IWT Christmas outing

The Irish Wildlife Trust’s Christmas  walk and social takes place next Sunday December 16th  starting at 2 pm from the main car park at Woodstown.  We will walk to Creadan ( Fornaught) Strand and from there to the Giant’s Grave ( the Neolithic Passage grave at Harristown) along a section of the legendary Bóthar na mBan Gorm and by road back to Woodstown.  The walk is about 2½ hours and will be energetic in places.  The Bóthar is badly rutted near the Grave  and uneven in other places so strollers are not recommended..   But there is an option of a shorter route suitable for strollers.   Otherwise it is a family friendly event full of interest for all ages.  Afterwards there will be an informal Christmas get -together in a local hostelry and we would love to meet and chat with  members and friends 
and the general public  there.   

Coastwatch 2012

Cliff slumping near Raheen bridge

Catching crabs using recyled tyres at Fornaght Bay

Worms that think they are Coral dwellers at Newtown head

Washed up...not the blogger, the oyster bed remnants

Oyster beds at Woodstown

Some pix from Curraghmore taken during Heritage week

well worth a visit when the open their gates to the public officially.

Saving our Wetlands

The Irish Wildlife Trust and Waterford County Council co-sponsor  two events this week.  On Wednesday September 26   at 8.15 pm,  the co-chairs of the  of the Irish Ramsar Wetlands Committee, Olivia Crowe and Tadhg O’Mahony,  will facilitate presentations by members of the Committee.  The  event is entitled Saving our Wetlands  – The Role of the  Irish  Ramsar Wetlands Committee.   This talk will take place at the Edmund  Rice Centre, Barrack St Waterford and starts at 8.15 pm.  Admission free and all are welcome. 

 The following day, Thursday September 27,  there will be a conference entitled The Value Of Wetlands.  The opening address wil be given by Eamon de Buitleir.  Venue for this is the Education Centre Dunhill   (Dunhill Enterprise Park near the GAA field).  Registration takes place at 8.45 am and the conference begins at 9 am.  Fee is €35/€25 concessions and lunch is included.  Field trips to Fenor Bog and the Dunhill Wetlands included.  All welcome to these major events in the story of Irish Wetlands.

September Outing to Cuffs Grange

Highbank Organic Farm at Cuffs Grange is our destination for the first outing of the new season on Sunday September 23rd. Meet at 3 p.m. This will be a two hour walk around and through this wonderful organic orchard and farm. The event will be led by the owners of the farm Rob and Julie and will be a real treat for all the family. Highbank Farm is just off the main Callan to Kilkenny road, about 4 miles south of Kilkenny. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to learn first hand about so many aspects of sustainable farming and land management. Telephone 051-382629 for further information and car pooling arrangements.

Dunmore East Walks Festival

The walks festival is on from May 18th to 20th. The pictures were taken today along part of the cliff walk.
For more information, check out www.dunmorewalks.com

Pictures from Cuffesgrange

Thanks to Rod for showing us around his Highbank farm...we look forward to drinking his alcohol free cider and putting apple syrup on our porridge. Look for them in Ardkeen stores in Waterford.

Bat workshop May 26th

Saturday May 26th

From Andrew Harrington, MISE Project :

Bat monitoring workshop on Saturday the 26th of May with Bat Conservation Ireland in the Ramada Hotel in Waterford.The workshop will be free but places are limited to thirty, so anyone interested will have to book a place. Anyone who’s interested can contact aharrington@waterfordcoco.ie or 086-4135544/051-395502 for queries and bookings.

We’re hoping that people who attend the workshop might also be interested in volunteering to help with bat monitoring surveys that Bat Conservation Ireland are running this summer. I’ll also be organising further workshops and surveys with BCIreland on bats over the summer, so I’ll keep you posted about those.

To celebrate International Biodiversity Day, the Mammals in a Sustainable Environment (MISE) Project and Waterford County Council are organising a talk on “Waterford’s Hidden Wildlife” at 7pm on Tuesday the 22nd of May in the Central Library, Dungarvan, Co. Waterford. This evening event is free and all are welcome.

For more details on the MISE project and forthcoming events, check out this link.

Dawn Chorus

Waterford IWT joins forces with the Cheekpoint and Faithlegg community on May 6th to experience once again the dawn chorus.  Meeting point in Cheekpoint is the Moorings Pub  at the west end of the village and the time is 4.30 am.  Leaders for this unforgettable experience are Alan Walsh of IWT and Andrew Harrington, MISE coordinator.  All welcome but please do not bring dogs. The route consists of woodland and open country and is suitable for all ages.  Tea and coffee available in the village after the walk which will take about 2.5  hours.

Cove to Cove along the Stradbally coast May 13th

The May outing of  the  Waterford Branch of the Irish Wildlife Trust takes place on Sunday May 13th at Stradbally,  Co Waterford.  The topics will include the ecology of the coves and the flora of roadside verges.  The walk begins at 2.30 and will take about 2.5 hours  and is suitable for all ages.  Dogs may be taken on the lead.   All welcome.  Directions:  From Waterford follow the main Cork Road past the Kilmacthomas exit.  The signposted exit for Stradbally is about 2 miles past the Kilmacthomas exit.  Go through the village to Stradbally Cove where there is good parking.

Seaweed workshop April 14th

On Saturday, April 14th, 2 local IWT members will lead a seaweed workshop at Clonea Strand Hotel near Dungarvan as part of the Waterford Festival of Food. Hilary and Marie, along with Grace, will do a 2 hour talk / demo / tasting session and beach walk on how to identify edible seaweeds and how to cook with them to make tasty and wholesome dishes and snacks. Booking is necessary for this event with the organisers ...click here   

Dunmore cliff walk April 15th

The Dunmore – Rathmoylan cliff walk is coming into its spring glory with the aroma of gorse and the brilliance of sea thrift and sea campion all around. The Irish Wildlife Trust Waterford invites  members and the general public to come along for its April outing on Sunday April 15.   This is a 2.5 hour walk  and apart from the descent and rise from Portally Cove and the rise from Rathmoylan Cove, the route is easy along prepared track or field edge.  Start time is 2.30 pm and meeting point is the Lifeboat House, Dunmore East.   A bus will do the return leg.  We visit the Kittiwake colony at the start of the walk and learn something of this interesting sea bird. The outing is family friendly but dogs must be kept on the lead.  Walk leader is Ray McGrath.

pix from Kilsheelan walk

Discover the secret lives of Jellyfish

‘Waterford Open Water’ presents A talk on the natural history of jellyfish


Date: Wednesday 14th March 2012

Time: 8 – 9 pm (45 min talk followed by open discussion)

Venue: Ramada Hotel, Waterford

Speaker: Dr Tom Doyle

This talk will provide a general introduction to jellyfish and their importance in coastal seas. The talk will discuss the different types of jellyfish in Irish waters (e.g. Moon, Portuguese Man-O-War), their life cycle (where do jellyfish go during the winter?), treatment/prevention of jellyfish stings (the pros and cons), their impacts on society (e.g. both positive and negative), and whether jellyfish are increasing with climate change or overfishing.

Dr Doyle is Ireland’s leading jellyfish expert. He has addressed the European Parliament on the rise of jellyfish, published his findings in international journals, and regularly speaks on national radio shows including Mooney Goes Wild, Morning Ireland, and Moncrieff. Tom is currently working on the EcoJel Project which is funded by the European Union Regional Development Fund (ERDF) under the Ireland Wales Programme 2007-2013 – INTERREG 4A. EcoJel is a collaboration between Swansea University (Wales) and University College Cork (Ireland). EcoJel aims to assess the opportunities and detrimental impacts of jellyfish in the Irish Sea.

All are welcome. The talk is free but please contact Colm Breathnach on info@waterfordopenwater.com so we can get an idea of numbers. Tea and coffee will be served.

March walk

The March walk of the Irish Wildlife Trust takes place next Sunday March 11th starting at 2.30 pm.  The Gurteens LePoer  estate   in Kilsheelan  is our destination.  The walk will take in river, farm, pond and woodland habitats and promises to be an absorbing  walk on one of the oldest and most interesting estate lands.   The walk will take about 2.5 hours. This is a family friendly outing on mostly flat terrain  but dogs should be kept on the lead at all times.  Meeting point is Kilsheelan, Co Tipperary at the car park on the left hand side of the road just past the motte and shrine.  Kilsheelan is about 45 minutes from Waterford on the Clonmel road.