I’m getting feedback from many people about how disappointed they are with the NT position on grouse shooting on their land – the land whose purchase and management we, as NT members, have funded. One guy told me of a conversation he had with a NT staff member where he was told that ‘the upland…
Tag: National Trust
Update on National Trust pro-grouse-shooting controversy
National Trust staff are responding badly to enquiries from their membership about why on earth they are seeking to recruit a new shooting tenant to 4000+ha of their upland landholding in the Peak District. Having ousted their current tenant because of what could be called irreconcilable differences, probably over the future of birds of prey…
Update on National Trust position on grouse shooting in High Peak
The news that the National Trust has completely blanked the petition by local people, including a good number of National Trust members, and is seeking to let a large area of its High Peak moorland to shooting interests has not gone down well. This version of the NT advert appeared on the Moorland Vision blog…
NEWS: National Trust opts for shooting in Peak District
The National Trust today advertises for a shooting tenant for its land in the Dark Peak from which its current tenant, Mark Osborne, will soon be exiting. This represents about 40% of the NT landholding in the High Peak and so is a substantial decision over the direction of land management on NT land….
Guest blog – The National Trust and Nature by Simon Pryor
Simon Pryor is the National Trust’ Natural Environment Director and is responding to my blog (and your comments) last week. Hi Mark I’m glad you wrote a blog on the announcement of out ‘ambitions for nature’; and as we’d all expect, you asked some probing and provocative questions! So thanks…
National Trust turns Natural Trust?
The National Trust has a poor reputation amongst wildlife conservation organisations. This stems from a couple of things. First, the National Trust could do so much more to help nature, given its massive membership, large landholding and rich resources. This has been the case for many years. Second, despite the low priority that the NT…
The National Trust’s former shooting tenant, Mark Osborne
Mark Osborne, the exiting shooting tenant of the National Trust in the Peak District, is a very well-known name in shooting circles. He is not a nobody, he is someone for whom ‘failure is not an option’ according to Lord James Percy in Fieldsports magazine. Mr Osborne is prone to tell people that he is…
Domino effect?
The week started badly with a flaccid statement from the ‘campaigning’ RSPB but ended well with firm action from the staid NT. Readers of this blog may well be up to date with many aspects of the NT’s decision to terminate a shooting let through the excellent Raptor Persecution UK blog or through Martin Harper’s…
Tick! Tock! National Trust
I am sure, absolutely sure, completely and utterly sure, that the NT has not been sitting on its hands for nearly a month since the ‘man taking his model Hen Harrier for a walk’ incident. However, we have heard nothing publicly from them about their ‘investigation’ of the matter which clearly followed a police investigation…
‘More birds of prey illegally killed in the Peak District National Park’
The headline says it all: ‘Reward offered as more birds of prey are illegally killed in the Peak District National Park’. Amongst many press releases issued yesterday by Derbyshire Police, between a couple dealing with illegal off-roading in the Dales and romance fraud, Derbyshire Police and RSPB offered £1000 for information on yet more birds…