‘Ant Boy’ sees New Horizons ahead with national award win
‘Ant Boy’ sees New Horizons ahead with national award win
Cairngorms Nature Ambassador and Young Nature Champion, Xander Johnston, now has a hat trick of titles to his name as he was announced UK National Parks’ New Horizons award winner at the annual UK National Parks Conference ‘Platinum Awards’, taking place in the Yorkshire Dales National Park.
The New Horizons award is a new category for 2019, created to recognise a young person, under 30 years of age who has made a significant contribution to a National Park.
Xander ‘Ant Boy’ Johnston first came to the attention of the Cairngorms National Park Authority when he attended a ‘Nest Quest’ to look for Wood Ants as part of the Cairngorms Nature BIG Weekend. This sparked a love of ants and he entered a video about them into the Young Presenter competition, where he was a runner up in 2017. He is also a regular volunteer with the Cairngorms Rare Invertebrates Project.
The judges said; “Xander has tirelessly championed the area’s biodiversity, helping to increase the knowledge of rare invertebrates in his local area by finding new sites and raising awareness through his You Tube videos. He is an outstanding young person, whose passion for nature – and considerable knowledge – shines through in every conversation”.
Xander said, “I can’t believe that I have won the ‘New Horizons’ award, it’s such an honour to be recognised for all my hard work. What’s more important is the fact that the work I do to protect the little guys (the insects) is also being noticed. They need all of us to help protect them and their environment from further damage. Hopefully with me receiving this award, others will start to get involved and help make a difference.”
The photograph shows Xander receiving his award from Carl Lis, Chairman of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority.
You can see Xander’s videos here.
Alert
Latest from the National Park
Glenmore and Strath Nethy wildfire update - 26 July at 8pm
Grant Moir, Chief Executive of the Park Authority, shares an update from the scene of the wildfire in Nethy Bridge.
Glenmore and Strath Nethy wildfire update - 25 July at 11am
A brief update on the Glenmore and Strath Nethy wildfire
Glenmore and Strath Nethy wildfire update - 24 July at 8.30pm
A major incident has been declared as residents of Nethy Bridge are evacuated.
Relevant alerts
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There is an ongoing wildfire situation at Glenmore within the Cairngorms National Park. Click here for all the latest. We would encourage members of the public to follow current guidance and be aware that the situation may change.
Due to the this wildfire incident, the following paths and routes are closed:
- All the paths around Loch Morlich, Glenmore and Badaguish are closed.
- The Ryvoan pass is closed, this includes all access to the Green Lochan (Lochan Uaine).
- Routes providing access to Cairngorm Mountain, the Northern Corries, Meall A’Bhuachaille, Strath Nethy and Bynack more should be avoided.
- The Abernethy Forest area to the south of Forest Lodge and towards Ryvoan bothy is closed.
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Very high fire risk - 15 to 24 July
The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service has issued a very high wildfire warning impacting areas of the National Park on Wednesday 15 until Friday 24 July. If you are out and about in the Cairngorms National Park please observe the following guidance:
- Do not light any fire or barbecue, in line with the new fire byelaw
- Always ensure cigarettes are fully extinguished and take your litter (including glass) away with you
- Enjoy the outdoors responsibly - most wildfires are caused by human activity
- Stay alert - with dry vegetation and warm weather, fires can start easily, spread rapidly, and burn intensely
- If you see a wildfire, dial 999
For further updates on wildfire risk across Scotland, visit the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service website. To find out more about the fire byelaw, and to see your questions answered, visit our fire byelaw page here.