On 26th November 2011 the local community of Loughmacrory enjoyed a wet and windy but fun filled afternoon on the banks of the Lough. The event was organised as part of the Loughmacrory Alive Project which is supported by the Big Lottery Fund and Omagh District Council. Many informative displays were on show at the Winter Fair including a biodiversity display by Omagh District Council and a discovery of the underwater world with NIEA. Other activities included Live ‘n’ deadly investigations, tree planting and bird box building with Conservation Volunteers NI and RSBP. Children taking part in the activities were awarded with freebies and education leaflets.

This event plays an important role in raising community awareness of the regional wildlife and habitats needing protection in particular the quality of local streams and rivers as demonstrated by NIEA. On the NIEA stand families could get up close to the life that lives in our rivers and streams and learn more about the effects of pollution on them. Water quizzes, mini-beast colouring in sheets and river word searches were available for children to take away.

If you are interested in organising a similar event with the support of NIEA please contact your NIEA Catchment Officer. For contact details in your area go now to http://www.doeni.gov.uk/niea/water-home/wfd/public_partic_3.htm

On 20th November 2011 volunteers from Loughs Agency, local canoe clubs and NIEA completed some challenging local litter clean ups of the Glenelly River at Cranagh and Clogherny Bridge. Strabane District Council supported the clean up by providing litter pickers, bin bags and facilitating disposal of the waste at local council facilities.

A large quantity of plastics both agricultural and domestic were retrieved from the river banks. A scooter, bottles, woollen jumpers, batteries, car tyre, exhaust pipe, electrical cable, scrap metals, wire fencing and window frames were all discovered in the river. These sites are used as a dump by fly tippers regardless of the recycling facility at the civic amenity site in Plumbridge.

This is a beautifully scenic area which is a very appealing resource for attracting walkers, canoeists and anglers to the area. The protection of this river environment by proper disposal of rubbish is a key element in the conservation of the area for future generations and the local economy.

Working together we can improve the river quality in this area and you can make a difference!

To get involved in Conserving the Glenelly e-mail:

NIEA: RiverBasinPlanning@doeni.gov.uk
Loughs Agency: general@loughs-agency.org
Canoe Association of Northern Ireland: office@cani.org.uk
Four Elements Adventure:info@4elementsni.com

Cloughey and District Community Association (CDCA) recently held another Sand Sculpture Day on 13 August 2011 on the beach at Cloughey.

Renowned Sand Sculpture Tony Hawkins with Tidy NI Patricia Magee judged the competitions for the best Sand Sculptures.

Mr Montgomery of Greyabbey Estates presented the Certificates to the winners.

Congratulations to all those who took part in the River Foyle Clean Up. The event was a great success with the following amounts of litter being collected:
· One trailer load of rubbish retrieved from the River by boats;
· One trailer load of rubbish retrieved from the mudflats (bikes, signage, scooters, over ten trolleys & ten cones); and
·One trailer load of rubbish retrieved from litter picking long the pedestrian and cycle path.
Well done to all those involved!

Pictured at the recent beach clean organised by Cloughey and District Community Association (CDCA) are CDCA Chair, Joanne Palmer (right) and Committee Member Dianne McIlveen who was recording the items found by the group.
The beach clean coincided with the announcement of the final results of the sea water quality of Cloughey Bay, tested throughout the summer months of 2011. Cloughey again, as last year, produced a complete set of ‘excellent’ water quality results.
CDCA won an NIEA Water Environment Community Award earlier this year.

Derry City Council, in partnership with Loughs Agency, Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA), H&J Martin and several local businesses (City Hotel, McDonald’s & Sainsbury’s), are encouraging the public to help clean up the city, when partners host a one off clean-up event along the River Foyle.

The clean-up will take place on Friday 16th September at two hot spots, from McDonalds’s to the Derry City Council offices and from the Foyleside Roundabout to opposite Prehen Boat House.

Siobhan Fitzgerald, Derry City Council’s Enforcement Officer said the clean-up is an excellent way of encouraging people to take pride in the city and assist in making the area cleaner and free from waste. “Derry City Council spent over £2 million in 2010 on street cleansing, but unfortunately some of the litter reaches the Foyle catchment by wind dispersal or deliberate illegal dumping. While we are continually educating people and encouraging them against indiscriminate dumping, we are hoping they will come out next week and help us clean up the local environment”.

Christine Doherty, Derry City Council’s Biodiversity Officer, added: ‘This pollution effects the water quality and habitat for a wide range of species, within Lough Foyle and River Foyle. The River Foyle is designated by the EU as a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and as an Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI) by the Department of the Environment Northern Ireland, as it supports the largest population of Atlantic salmon in Northern Ireland and provides an important habitat for the European Otter, which is an EU Protected Species.’

Gillian Simpson, Lough’s Agency’s Education Officer said, ‘I am delighted that the Loughs Agency will be assisting in the clean up, with a combination of litter removal by boats along the river and litter picking along the Foyle cycle and pedestrian corridor’.

Joanne Livingstone, NIEA’s Lower Foyle Catchment Officer said, ‘The River Foyle falls within the Burn Dennet & Foyle Local Management Area. An action plan has just been published and is currently being implemented, to improve water quality in this area. The removal of polluting and unsightly material from the river and its banks, makes a positive contribution to improving water quality of this important habitat.’ While Charlene Millen, H&J Martin’s Sustainability Manager added, ‘We are delighted to be involved with the Foyle cleanup, to assist in protecting the Foyle catchment’.

Anyone interested in volunteering to assist with the cleanup should contact Christine Doherty on 02871 365151 or email christine.doherty@derrycity.gov.uk This event is sponsored by Derry City Council, NIEA, Loughs Agency & H&J Martin and is scheduled to take place during European Mobility Week 16- 22 September, aimed at encouraging people to consider sustainable methods of transport and protecting the local environment.

Several hundred people attended the “Beneath the Burn” Event at the Lover’s Retreat near Omagh on Monday 29th August 2011.

The event was organised by Killyclogher Development Association to stress the importance of our small streams to our environment. Representatives from Omagh District Council, Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA), Transition Omagh and Butterfly Conservation were on hand to demonstrate and explain their work.

The highlight of the day was the sampling of the river and the burn by electro fishing carried out by the Loughs Agency, who have responsibility for preserving fishery stocks in the Foyle and Carlingford systems. The Camowen proved to have good stocks of one and two year old salmon. The Killyclogher Burn was remarkably productive, with good examples of wild trout and salmon, a rare lamprey and even one minnow was caught!

The event was made possible by funding received from NIEA as part of the Water Environment Community Water Awards.

If you are visiting the heritage sites around Cookstown why not try the new Smartphone Visitor Guide? For further info visit www.cookstown.gov.uk.

Have you ever wondered what lies beneath the flowing water of a river? Now’s your chance to find out. The Killyclogher Burn enters the Camowen at the Lovers Retreat. It is one of hundreds of tributaries which go to make up the Foyle system. Each makes a contribution to a healthy eco-system, providing drinking water for humans and a habitat for fish, aquatic life and a whole array of biodiversity.

Organised by Killyclogher Development Association, a free wildlife event will take place at the Lovers Retreat on Monday 29th August 2011 from 2pm to 5pm. Lough Agency, Northern Ireland Environment Agency, Butterfly Conservation NI, Omagh District Council’s Biodiversity Officer and local experts will be on hand to unravel the mystery of our rivers. Weather permitting, electro-fishing will be carried out to show off what wonderful fish make the burn their home and help is at hand on how to make a difference to your local river. Get up close to the bugs, good and bad, which live in the waters and meet Sammy the Salmon! Children can have a go at our really wild competition and enjoy puppet shows and other fun activities like helping with the mad moth release!

The Lovers Retreat was the first open park purchased by Omagh Urban Council in the 1920s and before the availability of cars, attracted townspeople in large numbers. It was also the site of a linen mill in the 1800s, which gave its name to Donnelly’s Bridge. The source of the Killyclogher Burn at Glencordial also provided Omagh Town with its first public water supply over a hundred years ago.

So come along and enjoy the fun at Lovers’ Retreat. This event is supported by Northern Ireland Environment Agency and Omagh District Council.

For more information about the Killycloger Burn and this event, contact Vincent Brogan, chairman of Killyclogher Development Association. Tel 028 82249242 or 07721676222.