Join the Community Wetlands Forum and Newtownforbes Tidy Towns for a wetland walk and talk to celebrate World Wetlands Day. We are delighted to be hosting a wetland walk and talk in Newtownforbes on Saturday 3 February, meeting at 11am at Clonguish GAA Club in Newtownforbes.

We will hear about the efforts of the local community to develop and manage the walking trail, which provides a chance to connect with a variety of local wetland types. You will also hear about what other groups are doing to promote and protect wetlands in their communities from the Community Wetlands Forum Development Officer, Mícheál Callaghan. This event is a precursor to a webinar series that the CWF will be running in the spring around how to develop and manage a community wetland walk.

Register here in advance. Please dress appropriately for the outdoors. If you have any questions about the event please email development@communitywetlandsforum.ie

Join us, the Community Wetlands Forum on 1 February at 7:30pm, the eve of World Wetlands Day, for the launch of our new webinar series “Creativity for the Wetlands: Art connecting people and wetlands”.

We are delighted that award-winning nature photographer Tina Claffey, who is renowned for her mesmerising work on peatlands, will kick off this series, with a talk and presentation about her work. The webinar which lasts an hour, will also provide attendees with a chance to ask questions and respond to the presentation.

Tina Claffey, a member of the CWF, is an award-winning Irish nature photographer and author of ‘Tapestry of Light-Ireland’s bogs & wetlands as never seen before’ released in October 2017, and  ‘Portal-Otherworldly Wonders of Ireland’s Bogs, Wetlands and Eskers’ in 2022. Her observations and unique perspective through her macro lens of the flora and fauna of the raised bogs and wet woodlands of the Irish midlands are celebrated in her work.

This webinar series is an opportunity for anyone interested in wetlands and community-led projects to hear from artists about how their work connects people with wetlands and their importance. Art can be a fantastic way to engage, inspire and move in ways that traditional media and activism don’t always achieve.

This webinar series will hear from a different artist every fortnight, at 7:30pm on a Thursday evening, and so far the confirmed line up is as follows:

• 1 February, Tina Claffey
• 14 February, Fionnuala McKenna, Cloughjordan Community Development – Voices from the Past, Breathe Loudly
• 29 February, Kate Flood, Monica De Bath & Jules Michael – Gnáthóga Nádurtha
• 14 March, Helen Flanagan, Friends of Ardee Bog
• 28 March, Community Wetlands Forum Open Mic

These webinars will be on zoom, and you can register for the first webinar here

Clare County Council’s Biodiversity Officer will be partnering with Wetland Surveys Ireland and the Community Wetlands Forum for a 1-hour online webinar to celebrate World Wetlands Day.

This year’s theme is ‘Wetlands and Human Wellbeing’. The online webinar will be held on Thursday, 1^st of February 2024 from 7:30-8:30 pm.

In 2022 and 2023, Clare County Council commissioned Wetland Surveys Ireland to undertake a desktop and field survey exercise of wetland sites in Co. Clare. Wetlands are one of the most important natural resources, not just for biodiversity, but also for the ecological services wetlands provide, such as purification of drinking water, carbon sequestration and storage and flood attenuation.

The first part of the talk will be given by Wetland Surveys Ireland, who will discuss the County Clare Wetland Survey Project and the valuable contributions of wetland ecosystems. The second part of the online webinar will be delivered by Dr Kate Flood of the Community Wetlands Forum. Kate’s presentation will cover the social and cultural relationships that exist between communities and their local wetlands/peatlands, ecosystem services of wetlands and how wetlands can influence well-being. Kate will also cover community mapping projects. An introduction will be given by Clare County Council’s Biodiversity Officer Barry O’Loughlin.

To register for the online webinar and book your place, please email Barry O’Loughlin at boloughlin@clarecoco.ie

BTO Northern Ireland are marking WWD by holding a birdwatching walk on the shores of Lough Neagh. This is a great opportunity to enjoy the mental health benefits of getting out into nature and spotting birds on the way - perfectly aligned to the well-being theme of WWD 2024.

Join BTO's Engagement Co-ordinator in NI, Jemma, to see how many birds species you can see on this important (and massive) wetland along the Antrim Lough shore.

Sign up by visiting: bit.ly/BTONIWetlandsWalk

The maximum group size if 30 people and booking is ESSENTIAL.

Explore the waterbirds of the Boyne Estuary to celebrate World Wetlands Day! The local BirdWatch Ireland (Meath) Branch will run a guided birdwatching event at the Boyne Estuary on Saturday 3^rd February 2024.

Those who wish to attend should meet at Maiden Tower, Mornington, Co. Meath at 2pm - Google Maps: https://maps.app.goo.gl/82ybcUBBAa2WjspT9

Please dress appropriately for the winter conditions (suitable footwear and warm, protective clothing) for several hours outdoors.

Interested in the River Boyne's woodlands? We'd love to welcome you to a presentation on "The Boyne's Lost Floodplain Woodlands". Booking is essential via this link: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/the-boynes-lost-floodplain-woodlands-tickets-798354027387?aff=ebdshpsearchautocomplete 

The event is organised by Boyne Rivers Trust & Meath County Council and we'd love to see you there, celebrating the rich woodland/wetland heritage of the county.

A different event at a very cool place in celebration of World Wetlands Day. The Heritage Council are launching the 2^nd edition of ‘A Guide to the Habitats of Ireland’, at Lough Boora Discovery Park, Offaly from 10:00 on the 2^nd of February, there will be an official launch, followed by a walk ‘n talk down to the bird hides. All welcome.

Please meet up at 10:00 at the car park and join the assembled crowd to celebrate the launch of this important book and take in the sights and sounds of the lovely Lough Boora!

We are delighted to  invite you to visit Pollardstown Fen, Newbridge, Kildare for a walk hosted by the National Parks and Wildlife Service. Local Conservation Ranger Killian Brennan welcomes peatland hydrology/ecology experts – Paul Johnston (Trinity College) and  Kathy Duff (Ecologist) - for a walk and talk on this unique wetland site.

Pollardstown fen is the largest spring-fed fen in Ireland and has a well-developed and specialised flora and fauna. Owing to the rarity of this habitat and the numbers of rare organisms found there, the site is rated of international importance.

The walk will take approximately two hours and is mostly on the boardwalk. We recommend that you dress appropriately for the time of year. Waterproof footwear is also highly recommended as we may access parts of the fen adjacent to the boardwalk.

Please contact Killian.brennan@npws.gov.ie if you are going to attend on the day so we have an idea of numbers. Meeting at the carpark in Pollardstown Fen, 53.183600, -6.8457752.

We’d love to see you visit Lough Ennell on Saturday 3^rd February to celebrate with us World Wetlands Day to raise global awareness about the vital role of wetlands for people and our planet.

The walk and talk will be led by two local experts – George Smith (Botanist) and Gordon Wycherley (Birdwatch Westmeath).

Lough Ennell is an important site for nature conservation in Westmeath and is designated a Special Area of Conservation, a Special Protection Area and a Ramsar Site. Lough Ennell is a haven for wildlife and the lake and fringing wetland habitats support a great biodiversity.

Meeting point: Lilliput Car Park 53°26'51.3"N 7°26'06.0"W

The walk will take 2 hours depending on the weather and you should dress appropriately for conditions! Walk distances will be short and the walking will not be strenuous, but if feasible we may venture off the track and if we do you should wear suitable waterproofs and footwear!