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The Value and Use of Peatlands for Education

"There are blisters on my hands, and I'm brown from the sun and the burnt skin is peeling from my nose like the skin of an overboiled potato. My bones are so sore I can hardly move.

All this happened when we were at the bog. If all of the others are as tired as me, I'm sure they won't thank the person who invented turf in the first place."

Extract from Jimeen by Padraig Ó Siochfhradha

For generations children like Jimeen went to the bog each summer to help with the turf cutting. As adults they remember the process of winning the turf by hand - the cutting, footing and stacking of sods on the bog, and drawing the dried sods home from the bog. Although many describe it as a hard day's work, their first hand experience and memory of their time on the bog helps them to empathize with the need to protect unspoilt examples of our bogs and fens for the benefit of wildlife and future generations of people.

With the widespread mechanisation of turf cutting and the rapid disappearance of the resource, fewer young people have the opportunity to connect with the bogs as their ancestors did. As the tradition of hand turf cutting dies "a new day on the bog" needs to be found which will provide the kind of experience upon which to build a modern way of life that does not impact negatively on our few remaining peatlands.

Peatlands and people are linked in Ireland since prehistory. For some, they are considered as natural wonders, but for most people they are regarded as economic assets. And so, peatlands have played a strong role in the domestic life of our people and in the economy of certain regions of the country. The intensive use of our peatlands by people for fuel and garden compost, as grazing land or for the planting of conifers has given rise to environmental problems, which, if left unchecked could spell disaster for a unique part of our cultural identity, water resources, climate and heritage. Irish people need to be made aware of the part they are playing, through their lifestyles, in the destruction and degradation of our peatland resources. It is for this reason that every peatland conservation campaign uses lifelong learning programmes of environmental education to raise awareness of the issues involved and to challenge those practices in people's lifestyles that act against the conservation and wise use of our peatland resources.

Since the 1990's there has been a growing interest in the use of peatlands for formal and informal education. Hand in hand with this has been a rapid growth in the range and availability of education resources and facilities focusing on peatlands, both in Ireland and internationally. These have been produced by educators working on behalf of private individuals, non-governmental organisations and Government agencies and include multi-media publications, the provision of training, the development of management techniques for sites used in education and the equipping of visitor centres. As a result, peatlands are more visible today on the internet and in ecotourism, training, publications, the media, visitor centres and campaigns.

In Ireland, the Irish Peatland Conservation Council (IPCC) has been a leader in environmental education providing support, training and resources to schools and to higher, adult and community education groups, business, industry and citizens.

In Schools Peatland Education and Training
The scale and variety of peatland habitats and landscapes and their links to our history, culture and economy offer a tremendous educational resource for the teacher keen to undertake active, experiential education in, and about the environment.

Environmental education, however is not just about the gathering of data and survey work on a school trip, it involves the development of attitudes, values, skills, creative and spiritual responses which are applied in all areas of a child's life. With this philosophy, IPCC set about finding ways of turning peatlands into a teaching tool delivering aspects of the school curriculum and at the same time raising awareness and understanding of the natural and cultural heritage of our bogs and fens and the need for their conservation and wise use. Working proactively with teachers IPCC have developed a whole series of curriculum-linked resources - packs, documentary and visual materials, activities and ideas, all of which promote environmental education objectives. Training in the use of these resources in schools is also provided, both for teachers and for education providers in the networks of education and visitor centres around the country.

IPCC's pioneering work in the creation of resources led to the publication of the Peatland Education Pack in 1992. This interdisciplinary resource aimed at 11 to 15 year old students is divided into six modules spanning science, history, geography, art, craft and design, English and Gaeilge, reflecting the breadth of subjects which peatland study can offer. The content of each module in the Peatland Education Pack is summarised below:

The Science module focuses on the bog as a habitat for ecological studies.
History considers bogs as preservers of archaeological artifacts and structures.
Geography focuses upon the conservation issue and the wise use of peatland resources.
Art, Craft and Design explores how bogs can be used as an inspiration for artistic work.
English is a broad based module which looks at nature conservation and the value of natural and cultural heritage by basing the module around a core fictional text - Rua the Red Grouse, also published by the IPCC in 1987.
Gaeilge uses the bogland theme to explore environmental issues in the Irish-speaking or Gaeltacht areas of the country.

The production of the Peatland Education Pack took three years and involved three phases of activity. Beginning with research and development, IPCC's education staff working with a small group of teachers produced a draft version of the pack in the six subject areas chosen. Phase two of the project involved an evaluation of the materials produced in a network of Irish secondary schools. The final phase involved the incorporation of the findings from the testing phase into each module and subsequent publication of the pack (O'Connell 1992).

IPCC's other education publications include: Bogs in the Classroom, Discovering the Wild Boglands Video, the Bogland Wildlife Wall Chart, The Living Bog Ecology Slide Pack, Peatlands and the Primary School Curriculum, Wake Up to Bogs Video and Instructors Handbook, A Day on the Bog Field Studies Guide and the Cutover and Cutaway Bogs Education Pack (O'Connell 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1998 and 2000).

Other conservation organisations and Government Agencies have produced education packs on peatlands with environmental education themes as an integral part of their awareness campaigns. In the UK, Friends of the Earth, Scottish Wildlife Trust, Royal Society for Protection of Birds, World Wide Fund for Nature, Environment and Heritage Service Northern Ireland and Scottish Natural Heritage have all produced peatland education packs for this purpose (Macartney 1994, Hobbett 1997, Black, Telfer & Matthews, RSPB 1994, Scott & Agyeman 1995, Greig 1995, Webster 1999 and Bell et al. 1994). Further afield in WWF France produced an education pack on "Tourbières" (meaning turf pit or peat moss) (Dalbavie & Solleliet 1994) to raise awareness of the threats to peatlands in Brittany. In Canada, the Burns Bog Conservation Society have an active environmental education programme as part of their campaign work to save Burns Bog (Atwal & Tasman 1996 and Tasman & Davison 1998).

Hand in hand with the production of packs and resources for the teaching of environmental education, is the provision of training for teachers and educators in the use of the resources. In Ireland training courses are run annually by the Irish Peatland Conservation Council in liaison with education and visitor centres around the country.

A typical day long course specially designed by IPCC always includes a first-hand experience of a peatland on a field trip. On site, ecological field studies are undertaken to understand how the special environment of the bog works. Time is also given to a multi-sensory exploration of the bog. A follow-up session looking at man's influence on this environment is conducted indoors. We use board games to demonstrate conflicts between environment and development, case studies to explore participant values, and lifestyle audits to help target areas of personal behaviour that must change to support the goal of conservation and wise use of our peatlands (see Information Box for the typical course content). The course structure is similar for both primary and second level teachers. However the field methods and the interpretation of the data, by necessity is more intensive for teachers of senior students.

Information Box: Bogs in the Classroom Course Content

Introduction
* Ice breaker: bog wood, turf sods and archaeological finds from the bog.
* Resource distribution.
* Discovering the Wild Boglands Video workshop.
* Making bog flower and bog pool bug identification dials.
* Plant identification using flower dials, plant adaptations.

Field Studies on a peatland site
* Peatland formation: studying the layers visible in a turf bank to build a model of bog growth.
* Studying bog flora using square frame quadrats.
* Studying differences between wet and dry parts of a bog along a transect.
* Studying the effects of drainage on the peatland.
* Pond dipping to study the feeding relationships between the minibeasts in bog pools.
* Surveying the flora and fauna of the peatland to measure its biodiversity.
* Evaluating the conservation importance of the peatland site visited.
* Reconstructing ancient pine woodlands on the bog through a study of subfossil pine stumps.
* Sphagnum moss the bog builder ­ study of moss structure and function.
* Earthwalk: a sensory exploration of the richness and wonders of the bog.

Follow Up
* Case study and peat environmental problem solving exercise.
* Presentation of results and ecological interpretation of field studies data
* Wake up to bogs video presentation to revise work undertaken.
* Designing a schools environmental education programme focusing on the conservation and wise use of bogs.

Peatland Education Sites
First hand experience of peatland wildlife, archaeology and landscape is fundamental to the development of attitudes which are sympathetic to conservation and wise use idealism. Every peatland site, whether intact or man-modified, is a potential educational resource waiting to be used. Only a very small portion of the bog visited needs to be used for field studies, so damage is kept to a minimum. A small bog remnant is ideal and can be very successfully used as a heritage education site. There are several examples of successfully used sites specifically developed for education involving field studies including Ardkill bog, Co. Kildare, Lodge Bog at Peatland World, Co. Kildare, Killaun Bog, Co. Offaly, the Nature and Field Studies Tour at the Blackwater Bog Railway, Co. Offaly and Peatlands Park in Co. Armagh. These and additional education sites are included in an information box. Some of these have specific resource materials, study bases and education staff who deliver environmental education programmes focusing on peatlands. Killaun Bog is a particularly interesting model. At this site the pupils of St Brendan's Community School in Birr, act as guardians of the reserve, undertaking a range of activities such as practical conservation work, monitoring, observation and recording, and tour guiding in addition to environmental education.

Information Box: Irish Peatland Sites used for Environmental Education

Site Name/County	Contact Details	Facilities
Ardkill Bog, KE	Ardkill Farm, Carbury, Co. Kildare	LG, P, B
Bog Railway Blackwater, OY	Bord na Móna, Blackwater Works, Shannonbridge, Co. Offaly	B, P, VC, LG
Cabragh Wetlands, TS	Cabragh Wetlands Development Trust, Thurles, Co. Tipperary	BH, P
Céide Fields, MO	Dúchas, Ballycastle, Co. Mayo	LG, VC, P, B
Clara Bog, OY	Dúchas, 51 St. Stephen's Green, Dublin 2	P, IS
Clochar na gCon, GY	Sean Scoil, Inverin, Co. Galway	VC, LG
Connemara National Park, GY	Dúchas, Letterfrack, Co. Galway	LG, VC, P
Corlea Trackway Visitor Centre & Bog, LD	Dúchas, Kenagh, Co Longford	LG, VC, B
Fenor Bog, WD	Móin Fhionnúrach Development Association, Fenor, Co. Waterford	P, B, IS, LG
Glenveagh National Park, DL	Dúchas, Churchill, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal	LG, VC, P
Gristan Bog, LK	Ballyhoura Fáilte, Kilfinane, Co. Limerick	B, IS
Kilcolman Fen, CK	Kilcolman, Co. Cork	BH, LG, P, VC
Killarney National Park, KY	Dúchas, Muckross, Killarney, Co. Kerry	LG, VC, P
Killaun Bog, OY	St Brendan's Community School, Birr, Co. Offaly	B, LG
Lodge Bog, KE	Peatland World, Lullymore, Rathangan, Co. Kildare	LG, VC
Lough Boora Parklands, OY	Bord na Móna, Boora, Leabeg, Tullamore, Co. Offaly	BH, P, IS
Peatlands Park, AH	Environment & Heritage Service, 33 Derryhubbert Road, Dungannon, Co. Armagh	B, VC, LG, P
Pollardstown Fen, KE	Dúchas, 51 St Stephen's Green, Dublin	LG, BH, P, IS
Turraun Bog, OY	Bord na Móna, Boora, Leabeg, Tullamore, Co. Offaly	BH, P, IS
Wicklow Mountains National Park, WW	Dúchas, Upper Lake, Glendalough, Co. Wicklow	IS, LG, P, B

Key to Codes Used
BH Birdhide, IS Information Signs on Site, VC Visitor Centre, B Boardwalk, P Publications, LG Local Guide

Outside of these areas, the network of Heritage Sites in the care of Dúchas the Heritage Service are an important focus for education and awareness. The National Parks in Glenveagh, Connemara, Wicklow and Kerry co-ordinate specific educational programmes focusing on bogs for school groups. The visitor centres at Corlea, Co. Longford and at Céide Fields, Co. Mayo are located adjacent to important peatland archaeological sites which are being preserved in situ. The education programmes offered in the centres challenge visitors to develop a broader and more integrated understanding of the past and the role that peatlands play in the preservation of organic materials. Even centres of learning such as museums, botanic gardens and zoos can offer peatland education programmes drawing on the extensive collections they house, and through the peat-free management of their grounds and gardens can give positive example on lifestyles.

Without exception all sites, parks and centres provide the experience of the peatlands to children or adults, a vital element of education.

Obviously, in using peatlands as an educational resource, care must be taken not to damage the site significantly and to conduct safe visits. Access facilities, particularly board walks are clearly important in this respect, but management to reconcile site conservation with educational use is vital. The UK-based Field Studies Council recommend two strategies on such sites. The first is making conservation part of the educational agenda while also fulfilling formal educational expectations; and the second is zoning the different educational activities so that they are compatible with the robustness and value of the site (Trudgill 1996).

Outreach Life Long Education Programmes
Environmental education is a life long commitment and needs to be provided for the entire community, both individuals and groups independent of age. All government and non governmental organisations with an interest in peatlands have outreach education programmes to engage people outside the formal education system. These life long programmes may have a national, regional or local focus and consolidate work undertaken in schools. A diversity of approaches are being used by educators to help develop lifestyles that are harmonious with the conservation and wise use of our peatlands.

Travelling exhibitions have proven successful both in Ireland and internationally as a means of raising awareness about peatland conservation and wise use. The Irish Peatland Conservation Council and The Dutch Foundation for Conservation of Irish Bogs produced "The Wild Beauty of Bogs/De Venen Geturfd" Exhibition which toured through the Netherlands and Ireland for six years from 1986-1888 and from 1990-1994 respectively to highlight the lessons in bog conservation and wise use that each country could learn from the other.

Another successful awareness raising exhibition "Wild, Wet and Wonderful" celebrating Scottish peatland heritage was mounted by Scottish Natural Heritage in 1998 and went on national tour thereafter. Further afield the National Science Foundation and Ocean Spray Cranberries developed an exhibition entitled "Mysteries of the Bog" which was launched in 1993 in the Boston Museum of Science and toured the United States for three years from 1996-1998. This extensive exhibition occupying an area of 3000 square feet included the following experiential activities for visitors:

"Mysteries of the Bog, a rich weaving of science, history, archaeology, legend and economics, examines the curious landscape of the bog. Visitors can walk through a simulated quaking bog; meet the "Bogey Man", a replica of a 2,000 year old body preserved in a European bog: examine carnivorous plants that live in bogs, some growing live in a terrarium; and explore the geology of bog regions though an original computer programme. The exhibition is enhanced by a 10-minute multimedia presentation introducing the other-worldly quality of bogs, photos of typical bog landscapes on both sides of the Atlantic, and quotes from Shakespeare and other authors that emphasize our common misconceptions about bogs".

Art and peatlands have also inspired exhibitions. In 1987 The Carroll Gallery in Longford organised an exhibition of bogland impressions by 27 artists entitled "Celebration of the Bog" which toured nationally. Another unique exhibition entitled "Bogland" organised by the Sculptor's Society of Ireland in 1990 focused on the artistic response to the experience of the bog environment - its wildlife, history, landscape and use. Working in the blanket bog area of Co. Wicklow, sculptors fashioned unique forms using materials and inspiration from the bog itself. A photographic exhibition of their work toured in the Republic and Northern Ireland during 1990/1991 and was published in book and video form (Anonymous 1990).

Other approaches used in outreach education involve designing year round action programmes to engage communities in caring for their peatland heritage. These include courses and open days on wetlands or in a peat landscape, with series of planned awareness raising activities, usually a combination of talks, walks, art and music. One of the most successful of these is the annual Connemara Bog Week, Co Galway organised by the Connemara Environmental Education Centre since the 1980's. An extension of this activity is the organisation of formal courses focusing on bogs and peat environmental issues for members of the public. IPCC have been running a popular evening course on the Wild Boglands, as part of the adult education programme offered by University College Dublin since 1997.

Action days appeal to a different audience and include workcamps to restore wetlands, collect litter, clean up pollution, remove invasive species or erect educational signs. In recent years an annual focus for these kinds of educational activities has been World Wetlands Day in February, International Bog Day in July and Dúchas Heritage Week in September.

Campaigns are successfully used in outreach programmes. One peatland campaign issue that has been promoted through environmental education involves the use of soil improvers in gardens. This consumer-led lifestyle campaign entitled "Growing Wiser" is promoted by a group of 14 leading conservation organisations in Britain and Ireland known as the Peatlands Campaign Consortium. It seeks to educate people about the consequences of their actions - that the use of moss peat in the garden is causing the destruction of peatland habitats and wildlife. The Peatlands Campaign Consortium have produced a range of magazine articles, information brochures, fact sheets and public displays in DIY stores, all of which aim to provide information on gardening skills and alternative products to members of the public wishing to garden in an environmentally friendly manner. The campaign also encourages groups to set up community-based composting schemes to recycle green and household waste into a useful garden compost. Such actions help to fight the war on waste, create an excellent source of compost and protect the wildlife in our peatlands.

With the advent of the information superhighway, the ways of communicating are rapidly being transformed. The IPCC's website, among others at www.ipcc.ie is the centrepiece of their outreach education programme. The internet allows for linking and networking between peatland site managers and those facilities dedicated to environmental education and awareness-raising. It also provides a global network for sharing knowledge and information.

Education Policy
Two important documents under preparation concerning the wise use of peatlands are making specific recommendations on education and training. These are the joint International Mire Conservation Group and International Peat Society Wise use guidelines for Global Mires and Peatlands and the Ramsar Global Action Plan for Peatlands.

Both documents point to the need to develop and implement mainstream environmental education and training programmes focusing on peatlands. They stress that such programmes should involve not only imparting knowledge and information, but must seek to modify behaviour and develop lifestyles that are harmonious with the wise use of peatlands. This implies that they must be life long and aimed at all sectors of society - citizens, communities, business and industry.

At national level the Irish Peatland Conservation Plan 2005, prepared by the Irish Peatland Conservation Council makes nine strategic recommendations for government on environmental education which the IPCC would like to see progressed and strengthened (Foss et al. 2001).

Whether the summation of all the recommendations and guidelines provide Ireland with a robust, workable strategy for peatland education and training is yet to be tested. Those involved in peatland conservation and education wait for the Government to make its statement setting out its commitments and priorities. The Environment and Heritage Service of Northern Ireland has already made its commitment to peatland education in a document entitled "Conserving Peatland in Northern Ireland - A Statement of Policy". Within the policy are seven specific actions on peatland education including the provision of awareness and education facilities at Peatlands Park, outreach materials and visits to schools in the province. Provision is also made for business, agriculture and industry education within the policy where this is seen to impact on peatland conservation and wise use (EHS 1993).

Conclusion
Environmental education has a vital role to play in changing the course of economic development so that the pressures on our peatlands become less severe. Peatlands have enormous environmental education potential which is being effectively harnessed world wide. A number of outstanding education programmes in Ireland have developed from the fertile soil of peatland education that are bringing about real change. Most people are very aware that pressures on peatland environments are becoming more rather than less severe. In-schools education work consolidated through life long outreach education programmes are extending this awareness to impress on citizens the ways in which their lifestyles impact on peatlands. If we fail to take advantage of the positive opportunities environmental education provides to securing the conservation and wise use of our peatlands, future generations may not forgive us.

References
Anonymous (1990) Bogland Symposium Exhibition and Video. Sculptor's Society of Ireland, Dublin.
Bell, S., Dunlop, J. & Watson, R. (1994) CADISPA Primary Fish Farming, Tourism and Boglands. World Wide Fund for Nature, United Kingdom. 70pp.
Black, B. Torra Peatland Teachers' Pack. Scottish Natural Heritage, Islay.
Dalbavie, T. & Solleliet, J.P. (1994) Les Tourbières au Pays des Plantes Carnivores. WWF, France. 24pp.
EHS (1993) Conserving Peatland in Northern Ireland - A Statement of Policy. Environment Service, Department of the Environment, Northern Ireland. 12pp.
Foss, P.J., O'Connell, C. A. & Crushell. P. (2001) Irish Bogs and Fens Conservation Plan 2005. Irish Peatland Conservation Council, Dublin. 200pp.
Greig, S. (1995) Wildlife Habitats: An Environmental Education Resource for Key Stage 2. Friends of the Earth, London. 40pp.
Macartney G. (1994) Peatlands Forever? An Education Resource Pack. Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland, Belfast. 58pp.
O'Connell, C. (2000) ed. Cutover and Cutaway Bogs Education Pack. Irish Peatland Conservation Council, Dublin. 120pp.
O'Connell, C. (1998) A Day on the Bog Field Studies Guide. Irish Peatland Conservation Council, Dublin. 68pp.
O'Connell, C. (1995) Wake Up to Bogs Instructor's Hand Book & Video. Irish Peatland Conservation Council, Dublin. 48pp.
O'Connell, C. (1994) Peatlands and the Primary School Curriculum. Irish Peatland Conservation Council, Dublin. 144pp.
O'Connell, C. (1993) The Living Bog Ecology Slide Pack. Irish Peatland Conservation Council, Dublin. 57pp.
O'Connell, C. (1992) ed. Peatland Education Pack: Science, Geography, English, Gaeilge, Art, Craft & Design and History Modules. Irish Peatland Conservation Council, Dublin. 626pp.
O'Connell, C. (1991) Bogs in the Classroom. Irish Peatland Conservation Council, Dublin. 55pp.
O'Connell, C. (1987) The IPCC Guide to Irish Peatlands. Irish Peatland Conservation Council, Dublin. 102pp.
RSPB (1994) Environmental Issues: Peat and Peatlands, Estuaries, Farmland and Countryside. Studies for Science and Geography 14 - 16 years. Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, England. 104pp.
Scott, A. & Agyeman, J. (1995) Wildlife Habitats: An Environmental Education Resource for Key Stage 3. Friends of the Earth, London. 44pp.
Hobbett, J. (1997) ed. Raised Peat Bogs Activity Pack. Scottish Wildlife Trust, Edinburgh. 45pp.
Telfer, M. & Matthews, T. The Peatlands of Caithness and Sutherland and their Inhabitants - A Teachers Pack for Primary Schools.
Trudgill, S. (1996) Education, fieldwork and conservation: meeting different needs? Field Studies Council Magazine 11: 3-5.
Webster, S. (1999) Wild, Wet and Wonderful A teaching Pack for Peat Bog Projects. Scottish Natural Heritage, Perth. 35pp.

Copyroight Dr Catherine O'Connell, IPCC
Irish Peatland Conservation Council
119 Capel Street
Dublin 1