This article is from page 34 of the 2007-03-20 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 34 JPG
CONCERNS over the poor state of a section of land in Shannon have prompted a group of locals to set up a campaign to restore it.
The wetland, behind the play- ground and the leisure centre in the town, has been targeted by people who have dumped garden waste and industry waste there, over the years. During this time, its condition has deteriorated and locals want to re- store it to its former condition.
They believe that the dumping has resulted in the original species being Web usrsIKealsrem
The Shannon Town Wetland Group says that the waste being dumped
on the site brings in evasive plants, which may disturb the natural bal- ance. The group was set up last year, under the Clare Biodiversity Project, and its aim is to encourage people from Shannon to support it. A grant of €4,720 has been allocated by the Heritage Council to the group, to help with the restoration process.
Secretary of the group, Edith van Burgh said a major clean-up will take place next month. The Wetland Group has just a few members and locals are being encouraged to get involved in this.
“We want to give the original flora and fauna – many species of birds and insects – of the wetlands a chance. We want to get rid of the pine trees
and to give the original trees – elder and willow trees – a chance. We have started a bit of the preparations. The nesting season is approaching, so we did not want to disturb too much, but there will be a big clean-up in April. It would be good if volunteers got in- volved. It will be a big job. We hope to have it finished before the end of the year,’ she said.
“We will try and keep it clean and make people aware how valuable this piece of land is. There are very interesting species living these, like foxes and snipes and we want to make sure they have a place to live. We also want to keep the landscape and species for the next generation,’ she said.
Ms van Burgh, a native of The Netherlands, is mindful of the 1m- portance of preserving nature. She is a former Biology teacher and taught Environmental Science in her native country, prior to moving to Shannon last year. She is hopeful that the re- percussions of the project will last for a long time to come.
“We want to put up signs that it is against the law and also to explain why we don’t want this happening,” she said.
She is also hoping to encourage the schools in Shannon to get involved in the project.
“T am planning to visit the schools, to highlight the importance of land- scapes,’ she said.