A new “Leave No Trace” training programme to promote responsible outdoor recreation for outdoor communities has been launched in Donegal in partnership with Donegal Local Development Company CLG (DLDC). This new educational programme offers a series of bespoke workshops with educational resources for a range of outdoor groups in Donegal.
This programme is worth over €100,000. It is the first of its kind in Ireland and will support various outdoor recreational groups and communities with skills and ethics to protect, preserve and enhance responsible outdoor recreation in Donegal’s upland, coastal and inland environments. The educational workshops and resources will target five user groups within the Donegal area; walking and hiking groups, cycling groups (off road and on road), water sports groups (inland and coastal), adventure race and adventure festival organisers and community groups living within the Donegal DLDC catchment area. All training courses will be delivered by Ursula MacPherson, a Leave No Trace Ireland Advanced Trainer from Donegal. Ursula has been involved in outdoor education and specialist adventure sports training for almost forty years and is herself an active outdoor enthusiast.
The first training workshop was held at the end of March in the Derryveagh Hills and was very well received by the participants.
The next set of training workshop will take place on; 21st and 22nd June in the Bluestack Centre. This course will be for walking groups.
For further information on these training courses and to book online please visit www.leavenotraceireland.org
There will be a further five training workshops which will take place from September to November which be tailored to walking groups, community groups, watersport groups, cycling groups and adventure race/festival organisers. Details of these courses will become available on leavenotraceireland.org once dates and venues have been confirmed.
If you would like more information on this new training programme or would like to register your interest in attending any of the upcoming courses, please email [email protected]
(Photo L-R: Eithne Larkin (Leave No Trace Ireland), Frank Kelly (DLDC), Laura Martin (DLDC), Beverley Magowan (Outdoor Recreation NI), Jayne Woodrow (Outdoor Recreation NI), Inga Bock (DLDC), Maura Kiely (Leave No Trace Ireland), Ursula MacPherson (Training Facilitator)
