A free family-fun roadshow will take place on Grattan Beach this Saturday as part of a campaign to raise awareness of sand dunes and their role as secret superheroes against storms and climate change.
This event, taking place from 10am to 1pm, is organised by the Climate Action Regional Office (CARO ) Atlantic Seaboard North and partners, as part of the Protect Our Dunes campaign. The roadshow will feature seashore safaris, sandcastle building, and more as part of the awareness raising campaign.
“This event is a great chance to learn and have fun on one of our amazing city beaches in Galway," said Paula Kearney, biodiversity officer with Galway City Council. "We’ll have an environmental walk and talk, led by Leave No Trace, where people will have a chance to discover hidden treasures on the shore, including rock pools and sand dunes, and a sandcastle activity with a twist – we’ll be building sandcastles with their own dunes to protect them.
"Grattan Beach is part of a really important pilot ‘living lab' where we are testing nature-based solutions to manage the dunes," she added. "Visitors to the beach will see new sand fencing, which was installed this summer, and will also be seeing the start of new dunes forming. Healthy sand dunes support habitats and birds such as the meadow pipit and the oyster catcher, while also protecting Grattan Road from coastal flooding and erosion.”
The Grattan Beach roadshow is part of a wider campaign coordinated by the Climate Action Regional Offices to highlight the importance and fragility of sand dune systems, both as natural coastal protection and as important habitats.
Despite dunes being tough enough to protect us from coastal storms, dune grasses and plants are very fragile, and can be damaged by trampling, sliding down the dune face, wild camping and campfires, sports training, and roaming dogs.
As part of the Protect Our Dunes campaign, beach visitors are reminded to play their part in protecting dunes by keeping to designated pathways and camping areas, keeping dogs on a leash, and watching wildlife from a distance.
The campaign builds on the work of previous years under the #ProtectOurDunes initiative to raise awareness and understanding of the importance of our sand dune ecosystem.
Read more about Protect our Dunes at www.leavenotraceireland.org/caro-sand-dunes/ Register for Saturday's roadshow online at www.GalwayCity.ie/GrattanBeach
