Our Brilliant Bogs

The Nature Ninjas have been swinging their mattocks down at Abronhill bog and Ravenswood bog, removing birch regeneration. Now you might be wondering why conservation volunteers are removing native trees but there is a very good reason for what we are doing. Trees dry out peat bogs by sucking the water out of the ground through their roots, Peatlands are

Trees for everyone

By Katie Brown, Cumbernauld Living Landscape trainee If you happen to be going to see the swans down at Broadwood Loch over the holidays, you might well spot the new trees that have been planted by the Cumbernauld Living Landscape volunteers and staff. These are native species that will help local wildlife thrive, so look out for oak, hawthorn, crab

Scythers in the wild!

Our volunteers have been hard at work again!  If you have been out and about experiencing Cumbernauld’s amazing green spaces you might have spotted some peculiar folk in high-vis vests wielding scythes!  Do not be alarmed (although make sure you observe ample social distancing to avoid an impromptu scythed haircut). These are our amazing volunteers wielding these macabre tools. This

Regenerate and renew

Local resident Anne McClure has written this guest blog about an amazing experience she had volunteering with us I started volunteering with Cumbernauld Living Landscape a year ago. Recently our group was able to see the results of some of the early work that we did, when we were chopping down the dreaded invasive dogwood and creating deadwood fences along

Our volunteers are back in the outdoors!

We are delighted to announce that our volunteer groups are heading back outdoors! These groups will be operating at a reduced capacity with social distance checks to follow current Covid-19 guidelines. We aim to carry out vital tasks in the community – litter picks, invasive species removal and path maintenance. Our volunteers are ecstatic at the possibility of heading back

A bug’s eye view of volunteering

We were marching through the woods. The sun bursting through the trees, the cold air sucked into our lungs. My volunteers had entered a new area of Cumbernauld Glen; unveiled before their eyes. In this space they saw what first appeared to be a void; the last vestiges of winter still clinging onto the forest. I prompted them to take

A wild year ahead

It’s hard to believe that we’re more than halfway through January already! Here at Cumbernauld Living Landscape it’s full steam ahead as we continue to work towards our vision of putting both people and wildlife at the heart of our town’s future. We’ve got lots of exciting projects coming up in the next 12 months, many of which you could

Winter Blues

As I write this I’m huddled over a steaming mug of tea, wearing my warmest jumper and waiting for the forecast sleet to start falling outside. I console myself with the thought that, though it might not feel like it, spring is on the way. It probably hasn’t escaped long-term readers of these blogs that I’m no fan of winter!

Tree planting day

I love planting trees! There is little as satisfying as rooting a tree, taking a step back and imagining its future. How many years will it stay up for? What challenges will it face? What animals might call it home? When you plant trees, it feels like you’re planting a legacy. It’s your tree, and you want to look after

First Impressions

Two months ago, I became a Volunteer Officer for Cumbernauld Living Landscape’s Wild Ways Well Project. Having recently moved to the central belt from Galloway, I knew very little about Cumbernauld other than it was a built up New Town. So you can imagine my joy when I learned that 50% of the town centre is made up of green