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JANUARY 2012

Monday 9th - Happy New Year to all IPCC's Friends of the Bog and Supporters. Get off to a wild new year by purchasing IPCC's Wild Ireland Calendar 2012. Purchase your copy online from IPCC's Nature Shop for Euro 7 or call the Bog of Allen Nature Centre on 045-860133.

The Bog of Allen Nature Centre are now taking bookings for school and special interest visitors for 2012. To avoid disappointment save your date today by contacting 045-860133. For a list of the variety of educational programmes we offer visit our webpage here

Monday 26th - IPCC will be facilitating a 5 week evening class from 7-9pm at Scoil Mhuire, Clane, Co. Kildare. The evening class entitled the 'Bogs and Fens of Ireland' will explore all aspects of Irish peatlands from their formation through to their wildlife. Cost 60 Euro. To reserve your place contact 045 868255 or e-mail info@clanesm.com

Thursday 30th - IPCC will be facilitating a 10 week night course in Scoil Mhuire, Clane Co. Kildare entitled 'An Introduction to the Habitats of Ireland'. This course will be held from 7-9pm and throughout the 10 weeks a variety of Irish habitats and their wildlife will be explored including wetlands, grasslands, woodlands and coastal habitats. Cost 100 Euro. To reserve your place contact 045 868255 or e-mail info@clanesm.com

FEBRUARY 2012

Wednesday 1st - WORLD WETLANDS DAY and launch of IPCC's Hop to It Frog Survey for 2011. IPCC is looking for your frog sightings nationwide. Simply e-mail your sightings to bogs@ipcc.ie, call the office on 045-860133 or fill in our online survey card and return to the Bog of Allen Nature Centre, Lullymore, Rathangan, Co. Kildare.

Thursday 23rd - Spring Fun Camp at the Bog of Allen Nature Centre. With hibernation over, join IPCC tutors and explore the wildlife in the gardens of the centre. This fully supervised camp is suitable for 7-13 year olds and will be held from 10am-1pm. The camp includes pond dipping, insect eating plants, creepy crawlie safari and nature crafts. Cost 15 Euro. Booking is essential. To reserve a place contact the centre on 045-860133 or e-mail bogs@ipcc.ie.

MARCH 2012

5th - 17th Seachtain na Gaeilge. Beidh fáilte roimh Gaelscoileanna a bhfuil fonn orthu cuairt a thabhairt ar an Bog of Allen Nature Centre. Beidh alán imeachtaí ar súil ar nós: ag lorg feithidí uisce agus talamh, ceird dúlra agus uile. Cur glaoch ar an Ionad ar 045-860133 más mian leat cuairt a thabhairt.

Sunday 25th - To celebrate national tree month the IPCC would like to encourage you to get out and explore your local trees. To help you identify Irish native trees contact the Bog of Allen Nature Centre on 045-860133 and purchase a Tree Leaf and Fruit swatches for only 5 euro each.

APRIL 2012

1st - 30th - National Spring Clean Month is a nation-wide anti-litter initiative, join the IPCC at the Bog of Allen Nature Centre and help us throughout the month of April to remove litter from nature reserves in the local area. If you have a group of people who would like to organise a day when you can help IPCC please contact 045-860133 or e-mail bogs@ipcc.ie

Thursday 5th - Easter Frog fun camp at the Bog of Allen Nature Centre for children aged between 7 and 13 years. Activities supervised by experienced tutors to include: * Pond Dipping, * Frog Search and * Froggy Crafts 10am 1pm. Bring a snack pack, raincoat and outdoor shoes. Places are limited. Cost: Euro 15. Contact: IPCC @ 045-860133 Irish Peatland Conservation Council, Bog of Allen Nature Centre, Lullymore, Rathangan, Co. Kildare.

Saturday 21st - Visit the IPCC stand at the Irish Science Teachers Association annual conference in Trinity College Dublin on their 50th anniversary. The IPCC stand will be packed full of educational resources for you and your students to learn about and experience wildlife.

MAY 2012

Help IPCC celebrate National Biodiversity Month by joining us at one of our events

Wednesday 16th - IPCC will be hosting from 9.15am-4.30pm a workshop entitled 'An Introduction to Habitat Management Techniques'. This practical workshop explores a variety of activities that need to be undertaken when managing any habitat. It outlines how to develop a management plan for the habitat, how to monitor abiotic factors affecting the habitat and how to record flora and fauna on the site. This full day introductory workshop is the right place to start if you want to refresh field study skills or are managing a habitat. Cost 95 euro / person. Booking is essential by contacting the IPCC on 045-860133 or e-mail bogs@ipcc.ie.

Friday 18th - IPCC will taking part in the first ever European Fascination of Plants Day. IPCC will be hostng a workshop entitled 'Raised Bog Plants' from 9.30-1pm. A slide show investigating the variety of adaptations bogland plants have for surviving in a waterlogged and nutrient poor environment will be followed by a visit to an intact raised bog to identify the plants in the field. Cost Euro 30/person and booking is essential as there is limited places available. Contact 045-860133 or e-mail bogs@ipcc.ie

Date with Nature Family Sunday 20th - For the first time ever IPCC will be encouraging each of you to save this date for nature starting from dawn the IPCC are inviting you to come along and join us to celebrate Irish biodiversity at the Bog of Allen Nature Centre. At dawn we will be investigating bats that roost in the attic of the centre, this will be followed by an introductory talk and identification class on Irish moths, a food source of bats.

From 10am IPCC will be introducing you to Irish butterfly species in particular looking at the endangered Marsh Fritillary Butterfly. This morning event will include a walk to Lullymore West Bog where participants will take part in a butterfly survey along the National Biodiversity Data Centres butterfly transect on the site.

From 2pm-5pm. A feature talk on Lodge Bog's new Management Plan will be followed by a walk to Lodge bog reserve. For children a pond dipping session and tour of IPCC's insect eating plant display are included in the day's activities. All are welcome to this free family event contact 045-860133 or e-mail bogs@ipcc.ie for further information. Please bring picnics. Tea and Coffee available.

Raised Bog Restoration Workshops. - Date to be finalised. Four workshops in Meath, Kildare, Roscommon and Offaly are planned to demonstrate the techniques involved in rewetting bogs by blocking drains and restoring active peat forming vegetation using the Sphagnum cultivation method developed in Canada. Booking will be essential. Expressions of interest are welcome at this time until the dates in May and June are arranged with venues. Contact 045-860133 or e-mail bogs@ipcc.ie to have your name added to the list.

JUNE 2012

Mon 4th -Fri. 8th - International Peat Society Conference 2012, Sweden. The theme of the conference is Peatlands in Balance. IPCC will be represented at this international gathering of peat experts by Dr. Catherine O' Connell and Mr Tadhg Ó Corcora. This week long event will connect IPCC with international peat friends and allow us to learn about the variety of peat projects internationally. At the event IPCC will be show-casing the newly developed Management Plan for Lodge Bog and raising the issues involved in Conserving a Representative Sample of Raised Bogs in Ireland. Further information from http://www.ipc2012.se/. Check out IPCC's Autumn edition of Peatland News 2012 available in October for a summary of the results from this conference.

Saturday 23rd - On this Saturday the Bog of Allen Nature Centre will be open to the public between 10am-4pm. A visit will include a self guided tour of the peatland museum and wildlife gardens. In the wildlife gardens explore the largest public display of insect eating plants in Ireland and the UK, see how the IPCC have been growing their own vegetables and visit our compost demonstration site. The nature shop will be open for you to pick up wildlife identification charts or gifts for friends and family. Admission 5 euro children free. Tea and Coffee available and visitors are encouraged to bring a picnic.

Raised Bog Restoration Workshops. - Date to be finalised. Four workshops in Meath, Kildare, Roscommon and Offaly are planned to demonstrate the techniques involved in rewetting bogs by blocking drains and restoring active peat forming vegetation using the Sphagnum cultivation method developed in Canada. Booking will be essential. Expressions of interest are welcome at this time until the dates in May and June are arranged with venues. Contact 045-860133 or e-mail bogs@ipcc.ie to have your name added to the list.

JULY 2012

Mon. 2nd - Fri. - 6th - IPCC will be hosting a week long teacher training course with Kildare Education Centre entitled ' Introduction to the Habitats of Ireland developing Literacy & Numeracy' Skills'. This week long primary teacher course is curriculum focused and introduces to teaching friends the variety of habitats in Ireland, suggestions for student activities to improve student literacy and numeracy skills. Bookings through Kildare Education Centre from May 2012.

Sunday 29th - INTERNATIONAL BOG DAY. Join us at the Bog of Allen Nature Centre from 2-5pm to celebrate this worldwide event. We will be marking the 30 year Anniversary of the IPCC with a special line up of events. There will be a talk on the Marsh Fritillary and Curlew projects on Lodge Bog and Lullymore West Bog followed by a guided walk. There will be activities for children including pond dipping and butterfly identification in the gardens of the centre. All welcome to attend this free event. For further details contact IPCC on 045-860133 or e-mail bogs@ipcc.ie. Bring a picnic.

AUGUST 2012

Mon. July 30th - Friday August 3rd - Go Wild with Nature Summer Camp at the Bog of Allen Nature Centre for children aged between 7 and 13 years. Activities supervised by experienced tutors to include:* Nature Crafts: Dream Catchers, Bridget Cross, Harvest Knots* Wonders of Nature Earthwalk: smell, look, feel, paint and dream* Woodland Creepy Crawlie Quest and Nature Diary* Flytraps House: insect eating plants* Pond Dipping and Froggy Crafts* Bog Trip & Last Day Party Mon-Fri: 10am 1pm. Bring a snack pack, rain coat and outdoor shoes. Places limited.Cost: Euro 50 10% discount for second and subsequent siblings. Contact: IPCC @ 045-860133 Irish Peatland Conservation Council Bog of Allen Nature Centre, Lullymore, Rathangan, Co. Kildare.

Sunday 26th - Heritage Week Open Day at the Bog of Allen Nature Centre. The Bog of Allen Nature Centre are celebrating Heritage week by inviting you to join us and explore the heritage projects IPCC have been undertaking in 2012 between 2-5pm. The Canadians have successfully encouraged the group of Sphagnum mosses the bog building plant on cutaway peatlands. In 2008 IPCC began the first trails of this project in Ireland. Four years on we want to share with you what we have learnt from this project. This is a free event and all are welcome to attend. For further information contact 045-860133 or e-mail bogs@ipcc.ie

SEPTEMBER 2012

Monday 3rd - LAUNCH OF IPCC CHRISTMAS COLLECTION. Beat the rush and order your Christmas cards and calendars now from the Nature Shop. Catalogue available on website Nature Shop - On-line Also available directly from the Bog of Allen Nature Centre.

Friday 21st - Culture Night - This annual event celebrated throughout Co. Kildare allows the Bog of Allen Nature Centre to extend our opening times for one evening until 9pm. A visit will include a guided tour of our peatland museum and help you get ready for Christmas by joining our workshop on card making inspired from nature. Further details to be announced.

Wednesday 13th - Sphagnum Moss Identification workshop. In liaison with the National Biodiversity Data Centre Dr. Catherine OConnell will deliver this introductory course on Sphagnum moss at the Bog of Allen Nature Centre. Full details to be announced. Booking through the National Biodiversity Centre by contacting 051 306240 or e-mail info@biodiversityireland.ie

OCTOBER 2012

Events to be announced but they will include the annual meeting of the Irish Peat Society.

NOVEMBER 2012

Thursday 1st - Creepie Crawlie Trick or Treat Thursday. Halloween Day at the Bog of Allen Nature Centre for children aged between 7 and 13 years. Activities supervised by experienced tutors to include: * Creepie Crawlie Quest, * Story Telling and * Batty Crafts10am 1pm. Bring a snack pack, rain coat and outdoor shoes. Places limited. Cost: Euro 15 Contact: IPCC @ 045-860133 Irish Peatland Conservation Council, Bog of Allen Nature Centre, Lullymore, Rathangan, Co. Kildare.

December 2012

IPCC would like to wish all our Friends of the Bog, Volunteers and Supporters a very Happy Christmas and Prosperous New Year for 2013

Nature Reserves to Visit
Getting out and enjoying nature is not only great fun, but it's really good for your health too. As well as great family events, we have lots of wonderful places you can visit in your own time, where you can enjoy a wild walk, explore and discover more about local wildlife. Visit IPCC Nature Reserves for more information.