Do your bit for Coleraine Borough’s biodiversity!
I am appealing to as many people as possible to get involved in the Coleraine Local Biodiversity Action Plan (LBAP) and do your bit for local biodiversity.
There are several ways you can get involved in the Coleraine LBAP project, either individually, or as a community group or organisation.
- Garden with wildlife in mind
We are running a Wildlife Gardening Competition in the Coleraine Borough to encourage people to 'make space for nature' in their gardens and also to find out where our most willdlife friendly gardens are in the Borough, the closing date is the 30th July 2008.
Click here for a registration form, or contact the the Biodiversity Officer.
Click here to find out more about wildlife gardening and the Ulster Wildlife Trust's 'Make Space for Nature' Campaign
- Record wildlife that you see
This is very important, as it helps determine what wildlife we have and monitor how species populations are performing locally. Please download, print off and fill in the species recording cards, but please note, we are interested in all species, not just the ones described in the cards. You can download birds, butterflies, wildflowers, mammals and invasive species recording cards. This information will help our local biodiversity action and will be fed into the national recording scheme CEDaR. - Volunteer to carry out practical conservation work or survey work
- Undertake a conservation project
If you are a constituted group, business or organisation, you could create your own biodiversity project and help to implement the Coleraine LBAP. - Help raise awareness of local biodiversity
If you are organising a local event that you would like me to attend, please get in touch. - Join the Coleraine LBAP Partnership
Twice a year, the Coleriane LBAP partnership meets to hear more about Coleraine Borough’s biodiversity and to help shape the action plan. All partnership meetings are advertised in the local press and will appear here in the latest news. If you want to join the partnership just email me at emma.mclaughlin@ulsterwildlifetrust.org with your contact details and I will inform you of the next meeting and any other events or news.
Cetacean strandings
An Atlantic white sided dolphin was stranded live at Downhill beach in July 07 and subsequently died, after an effort to refloat failed. The stranding record was passed onto Irish Whale and Dolphin Group (IWDG).
If you come across any live or dead stranded cetaceans, or sight cetaceans off the Coleraine Borough coast, please contact the IWDG www.iwdg.ie or contact Portrush Countryside Centre tel: 028 7082 3600, Jim Allen tel: 070347282 or Gary Burrows tel: 07968 190494.
For further information on reporting marine wildlife in Northern Ireland, please visit www.ehsni.gov.uk/biodiversity/hap_uk/coast/sightings_and_strandings.htm
Ancient Tree Hunt
Join the Woodland Trust in their Ancient Tree Hunt www.ancient-tree-hunt.org.uk and help find Coleraine Borough’s and Northern Ireland’s oldest and fattest trees, our ancient trees.
Past events
World Oceans Day
To celebrate World Oceans day (8th June) events are being held all over Northen Ireland, in the Coleraine Borough there will be a two day event at the Coastal Zone (7th and 8th), UWT will be attending sunday the 8th.
Also, Coleraine Borough Council are partnering with a local community group (Portballintrae Residents Association) to clean up Portballintrae Bay at 2pm on Saturday 7th June for World Ocean’s Day.
Community Tree Planting event 15th March 2008
In partnership with Forest Service and Conservation Volunteers the Coleraine LBAP held a tree planting event at Castleroe Wood, attended by over 40 people. A mixture of trees including native oak trees were planted as part of the plans to create oak woodland, one of our priority habitats in Northern Ireland.
3rd Coleraine LBAP Partnership meeting
2pm Saturday 9th February at Peter Thompson Hal, Castlerock followed by a walk and talk by Petra Hermann, North District Forest Guide and chance to hug Ireland’s largest Sitka spruce the method used to age trees. MARINE DAY
Sunday 12th August 12noon - 6pm at Portrush ‘Coastal Zone’ (formerly Countryside Centre). A celebration of Marine week in partnership with EHS and Ulster Wildlife Trust. It was a busy and bustling day with many people attending. The day included whale, dolphin and seal watching, birdwatching, rockpool rambles, and marine craft workshops and great entertainment. The 2nd Coleraine Biodiversity Partnership Meeting
-Saturday 18th August, 2pm, Glenullin Resource Centre, Glenullin, Garvagh. Saturday 4th August, FIDOS FAMILY FUN DAY 1pm - 4pm at Rugby Avenue, Coleraine.
At this event, I talked to families about local biodiversity and how they can helplocal biodiversity.I took part in two events in June - THE COLERAINE SHOW, 9th June at the Coleraine Show Grounds and RIVERFEST with the Biodiversity Puppet show 10th June at Christie Park. They were both successful days. I talked to various people about the LBAP project and how they can help local biodiversity through gardening for wildlife.
Saturday 27th January was the FIRST COLERAINE LBAP PARTNERSHIP MEETING held in Portrush Town Hall to coincide with RSPB “Big Garden Bird Watch”. We had a great turn out, filling the hall with 30 people.
I have also given a number of talks to different groups in the Borough on 'Biodiversity', 'Gardening for Wildlife and the 'Coleraine LBAP project'.
