Welcome to the second weekly stoat snippet!
These snippets will be a short update on progress with both the Orkney Native Wildlife Project and the Orkney Mainland Predator Invasion Biosecurity Project, as well as addressing any concerns that folk have raised with ourselves and SNH.
Quick update
Last week in the ONWP, the partnership conducted interviews for a Project Development Officer who will be starting in October. This role is vital in helping us deliver all the necessary community engagement and consultation we want and need to do over the next 6-9 months.
We’ll be consulting widely to produce an agreed Activity Plan that will ensure Orcadians can be involved in helping Orkney’s native wildlife to thrive. This Plan will then form part of the application we need to submit to HLF to secure the remaining funding for the project.
And we’ll be designing a citizen science programme to help monitor native wildlife populations during and after the project.
The post will also oversee the planned trapping trials. The trials will involve testing a variety of lethal, humane traps with various baits in different habitats in stoat hotspots. This will help guide us about what works best ready for the full eradication.
Orkney Mainland Predator Invasion Biosecurity Project
The Mainland traps have been checked once so far. No stoats have been caught to date but three rats have been trapped. The second check will begin at the end of this week.
Rousay potential incursion response
The traps on Rousay have been checked twice with 15 rats being caught in total. The camera traps have also not revealed any stoat activity so far. Again, the third check will begin at the end of this week.
Answering your concerns…
Remember, if you have any comments or concerns please contact north@snh.gov.uk or orkney@rspb.org.uk.
And don't forget to keep reporting any sightings of stoats, whether on the mainland or outer isles, as soon as possible, to SNH by calling 01856 886163, by emailing north@snh.gov.uk or through the ‘Stoats in Orkney’ Facebook page.