Blog Archives

Gordon Buchanan Lost Adventures

Posted on by Wexford Tidy Towns

Here is an upcoming event that may be of interest to some of the Tidy Town volunteers:

AN EVENING WITH ONE OF WILDLIFE TV’S GREATS GORDON BUCHANAN

8:00pm | Monday 17th November | St Michael’s Theatre, New Ross | Tickets: €15 / €13
See St. Michael’s Theatre website for more details and bookings for this event.

Irish audiences will get a view into the life of a wildlife adventurer this autumn as Gordon Buchanan, the acclaimed cameraman and presenter, embarks on a tour of Ireland, with a show in New Ross on the 17th November. Gordon, who shot and presented the hugely popular BBC nature programmes Winterwatch, The Lost Land, The Polar Bear Family And Me and award-winning The Bear Family And Me, will talk to audiences around Ireland about his incredible experiences with some of the world’s most fearsome and majestic animals.

Gordon will delve into his 20 years’ of globe-trotting adventures, illustrated with his own film footage and photography, to tell tales of his encounters with weird, wild and wonderful wildlife. With a reputation for relishing dangerous and tough assignments, his stories of challenging expeditions make for a thrilling evening. Hailing from the Isle of Mull in western Scotland, Gordon has worked in wildlife documentaries for the past 20 years and is passionate about raising awareness about the world’s endangered species and habitats. He has led expeditions around the globe to places as diverse as South America, Asia, Africa, Papua New Guinea, Russia and Alaska.

Gordon last visited Ireland in 2012 filming humpback whales and dolphins of the coast of Cork and is excited about his return this November. He said: ”I can’t wait to meet wildlife lovers around Ireland and share insights into the amazing creatures that we share our planet with.”

Posted in Biodiversity, Events, Tidy Towns News

Seminar: Community Owned Energy Production

Posted on by Wexford Tidy Towns

Our Wexford Tidy Towns volunteers might be interested in the following seminar. The Society for Co-operative Studies in Ireland is delighted to announce its South-East regional seminar: Co-op power – Opportunities for Community Owned Energy Production in Ireland. This takes place on Thursday 23rd October 7pm – 9.30pm in the Presentation Centre, Nunnery Road, Enniscorthy. This seminar on practical ways that communities can generate renewable energy with Speakers from community renewable energy projects in Ireland. There is no charge but places are limited. To reserve your place, email Donal Traynor on donaltraynor@ucitltd.com

Co-op power – Opportunities for community-owned energy production in Ireland

Posted in Biodiversity, Events, Tidy Towns News

Love Redmond Park Planting

Posted on by Wexford Tidy Towns

Well done to Love Redmond Park who have done a recent spot of gardening getting ready for Spring next year. All going well, by late Spring they will have a brilliant splash of colour just inside the park railings of Redmond Park, at the town end. The flowers and herbs they have chosen, largely perennial, should ensure that there are beautiful colours and scents there from Spring right though to late Autumn. There is Helenium, Lupinus ‘Gallery Rose Shades’, Chamomile, Salvia nemorosa Ostfriesland, Digitalis purpurea Dalmation F1 Purple, Anemone x hybrida (Japanese Anemone).

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This is sure to attract loads of bees and butterflies. Thanks to our green-fingered colleague Marie of Wexford Tidy Towns for all her expertise and hard work. Thanks also to the Council for their ongoing support. They were then ready to renew their pledge and support the Let’s Bee Friendly campaign Wexford Tidy Towns ongoing Biodiversity Campaign. Check out their recent pledge and make your own pledge to the “Let’s Bee Friendly” Campaign. Thank you to all our supporters this year, please keep pledging. We want to have Wexford buzzing with even more bees next year!

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Posted in Biodiversity, Tidy Towns Competition, Tidy Towns News

Biodiversity Committee – Identifying Invasive Species

Posted on by Wexford Tidy Towns

One of the aims of the Biodiversity Committee of Wexford Tidy Towns is to identify areas where invasive species are present and report them so that these areas can be mapped. Knowing where these unwelcome visitors are and mapping them is the first step in their eradication. We know we have a problem in Co Wexford with Japanese Knotweed and Himalayan Balsam.

Japanese Knotweed is something you really do not want in your garden as it can really take over, even causing structural damage. Getting rid of it is not easy especially if you go about it the wrong way. Here is what the Biodiversity Ireland website says about it:

Key identification features: Japanese Knotweed is a herbaceous perennial plant with hollow bamboo-like stems that are speckled red. Grows to 3m in height. Leaves are 10-15cm long and up to 13cm wide, are shield shaped with a flat base and are arranged along zig-zag stems. Roots are bright orange inside. Flowers are very small, white, grouped and hanging. Flowering from July to October. It dies back in winter leaving dead stems. Can be confused with other non-native knotweed species.

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Japanese Knotweed

Himalayan Balsam you can see this along water courses at various place around the county. This one also likes to take over, completely, any areas in which it takes hold.

Key identification features: Herbaceous annual plant with hollow brittle stems that are pink to red in colour in summer. It grows to 2m in height. Leaves are distinctive with finely serrated edges that can be red tinged and normally arranged in whorls of three. The flowers are ‘trumpet’ shaped and can vary in colour from white to pink to purple. It flowers from July to October. A distinctive feature is the seed capsule which explodes and ejects the seed when mature. Roots are shallow and plant is easily pulled from the ground.

Impatiens glandulifera
Himalayan Balsam

We all must play our part identifying areas in which these, and other alien species, are present. Down the line we may look at organising work parties to work at clearing affected areas.

Visit the National Biodiversity Centre to learn more.

We encourage you to use this online form to report any sightings of invasive species.

Posted in Biodiversity, Tidy Towns News

Green Dog Walker Campaign

Posted on by Wexford Tidy Towns

We are looking for some dog owners to join us on the Quay opposite the Bank of Ireland Offices at 10.30am Friday 26th September 2014 for the launch of Green Dog Walkers Campaign. Please come along and join us with your dogs or if you can’t make it on the day make a pledge to support this campaign.

The Green Dog Walker Campaign is a positive and pro-active way to encourage and support responsible dog ownership in Wexford. It aims to increase awareness of the problem of dog fouling which is among the most common forms of littering.

This is a campaign promoted and funded by the Environment Department of Wexford County Council, and supported by Borough District of Wexford, Wexford Tidy Towns, WSPCA, Visit Wexford.ie to combat the dog fouling in Wexford Town through public pledges, the local papers, facebook and South East Radio.

If you are a dog owner please come along with your dog and make a pledge to be a responsible dog owner, if you are not a dog owner we would welcome your support. When you sign up to the scheme we will send you a complimentary Green Dog-Walkers high-vis vest, Green Dog-Walkers armband and a ‘doggie bone’ poop-bag dispenser with a roll of bags.

By signing up you have ‘Taken the Pledge’ to always clean up after your dog, to carry extra doggie bags and to gladly give others a bag for their dog if they ask for one. By wearing the green armband you are indicating that you are a responsible dog–owner participating in and supporting the scheme.

Join our Green Dog Walkers campaign today by signing the pledge and together we can reduce dog-fouling in our community.

Dog walkers can take the pledge by signing the form Green Dog Walkers Leaflet and returning it to Environment Section, Wexford County Council, Carricklawn, Wexford.

Download the application form here Green Dog Walker Leaflet
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Posted in Biodiversity, Cleanups, Events, Tidy Towns Competition, Tidy Towns News

Let’s Bee Friendly in Wexford

Posted on by Wexford Tidy Towns

Wexford Tidy Towns “Let’s Bee Friendly” biodiversity campaign was launched this year by the biodiversity committee of Wexford Tidy Towns and supported by Wexford County Council as an action under the Wexford County Biodiversity Action Plan 2013-2018. The aim was to encourage everyone to keep under-threat pollinators like bees in mind when planting and looking after our gardens. Garden centres in Wexford have been encouraging shoppers to include bee-friendly flowers in their shopping basket. Learn more about how you can help from our gardening tips and pledge your support to the “Let’s Bee Friendly” campaign. We would love to hear about any actions you have taken to help the bees this summer by filling in the form on the “Let’s Bee Friendly” page.

Also have you seen any of the bee friendly flower around Wexford town they are looking great and help our buzzing little friends. Below is a small section of people involved in the campaign and some of the flowers you can find around the town.

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Wexford County Council have a great wild flower display growing at the entrance to their HQ.

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Wexford in Bloom helped provided lots of flowers around the town this Summer that both the people and bees enjoyed.

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The bee-friendly flowerbeds on 1798 Street were planted by workers from the Council, along with green-fingered volunteers from the Cornmarket Project.

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Wexford Creamery were one of the groups that sponsored a “bee friendly” flower bed which is located at Rocklands.

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This is one of the “Let’s Bee Friendly” posters which is located on the Quays in Wexford.

We thank everyone for their support to this important biodiversity campaign and encourage people to make a pledge on the “Let’s Bee Friendly” campaign page to let everyone know how you did or are helping our bees!

Posted in Biodiversity, Events, Tidy Towns News

August 2014 Events

Posted on by Wexford Tidy Towns

Some events that may be of interest to our followers:

Heritage week

National Heritage week is taking place from the 23rd – 31st August. There is plenty of events organised that week around Wexford including guided tours, nature walks, historical talks and much, much more. Check out the links to see what events are happening in Wexford this year.

Launch of National Heritage Week
Heritage Week – Wexford Events

GIY Wexford (Grow it Yourself)

On the third Monday night of every month a group of like-minded people keen to learn about growing their own food meet in the Riverbank House Hotel at 7.30pm in Wexford. The aim of the group is to get together and discuss and encourage each other in the task of growing their own food, learning to lead a healthier and more sustainable lifestyle. The group is a source of shared learning and some experienced growers. They have run the group since 2009 covering many topics and visited several places including a visit to Cloughjordan ECO Village. Learn some tips on growing and what to stock in your garden. Everyone is welcome, for more information and contact details click on the links below.

GIY Wexford (Grow it Yourself)
GIY – Wexford Town

Make a Pledge to Help the Bees

The Wexford Tidy Towns Biodiversity Committee are running a special campaign to help the bees. Pledge your support to this campaign by planting at some of the recommended pollinator friendly flowers in your garden or following some of the other gardening tips to help our bees. Email your pledge tobees@wexfordtidytowns.com or fill out the form on our campaign page to let us know how you are helping our bees.

 

Posted in Biodiversity, Events