Time to put the kettle on, put your feet up and have a read about what our project has been up to!
Catch up on our recent blog posts or read the past editions of our newsletter.
Our blog
If you want to go directly to a specific article, here's a list of our blog posts:
- How to make landscape scale invasive species control a reality? Collaboration is key!, SISI (May 2024)
- Scottish wildlife needs saving – could you be the next ‘super-volunteer’?, By Albert Bonet Bigata, PhD student, University of Aberdeen (April 2024)
- Putting ‘Pressure’ on Invasive Plants: A New Approach to Giant Hogweed and Japanese Knotweed Control, by Elise Cox and Karen Muller, SISI Project Officers (February 2024)
- Our Beauly Balsam Bashing Volunteer Day, by Liz Colmer, NatureScot (January 2024)
- Prospects for a mink-free GB, by Tony Martin, Chair of the Waterlife Recovery Trust (December 2023)
- Tackling Invasive Species on the Almond: A Collaborative and Community-based Approach, by Hannah Wilson, Climate Change Land Restoration Officer, Perth and Kinross Council (October 2023)
- The big question: how many mink is too many mink?, by Albert Bonet Bigata, PhD Student, University of Aberdeen (August 2023)
- What can Australia learn from Scotland in managing invasive non-native species?, by Michael Reid, Director of Biosecurity Strategy, Agriculture Victoria, Australia (April 2023)
- My Experience as a Seasonal Project Officer with the Scottish Invasive Species Initiative, by Owen Barron, Seasonal PO, SISI Project (Oct 2022)
- My placement with the Scottish Invasive Species Initiative, by Peter Stewart, PhD Student, Durham University (June 2022)
- Alien Detectives in Wester Ross, by Lorna Brown, Education Officer, Skye and Lochalsh Rivers Trust (Nov 2021)
- Zapping invasive plants, by Holly Moser, Exmoor Non-Native Invasive Species Project Officer (Sept 2021)
- Flying, Flinging and Floating - Seed dispersal by Giant hogweed and Himalayan balsam, by Vicky Hilton, SISI Vol & Comms Officer (Sept 2021)
- Top tips for getting started with Tracks, Trails and Signs, by James Symonds, SISI Project Officer (July 2021)
- Coronavirus, community conservation and the green recovery, by Callum Sinclair, SISI Project Manager (May 2021)
- Stopping mink in their tracks - tips and tricks of the trade, by Karen Muller, SISI Project Officer (May 2021)
- A day in the life of a SISI Project Officer, by James Symonds, SISI Project Officer (Nov 2020)
- Adventures with Bonnie - training a mink detection dog, by Mirella Toth, SISI Project Officer (Oct 2020)
- Trail cameras - our secret agents in the field, by Jack Farge, SISI Project Officer (Sept 2020)
- Restoring Ratty - Bringing the water vole back to Kielder, by Graham Holyoak, Restoring Ratty Project Officer, Northumberland Wildlife Trust (Jul 2020)
- The ins and sprouts of Giant hogweed control, by Karen Muller, SISI Project Officer (June 2020)
- Assessing the impact of the Tay Reedbeds blaze, by Mark Purrmann-Charles, SISI Project Officer (May 2020)
- Buttery business, by James Symonds, SISI Project Officer (Mar 2020)
- An update on our Mink Control Project, SISI (March 2020)
- Deploying a natural enemy for one of the UK's most invasive weeds, by Wayne Coles, CABI (Jan 2020)
- The puzzle of polecats in Scotland, by Lizzie Croose, Vincent Wildlife Trust (Dec 2019)
- The Good, the Bad and the Balsam, by Karen Muller, SISI Project Officer (Sept 2019)
- A word from a visiting volunteer, by Viola Kleinicke, SISI Volunteer (Aug 2019)
- Hogweed munching sheep at work, by Al Reeve, SISI Project Officer (June 2019)
- Filling my wellies with water, by Cally Day, SISI Volunteer (June 2019)
- Back to basics; grey squirrels in Scotland, by Gill Hatcher, Saving Scotland's Red Squirrel Project (May 2019)
- Invasive Species Week, SISI (May 2019)
- Here we are..., SISI (April 2019)
Our newsletter
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Past newsletters:
- Summer Newsletter 2024 - highlights from the summer season, a record breaking mink year, news from Moray and the Highlands plant control project
- Spring Newsletter 2024 - giant hogweed, news from our rivers, smart mink traps, welcome to seasonal Project Officers, super volunteer opportunities
- Holiday Newsletter 2023 - highlights from the year, SISI team attends Nature of Scotland awards, mink cam encounters, PhD opportunity
- Autumn 2023 - plant control season, Helping it Happen award win, SISI Project Conference, mink project update
- Summer 2023 - Project Conference, an update on invasive plant control, mink project update, SISI on STV news, CIEEM awards
- Mink Tracks, Spring 2023 - An update on our mink control project from the past two years (2021 & 2022) (pdf)
- Project Extension Special March 2023 - Project extension, Nature Restoration Fund grant, plans for SISI Phase 2
- Holiday News 2022 - New Year plans, holiday news, Solutions to the Nature-Climate Crisis Event, giant hogweed seedling trial results
- Autumn 2022 - knotweed control season, case studies, final releases from primary school film project, BBC Out of Doors interview
- Summer 2022 - Invasive plant control update, school film project, Minister Lorna Slater visits project, mink control update
- Winter 2021 - Nature of Scotland Award win, webinars, mink control update
- Autumn 2021 - Japanese knotweed, schools film project, balsam bashing
- Mink Tracks, Spring 2021 - An update on our mink control project last year (2020) and project progress to date (pdf)
- Springing into action, Spring 2021 - Spring invasives, new seasonal staff, reporting an invasive, 2020 in numbers
- Winter 2020 - Reflections on 2020 - the year we stayed at home
- Education Special, Autumn 2020 - Education resources, Alien Detectives
- Summer 2020 - Welcoming back volunteers, Alien Detectives
- Mink Tracks, Spring 2020 - An update on our mink control project (pdf)
- Winter 2019/20 - Looking back on 2019, Out of the office and into nature, Spotlight on Butterbur
- Autumn 2019 - High tech trap monitoring, Species spotlight on Japanese knotweed
- Summer 2019 - Mink Dispersal, Species Spotlight on Himalayan balsam
- Spring 2019 - Invasive species Week, Looking back on 2018, Focus on American mink
- Invasive Species Week Special - Events & Activities
- Winter 2018 - Project introduction