18 months ago we were joined by Michael, as a trainee Ranger on a scheme called ‘New to Nature’. This programme offers new, full-time placements in nature and landscape organisations across the UK, aiming to increase diversity and enrich the environmental sector by targeting young people from diverse backgrounds who might not normally have access to a career in the environmental sector.
The Trust decided that after the initial 12 months of being with us it made sense to extend the role for 6 months during our busier period to give us additional staff capacity and allow Michael time to build on what they had learnt. Michael has thrived at the Trust, gaining experience of a wide variety of conservation tasks and leading visits with all kinds of groups. They spearheaded a fungi survey of The Dells, became a leader of cub and brownie groups and used their artistic talent to help design the Coalie Park Mural. But Ill let them say cheerio in their own way…..
“Believe it or not, the Water of Leith has put up with my antics for over a year and a half now, and all in all it’s certainly been a wonderful journey. My time as a permanent member of staff is concluding at the end of October – But alas they’ll not be rid of me just yet, as I’ll still be around as a volunteer.
Over my time here, I must have driven all the staff mad with my positivity, but every week here brought so much to be joyful about. From serving tea and natters at the Visitor Centre to trolley hauling clean ups in the river itself. Seeing otters, kingfishers and bathing hawks and meeting and working with a diverse, fun and uplifting volunteer base has certainly given me plenty to smile about.
One thing I’m certainly smiling about is how well the fungi surveys have done over my time. From a wandering idea it’s grown to be a regular survey that’s now just over a year old that’s set now to explore beyond the Dells woods to being along the Water of Leith walkway as we pilot for new and exciting Fungi sites. So who knows what we may soon discover on our doorstep.
What we have discovered over our surveys is a rainbow of fungi, from the green and orange Parrot waxcap in Bogs Meadow, Peachy Deceivers beneath the ruffles of leaves in Craiglockhart Dells to blackening gloopy Ink caps along the logs spread across Redhall orchard. From one of Europe’s smallest Fungi – The Holly Leaf parachute to Dyads saddles reaching out as brackets the size of dinner plates we’ve had our fair range of shapes and sizes to match too.
As of the end of September we’ve found a whopping 115 species of fungi which includes a handful of the weird and wonderful slime moulds, a fungi-like organism with some species that can actually move! A favorite of these was the Wolfs Milk Slime mould. Firstly, emerging as pink blobs, these turn brown blending into their surroundings – Until you poke it where then it erupts a vibrant pink goo, much to everyone’s delight.
Of course, much of our work at the Water of Leith and much of what we’ve achieved with our fungi surveys would have been impossible without the efforts of our incredible volunteers. Rather amazingly our dedicated troop of volunteers have dedicated over this year over 160hrs to fungi! A journey where originally myself included we all were novices in terms of knowing the who’s who in fungi and now as it enters its next chapter we hope to share and continue our fungi shenanigans on the Water of Leith.
Although I may be going on to new pastures as mentioned before I’ve certainly got the Water of Leith Bug! Spending time on the river and with the volunteers and staff has honestly been some of the most joyous, funny, fascinating and incredibly satisfying seeing the differences myself and others have made here… And let’s be honest with good biscuits rewarding our efforts on tasks and surveys it would be rude to disappear suddenly from volunteering around the riverside for a fair while more.”
