We kicked off our project planning with two sessions on 3rd & 4th February 2021. The South Longford group met on 3rd Feb and North Longford group met on 4th – all by Zoom of course.
There were plenty of ideas for projects, some under way or delayed by Covid and some for development.
- There were plenty of ideas for projects, some under way or delayed by Covid and some ready for development.
From our review of the two recent workshops. We suggest that the following fledgling project proposals emerge:
· Bog and River Walk – Lower River Camlin – river / bog ponds development / community awareness / integrated river and bankside development
· River Camlin – Citizen Science Project: Fish stock assessment / Fish passage / Monitoring of water quality (fauna and flora) / integrate fully with Camlin Quarter Project
· River Shannon (Lanesborough) and Lough Ree: Outdoor Pursuits Centre as a central hub – use this facility for community awareness / angling and boating projects / invasive species projects / citizen science training
· River Inny – Ballymahon to Centre Parcs: looped river walk / improve overall biodiversity / integrated river and bankside development / Interpretation boards
· Cloondara – canal development / community awareness / integrated canal and bankside development / Interpretation boards
· Lough Rinn – Community Awareness Programme / Citizen Science monitoring of the lough and the outflow to Lough Forbes / shore and boat based sampling of the lough / work with local anglers, rowing club & local community to improve the biological status of the lough
· Fallan River Project – Citizen Science river monitoring and development / community awareness / integrated river and bankside development / Interpretation boards
During the sessions lots of ideas and links to other projects were discusses and below find some of this material:
The wonderful Peatland Rehabilitation and Restoration video about Clara bog: http://irishwetlands.ie/ one of a series of upcoming wetland videos.
A project in progress near Mountbellew on a bog closed for turf cutting for 10 years.
Some examples of community wetland projects already funded in 2021.
Joan Martin forwarded the following:
Clondra is beside two established very important biodiversity habitats and may have some looped walks / eco-tourism potential Boora parklands has a flagship species they conserve the grey partridge
Lough Rinn/Forbes Complex –linked with the Fallan river https://www.npws.ie/protected-sites/sac/001818 and the Brown Bog SAC https://www.npws.ie/protected-sites/sac/002346
We discussed the upcoming biodiversity training programme that we hope will integrate well with the current community water management programme. check out the all-Ireland Pollinator Plan: https://pollinators.ie/communities/
For examples of a wide range of projects being undertaken in County Longford check out this link: https://www.longfordcoco.ie/services/regeneration/
Longford wants your feedback on the Camlin Quarter project: https://www.longfordcoco.ie/your-council/news/camlin-quarter-feedback-form.pdf
And a call for prioritisation of funding for the Camlin Quarter Regeneration Project: https://www.facebook.com/councillormichealcarrigy/videos/389144589085990
We are following the Mid Shannon Wilderness Park – Awareness Group on Twitter and of course Longford Green Earth.
On the IrishWetlands.ie website we note Glen Lough on the Longford/Westmeath border as one of only 45 RAMSAR sites in Ireland noted for its Whooper Swans and dabbling ducks.
Ken mentioned the video Wolves and Fish about the transformation of Yellowstone National Park following the reintroduction of wolves – a reminder of how inter-connected land, water and their species are. The wolves reshaped the rivers.
We discussed riparian woodlands and tree planting. This brochure Native Riparian Woodlands – describes the scheme aimed at planting trees along river corridors specifically for the protection of water resources: http://woodlandsofireland.com/sites/default/files/No.%204%20-%20Riparian%20Woodlands.pdf.
A more recent and wider ranging Management Guidelines for Native Woodlands is available at: http://woodlandsofireland.com/sites/default/files/No.%204%20-%20Riparian%20Woodlands.pdf
We discussed the Mulkear EIP – check out the brochure aimed at local farmers with lots of mitigation measures aimed at protecting water.
Here’s an example of a big community river clean-up on the Castlebar River in County Mayo. (2:34 min video on YouTube)
Remember that videos of the talks from the Webinar on 12 Dec discussing many community projects around the country were posted on YouTube. Links provided to participants separately.