Beachd Ailein

I read Iain Thornber’s Heritage column Burning the hills come the spring (April 8) with dismay.

Has Iain not heard we are in the midst of a climate and ecological emergency of our own making and that the annual burning of the land to within an inch of its life contributes to this?

‘Making Muirburn’ does not carry Scots back to the time of their ancestors. It carries us back to the Victorian era when the pastime of sports shooting, particularly red grouse, was embraced by the aristocracy.

Contrary to the opinion espoused by Iain, land intensively managed using muirburn does not support a rich diversity of flora or fauna. It supports a stunted covering of heather that supports very few species. Scotland was once covered with trees – the ancient forest of Caledon – and until the outdated practice of muirburn is stopped, Scotland’s native woodlands and once rich biodiversity will not recover.

Muirburn does not make the landscape more resilient; it damages peatland, which is an essential carbon store, and removes vegetation cover increasing run-off and flooding downstream.

It is also disappointing that someone in Iain Thornber’s position of influence dismisses science out of hand as codswallop. The science tells us that we live in one of the most nature depleted countries on the planet, where average species abundance has declined by 24 per cent since 1994. To reverse the ongoing ecological decline, we need to embrace the science and restore Scotland’s devastated and barren landscape, not continue to burn it.

Kate Willis, by email.

I have no time for conspiracy theories. However, I would like to know if there is a concerted effort to rid Dunbeg of all trees. I am not talking about the commercial crop above Dunbeg, which was planted to be harvested and will, presumably, be replanted. What concerns me is the wicked destruction of nicely maturing hardwoods at the new marine lab development.

Presumably it was a planning condition that trees be planted for phase one. Now that particular box has been ticked they can, apparently, be discarded.

The much-needed improvement to Kirk Road resulted in a wide swathe of mature trees being felled, much wider, it appears, than was necessary. Lots of trees have been felled for the ailean@obantimes.co.uk

’S cinnteach gur e latha sònraichte a bh’ ann an Disathairne seo chaidh dha caochladh dhaoine, airson iomadh adhbhar eadar-dhealaichte. Fhad ’s a bha mise a’ siubhal dhan Eilean Sgitheanach bha dà thachartas air m’ inntinn, an t-seirbheis adhlacaidh aig Diùc Dhùn Èideann ann an Lunnainn, agus seirbheis cuimhneachaidh Bhlàr Chùil Lodair ann an Inbhir Nis. Mar a bhiodh dùil bha aithrisean air rèidio air na bha a’ tachairt ann an Windsor còrr air còig ceud mìle gu deas, ach dh’fhàg riaghailtean sgaraidh Covid 19 làrach Blàr Chùil Lodair sàmhach air an 275 ceann-bliadhna bho latha a’ bhlàir dhòrainnich sin a rinn a leithid de dhochann air dòigh-beatha agus dualchas nan Gàidheal.

Cha b’ iongnadh idir gun do chuimsich na meadhanan air ìomhaigh thiamhaidh na Banrigh na suidhe na h-aonar aig seirbheis adhlacaidh a cèile, is a ceann crom fad mòran den ùine. Dhan t-saoghal a bha ag amharc bha an sealladh na chuimhneachan gum bheil an Teaghlach Rìoghail mar dhaoine sam bith eile, agus nach eil beartas neo cumhachd na dhìon bho bhàs agus bròn. Cionnas nach biodh am boireannach bochd brònach a’ call companach ris an robh i pòsta fad seachdad is trì bliadhna, agus cha b’ iongnadh a bharrachd an cuid teaghlaich a bhith a’ caoidh athair is seanair gràdhach. Ged a bha cliù aig an Diùc a bhith dìreach na bharail, tha fianais an teaghlaich na dhearbhadh gun robh e brosnachail, agus còir na nàdar cuideachd, agus bha sin sònraichte fìor a thaobh na taice a thug e dha chuid oghaichean Uilleam agus Harry nuair a chaill iad am

improvements at the pumping station and it appears the new houses being built are so close to each other that the only planting will be grass and monobloc.

I am waiting to see how many trees are destroyed for the proposed cycle path between Dunbeg and Connel.

Iain Moody, Dunbeg.

While we certainly appreciate the support from Joanne Matheson, Acharacle, on the principle of the community gaining the land from the GFG Alliance (Lochaber Times April 8), it is important criticism is levelled at the màthair ’s iad cho òg. Gu ìre tha a’ mhì-chòrdadh a tha a-nise eadar na fir sin na dhearbhadh eile nach eil an teaghlach seo eadar-dhealaichte, agus bu mhath gun tigeadh còrdadh às a’ bheagan còmhraidh a thachair eatarra nuair a thug an tachartas duilich teaghlaich seo còmhla iad airson a’ chiad turas bho chionn greise.

Ann an seirbheis cuimhneachaidh ghrinn air Blàr Chùil Lodair a dh’fhoillsich Comunn Gàidhlig Inbhir Nis air-loidhne, an co-bhuinn le Urras Nàiseanta na h-Alba, bha Bàrd Urramach a’ Chomuinn Maoileas Caimbeul, agus an Ceann-feadhna an Dotair Màrtainn MacGriogair a’ beachdachadh air mar a dh’fhaodar tachartasan fhaicinn nan ceannslighe neo nam pàirt de chearcall. Shaoil mi gun robh crìoch na h-òraid aig Màrtainn a’ ceangal thachartasan Windsor agus Chùil Lodair ann an dòigh àraid. Cha robh inntinn na bana-bhàird Cairistìona Fhearghasdan ach air an duine a chaill i fhèin aig Cùil Lodair, “…an t-àm air dol thairis is chan fhaic mi fear d’ eugais, is gus an cuir iad mi san talamh cha dealaich do ghaol rium, mo rùn geal òg.”

Bhiodh mìltean a’ coimhead seirbheis tiodhlacaidh Dhiùc Dhùn Èideann le co-fhaireachadh dùrachdach dhan bhanrigh, is iad a’ caoidh neach a chaill iad fhèin, ’s dòcha ri linn Covid.

Many thousands watching the Duke of Edinburgh’s funeral service last Saturday would have shared the Queen’s sorrow as they, too, mourned a loved family member lost to Covid.

correct party. We believed we were close to receiving a sustainable and significant proposal in early 2019 from the then chief executive of Jahama Highland Estates, thanks to pressure from the Scottish Government through the Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Land Reform and her staff, who have been supportive throughout and remain so.

On the other hand we now see little enthusiasm from the GFG Alliance to meet the terms of the undertaking they gave the Scottish Government in 2016 to conclude a transaction with us.

John C Hutchison, chairman, East Lochaber and Laggan Community Trust.