John Muir Trust
Encyclopedia
The John Muir Trust is a Scottish charity established as a membership organisation in 1983 to conserve wild land and wild places for the benefit of all. The Trust has over 10,000 members internationally.
The organisation was inspired by the work, spirit and legacy of Scots-born conservationist John Muir
- a key figure in the modern conservation movement, particularly in the USA where he worked to save Yosemite National Park
and other areas of wilderness. Building on Muir's reputation there, the Trust has links with the Sierra Club
, which John Muir founded in California
in 1892. It was founded by Denis Mollison, Nicholas Luard
, Nigel Hawkins and Chris Brasher.
The John Muir Trust owns some of the finest wild land in the highlands and islands
of Scotland: land on Skye
, the Knoydart peninsula and Sandwood, as well as Ben Nevis
, the highest mountain in the British Isles, and part of Schiehallion
. As well as protecting stunning landscapes, the Trust works to restore natural habitats and encourage native species. It works with local people and communities who live on and around wild land, and who contribute to the landscape in a variety of ways. The Trust seeks to increase awareness and understanding of the value of wild places and wild land through its educational initiative, the John Muir Award.
. As owner of the Ben Nevis Estate, it plays a key role in the Nevis Partnership, which covers care of the Ben and the wider Nevis area including Glen Nevis
and the Allt a' Mhuilinn leading to the North Face. In Perthshire
, the Trust is restoring Schiehallion
by re-aligning the footpath and removing the ugly erosion scar of the old path. The vision of the Trust is to bring back beautiful ancient woodland
and native woodlands - with all their birds, animals, flowers and other vegetation, insects, mosses and fungi.
The Trust helped establish the Knoydart Foundation, which purchased the 17000 acres (68.8 km²) Knoydart Estate in 1999. This was an historic moment for Knoydart and one that the Trust had spent 16 years trying to bring about. The purchase brought the "rough bounds
" into community and conservation ownership. The Trust is the only external representative on the North Harris Trust, which aims to manage, develop and conserve the North Harris Estate (Outer Hebrides
) in a sustainable manner for the benefit of the community and the enjoyment of the wider public. In 2005, the Trust purchased the Quinag
Estate in Sutherland
and joined the Assynt
Foundation (Lochinver
) to assist them in purchasing and managing the neighbouring Glencanisp and Drumrunie Estates.
The John Muir Trust has given support to the Carrifran Wildwood project, initiated by the Borders Forest Trust. The Wildwood group purchased land in the Carrifran valley in the Moffat
hills of Southern Scotland
in 1999 and has started to recreate a large tract of woodland wilderness that will be used as an inspiration and an educational resource. The Trust is working with the owner of two hill farms in the Cambrian Mountains
of mid-Wales to maximise environmental benefit. The owner is responsible for the management and financing of the project, while the Trust will carry out surveys, develop detailed land management plans and offer advice and support as necessary.
Council, Dunbar
's John Muir Association and Dunbar Community Council, the John Muir Trust formed a new organisation called the John Muir Birthplace Trust. The following year JMBT purchased John Muir's Birthplace
at 126 High Street, Dunbar. They have turned it into an interpretative centre, which tells the story of John Muir's early years in Dunbar where he established his life-long passion for wild places and creatures.
The Trust occasionally bestows a John Muir Lifetime Achievement Award to individuals who have demonstrated outstanding work relating to the protection and enjoyment of wild land:
The organisation was inspired by the work, spirit and legacy of Scots-born conservationist John Muir
John Muir
John Muir was a Scottish-born American naturalist, author, and early advocate of preservation of wilderness in the United States. His letters, essays, and books telling of his adventures in nature, especially in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, have been read by millions...
- a key figure in the modern conservation movement, particularly in the USA where he worked to save Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park
Yosemite National Park is a United States National Park spanning eastern portions of Tuolumne, Mariposa and Madera counties in east central California, United States. The park covers an area of and reaches across the western slopes of the Sierra Nevada mountain chain...
and other areas of wilderness. Building on Muir's reputation there, the Trust has links with the Sierra Club
Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is the oldest, largest, and most influential grassroots environmental organization in the United States. It was founded on May 28, 1892, in San Francisco, California, by the conservationist and preservationist John Muir, who became its first president...
, which John Muir founded in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in 1892. It was founded by Denis Mollison, Nicholas Luard
Nicholas Luard
Nicholas Lamert Luard was a writer and politician, but is perhaps best known for his activities in the early 1960s: co-founding The Establishment with Peter Cook and being one of the Lords Gnome of Private Eye....
, Nigel Hawkins and Chris Brasher.
The John Muir Trust owns some of the finest wild land in the highlands and islands
Highlands and Islands
The Highlands and Islands of Scotland are broadly the Scottish Highlands plus Orkney, Shetland and the Hebrides.The Highlands and Islands are sometimes defined as the area to which the Crofters' Act of 1886 applied...
of Scotland: land on Skye
Skye
Skye or the Isle of Skye is the largest and most northerly island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate out from a mountainous centre dominated by the Cuillin hills...
, the Knoydart peninsula and Sandwood, as well as Ben Nevis
Ben Nevis
Ben Nevis is the highest mountain in the British Isles. It is located at the western end of the Grampian Mountains in the Lochaber area of the Scottish Highlands, close to the town of Fort William....
, the highest mountain in the British Isles, and part of Schiehallion
Schiehallion
Schiehallion is a prominent mountain in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. Schiehallion has a rich botanical life, interesting archaeology, and a unique place in scientific history for an 18th-century experiment in 'weighing the world'...
. As well as protecting stunning landscapes, the Trust works to restore natural habitats and encourage native species. It works with local people and communities who live on and around wild land, and who contribute to the landscape in a variety of ways. The Trust seeks to increase awareness and understanding of the value of wild places and wild land through its educational initiative, the John Muir Award.
John Muir Trust properties
The Trust looks after Ben NevisBen Nevis
Ben Nevis is the highest mountain in the British Isles. It is located at the western end of the Grampian Mountains in the Lochaber area of the Scottish Highlands, close to the town of Fort William....
. As owner of the Ben Nevis Estate, it plays a key role in the Nevis Partnership, which covers care of the Ben and the wider Nevis area including Glen Nevis
Glen Nevis
Glen Nevis is a glen in Lochaber, Highland, Scotland, with Fort William at its foot. It is bordered to the south by the Mamore range, and to the north by the highest mountains in the British Isles: Ben Nevis, Càrn Mor Dearg, Aonach Mòr, and Aonach Beag...
and the Allt a' Mhuilinn leading to the North Face. In Perthshire
Perthshire
Perthshire, officially the County of Perth , is a registration county in central Scotland. It extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, Rannoch Moor and Ben Lui in the west, and Aberfoyle in the south...
, the Trust is restoring Schiehallion
Schiehallion
Schiehallion is a prominent mountain in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. Schiehallion has a rich botanical life, interesting archaeology, and a unique place in scientific history for an 18th-century experiment in 'weighing the world'...
by re-aligning the footpath and removing the ugly erosion scar of the old path. The vision of the Trust is to bring back beautiful ancient woodland
Ancient woodland
Ancient woodland is a term used in the United Kingdom to refer specifically to woodland that has existed continuously since 1600 or before in England and Wales . Before those dates, planting of new woodland was uncommon, so a wood present in 1600 was likely to have developed naturally...
and native woodlands - with all their birds, animals, flowers and other vegetation, insects, mosses and fungi.
The Trust helped establish the Knoydart Foundation, which purchased the 17000 acres (68.8 km²) Knoydart Estate in 1999. This was an historic moment for Knoydart and one that the Trust had spent 16 years trying to bring about. The purchase brought the "rough bounds
The Rough Bounds
The Rough Bounds , in the Scottish Highlands, is the area of West Inverness-shire between Loch Hourn and Loch Shiel, consisting of the districts of Knoydart, North Morar, Arisaig and Moidart...
" into community and conservation ownership. The Trust is the only external representative on the North Harris Trust, which aims to manage, develop and conserve the North Harris Estate (Outer Hebrides
Outer Hebrides
The Outer Hebrides also known as the Western Isles and the Long Island, is an island chain off the west coast of Scotland. The islands are geographically contiguous with Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, one of the 32 unitary council areas of Scotland...
) in a sustainable manner for the benefit of the community and the enjoyment of the wider public. In 2005, the Trust purchased the Quinag
Quinag
The mountain Quinag in Sutherland, in the Scottish Highlands, is in fact a mountain range with an undulating series of peaks along its Y-shaped crest...
Estate in Sutherland
Sutherland
Sutherland is a registration county, lieutenancy area and historic administrative county of Scotland. It is now within the Highland local government area. In Gaelic the area is referred to according to its traditional areas: Dùthaich 'IcAoidh , Asainte , and Cataibh...
and joined the Assynt
Assynt
Assynt is a civil parish in west Sutherland, Highland, Scotland – north of Ullapool.It is famous for its landscape and its remarkable mountains...
Foundation (Lochinver
Lochinver
Lochinver is a village on the coast in the Assynt district of Sutherland, Highland, Scotland. A few miles northeast is Loch Assynt which is the source of the River Inver which flows into Loch Inver at the village. There are 200 or so lochans in the area which makes the place very popular with...
) to assist them in purchasing and managing the neighbouring Glencanisp and Drumrunie Estates.
The John Muir Trust has given support to the Carrifran Wildwood project, initiated by the Borders Forest Trust. The Wildwood group purchased land in the Carrifran valley in the Moffat
Moffat
Moffat is a former burgh and spa town in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, lying on the River Annan, with a population of around 2,500. The most notable building in the town is the Moffat House Hotel, designed by John Adam...
hills of Southern Scotland
Scottish Lowlands
The Scottish Lowlands is a name given to the Southern half of Scotland.The area is called a' Ghalldachd in Scottish Gaelic, and the Lawlands ....
in 1999 and has started to recreate a large tract of woodland wilderness that will be used as an inspiration and an educational resource. The Trust is working with the owner of two hill farms in the Cambrian Mountains
Cambrian Mountains
The Cambrian Mountains are a series of mountain ranges in Wales, reaching from, and including, the South Wales mountains of the Brecon Beacons, north Carmarthenshire and Ceredigion, the Black Mountains of eastern Wales, to Snowdonia in North Wales...
of mid-Wales to maximise environmental benefit. The owner is responsible for the management and financing of the project, while the Trust will carry out surveys, develop detailed land management plans and offer advice and support as necessary.
John Muir's birthplace
In 1998, together with East LothianEast Lothian
East Lothian is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a lieutenancy Area. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Scottish Borders and Midlothian. Its administrative centre is Haddington, although its largest town is Musselburgh....
Council, Dunbar
Dunbar
Dunbar is a town in East Lothian on the southeast coast of Scotland, approximately 28 miles east of Edinburgh and 28 miles from the English Border at Berwick-upon-Tweed....
's John Muir Association and Dunbar Community Council, the John Muir Trust formed a new organisation called the John Muir Birthplace Trust. The following year JMBT purchased John Muir's Birthplace
John Muir's Birthplace
John Muir's Birthplace, in Dunbar, East Lothian, Scotland, is a museum run by East Lothian Council Museums Service as a centre for study and interpretation of the work of John Muir.-History:...
at 126 High Street, Dunbar. They have turned it into an interpretative centre, which tells the story of John Muir's early years in Dunbar where he established his life-long passion for wild places and creatures.
John Muir Award
The John Muir Award is part of the Trust's education programme. The John Muir Award is an environmental award scheme that encourages people to connect with, enjoy, and care for wild places. It offers a progressive structure for learning outdoors.The Trust occasionally bestows a John Muir Lifetime Achievement Award to individuals who have demonstrated outstanding work relating to the protection and enjoyment of wild land:
- 2000 Tom WeirTom WeirThomas Weir MBE, better known as Tom was a Scottish climber, author and broadcaster. He was best known for his long-running television series Weir's Way and his trademark woolly bunnet.-Early life and career:...
, mountaineer and broadcaster - 2004 Adam WatsonAdam Watson (scientist)Adam Watson FIBiol, FArcticINorthAmerica, FRSE, FCEH, AFRMetSoc, , is a Scottish biologist, ecologist and mountaineer. He is one of the most recognisable scientific figures in Scotland due to his many appearances on TV and radio...
, ecologist, mountaineer, and author - 2006 Doug ScottDoug ScottDouglas Keith Scott CBE, known as Doug Scott , is an English mountaineer noted for the first ascent of the south-west face of Mount Everest on 24 September 1975. Scott and Dougal Haston were the first Britons to climb Everest during this expedition...
, mountaineer - 2008 Irvine Butterfield, writer, photographer and mountain enthusiast
List of John Muir Trust properties
- Ben NevisBen NevisBen Nevis is the highest mountain in the British Isles. It is located at the western end of the Grampian Mountains in the Lochaber area of the Scottish Highlands, close to the town of Fort William....
- Glenlude
- Li & Coire Dhorrcail, Knoydart
- QuinagQuinagThe mountain Quinag in Sutherland, in the Scottish Highlands, is in fact a mountain range with an undulating series of peaks along its Y-shaped crest...
- Sandwood BaySandwood BaySandwood Bay is a natural bay in Sutherland, on the far north-west coast of mainland Scotland. It is best known for its mile-long beach and Am Buachaille, a sea stack, and lies about 5 miles south of Cape Wrath...
- SchiehallionSchiehallionSchiehallion is a prominent mountain in Perth and Kinross, Scotland. Schiehallion has a rich botanical life, interesting archaeology, and a unique place in scientific history for an 18th-century experiment in 'weighing the world'...
- StrathairdStrathairdStrathaird is a peninsula on the island of Skye, Scotland, situated between Loch Slapin and Loch Scavaig on the south coast.Skye's shape defies description and W. H. Murray said that "Skye is sixty miles long, but what might be its breadth is beyond the ingenuity of man to state". Strathaird is...
, TorrinTorrinTorrin is a small village on the Isle of Skye in Scotland.-Geography:The crofting and fishing village lies on the eastern shore of Loch Slapin, 5 miles southwest of Broadford , on the road to Elgol . There is a mixture of Victorian white-washed cottages and modern flat-pack houses...
and SconserSconserSconser is a small crofting township on the island of Skye, in Scotland, situated on the south shore of Loch Sligachan. The main A87 road of Skye passes through Sconser and the ferry to Raasay departs from the pier....
, SkyeSkyeSkye or the Isle of Skye is the largest and most northerly island in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland. The island's peninsulas radiate out from a mountainous centre dominated by the Cuillin hills...
See also
- Blà Bheinn, Skye
- GlamaigGlamaigGlamaig is the northernmost of the Red Hills on the Isle of Skye in Scotland. It lies immediately east of Sligachan. It is one of only two Corbetts on Skye....
, Isle of Skye - Glen NevisGlen NevisGlen Nevis is a glen in Lochaber, Highland, Scotland, with Fort William at its foot. It is bordered to the south by the Mamore range, and to the north by the highest mountains in the British Isles: Ben Nevis, Càrn Mor Dearg, Aonach Mòr, and Aonach Beag...
- Ladhar BheinnLadhar BheinnLadhar Bheinn The mountain may be climbed from Barrisdale to the northeast or Inverie to the south. From Barrisdale the mountain may be climbed as part of circuit of Coire Dhorrcaill; this route involves a certain amount of scrambling, particularly on the section immediately north of the subsidiary...
, Knoydart - John Muir WayJohn Muir WayThe John Muir Way is a continuous coastal path in East Lothian, Scotland, UK. It is named in honour of the Scottish 19th-century conservationist John Muir, who was born at Dunbar, East Lothian, in 1838 and became a founder of America's national park system...