Environment

The planning proposal for a sculpted tree in Thurso to help grieving parents come to terms with the loss of a baby has got the go ahead.

Magi Sinclair from Lybster wins Scottish Landscape Award for Environmental Art and Lindsey Gallacher from Thurso is shortlisted at prestigious show.

Scottish Government U-turn on controversial plans to expand Scottish Highly Protected Marine Areas.

Caithness businesses are being invited to apply for a grant to help them alleviate their carbon footprint by reducing energy consumption.

Whittles Publishing based in Dunbeath has just released a new book described as an opening of 'heart and mind' to the wonders of the Highlands.

200 million single-use paper cups are used in Scotland each year, of which only 4 per cent are recycled - but a Highland scheme aims to change that.

She says: 'The move could incentivise landowners to restore their degraded peatlands and create more woodland.'

Two new radioactive particles have been found at Sandside beach near Dounreay.

New riverside woodlands in Caithness and Sutherland are leading the way in new forestry practices that protect watercourses and enhance biodiversity.

Regional flood alerts were issued by SEPA across three areas in the Highlands, with four local flood warnings also in place.

A couple in Shebster had their home flooded during Storm Babet on Saturday but lay the blame on Highland Council for its failure to clear drains.

Caithness arts organisation Lyth Arts Centre has announced a screening of a new film by local poet George Gunn called Words on the Wind.

The Highlands has an opportunity to become “Scotland’s true gateway to nature” as an appeal has gone out to nominate Scotland's next national park.

A community initiative in Wick was busy making a difference to one of Wick's most historical highlights – the Academy Braes.

Holyrood Notebook by Ariane Burgess

A new scheme aiming to tackle the use of single-use cups in the Highlands has reached a milestone after launching in April.

Urgent action is being called for in a Thurso street that it is feared could be on the verge of collapse.

Ben MacGregor has been writing the popular outdoors column in the Caithness Courier since the 1980s. He spoke to John Davidson during a kayaking trip

Caithness may have come off lightly compared to other areas of the Highlands but some significant damage was caused by Storm Babet.

A beekeeping talk was a highlight of Wick and District Gardening Club's annual general meeting in the Nethercliffe Hotel.