Tullamore Lions Club to outline peatland conservation efforts

Next week, at Esker Arts Centre in Tullamore, Offaly Climate and Biodiversity Action Group is hosting Tullamore Lions Club which will give a presentation about its ongoing peatland conservation initiatives.

The event on Thursday, April 23, at 6pm, is free and all are welcome to attend.

Over the past three years the Tullamore Lions Club group has done extensive work at Clonbeale More Bog in South Offaly.

Bogs hold a special place in the hearts of Offaly people, with deep tradition and heritage of keeping us warm while also historically being the driving force behind the economic development of the Midlands.

There is no doubt that local communities feel deeply connected with our peatland surroundings.

The past decade has seen big changes to Offaly's peatland landscape with industrial extraction ceasing; a big change for communities who have worked them for generations.

The black appearance of many bogs is fading while pioneering species such as downy birch, heather, bog cotton and sphagnum mosses begin to grow again.

Not only are bogs and wetlands havens for biodiversity but also play a vital role in mitigating against floods. When bogs are let function naturally they greatly slow down the flow of water and can help reduce flooding in storm events such as those we've seen around the country in recent months.

Bogs also play an important role in storing carbon. With our changing climate, sustainability and carbon reduction are central to future planning. It is important we turn drained and unusable bogs from being carbon emitters to being carbon sinks. In their natural state bogs are very effective at storing carbon.

Offaly's county flower the pretty pink/white Bog Rosemary is just one of the many plants and animals which depend upon peatlands to survive. Most of us know this wonderful plant from being on the Offaly crest.

"Spring is a time of new growth and a time where many of us look forward with optimism to the seasons ahead," said Offaly Climate and Biodiversity Action Group.

"One such reason to be hopeful is the wonderful work Tullamore Lions Club have been doing over the past few years with their ongoing Peatland Conservation Initiatives.

"They are leading by example and showing how a community group can lead an environmental restoration project focused on bringing a damaged bog back to being a healthy, functioning ecosystem."

People can come along on April 23 to find out about peatland restoration in general or to learn in more detail from the experience of how Tullamore Lions Club developed their project and made progress.

To find out more information about the ongoing initiative see: www.tullamorelionsclub.com.

See eventbrite to register for this free event on April 23, or if you wish to view the event live online, email: offalyclimateandbio@outlook.com