Friends of Merlin Woods brings a whole host of activities to the woodlands of Merlin Woods for Heritage Week 2023.
Awareness of our natural habitats, and the needs of our local wildlife is beneficial for our local communities. It is a fantastic opportunity for people to learn about a wide variety of species through walks/talks and hands on workshops . The sense of place and knowledge of our history is all part of Heritage Week here in the woodlands Dry Stonewalling workshops run over the summer months as part of the Community Heritage Scheme project funded through the Heritage Council of Ireland .and ere is a chance to participate in this project during Heritage week. Registration through Eventbrite.
Sun 13 th August 1pm-3pm Butterflies and Nature walk/talk of Merlin Woods with Colin Stanley Get up close and personal to some of our smallest wildlife species , learn how to id some of our local butterflies, dragonflies, bumblebees and more , learn about the foodplants in our wildlife habitats and more.
Mon 14 th August 9pm-11pm Bat walk/talk with Caitriona Carlin Galway Bat Group and Bat Conservation Ireland . Learn all about our Irish bats, enjoy a nighttime walk through the woodlands exploring the habitats of our bat species and listening to the calls they make through the bat detectors if conditions allow on the night.
Tues 15 th August 7-8pm Sustainability in the Garden with Caroline Stanley. Learn how Merlin Woods Community Garden work to reuse, reduce waste, work with natural materials, and grow with nature and take home some ideas for your own garden.
Wed 16 th August 7-8.30pm Clearing Invasive Garden Species Merlin Woods with FoMW. Garden plants are lovely but not when they encroach and become competitive in our natural wild habitats, join us in removing some of these which are becoming detrimental to some of our important wild spaces within the woodlands.
Thursday 17 th August 7-8.30pm Exploring Mammals of Merlin Woods with Galway City Biodiversity Officer Paula Kearney. Find out about a variety of species living in Merlin Woods, look for signs, trails and tracks and the need to protect habitats and wildlife connections .
Sat 19 th August /Sun 20th August 10am-4pm Dry Stonewall workshops run over two days led by expert Fergus Packman who has worked on the Merlin Woods Heritage Conservation and Woodland Coppicing Project with Friends of Merlin Woods since 2017 with support from Galway City Council .To participate booking essential through Eventbrite. Over18s only. People are also invited to come along, observe the work from a safe distance and find out more about the project over the two days.
All events are free and booking only required for Dry Stonewalling workshops which has limited spaces per day . Meeting point for all events is Merlin Woods Community Garden, off Doughiska rd., Galway. Please wear appropriate clothing and footwear as paths may be unstable.
More info from [email protected]
