Kilrush to host first biodiversity week

CLARE County Council has revealed details of the first Kilrush Biodiversity Week which will take place from Monday, April 23 to Sunday, April 29. All events will be free and family-orientated.
The programme of events will celebrate many aspects of biodiversity in Kilrush and its environs from family days out to information and discussions about threats to biodiversity. 
Clare Biodiversity Officer, Shane Casey said the aim of Kilrush Biodiversity Week is to encourage active learning about biodiversity through a range of events and to increase public understanding that action taken locally has national and global importance.
“Many of the events taking place during the week will be aimed at the general public with other events targeted at primary and secondary schools in Kilrush. It is also hoped that members of the public who participate in Kilrush Biodiversity Week events can be encouraged to take an interest in helping to conserve Biodiversity for future generations”, he explained.
Commenting on the involvement of local primary and secondary level students, Shane Casey said that the pupils should enjoy the experience.
“The wetlands of West Clare are a treasure throve of strange plants and mysterious creatures, many of which have adapted unusual habits and characteristics to help them survive in these unique habitats. In the run up to the weekend events, primary school students will be exploring the wetlands, from carnivorous plants and dragonflies to an extraordinary world of creatures living just beneath the water’s surface,” he noted.
“Meanwhile, Kilrush Community School will transform an ordinary green lawn into a Mecca for wildlife, by creating woodland glades, edible landscapes, butterfly patches and wildlife ponds. This will be followed by an exhibition for the public, led by the students themselves, on Saturday, April 28.  With trees and plants such as Guelder Rose, Crab Apple, Rowan, Ransoms, Primroses, Bluebells, Thyme, Rosemary, Flag Iris and Watermint, it won’t be long before an array of colourful creatures takes up residence,” he forecast.
A broad programme of events will be held on the weekend of April 28-29. 
Saturday morning will feature a dawn chorus walk in the Vandeleur Woods at 5.30, while a moth exhibition and bug hunt for children takes place in the Vandeleur Woods from 10am followed by a composting demonstration at 1pm and a guided tour of the gardens. At 2.30 pm, Kilrush Secondary School will host a wildlife gardening exhibition, while the day will concluded with a late night bat walk in Vandeleur Woods at 9.30 pm.
On Sunday, April 29 the focus will turn to the Shannon Estuary when a discounted price for dolphin watching boat trips will be available to members of the public. Meanwhile, Inland Fisheries Ireland will invite people to enjoy the marine touch pools at on Cappa Pier at 12noon and participate in a seashore walk from 4pm to discover the abundance of nature along the estuary from seaweed to waders.
“The message for Kilrush Biodiversity week is that biodiversity is not some incomprehensible scientific discipline but rather the ordinary plants and animals we see outside our windows and on our doorsteps every day.  The weekend also comes at an opportune time with the preparation of the Kilrush Development Plan 2014-2020 underway, which will have a significant focus on amenity, biodiversity and green infrastructure,” Shane Casey noted.
“Kilrush Biodiversity Week 2012 provides the people of the town, both young and old alike, with an ideal opportunity to enjoy themselves in pleasant surroundings while at the same time learn more about the vast array of plants and species that exist in their local community. I would encourage people who have never engaged in a direct way in biodiversity, as well as enthusiasts, to attend some of the events and find out about the nature in their local areas,” Mayor of Kilrush Ian Lynch commented.