Tarras Valley Nature Reserve

"In a 100 years, I hope..." celebrates 100 years of Community Land Scotland by looking ahead to the future of the Tarras Valley Nature Reserve. Through the voices of our supporters, we imagine a century of transformation—where native forests thrive, wildlife flourishes, and the community’s connection to this precious land deepens. This video is a tribute to the power of collective action and the enduring legacy of community stewardship. Join us in celebrating the past and dreaming of what the next 100 years could bring. What do you hope to see for the Tarras Valley? Share your vision below!

2024 was a landmark year for restoration and recognition: - Our biggest restoration project yet began after the felling at Lower Tarras, creating wetlands and new access routes. - Sitka spruce clearance started on Whita Hill. - Tarras Valley was featured on BBC Countryfile and PBS America, sharing our story with the world! Thank you for being part of this journey.

2024: Celebrating Community, Heritage, and Progress! The Tarras Valley Tapestry, created by Creation Mill CIC, Langholm , joined the traveling gallery this summer celebrating 100 years of Scottish community land—what an honor! You can watch our video here: https://lnkd.in/d4j6wHP2 Progress at Cronksbank Cottage continues, bringing us one step closer to being a local home. You can read more here: https://lnkd.in/eq88Q_u7 Langholm’s Common Riding festivities brought joy, tradition, and community spirit to Tarras Valley once again this year. You can watch our video here: https://lnkd.in/dVJi6d6u Here’s to celebrating our heritage and building a brighter future together!

In 2024, 350 local children enjoyed outdoor classroom sessions, learning and exploring in nature’s playground with us! 🌳📚 A huge thank you to our amazing volunteers, who make our work possible. From planting trees and removing pheasant fencing to eradicating sitka spruce, your dedication transforms Tarras Valley into a thriving haven. 💪✨ Here’s to teamwork and a greener future! 🌱

2024 has been another incredible year for Tarras Valley’s hen harriers! 🦅 Eight chicks successfully fledged this year, including Ceilidh, Red, and Gilda, who we’ve been thrilled to follow as they explore new territories across the UK. 🌍 As well, three barn owl chicks also fledged at Cronksbank. You can watch our barn owls nest videos here: https://shorturl.at/MsKD1 🦉💚 Here’s to protecting Scotland’s spectacular wildlife and celebrating every milestone along the way! #TarrasValley #Wildlife #HenHarrier #BarnOwls

This year has been full of incredible moments that brought our community together and celebrated the best of Tarras Valley. 🏡✨ 🐑 Cooms Farm came top at the Holm Agricultural Show! We’re so proud of our shepherd, William Nixon, whose entry took the top spot—what an achievement! 🎉 🌌 Our second dark skies event with local astrophysicist Hayden Goodfellow was breathtaking, leaving everyone in awe of the wonders above us. 🎻 We gathered at The Langholm Social Club for a lively ceilidh as part of the Community Land Festival 2024—an evening filled with music, laughter, and connection. 🧘♀️ And who could forget our Reconnect with Yourself and Nature woodland yoga session? Led by the amazing Catriona Orr, it was a peaceful and rejuvenating escape into the heart of Longwood. Thank you to everyone who made these moments so special! Here’s to building an even brighter future together. 🌿💚

🚧 Our biggest restoration works to date are now underway at Lower Tarras! 🌿 The team from local contracting firm Simon Richardson (@mditch84) is on site creating a series of new wetland ponds 🦆💧 and access tracks 🚶♂️🛤️ following the felling which finished earlier this year. ⚠️ Please take care when using the site and stick to existing tracks while these works are ongoing. 🙏 Groundworks are anticipated to take a few weeks ⏳, and we’ll keep you posted on progress! 📣

Swipe to see Rhododendrons going going gone! ➡️➡️➡️ A big transformation at Hallpath woodlands with the help of local contractor Borders Forestry to remove some large rhododendron bushes. Rhododendron ponticum is an invasive species which grows quickly, spreads rapidly and outcompetes native vegetation. Now these bushes have been cleared there is the space and light for native vegetation to regrow. 🌱🌱

You might have noticed some devices along the River Tarras recently and wondered what they are!   We are working with Galloway Fisheries Trust who are undertaking water temperature monitoring on the River Tarras and have installed 2 devices near Rashiel and Tarras Bridge. These loggers are part of a wider network of 20 devices throughout the River Annan and the Border Esk catchment to gather valuable data on river water temperature and quality.   There is an absence of a joined-up dataset for our local river catchments, so this is really important to help build up a better picture of how things are to inform future restoration opportunities and climate adaptation.   We are really interested to see what the temperatures look like for the River Tarras, especially to support any future river restoration which could help dramatically declining species like Atlantic Salmon and Trout which are the lifeblood of these precious ecosystems. This includes interventions like planting trees along watercourses for shade to reduce water temperatures and blocking upland hill drains to reduce run off of peat from the ground which affects water quality.

It’s been a beautiful week for fiery sunrises, dramatic sunsets and stunning cloud inversions in Langholm. Some brilliant photos captured by local photographer Stan Wilson.