Wexford Naturalists’ Field Club January Lecture may be of interest to some of our members. The first lecture of the year will be held on Friday 9th January 2015 8pm at The Pumphouse, Wexford Wildfowl Reserve. Non-members are welcome and admission is €5 including light refreshments. The topic will be:

Wildlife Conservation and the Community – From Barntown to Ballydesmond by Dr. Fran Igoe, Project Co-ordinator IRD Duhallow LIFE+ Project

The presentation will cover the following:

• Nature conservation options
• The importance of nature conservation
• A few recent examples of wildlife loss in Co Wexford
• A rural model for wildlife conservation – IRD Duhallow* LIFE project
• Developing the concept further and a new LIFE project that combines actions for the protection of birds of prey, the eradication of non-native invasive plant species and water quality improvement.

IRD Duhallow is a not for profit rural development company with the aim of improving the welfare of communities in Duhallow, Cork through generation of enterprise, social supports and voluntary initiatives.

You might ‘Bee’ interested to know, there will be a screening of Colony, the award-winning Irish feature documentary (co-directed by Ross McDonnell and Carter Gunn) on Wednesday October 29th 2014 at 1.15pm. Adults €3 and all accompanied children are FREE. This is an excellent chance to learn more about our Bees and the seriousness of Colony Collapse Disorder along with how this threatens our food supply.

The film is presented by Wexford Tidy Towns in association with Wexford Film Club and the Spiegeltent Festival. Wexford County Council is supporting the event through Wexford Tidy Towns “Let’s Bee Friendly” campaign. Learn more about how you can help our bees also 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 in the past or intend to do in the future to help the bees on the “Let’s Bee Friendly” page.

“This beautifully photographed film follows several American beekeepers over the course of two years, investigating the unexplainable phenomenon Colony Collapse Disorder which has seen a drop in almost a quarter of the number of bees in the United States, threatening the beekeeping industry and because agriculture depends on pollination, therefore threatening our food supplies.

At the heart of this film is the Seppi family, newcomers to the beekeeping world. As the Seppis face the collapse of their colony and the economy, tensions course through the family. The film manages to combine an urgent environmental issue with a gripping real-life family drama.

Colony premiering at the renowned Toronto International Film Festival Colony has been widely praised on the festival circuit, also winning the First Appearance Award at the Amsterdam International Documentary Film Festival and winning the Best Picture Award at the Anaheim Film Festival.” (Source: Irish Film Board)

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.”

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