2010 is a year to celebrate and the Irish Peatland Conservation Council will be at the core of the celebrations as it is the International Year of Biodiversity. It is a celebration of the enormous variety of all living things on earth and of the value of biodiversity in our lives.
The week beginning the 17th May will be one of intense activity at the Bog of Allen Nature Centre in which we are hoping the public will participate and enjoy.
Fancy a dirty midweek break! Join the IPCC in the Bog of Allen on Tuesday 18th and Wednesday 19th of May as we prepare to bring part of this rare habitat back to life. The project will involve volunteers in the growing of bog moss on bare patches of the bog where turf was left to dry in years gone by. The hard dried peat needs to removed from the bog surface and bog mosses need to be collected from a donor site for planting. The work will be undertaken from 10:30am until 4pm daily.
For those who enjoy a day out in the wild, why not join us on Sunday 23rd MAY 2010 for a talk on Identifying and Monitoring Irish Butterflies at the Bog of Allen Nature Centre in Lullymore, Co. Kildare. This will be followed by a walk to Lullymore West Bog, where visitors will have the chance to see the rare marsh fritillary butterfly on the wing.
These events are being run especially for International Year of Biodiversity 2010 which is sponsored by the Department of Environment, Heritage and Local Government and the Notice Nature Campaign (see www.noticenature.ie). The event is also supported by the Kildare County Council Festival Grants 2010.
Those interested in taking part in our dirty midweek break are invited to contact the IPCC to reserve their place on bogs@ipcc.ie or phone Tel 045 860133.