Euan Ramage, Volunteer Ranger
By volunteering with the National Park, Euan gained valuable experience that helped open doors to exciting new jobs in conservation.
Read Euan’s Story below.
‘I wrote to the Park after a walk up Beinn Dubhcraig. From the main road, it can look a bit of a boring mound, but what an illusion that it is. The path in some parts was a quagmire. I felt I could do something about it, so I wrote to the Park, not a request for money, but for advice and help with gaining landowner permission. I received a very nice letter from them, introducing me to volunteering with the Park. So I decided to follow it through’.
Euan’s second volunteer day coincided with the launch of the Mountains & The People Project. A big part of this project is improving 125km of upland paths in some of Scotland’s most iconic mountain ranges in our two National Parks. Learning about this project was of particular interest to Euan as path repair is a passion of his.
‘I have done loads of different work as a volunteer with the Park, but I did focus on doing path work as much as possible; I have always loved the earth-moving’.
‘I liked the Forestry Commission days, working on the trails, well organised, loads of work to do, loads of people, really making a difference. My overall favourite though was montane tree planting with Great Trossachs Forest. That’s the great thing about volunteering with the Park; it opens doors to get involved in some great work’.
Moving a large rock
Through volunteering with the National Park Euan has a new-found appreciation of this special place, and the efforts of those who work to protect and enhance it for future generations.
‘Volunteering with the Park has been such an education. I didn`t know the Park, yet I`m a Scot, rarely across the border. I didn`t appreciate the beautiful asset that we have, or all the hard work that goes in, and I was ignorant about the vision going forward. That learning has been very valuable for me’.
Euan stopped volunteering a little while ago as the valuable experience he gained at the Park and his passion for conservation has led him to secure employment in mountain path building.
Here are Euan’s three reasons for volunteering:
- Being involved in practical conservation that really makes a positive difference to the environment.
- Job satisfaction – it’s incredibly rewarding!
- Getting to experience and discover what a beautiful country we live in.