government are now involved in the NTS redundancies debate but a spokesman for the teams said: "They're taking the matter seriously but the more support from the public and those that have benefited from the Ranger Service the better.
"Alongside catastrophic cuts to Ranger Services across Scotland the three full time Rangers in the NE Ranger team will be cut with nobody to fill the gap.
"These three Rangers manage a huge team of amazing volunteers who help with events and maintenance across the north-east and there will be nobody left to manage them."
In particular they are concerned about:
Loss of environmental education.
Loss of guided walks and the effect on local tourism.
Loss of habitat management / species monitoring and the impact on bats, Northern Damselfly and red squirrels.
Loss of maintenance of a waymarked trails network (think of all those boardwalks at Crathes Castle).
Loss of mental health partnership working with Branching Out.
Loss of forest schools and regular sessions with local children who are struggling to flourish in a classroom environment.
Outdoor education is widely being talked about as a means for children to return to school in a safe way and the north-east would be losing valuable expertise from the service.
He continued; "We believe these redundancies are avoidable and have not been thought through by a senior management who for a long time have refused to see the value in Rangers and the secondary spend they bring to the NTS by protecting our countryside and delivering environmental education.
"Please, if you are able write to your MSP and share your concerns, it really would make a difference."
