SHERKIN COMMENT Issue No. 50 Environmental Quarterly of Sherkin Island Marine Station 2010 Advances in Marking Birds for Bantry Bay’s First Lady of Botany Extracting Water from Lakes & Rivers Conserving Irish Plant Wealth Migration Studies John Akeroyd looks at the life & achievements & its effects on their Ecology Noleen Smyth on a new era of conservation Oscar Merne explains how technology has of Ellen Hutchins, an early 19th-century Ciaran O’Bryne & Ciara O’Leary look at the research at the National Botanic Gardens. 20 improved our knowledge of bird migration. 3 botanist. 13 ecological effects of meeting our water needs. 14 Centre pages: Exploring the Marine Environment Photograph Paul Kay:: Long clawed squat Lobster 2 ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ SHERKIN COMMENT 2010 Issue No 50 Contents Editorial EDITORIAL: Shifting the Focus ..........................................2 Matt Murphy on the need to assess our priorities. Advances in Marking Birds for Migration Studies ....3 Oscar Merne explains how technology has improved our knowledge of bird migration. Shifting the Focus Ending with a Whimper ......................................................4 Alex Kirby on the importance of biodiversity. next four years. Half of these the village and have an ecol- maximise the return from Greening the Built Environment ..................................5 By Matt Murphy will go in 2011. The cut in ogy trail. We all could learn a expensive infrastructure invest- funding will affect many lot from their efforts. ment, to get the most efficient The third installment from Walter Mugdan on THIS is the 50th issue of nature conservation projects Something has to change in use of limited land resources ways to reduce water consumption and pollution. Sherkin Comment. The great and also grant aid to small how we look at our natural her- and to help restore confidence joy for me has been having Wildwood Plan for Carrifran ......................................6 NGOs who do sterling work in itage. Over the past 20 to 30 by producing well located good such wonderful people con- John Walters explains how a group are re-creating protecting the countryside. years we saw many acres of quality developments. Exces- tributing articles. A number a fragment of woodland in Scotland. Here in Ireland we have only a wetlands destroyed, the disap- sive and unsustainable zoning have been with us from the few NGOs involved in conser- pearance of thousands upon of land has been a contributor What price trawling the seabed?....................................8 early days. Dr. Daphne Mould vation. The next few years thousands of miles of to the property bubble and its Lin Baldock & Paul Kay look at a destructive has been our longest contribu- could see some of them having hedgerows, as well as ringforts aftermath.” fishing method. tor since issue No. 2. She has major financial problems as and historical buildings lev- In recent times we have seen been followed closely by Improved Governance of Marine Fisheries Can the government cuts bite and elled - all without a whimper major flooding in towns and Recover Up to $50 Billion Annually ........9 Oscar Merne with his wonder- donations and membership from any quarter. People’s ful articles on birds. He has villages. Much of this is due to Kieran Kelleher explains why a new approach is dwindle. With less money to obsession with wanting to green fields and hedgerows been onboard from issue No. spend, people will be shifting make money meant nothing needed for world fisheries. 4. Michael Ludwig from Con- being destroyed, which previ- their focus. Maybe this is an was sacred and town and city ously acted as soakaways, but To the Edge of the Southern Ocean – Tasmania....10 necticut, USA, has kept us up opportunity for NGOs to put green areas were built on. Few have now become concrete Anthony Toole’s travels take him to the most to date since No. 8 with his jungles. Gardens, many of Southern part of Australia. articles on US marine matters. Tony Toole first began writing “The real success story of the volunteer which in the past had green A Quilt of Environmental Protection ....................12 for issue No. 10 and has movement, which has achieved major people lawns are now concreted over Robert De Santo on the Structure of included many articles on sci- participation, is the annual Tidy Towns’ to park the family car (see rel- Environmental Law and Order in the USA. ence and on his travels. Other evant article on page 9). So competition.” much residential and commer- Bantry Bay’s First Lady of Botany..........................13 long timers have been Declan Quigley, Alex Kirby, John cial properties were built on John Akeroyd looks at the life and achievements of together programmes and enrol thought of saving green field Joyce and Gaisce, not to forget floodplains. Now we see that Ellen Hutchins, an early 19th-century botanist. volunteers to expand their areas for the children of today John Akeroyd, who has so work. Up to now they have and the future to play in. Local insurance companies are refus- Extracting Water from Lakes and Rivers and it effects often highlighted the wonder- somehow failed to expand authority councils in many ing to give flood cover. Added on their Ecology........................................14 ful flora of SW Ireland with their membership throughout cases were under pressure to to this in certain places subsi- Ciaran O’Bryne & Ciara O’Leary look at the his articles. He has also guided the country and become thor- grant planning permissions as dence cover is also being ecological effects of meeting our water needs. our young botanists over the oughly national organisations. if there was no tomorrow. If by refused. One must pose the past 22 years on his annual The real success story of the chance they refused, some question - do local authorities Exploring the Marine Environment ............15/16/17 visits to our station. To have volunteer movement, which politicians, developers and when they grant planning on a The photographer Paul Kay looks back on his these committed individuals, has achieved major people par- local business interests were flood plain have the legal career & tells of his love of marine wildlife. and many others, writing for ticipation, is the annual Tidy up in arms. Greed was the responsibility for the damage Groundwater - All shaken up by earthquakes! ......18 our paper over the years has Towns’ competition. It has order of the day. Let us hope at a later date if such properties been a wonderful privilege for are flooded and the individual Katie Tedd on what can be learnt from water brought such positive change that the few remaining green us at the Marine Station. I and has transformed many fields in urban areas will now had been refused insurance table monitoring in the southeast of Ireland. must mention one of our finest towns and villages. The enthu- be protected. cover? Similarly would the A Challenge for a Small Town ................................19 volunteers to come to the Sta- siasm generated throughout the Throughout the Celtic Tiger same issue arise on property Dave Crestin tells about efforts to keep a town in tion, Paul Kay, who has been country is wonderful to see. In huge acreage of land was zoned built on certain area that are Cape Cod an environmentally sustainable resource. so generous in providing 2010 the Tidy Towns Competi- or rezoned for residential devel- prone to subsidence? many, many photographs for tion had 764 entries from opment. In July Minister of Let us remember that we are Conserving Irish Plant Wealth ................................20 Sherkin Comment issues over towns and villages. If we had a State Ciaran Cuffe introduced only caretakers of this beauti- Noleen Smyth on a new era of conservation the years. Most importantly, similar number of groups new planning laws. In his intro- ful country. We must be research at the National Botanic Gardens. Sherkin Comment would not wanting to record and protect duction he stated: “While there diligent in the coming years The Northern Cousins ..........................................21 have survived for 50 issues Ireland’s magnificent flora and are around 40,000 hectares of and remember what we have A trip to Iceland is remembered by Daphne Mould. without the wonderful support fauna heritage, then we would land currently zoned for resi- learnt from the insane building of our advertisers. see much less destruction of dential development across the boom of the Celtic Tiger. We Electric Rays in Irish & North-west European Waters ..22 Sherkin Comment has a our natural heritage. country, the actual needs, even must ensure that all of us get Declan Quigley looks at a small order of rays. readership of over 70,000 peo- Tallanstown, a village in allowing for generous head pride, pleasure and emotional The Burrenbeo Trust ............................................23 ple, which is wonderful for an Co. Louth, won the 2010 room, over the next six years is sustenance from the beauty of Brigid Barry explains the work of the Trust. environmental newspaper. My National Tidy Towns competi- for about 12,000 hectares.” In our natural environment – even role as editor is to have arti- tion. They first entered the other words the country has an Publications of Interest..........................................24 after 39 years on Sherkin cles, which are interesting and competition over 26 years ago excess of 28,000 hectares of Island, the sight of the sun set- Is Short-term Monitoring Sufficient? ....................25 educational. I passionately and in their first year came surplus resident land. Much of A paper presented by the late Prof. Tony Fogg is as ting over the Mizen Peninsula believe education is the way 713th in the competition. this land was bought by devel- and nearby Mount Gabriel is a relevant today as it was in 2003.