Ashbourne Biodiversity week kicks off tomorrow

The first Ashbourne Biodiversity week kicks off tomorrow with the aim of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and creating a carbon neutral economy by 2050.

A host of events have been planned as part of the initiative including informative talks, art competitions, nature walks, horticulture classes and visits from heritage experts among many more.

A spokesperson for the week long environmental week said:

"Over the past 50 plus years we have been losing species of birds, insects, aquatic life, moths, plants and mammals at an exponential rate, the aim of this week’s events is to inform and empower the community in this time of crisis.

"Everyone can play their part and even the simplest of lifestyle changes can make a big impact locally. The weeks events are based around the publication of our Townwide Biodiversity report commissioned with the aid of Leader funding."

Schedule

The week’s events start this Thursday morning Sept. 29th and include awareness around the 17 Sustainable Development Goals as well as visits from heritage experts to all 6 primary schools in the town from the “Heritage in Schools” program, with visits covering the Green School's 'Biodiversity' theme.

Secondary schools will be involved in public awareness campaigns and at 6.30pm the annual tidy towns and river management plans will be publicly discussed.

On Friday 30th at 3pm, Inland Fisheries Ireland will be sampling the river Broadmeadow, kick samples will be available at our outdoor Amphitheatre with public participation allowing people, young and old see the rich but delicate life beneath and surrounding our river catchment area. That evening, at 6pm, an art competition will be unveiled under the topic Biodiversity and the Climate Crisis in the Toradh gallery. At 7pm Billy Flynn will present our new biodiversity plan with a dedicated Q&A session.

Saturday Oct. 1st is a family fun day with lots of activities in the library and further afield. At 10am adults only can enjoy Aoife Munn as she shares her horticultural expertise on sustainable gardening peat free compost, making your own biodegradable pots. There will also be an opportunity to share and exchange seeds with other enthusiasts. Ciara Hinksman will host hours of adventure from 11am as she introduces her outdoor Forest school ethos, children must be accompanied by an adult!

Meanwhile at 1.15 walkers are on the march to Cornstown house an organic farm just 4kms from Ashbourne, at 1.30pm cycling enthusiasts will follow and both groups will tour the 2km trails around this wonderful working family enterprise on a guided tour with Fionnula Gryson. At 2pm we have a special treat as Dale Threadwell brings his pollinator roadshow to the library, this is guaranteed to be some buzz!

On Sunday October 2nd at 9am our annual river clean will take place followed by a “Leave no trace” picnic at 11.30am. Tim Sullivan will take a tip along the river as we check moth traps set the night before and learn about the species living along the watercourse. A specially organised visit to Dunsany Castle and nature reserve leaves Ashbourne at 1.15pm with public transport being provided. This is a ticket only with booking details on Eventbrite and limited to 30 people.

At 5pm, the latest addition to our river walk will be explored by nature enthusiast Elizabeth. This section has rewilded itself and is a rare treat to have someone with Elizabeth’s in-depth knowledge explain the flora hidden inside.

On Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, there will be further visits to schools as well as meetings organised with the Ashbourne Lions club as they begin their Clean Cup Campaign and the Ashbourne Sustainable Energy Community or SEC widen their scope, welcoming more enthusiasts to the SEAI network. The winners of the art competition will also be announced.

All details of events will be posted on the Ashbourne Tidy Towns facebook page with timetables and booking details there and at the library in Ashbourne. Everyone is welcome.