The Ayrshire Red Squirrel Group campaigned long and hard to capture funding to employ a Red Squirrel Conservation Officer.

In September 2006, I was employed for a 2 year period with a remit to -

• Encourage sightings and surveys in order to plot both grey and red squirrel distribution.
• Raise awareness within both school and non educational groups of the plight of the red squirrel both in Ayrshire and as a species.
• Provide woodland management information and advice to land owners and managers on red squirrel conservation matters.
• Provide information and a trap loaning system for the control of grey squirrels.
• Provide squirrelpox testing kits and information on testing grey squirrels.
• Ensure positive representation of the Ayrshire Red Squirrel Group through, for example, publicity materials such as newspaper articles, display material and survey training as well as attending Ayrshire events and open days.
• Encourage volunteer assistance in sightings and surveys, public events and anything else!

Since then I have been involved with a range of projects. These have included -

• Providing survey training to 23 people.
• Speaking to 120 primary school children.
• Loaning 40 grey control traps
• Providing 40 squirrelpox testing kits.
• Surveying 45km of Ayrshire woodland for the presence of grey squirrels in Grey Squirrel Buffer Zone Surveys around Priority Woodlands.
• Giving red squirrel talks to 138 people in the Ayrshire area.
• Updating the website.
• Sending out 8 newspaper articles.
• Updating Ayrshire red and grey squirrel sightings.
• Producing advice notes on grey squirrel control, squirrelpox testing and woodland practices for red squirrel conservation.
• Attending shows and open days with the Ayrshire Red Squirrel Group display.