Councillor welcomes US visitor
A Perth and Kinross councillor was this week pleased to welcome a senior US politician to Scotland for COP26.
Highland Perthshire councillor Xander McDade, convener of the Cairngorms National Park, met Democratic Party member Deb Haaland, who was visiting the park in her role as US Secretary of the Interior.
Cllr McDade exchanged pleasantries with the member of President Biden’s cabinet along with a number of her assistant secretaries and advisers then took them on a tour around a part of the park over the Perthshire/Aberdeenshire border.
Cllr McDade donned his kilt to show Secretary Haaland around the Muir of Dinnet National Nature Reserve, said to be one of Scotland’s best wildlife sites.
He said:“It was great to share knowledge and experiences to help collectively protect the environment.”
Secretary Haaland and her team came to Scotland as part of the US delegation attending COP26 in Glasgow.
Cllr McDade said:“Her department oversees a wide range of matters including federal lands, natural resources and Native American affairs. The department manages the US National Parks Service.”
Secretary Haaland is the first Native American to serve as a US Cabinet Secretary and was previously a member of the US House of Representatives.
Cllr McDade said he was delighted to show Secretary Haaland around - and his Labrador puppy seemed to enjoy the day too.
He said:“Cora was amazingly well behaved given all the attention she was getting!”
Posting about her day on Twitter Secretary Haaland said:“National parks connect visitors with the majestic landscapes of their countries. Today I walked and watched the sunset in the beauty of the Cairngorms National Park in Scotland — the UK’s largest.”
Cllr McDade has invited Secretary Haaland and her team to come back soon and see the park’s other 4500 square kilometres.