Through funding granted from the Strathard Initiative, River Forth Fisheries Trust was asked to undertake American Skunk Cabbage treatment and engagement with the community in the Strathard area. This project has included practical work, workshops and other engagement activities over Winter and will continue in to Spring to try and bring this problem to light in the community. Skunk cabbage is an invasive non-native species (INNS) that can be found in the riparian zone and in boggy stretches of land close to a waterbody. This species can establish itself along a waterbody and will choke the watercourse and outcompete native species for resources. This can lead to a lack of biodiversity in the area and the continued domination of the skunk cabbage as it spreads.
River Forth Fisheries Trust undertaken the practical work in September through spraying, digging and manual removal techniques of the Skunk Cabbage with the help of volunteers from the community. These volunteer days were very successful in showing the impacts of Invasive Non-Native Species on the environment and the manual removal of the plant was tough work but very rewarding!
Along with the practical work we have engaged with the community through events such as the Aberfoyle Santa Day. This was a fun stall day for the members of the community right before Christmas. It was also a chance for RFFT to spread the word about INNS while providing fun activities for the kids to have a go at. The office fish enjoyed their day out and the kids enjoyed trying to identify all the bugs that were brought along! Workshops with the Aberfoyle brownie group are also planned for spring and we hope that they enjoy the activity.
This project has been very rewarding in seeing the communities’ interpretation of INNS and the Skunk Cabbage in the area. We hope that the project has allowed the members of the public to understand the problem more and how it is dealt with.
Over the next month we will be working with the community to develop a strategy for dealing with INNS in the Strathard area. We will also be engaging with the local brownie troop to provide further engagement with the younger generations of the community.
