News / Nature man celebrates SOTEAG anniversary
WILDLIFE TV presenter Iolo Williams visited Shetland on Thursday to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Sullom Voe Terminal Environmental Advisory Group (SOTEAG).
The nature enthusiast enjoyed a packed day which kicked off with a talk and a spot of birdwatching at Sumburgh Head.
He then helped Anderson High School children undertake a beach clean at Burwick, teaching them about looking after the coastal environment in the process.
Williams rounded off his visit by giving a talk to guests at Shetland Museum in the evening.
The TV presenter’s trip to Shetland was originally planned for March, but it was cancelled due to weather related travel disruption.
The Welshman said he studied the work of SOTEAG closely when he worked for the RSPB for a number years.
The organisation was founded in 1977 to carry out wide-ranging environmental baseline surveys in order to measure environmental damage, and recovery, in case of an oil spill at Sullom Voe.
“I worked for the RSPB for 15 years and had to deal with several major marine incidents,” Williams said.
“What we learned fairly early in Wales is the fact that we don’t have the network in place to deal with them efficiently, so one of the main things we looked at was how SOTEAG worked up here.
“How everybody works together, the very impressive network that they have to monitor, but also to deal with any incidents, heaven forbid should anything come along.
“The fact they’ve been going for 40 years is some achievement and when you look at what they’ve done – the model here has been copied not just by us in Wales but all over the world. It really is a great working model, everybody coming together and working towards the same goal.”
SOTEAG reports to and is funded by the Sullom Voe Association (SVA) Limited, which is comprised of Shetland Islands Council, TAQA, Total and EnQuest.
Become a supporter of Shetland News
Shetland News is asking its many readers to consider start paying for their dose of the latest local news delivered straight to their PC, tablet or mobile phone.
Journalism comes at a price and because that price is not being paid in today’s rapidly changing media world, most publishers - national and local - struggle financially despite very healthy audience figures.
Most online publishers have started charging for access to their websites, others have chosen a different route. Shetland News currently has over 600 supporters who are all making small voluntary financial contributions. All funds go towards covering our cost and improving the service further.
Your contribution will ensure Shetland News can: -
- Bring you the headlines as they happen;
- Stay editorially independent;
- Give a voice to the community;
- Grow site traffic further;
- Research and publish more in-depth news, including more Shetland Lives features.
If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please become a supporter of Shetland News by either making a single payment or monthly subscription.
Support us from as little as £3 per month – it only takes a minute to sign up. Thank you.
Already a supporter? Sign in to hide this message.
