Posted on:
02 September 2026
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Reservoir Ranger Blog: Wildlife, Walks and the West
02 September 2026
Milngavie Aqueduct
Our new Rangers are based in the West and have been getting to know their new sites including Milngavie Reservoir which supplies the water for Greater Glasgow.
Our new Scottish Water Reservoir Rangers covering the west of Scotland have taken over the Ranger blog for the month of August!
We – Ed and Grace – thought we’d jump at the chance to share how our first three months as Scottish Water Reservoir Rangers have been. Introductions first …
Hi, I’m Ed. New in post at Scottish Water, I work within the Land Strategy team as a Visitor Management Ranger. Passionate about the environment, conservation and community, I believe my role gives me the privilege of acting as a custodian for some of Scotland’s most beautiful and diverse environments.
I have been fortunate to have had a colourful career, working in industries ranging from hospitality, retail and music to more recently retraining to work within the charitable conservation sector and children’s services, delivering employability programmes to young adults and vulnerable groups. I’m excited to have this opportunity to combine my experience and passions to support Scottish Water’s key messaging around safety and respect for the environment and all who use it.
We – Ed and Grace – thought we’d jump at the chance to share how our first three months as Scottish Water Reservoir Rangers have been. Introductions first …
Hi, I’m Ed. New in post at Scottish Water, I work within the Land Strategy team as a Visitor Management Ranger. Passionate about the environment, conservation and community, I believe my role gives me the privilege of acting as a custodian for some of Scotland’s most beautiful and diverse environments.
I have been fortunate to have had a colourful career, working in industries ranging from hospitality, retail and music to more recently retraining to work within the charitable conservation sector and children’s services, delivering employability programmes to young adults and vulnerable groups. I’m excited to have this opportunity to combine my experience and passions to support Scottish Water’s key messaging around safety and respect for the environment and all who use it.
Ranger Ed!
Ed has had a colourful career, working in hospitality, retail and music to more recently retraining to work within the charitable conservation sector and children’s services.
And I’m Grace! I’ve always been passionate about nature and the outdoors, so I’m thrilled to turn that into my job. At university, I studied Zoology and Conservation Management, where I developed a keen interest in freshwater ecology and loved the fieldwork aspects of my projects and the challenges they brought.
Following university, I joined Scottish Water as a Sampling Officer, collecting water samples across treatment works, reservoirs and customers’ properties. Through this role, I gained insight into some of the many different operations across Scottish Water and particularly enjoyed being out and about, building relationships with colleagues and customers alike. So, when the ranger opportunity came up, it felt like the perfect way to combine my interests in nature, people and the outdoors – and that has certainly proven to be the case.
One of my highlights so far was taking part in a memorial charity run organised by Garscube Harriers around Milngavie Reservoirs. It was a great opportunity to combine my love of running with the community engagement that is such an important part of the ranger role.
Following university, I joined Scottish Water as a Sampling Officer, collecting water samples across treatment works, reservoirs and customers’ properties. Through this role, I gained insight into some of the many different operations across Scottish Water and particularly enjoyed being out and about, building relationships with colleagues and customers alike. So, when the ranger opportunity came up, it felt like the perfect way to combine my interests in nature, people and the outdoors – and that has certainly proven to be the case.
One of my highlights so far was taking part in a memorial charity run organised by Garscube Harriers around Milngavie Reservoirs. It was a great opportunity to combine my love of running with the community engagement that is such an important part of the ranger role.
Ranger Grace!
Grace studied Zoology and Conservation Management at university and previously worked at Scottish Water as a Sampling Officer. A keen runner, she is already building relationships at Milngavie and has even taken part in a community race at the reservoirs.
While we are primarily based at Milngavie and have been enjoying patrols and engaging with visitors about the byelaws in place to protect Glasgow’s drinking water, we are also taking a keen interest in other sites across the west experiencing higher visitor footfall and some of the pressures that come with it. For example, we have visited Picketlaw Reservoir in East Renfrewshire to carry out site assessments and ad hoc litter picks. We are looking forward to expanding our footprint and building partnerships with local groups and stakeholders to help take care of our reservoirs.
Since joining, we’ve been learning the ropes when it comes to running events, getting involved in everything from volunteer days and the Big Butterfly Count to the Royal Highland Show and World Drowning Prevention Day. We’re now looking forward to putting what we’ve learned into practice, with health walks, wildlife activities and other events planned at Milngavie Reservoirs. If you’d like to get involved, you can find out more and sign up through our Eventbrite page. Milngavie Reservoirs Ranger Service
We have both learned a lot in our roles so far and are really encouraged by how important our green spaces are to people. We’re excited to build on the work already being undertaken by our team and continue to focus on health and wellbeing, education, sustainability and community engagement, while helping address challenges such as antisocial behaviour through positive community involvement.
We look forward to creating more opportunities for people to enjoy our reservoirs and green spaces and sharing our experiences with you in future blogs.
Till the next update … leave no trace 😉
Since joining, we’ve been learning the ropes when it comes to running events, getting involved in everything from volunteer days and the Big Butterfly Count to the Royal Highland Show and World Drowning Prevention Day. We’re now looking forward to putting what we’ve learned into practice, with health walks, wildlife activities and other events planned at Milngavie Reservoirs. If you’d like to get involved, you can find out more and sign up through our Eventbrite page. Milngavie Reservoirs Ranger Service
We have both learned a lot in our roles so far and are really encouraged by how important our green spaces are to people. We’re excited to build on the work already being undertaken by our team and continue to focus on health and wellbeing, education, sustainability and community engagement, while helping address challenges such as antisocial behaviour through positive community involvement.
We look forward to creating more opportunities for people to enjoy our reservoirs and green spaces and sharing our experiences with you in future blogs.
Till the next update … leave no trace 😉
