Pin badge marks RSPB Scotland 25th anniversary at Forsinard Flows
Register for free to read more of the latest local news. It's easy and will only take a moment.
A PIN badge depicting a nationally scarce peatland plant has been released to mark the 25th year of RSPB Scotland’s involvement in the Flow Country.
All the money raised from donations for the anniversary badge – which shows the dwarf birch (Betula nana) – will go into a fund specifically created to help schools.
The fund will cover their travel costs to the reserve, enabling them to take part in educational activities and events. Many schoolchildren have already benefited from the expertise of RSPB Forsinard’s staff over the years.
The badge will be available from several outlets in and around the Flow Country during 2020: The Store (Bettyhill), Clynelish Distillery (Brora), Woodside Garden Centre (Castletown), Crask Inn, RSPB Forsinard, Forse of Nature (Latheron), Eye Candy (Thurso) and Weavers café and gift shop (Tongue).
The Flow Country is an especially important habitat for dwarf birch, which grows exclusively on blanket bog in Scotland. It thrives in a wet, acidic environment and can be found alongside plants characteristic of this landscape such as heather, hare’s-tale cottongrass, sphagnum, blueberry and feather moss.
The dwarf birch is an attractive small shrub, which can grow up to one metre high – although, as it is grazed by deer and sheep, it rarely reaches more than 30cm in Scotland. Its leaves are round in shape, dark green on the top and quite glossy. They grow to a maximum width of 2cm.
Over the past quarter of a century the charity has carried out extensive restoration work in the internationally recognised landscape, helping to preserve the peatland and its wildlife for future generations.
Forsinard Flows is the RSPB’s largest reserve in the UK and is situated amid the biggest blanket bog in the world – an "irreplaceable carbon store", the charity says. RSPB Scotland says it hopes that by continuing to support educational activities, and assisting with transport costs, future generations will be inspired to protect this vitally important landscape and the rare species that call it home.
