Environment

Mystery surrounds a gold ring found in a kindling bag at Dunnet Community Forest (DCF) and how it got there.

More than £5000 has been raised towards a new bridge on the John O’Groats Trail after a mystery donor pledged to match funds donated by the public.

NorthLink Ferries has become the first ferry operator to achieve Gold standard in an environmental awards programme.

Wind turbine blades longer than the Wembley Stadium pitch have begun to be put in place as part of an offshore wind farm off the Caithness coast.

Two Highland scenic locations were listed among the most Instagrammable tourist destination in the country according to a new survey.

Scottish Water has plans to improve its infrastructure and install an additional 1000 monitors at discharge locations.

Local volunteers have made a great difference to Wick’s riverside after scraping back and relaying paths for walkers in the scenic area.

Holyrood Notebook by Ariane Burgess

The archaeological dig at Sarclet for the remains of a 15th-century stronghold called Thurster Tower has started up again this year.

A mystery donor is helping to build bridges in the north of Scotland after pledging thousands of pounds to a Caithness trail group.

Highland Council has been working to improve biodiversity in Caithness by embarking on ambitious tree-planting projects in Wick and Thurso.

The John Muir Trust has welcomed an announcement that the Scottish Government will hold a public consultation on a carbon land tax.

People are being encouraged to take an hour this month now the weather is turning warmer, to build a ‘bee hotel’ for Scotland’s solitary bees.

Police have closed their investigation of a possible human bone found on Dunnet beach after it was established to be around 1500 years old.

The council’s controversial new non-recyclable waste bins are wending their way to Caithness with a roll-out now happening in Ross and Cromarty.

Trees for Life says it is ‘hugely worrying and a move in the wrong direction’ while Oxfam Scotland call it ‘an acute global embarrassment’.

Chairman Drew Millar says he wants the information so ‘we have a clear conscience when making a decision about the Highland community we represent.’

Exploring the remote lochs and lochans of Caithness is not the same challenge that it once was, but there are few who have visited them all

Sewage was dumped in the Highland area almost 1500 times last year – a figure described as "disgusting" by far north MP Jamie Stone.

The Staxigoe community rallied round for a clean-up of the village and shoreline at the weekend, collecting two dozen bags of rubbish.