Gold award for golden osprey centre
The famous Loch Garten osprey centre can look back on a fantastic 2009 season after closing its doors on Sunday. Not only were visitor numbers up 12.5% on 2008 to top 40 000, but the osprey centre has again received the Gold award in the Green Tourism Business Scheme (GTBS) for the third consecutive time. Gold was first awarded in 2003, again on re-audit in 2005 and now once more in 2009, which is fitting as this year marks the 50th anniversary of showing people ospreys at Loch Garten.
Visitor numbers were no doubt boosted by the ospreys themselves having a great year, with three healthy chicks fledging from the nest where regular female EJ paired up with new male Odin. All the birds have now left the nest for their 3000 mile migration to West Africa, and two of the chicks can be followed via special satellite tags at
www.rspb.org.uk/ospreytracking. The latest readings from the tag show that eldest chick Rothes has reached the Bordeaux area, while second oldest Mallachie has pushed on further into Spain, near Pamplona.
The Green Tourism Business Scheme, established by VisitScotland in 1998, awards only those tourist attractions that make a sustained commitment to sustainable operation. Businesses opting to join Green Tourism are assessed by a qualified grading advisor against a rigorous set of criteria, covering a range of areas, like energy and water efficiency, waste management, biodiversity and more. Those businesses that meet the required standard, receive a Bronze, Silver, or Gold award based on their level of achievement.
Richard Thaxton, Site Manager at Loch Garten said: ?We are delighted to have retained the gold award, in recognition of the high green credentials we have tried to establish at the site and that we strive to maintain?
"It is a particularly fitting finale to the 2009 season as this is our Golden Anniversary Year of osprey viewing at Loch Garten and at the end of what has been a very successful season with three osprey chicks successfully fledged and away, which can be followed online at
www.rspb.org.uk/ospreytracking?.
?And it has been a great year for visitors too. When the Centre closed for this season on Sunday 6th September, total visitors numbers were up 12.5% on last year at 40,114 only the second time in a decade our visitor numbers have topped 40,000, the last time was 2004."
?Greening is at the heart of the RSPB ethos anyway, but to have this regular outside audit to check that we continue to be as environmentally sound as possible, is very useful, helpful and beneficial?.
