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Friends News
Friends Lead the Way
Our weekly health walks featured in the April issue of the newsletter 
published by the Scottish Countryside Ranger Association. The Monday health walks, which are led by the Friends of Plean country Park, have started their third season. The first walk took place on the 5th March this year. During December, January and February many of the paths are very muddy and can be a bit dangerous so we give ourselves and the paths a rest.We had a gorgeous day for our first meeting of the year and a great turnout with seventeen walkers returning from last year and two new walkers joining the group.
Woodland Clearance
With the new paths to the fireponds completed, members of the Friends Group with help from other volunteers, spent the day clearing Rhododendron ponticum from surrounding woodland. With some of the group cutting the bushes to the ground, others dragging them uphill to where another group then chopped and prepared the plants for burning.
If however you look at the picture to the left you can see a pile of prepared wood building up in the background while three volunteers ponder the best way to get the fire going or rather keep it going which was the biggest problem of the day.
Orchard Planting
We have been working on a joint project to reinstate orchards within the park with planting taking place during February and March. There are now three new areas of planting providing an opportunity for everyone to access an area of orchard.
Park Steering Group
Representatives of the Friends have continued to work alongside Jennifer Davidson our Countryside Ranger and Stirling Council Land Services Dept. to bring about a number of enhancements to the park. Details of the enhancements can be found in Ranger Newsletter Winter 2011.
It is a partnership which appears to work well as we all wish to do what we can to improve the park for the benefit of park users and wildlife alike. Since the formation of the Steering group brought about by the Masterplan process we have been able to achieve a considerable amount in a relatively short period of time. Long may it continue.
Rhodo Go-Go - Friends Volunteers at Work
The Friends of Plean Country Park have been buying new tools and had a good chance to use some of them on CSV Make a Difference Day on 29th October 2011when we held Rhodo-Go-Go.