Leave No Trace Ireland are delighted to welcome Glenveagh National Park on board as our newest Accredited Training Centre. Glenveagh National Park is our first Accredited Training Centre in the North-West, and the first National Park to join.
The National Park has, in partnership with Leave No Trace Ireland, undertaken to provide quality tuition in Leave No Trace Training Programmes and adhere to the 7 Principles in their work practices. Our aim is that by working together, we can continue to inspire people to connect with the great outdoors while helping them understand how to balance outdoor recreation with mindful conservation.
Glenveagh National Park is a 16,000 hectares stretch of uplands, woodlands, peatland and freshwater rivers and lakes in the heart of the Derryveagh Mountains in Donegal. As well as being one of six National Parks found in Ireland which are managed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, Glenveagh is protected by EU and national law and falls within both the Cloghernagore Bog and Glenveagh National Park Special Area of Conservation (SAC) and the Derryveagh and Glendowan Mountains Special Protected Area (SPA). This makes the park an ideal fit for a Leave No Trace Accredited Training Centre.
Minister of State for Heritage, Malcolm Noonan TD, today lauded the connection. “I am both honoured and delighted that Glenveagh National Park has teamed up with Leave No Trace to become an accredited training centre – and also becoming the first National Park to do so. I can think of no better ‘classroom’ than this beautiful part of Donegal,” he said. “The move demonstrates and solidifies Glenveagh National Park’s role as an active steward of the outdoors and reinforces the commitment of both the National Parks and Wildlife Service and Leave No Trace to work together. We are collaborating on many strands, including a third level certificate in Tralee and also the annual #LoveThisPlace #LeaveNoTrace summer campaign and I am sure there are many more connections to be made as we strive to protect and conserve our great outdoors.”
Minister Noonan said the role of education and public engagement in our national parks and nature reserves is a central one. “Having staff to communicate the important message of Leave No Trace and responsible use of these sites is a priority. Increases in the numbers of people visiting and enjoying our national parks and nature reserves has highlighted the need to embrace the leave no trace ethic and this partnership is a crucial step for National Parks and Wildlife Service in growing its educational role. Through collaboration and joint initiatives with Leave No Trace Ireland, we hope to see our national parks leading the way in promoting learning about sustainable tourism and recreation as a key element of protecting biodiversity.”
Maura Kiely, CEO of Leave No Trace Ireland, said, “This partnership is a wonderful opportunity to work with an organisation that shares our passion for the great outdoors, and advances both organisations’ missions to motivate people to do their part to care for our land and conserve them for future generations.”
Clare Bromley, Head of Education & Learning in Glenveagh said: “We are very much looking forward to delivering programmes and courses that promote the Leave No Trace Ethic. Glenveagh is a protected area for nature conservation as well as a place for tourism and recreation. Finding the balance is key, so creating memorable and unique learning experiences for all our visitors is a central part of what a National Park is all about. Protecting biodiversity is done best by us all working together, so this is an important partnership we looking forward to building on.”
The first of the Leave No Trace training courses taking place in Glenveagh National Park is the one-day Certified Awareness Course on 26 July and a two-day Trainer Course on the 11-12 October. You can register for both of these courses on the Leave No Trace website.
Notes for Editors:
Glenveagh National Park is a remote and hauntingly beautiful wilderness of rugged mountains, pristine lakes, tumbling waterfalls and enchanted native oak woodland in the heart of the Derryveagh Mountains in the north west of County Donegal. At the centre of the Park on the edge of Lough Veagh is Glenveagh Castle, a late 19th century castellated mansion, built as a hunting lodge. There are six trails the public can enjoy, and they are urged to #LoveThisPlace and #LeaveNoTrace as the National Park is home to over 260 species of flora, 22 species of mammals and over 106 bird species.
Once the old police barracks on the estate, at the time of the Castle being built, The Bridge House is now a specially dedicated space for learning and education. It has been lovingly restored and furnished to inspire children’s interest in nature and to develop an appreciation for the natural world. The House is the base for the Education Team who work throughout the entire park and its variety of habitats, teaching all ages about the story of the landscape and its wildlife. Programmes for Families are also run as well as special weekends/events, nature based talks and teacher training courses throughout the year.
For More information contact Clare Bromley on 087 2164735
