IF YOU ARE in Limerick City or its surrounding areas between this Friday and Saturday evening, don’t be surprised if you see lots of people wandering around with notebooks, staring intently at flowers and patches of grass.

That’s because members of the public in these areas are being invited to join wildlife experts and ecologists in Ireland’s first ever Urban BioBlitz.

It is being hosted by Limerick City Council, Limerick City Centre Tidy Towns Group and the National Biodiversity Data Base Centre, and is aimed at identifying and documenting wildlife species, from butterflies and birds to flowers and fungi.

People are encouraged to do this over a 24-hour period, from Friday evening to Saturday evening. There will also be a number of public events, including bat walks, moth viewing and trapping, wildlife art workshops and a Birds of Prey display.

Sinead McDonnell, Environment Awareness Officer, Limerick City Council explained more behind the reason for the BioBlitz:

“The primary aim of the BioBlitz is to promote the abundance of animal and plant life in Limerick City and in doing so increase public awareness of the importance of biodiversity in urban areas.

She explained: “Biodiversity is all living things from the tiniest insect to the largest tree on view on People’s Park. Our health, economy and quality of life depend on a healthy environment rich in biodiversity.”

Volunteers

Members of the public are encouraged to volunteer to record the wildlife that they see around the Limerick City area between 5pm on Friday and 5 pm on Saturday.

The recording sheets will be returned to the Urban BioBlitz Hub at the Urban BioBlitz Hub, Limerick City Art Gallery, Pery Square on or before 4pm on Saturday.

From there, where they will be inputted on the National Biodiversity Data Base Centre’s records database.

Events taking place during the 24-hour period include:

• Friday: A bat talk by NPWS conservation ranger, Elaine Keegan in a city location at 7.15pm.
• Saturday: Moth viewing and trapping event in People’s Park and Westfields at 11.30am
• Saturday: Art workshops for families with a wildlife based theme in the Hub (Limerick City Art Gallery) from midday to 1.30pm
• Saturday: Birds of prey display by Animal Magic in the People’s Park from 11.30 to 3.30pm.

Interested in being a volunteer in the Limerick City Urban BioBlitz? Call Sinead on 061-496367 or email smcdonnell@limerickcity.ie.

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