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Description: The Water Framework Directive is the most important piece of legislation in Ireland for achieving good status for all of our water bodies – that includes rivers, lakes and coastal waters. A public consultation on the forthcoming River Basin Management Plan is underway and to highlight the importance of the WFD the Irish Wildlife Trust is holding a series of lunchtime (1-2pm) webinars in association with our colleagues in the Sustainable Water Network (SWAN).
Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_A4BV4tXdRremxAxr5Cw7Pg
Hosted by Limerick IWT Branch
A talk by Pádraic Fogarty of IWT on ‘Ireland’s Biodiversity Crisis’ in Kilcornan Community Centre.
Hosted by IWT Dublin Branch
Just a stroll along the bank of the River Liffey, looking at some of the wildlife that occurs around this area. Bring rainwear, good walking shoes or boots. Carpark may be full at this time.
Time: 10:30. Remember – that’s the day the clocks go FORWARD – one hour less sleep!
Meet: Sluice Carpark, Lucan. Opposite McDonald’s.
Description: The Water Framework Directive is the most important piece of legislation in Ireland for achieving good status for all of our water bodies – that includes rivers, lakes and coastal waters. A public consultation on the forthcoming River Basin Management Plan is underway and to highlight the importance of the WFD the Irish Wildlife Trust is holding a series of lunchtime (1-2pm) webinars in association with our colleagues in the Sustainable Water Network (SWAN).
Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ePV4r7ubQiafhnOZjyrJ8A
Description: We will meet some of the farmers who are a part of the Farming for Nature initiative – Ailbhe Gerrard, Kate Egan and John McHugh. We will hear about their farms and how we can produce food while protecting nature.
Register here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_mE1GH0UuTiSvQnbl3HA-EA
Hosted by IWT Limerick Branch
Our first outing next Saturday 16th April 22 is a guided walk by Paul Murphy to introduce us to the Summer Snowflake plant, often mistaken for a snowdrop. Although rare in the rest of the country it grows profusely in Limerick on the banks of the Shannon and is presently adding dashes of colour to the banks.
The walk is open to the public so no need to book. Bring along a friend!
Time: 11:00. Walk will be 1-1.5 hrs duration.
Meet: At the Old Courthouse, by the Potato Market
Hosted by IWT Dublin Branch
Join Dublin Branch member Niall Mac Coitir on a guided walk to see some of the trees, wild flowers and birds to be found in St. Anne’s Park. Meeting at the Red Stables.
The walk is open to the public so no need to book. Bring along a friend!
Time: 11:00.
Meet: At the Red Stables, St. Anne’s Park, Raheny.
The May walk of the Waterford branch of the IWT will take place at Forth mountain, County Wexford on May 8th.
We will meet at Pennylands carpark at 1.30. Grid reference S 97150 18086
Car sharing possible from Passage East ferry, by arrangement. Meet at 12.50
Please sign up to help us plan our stewarding arrangements
https://forms.gle/f23sNEoLa6g1ZfDJ6
There will be two parts:
The first section will include a visit to the lookout point at Skeater rock. Then we will drive on to Carrigfoyle carpark where we will visit the quarry lake. There are toilets at the second carpark and a coffee outlet with seats if the weather is good.
Place: Forth mountain, Co. Wexford (Pennylands carpark at 1.30pm)
Date & Time: Sunday, 8th May from 1:30pm
With war in Ukraine and a worsening ecological crisis that threatens food production, how can we best prepare ourselves for the changes that are coming?
We’ll be discussing this important topic with Bridgi Murphy from Talamh Beo and Olive Moore from UCC Centre for Cooperative Studies
Date and Time:9th May, 19:00
Ireland has some really exquisite butterflies, many of them rarely encountered without specialised knowledge of their habitat needs and distribution. In his presentation, butterfly expert Jesmond Harding will show every species, including its caterpillar and breeding plants, as well as highlight habitats and conservation. The talk will be followed by a walk to see if we can spot any local butterflies, and then tea/coffee will be served. Jesmond is the author of two books, ‘Discovering Irish Butterflies & their Habitats’ [2008] and ‘The Irish Butterfly Book’ [2021]. He was part of the expert group that drew up the red list for Irish butterflies in 2010 and is a member of the Irish Peatland Conservation Council, Burrenbeo Trust, and a founding member of Butterfly Conservation Ireland.
Place: Tyrone Guthrie Centre
Date & Time: Saturday, 14 May 10am-12.30pm
The event is all about Ireland’s bees and will combine an informative talk with a bee id walk around the Gardens. No prior knowledge of bees is needed.
The event will begin at the Visitors Centre with a talk on the bees of Ireland and how we can help protect them. We will then take a walk around the National Botanic Gardens where we will demonstrate how to find and identify bees with a focus on bumblebees. The skills and knowledge gained from this event will allow you to begin monitoring bees in your own garden or community.
Children are welcome to attend but must be accompanied by a parent or guardian at all times.
Place: The National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, Dublin
Date & Time: 15th May, 11:00 to 13:00
At this exciting evening bat walk you will have the opportunity to walk the National Botanic Gardens at dusk with an Irish Wildlife Trust guide in search of beautiful bats. We will learn about the life cycle of these fascinating creatures and hopefully get to see and hear some of the bats of the Bots.
Please bring warm clothes as this event takes place after sunset. Children are welcome to attend but must be accompanied by a parent or guardian at all times.
Place: The National Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin, Dublin
Date & Time: 20th May, 21:15 to 22:45
[Event image courtesy of Mike Brown]
Come along to the Castleblayney Community Gardens & Allotments where local tree aficionado, John McKeon, will be hosting a native tree workshop. John has 15 plots of native Irish trees growing in his nursery (from seeds collected in and around County Monaghan) and he will be sharing his experience in (1) identifying and collecting seeds; (2) seed bed preparation, which is particularly relevant in heavy clay soils like we have in our county; and (3) seed storage, stratification and sowing, as required by the different seeds for successful propagation. John will also highlight good tree nursery management and problems that can arise. The species he has growing are Hawthorn, Blackthorn, Buckthorn, Wild Cherry, Bird Cherry, Crab Apple, Alder, Elm, Hazel, Holly, Oak, Rowan, Spindle, Guelder Rose, and Willow. Tea and coffee will be served afterwards.
Place: Castleblayney Community Gardens and Allotments (Eircode A75W773)
Date & Time: Sunday, 22 May from 3-5pm
The next outing is on “Butterflies and Dragonflies of Aughanish” on Saturday 4June22. We expect to see butterflies such as the Small Heath, Common Blue, Small Blue and Dingy Skipper as well as dragonflies and damselflies. The leader is Mike Quirke.
Date and Time: 8th June, 19:00
Hosted by Irish Wildlife Trust – Dublin Branch
Date & Time: 11:00 am start, Sunday 12th June
To get there – just beyond Supervalu on Sundrive Road is Pickles Café. Beside it is the Sun Dry Launderette. Opposite that is a lane. It’s at the very end of that lane.
For more information contact dublinbranch@iwt.ie
Hosted by Irish Wildlife Trust – Dublin Branch
Date & Time: 11:00 am start, Sunday 3rd July
Location: Meet at the visitor center, North Bull Island
To book on and for more details contact dublinbranch@iwt.ie
This webinar will feature a discussion on the new Fair Seas ‘Revitalising Our Seas Identifying areas of interest for Marine Protected Area Designation in Irish waters’ report.
The report aims to kick-start the conversation of where additional MPAs may be designated, using analysis of species hotspots in Irish waters.
Fair Seas is an Irish coalition campaign that seeks to build a movement of ocean stewardship across the island of Ireland. Our aim is for Ireland to become a world leader in marine protection, giving our species, habitats and coastal communities the opportunity to thrive. Key to this is ensuring Ireland secures an ecologically coherent network of well-managed Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in Irish waters.
Ireland has committed to designating 30% of its waters as MPAs by 2030. However, the current figure of MPA coverage in Ireland stands at just 2.1%. Ireland therefore has a significant task ahead in scaling up marine protection to achieve spatial conservation targets as well as requirements under EU nature laws to bring its marine waters to a Good Environmental Status and ensure recovery of depleted fish populations.
Register for this virtual event here: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_VeeHalkRT7eAeaWJsC9x9g
This is an IWT members only event. To book a place contact Lyn at limerickbranch@iwt.ie
Location: Confirmed upon booking
Our Limerick Branch are running a botanical outing to Loughmore Common near Limerick City on Saturday morning 13th August at 10:00. The event will be guided by botanist Tom Harrington.
This is an IWT members only event. To book a place contact Lyn at limerickbranch@iwt.ie
Date: 13th August
Time: 10:00am
Location: Confirmed upon booking
Learn all about Ireland fascinating wild bees
Join the Irish Wildlife Trust for a free Heritage Week event hosted at the National Botanic Gardens. The event is all about Ireland’s wild bees and will combine an informative talk with a bee identification walk around the Gardens. No prior knowledge of bees is needed.
The event will begin at the Visitors Centre with a talk on the bees of Ireland and how we can help protect them. We will then take a walk around the National Botanic Gardens where we will demonstrate how to find and identify bees with a focus on bumblebees. The skills and knowledge gained from this event will allow you to begin monitoring bees in your own garden or community.
Children are welcome to attend but must be accompanied by a parent or guardian at all times.
Booking is compulsory for this event please register with the link below if you wish to attend.
https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/iwt-people-for-bees-at-the-national-botanic-gardens-tickets-395934780587
Date: 13th August 2022
Time: 11:00
Location: National Botanic Gardens Dublin
Hosted by: Irish Wildlife Trust Monaghan Branch & Local Authority Waters Programme
Join the Irish Wildlife Trust Monaghan Branch & Local Authority Waters Programme for an event to explore some of the many ways the sound of nature has influenced Irish creative culture. Attendees will follow the journey of an Irish sound recordist Dean McDonnell, who is documenting Ireland’s different habitats & rich array of wildlife across the north-east through the medium of sound recording. Writer and medieval Irish scholar, Fearghal Duffy, will share his learnings on the ecology of early Irish literature, examining the influence of sounds from nature on Irish medieval poetry, whilst local musicians Tara & Rossa Gilsenan will play a few tunes inspired by the Irish countryside. Particular focus will be given to our immense wealth of wetland habitats, so synonymous with the inter-drumlin landscape of counties Cavan & Monaghan and coastal environment of County Louth.
Booking is essential for this event. Please book using this link https://www.eventbrite.com/e/creative-heritage-inspired-by-nature-and-its-music-tickets-390366736417
Date: 18th August
Time: 19:30 – 21:00
Location: Doohamlet Community Centre, Doohamlet, A75 Y798 Castleblayney
Hosted by: IWT Dublin Branch
Join the IWT Dublin Branch on this IWT Heritage Week Event where we will learn all about Irelands bat’s.
We will explore a section of St Anne’s Park at dusk to any hopefully see and hear some of these fascinating native flying mammals. This event is free of charge and family friendly.
Space is limited on this event and booking is essential. To request a place on the event please email dublinbranch@iwt.ie
Date: 18th August
Time: 20:30
Location: St Anne’s Park, Raheny, Co Dublin
Space is limited on this event and booking is essential. To request a place on the event please email dublinbranch@iwt.ie
Learn all about Ireland fascinating wild bees
The Irish Wildlife Trust works with the National Biodiversity Data Centre to support the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan and the Bumblebee Monitoring Scheme. With the new skills learnt through our People for Bees programme, participants have the knowledge and confidence to start carrying out bee population monitoring and habitat creation in their communities, thus completing two of the objectives of the All Ireland Pollinator Plan – “Making Ireland more pollinator friendly” and “Bee population monitoring”.
Children are welcome to attend but must be accompanied by a parent or guardian at all times.
Booking is compulsory for this event please register with the link below if you wish to attend.
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/iwt-people-for-bees-monaghan-tickets-394331735837
Date and Time: 6th September, 19:00
Hosted by Irish Wildlife Trust Dublin
The September outing is the popular rockpool event – loved by with younger ecologists and their parents.
Meet at the Martello Tower, beside the White Sands Hotel at 11:30. There’s a bus stop next to it, and the DART is within walking.
Bring nets and containers – as will we.
No falling in – not even by accident. And that includes the young ones too.
Wear sensible, sensible, sensible footwear – no flip-flops.
Date & Time: 11:30 am start, Sunday 18th September.
Location: Martello Tower, Portmarnock.
More info: dublinbranch@iwt.ie
Date and Time: 4th October, 19:00
Hosted by Waterford Branch.
This walk will take place on Sunday 16th October. Meet at 1.00 at Centra, Knocktopher, Co. Kilkenny.
Hosted by Limerick IWT Branch
Hosted by Waterford Branch.
This walk will take place on Sunday 13th November.
Meet at Passage East at 13.00 for possible car-pooling.
Tintern Abbey carpark at 13.40.
Leader: Denis Cullen
Sunday walk to Tintern and Saltmills
Hosted by Waterford branch.
Saltmills, Co. Wexford (Muileann an tSáile)
Meet at Passage East at 13.00 for possible car-pooling.
Tintern Abbey carpark at 13.40.
Leader: Denis Cullen
Join us for another free and fantastic webinar. The Secret Life of Crows talk takes a look at the corvid family, its members, ecology, complex societies and outstanding intelligence. It explores the crows place in a human dominated world both now and historically. The talk has recently been updated to include the summary findings of the Laois Rookery Survey 2022 which Identified 173 unique rookery sites in the county through a combination of fieldwork and citizen science.
This fun but factual exploration of the crow family is certainly for the crow fan but it may even convert a few of those more dubious of the corvids.
Date: 17th November
Time: 19:00
Registration link: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_GC1PT2HWRSeOAjDHB3rVBQ
Join us to learn more about the Eu Nature Restoration Law and what it will mean for Ireland.
Date: 25th November
Time: 1pm to 2pm
Registration link: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_uTdVIkVJR_SEZnRNfCPjkw
Hosted by Irish Wildlife Trust Dublin
Join us this November for an outing to explore the fabulous fossil bank at Portmarnock with Aodhan our brilliant paleontologist.
Meet at the Martello Tower, beside the White Sands Hotel at 11:00. There’s a bus stop next to it, and the DART is within walking.
Wear appropriate footwear such as boots or wellies and bring paper and crayons for making rubbings. Ordinary A4 paper and twistable crayons will do fine.
Date & Time: 11:00 am start, Sunday 27th November.
Location: Martello Tower, Portmarnock.
More info: Dublin Branch
Join us this Tuesday 13th December at 19:00 for a webinar from the UN Biodiversity Conference in Montreal. Our guest speaker will be our very own campaign officer Padraic Fogarty. We’ll be discussing the news from the conference and what it can do to help save nature on our planet.
To attend this free webinar register using the link below;
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_ZSxJEorIQEKj0y29f6XBxA
Hosted by Waterford Branch.
Cuan Dhún Garbháin agus Dún na Mainistreach.
Meet at the car park by the Shandon Roundabout in Dungarvan next to Waterford Council’s offices at 1.00.
We will head down to the seawall at the harbour by the town park, walk to Abbeyside and on to Killongford Bridge and back to Dungarvan via the Greenway.
The main focus will be on birds. Bring your binoculars!
Hosted by Irish Wildlife Trust Dublin
Join us this December for an outing to the National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin.
Our December outings BC (Before Covid!) were to the National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin
where a brilliant guide showed us that “The Bots in Winter” were not simply dormant but
were waiting to spring (the obvious word) into life in the following months. We will be back this year!
Date & Time: 11:00 am start, Sunday 18th December.
Location: the National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin.
More info: Dublin Branch