This article is from page 35 of the 2008-09-23 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 35 JPG
THE sand-dunes in Fanore will be the setting for a community nature day out this Saturday, September 27.
The free guided walk will be given wildlife expert John Murphy from the Clare branch of Birdwatch Ire- land and has been organised by the Burren Connect Project.
The project, which began last year, aims to deliver a co-ordinated ap- proach to environmental protection and visitor management in the Bur- ren area.
“We will be hosting a walk around the dunes on Fanore beach. John
Murphy will lead the walk and he will explore the unique environ- ment that is up there and hopefully we will see some of the wildlife that JTAtCorses DOME DOCG Ur: e000 s(C GN NOL omOLUDSlercmMMmy-nTG| Edel Hayes of the Burren Connect Project.
“The walk is really open to anyone from the local community who is interested in nature and wildlife and would like to find out more about the habitat up there in Fanore.
“One of our aims is to protect the dunes in Fanore and make sure that they survive as a protected area. A lot of people don’t realise that they are a protected area and home to
some rare wildlife.
“We first want to protect the special grasses in the dunes and that will en- Sure a Safe environment for the birds and other animals that live there,’ added Ms Hayes.
The Burren Connect Project will also host a series of night classes be- ginning in October.
The free classes are open to anyone from the north Clare area and will focus on the wide range of biodiver- sity found in the area of Fanore.
“Our aim is really to give people a little bit more information about the wildlife that is right there on their doorsteps.
‘We want to work alongside the lo- cal people, to let them know what we are about and to help to provide them with as much information about their local environment as we can,’ con- tinued Ms Hynes.
The guided walk begins this Sat- urday at lam from the car park at Fanore beach. The night classes will commence on Thursday, October 9 and run until October 23.
Classes will take place in the na- tional school at Fanore and com- mence each evening at 8pm.
For more information see the par- ish newsletter or visit www.burren- Toys batse Ie