Thursday 8th July 2010 Firefighters tackle huge moorland blaze
Several square miles of woodland, gorse and moorland outside Inverness
are blazing fiercely, fanned by high winds, as fire crews struggle to
contain it. Three fire tenders and an all-terrain vehicle have
attended the scene overnight. The fire, on land near Milton of Leys
and Daviot, close to the A9 and about 5 miles south of the city. The
firefront has stretched out over 1.2 miles, the cause of the fire is
not yet known. The gorse-covered moorland has been described as tinder
dry after high winds and relatively low rainfall have parched the
area. A Highlands and Islands Fire and Rescue Service spokesman said:
"The fire which quickly spread eastwards due to high winds and dry
conditions is now burning South of the Milton of Leys area of
Inverness, where residents are being advised to close their doors and
windows to avoid drifting smoke.” Highlands

Tuesday 15th June 2010 New Cairngorms National Park community approved
The Cairngorms National Park Authority (CNPA) has granted permission
to build a new development in the Highlands. The authority has given
the go-ahead for the proposed new community close to Coylumbridge on
the outskirts of Aviemore. Officials at the park had previously
recommended that the CNPA's planning committee approved the project in
principle. The Rothiemurchus Estate's project will provide 1,500 homes
along with business and community facilities, to be built in phases at
An Camas Mor. The CNPA said it would be one of the "biggest
developments in a generation". Highlands

Friday 7th May 2010 Rider Sunter urges more women to try Six Days Trial
Katy Sunter is one of six women competing at the Scottish Six Days
Trial. The 25 year-old from North Yorkshire hopes to encourage more
women to compete in the Scottish Six Days Trial (SSDT). The event
takes place at Scotland’s Nevis Range near Fort William in Lochaber.

Sunter is one 270 competitors at the FIM Trial World Championships
event, said: "For me it is by far the best trial in the world bar
none. It's far harder than any other event in the year, it is like
doing a national trial each day for a week so it really takes it out
of you. There are no other events like it so it is difficult to
prepare, all you can do is spend as much time on your bike in the
months leading up to May." Highlands

Friday 26th March 2010 Steam railway in £5m appeal
The Strathspey Railway Company wants to lay the remaining track needed
to link two towns in the Highlands. In order to do this the company
has officially launched an appeal to raise £5m needed for the three
miles of track to be laid to connect Aviemore with Grantown-on-Spey.
The railway company hopes to complete the project by 2014.

The money would also pay for a bridge, generously donated by Network
Rail, to be put in place across the River Dulnain. Services are
already operated on almost 10 miles of line from Aviemore to Broomhill
by enthusiasts. Highlands

Monday 8th March 2010 Hands off music protest in Highlands
A suggestion to cut music tuition in Highland schools has prompted an
Internet petition in opposition. The Hands of Highland Young Musicians
campaign was started on the iPetitions website after the Highland
Council said it was trying to identify £36m of budget cuts. More than
180 people had signed up prior to the weekend.

The council insists no decisions have been made and that the public
will be consulted on the cuts. But a list drawn up by council chiefs
suggesting areas where savings could be made included a proposal to
end music tuition Highlands

Tuesday 2nd March 2010 Call for deer cull as herds starve
The Scottish Wildlife Trust is calling for an annual cull of deer in
Scotland to continue to protect them from starvation. The charity
wants to end what it calls the “inhumane suffering” of the animals due
to large populations and a lack of feed during winter. The Scottish
Wildlife Trust (SWT) is a registered charity dedicated to conserving
the wildlife and natural environment, it is based in Edinburgh.

Simon Milne, SWT's chief executive, said: "We are a wildlife
protection charity calling for more deer to be culled. I understand
that this might surprise some people, but our reasoning is sound. Red
deer numbers have been steadily increasing in recent decades to the
point where, in some areas, they are causing damage to the natural
environment. Red deer are really a woodland species and the now
treeless environment of many parts of Scotland simply does not satisfy
their basic need for shelter, particularly in bad weather. Too many
deer and not enough food is resulting in starvation." Highlands

Friday 22nd January 2010 Cold snap means snow for husky race
The Siberian Husky Club of Great Britain have not been among those
cursing the recent cold snap that’s gripped Britain. For the first
time since the mid 1990s the annual dog sled rally will be held on a
snow covered course. Heavy snow in the Cairngorms during the recent
prolonged spell of bad weather means ideal conditions for the race.
More than 200 competitors with 1,000 dogs will be taking part in the
race this weekend.
Husky club spokeswoman Judy Wakker said: "A lot of people take their
dogs to France and Germany to run on the snow so to be able to do it
in Scotland is just perfect. The dogs are going to absolutely love
it." Highlands

Tuesday 19th January 2010 CairnGorm snow resort reopens after being closed by snow
The CairnGorm Mountain ski resort, closed last week by heavy snow, has
reopened as Britain thaws after the big freeze. Access roads were
blocked by 15 foot snowdrifts, forcing the closure of the popular
British resort. The lower runs have been reopened already and it is
hoped the upper slopes will be accessible by the end of the week.

Colin Kirkwood from the centre expressed his frustration at the forced
closure closure:

"We have reopened today after a long dig. We have been closed for a
whole week because of the weather, which is just ironic. We have had
perfect snow on the hills, but the wind was too much. We have shifted
tonnes of snow over the last week, and skiers and snowboarders can
reach the lower runs. We are still working on the higher ground,
having to dig out the Ptarmigan and surrounding areas." Highlands

Thursday 7th January 2010 Mountaineers and walkers object to wolf plan
The Alladale Estate, at Ardgay in Sutherland, has plans to establish a
reserve where wolves, elk and wildcat can flourish. The estate has
submitted an application to the Highland Council for a licence to
operate a zoo. However, the application has drawn fire from the
Mountaineering Council of Scotland (MCofS), who say they intend to
oppose the move.

MCofS Cheif Officer David Gibson plans to consult his members’
opinions on the move before lodging an objection with the council. The
Alladale Estate has already helped to reintroduce wild animals into
controlled areas of Scotland, including beavers and elk. Highlands

Monday 7th December 2009 Climbers in Scotland given safety warning
The Scottish government has warned walkers and climbers in Scotland to
take proper precautions when heading out into the hills. Public Health
and Sport Minister Shona Robinson will deliver the message when she
visits Glenmore Lodge near Aviemore, the home of the SportScotland
Avalanche Information Service.

The warning is part of a drive to cut down the 20 deaths in the
mountains last year, 10 of them in Winter. Reports and forecasts from
the avalanche information service will begin on December 17 for the
North Cairngorms, South Cairngorms, Lochaber, Creag Meagaidh and
Glencoe regions. Highlands