TRALEE Rowing Club is celebrating biodiversity in Tralee for Biodiversity Week with an event on Sunday, May 19 at the Tralee Bay Wetlands Centre.

People are invited to drop in from 11am -1pm and meet community groups, agencies and enterprises involved in biodiversity conservation and learn the art of willow weaving or join them in the afternoon for activities and guided walks.

Tralee Rowing Club is currently running its Biodiversity Awareness Implementation Project funded by Community Foundation Ireland.

Continued below…

This project arose out work undertaken by Dr Noel Mulligan, Ecologist on the Tralee Ship Canal and the amenity that Kerry County Council has developed over recent years since the canal was restored in the late 1990’s and early 2000’s.

Tralee Rowing Club’s Community Biodiversity Action Plan – Gateway to Biodiversity was also funded by Community Foundation Ireland.

It was clear from the research undertaken in developing the plan that there is a wealth of biodiversity that needs to be protected and needs to be promoted.

The 3km long canal and its adjacent pathway has some interesting and very accessible ecology. In addition, the canal lies within and is surrounded by important wildlife sites including five Special Areas of Conservation, three Special Protection Areas and two Nature Reserves.

All of this wildlife and perhaps one of the finest public walking, cycling and running amenities in the wider region makes the Tralee Ship Canal the gateway to biodiversity and to Kerry the wildlife kingdom.

In addition to guided walks to areas of biodiversity Interest, the Tralee Rowing Club project involves a radio programme to be recorded and aired in the autumn on the theme of Biodiversity. The centre piece of the project is the upcoming Biodiversity Showcase Event that is being run on 19th May at the Tralee Bay Wetland Centre.

The Biodiversity Showcase Event is being jointly run by Tralee Rowing Club in partnership with Kerry Co Co Biodiversity Office. It is one of the many events and activities being run in Kerry as part of the Biodiversity Week 2024 running from 17th to 26th May.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………