Water Heritage Workshops in Askeaton

Askeaton Ballysteen Natural Heritage is a new group that has been set up to raise awareness of the natural heritage of the locality and to implement projects to tackle issues facing it.

During Heritage Week the group hosted two water workshops in the community hall in Askeaton. The first workshop took place on Sunday 14th August which covered the water quality and biodiversity of the Deel Estuary and River as well as the pressures facing the Deel and potential solutions. This was followed by a practical field visit to the River Deel where participants learned how to identify water bugs that are used to determine water quality.

The second workshop took place on 21st August, Water Heritage Day. At this workshop the group launched their new booklet, ‘The Deel and Askeaton’, and gave participants a sneak peek at their video on the Deel which is still in development. A brainstorming session followed the launch where participants put their heads together to think of some ideas for future projects to benefit their local waterbodies. This activity yielded many great ideas that may be actioned by the group in the coming years such as control of invasive species and school workshops. The workshop was finished with a river walk in the town of Askeaton in the beautiful sunshine which included a demonstration of the groups recently installed rain garden planters designed to reduce stormwater overflow in the town.

The workshops were led by one of Askeaton Ballysteen Natural Heritage’s volunteer ecologists Mike O’ Connor. They were a great example of community-led conservation events with participants from different backgrounds in attendance such as anglers, tidy towns, swimmers, artists, ecologists, teachers and children! This meant that there was a huge amount of collective knowledge and input, making the workshops more of a conversation between community members united by a shared goal, than a lecture!

Askeaton Ballysteen Natural Heritage is made up of members from diverse backgrounds, all contributing in unique ways. If you are interested in joining the group, you can get in touch via social media or by sending an email to [email protected]