Branching out for biodiversity

Monaghan Co Council take a walk on the wild side!

Where there’s a will there’s a way to restore nature it seems. Elliott’s Farm Rewilding Project is an exciting biodiversity project for Monaghan Town, the roots of which stem from an act of generosity some 35 years ago.

A six-acre site on the outskirts of the county town was bequeathed to the local authority by the late Dr Charles Elliott, who passed away in 1992. The condition that Dr Elliot put in his will, was that Monaghan Co Council could use the land, but never develop it.

During his launch address on Wednesday morning last, March 4, the Council’s Chief Executive Robert Burns admitted it took them a while to figure out the best use for it. That all changed when the Biodiversity Officer Dr Patricia McCreesh and Horticulturalist Michael Carroll put their heads together. Their idea captured the imagination of the elected representatives and officials alike, the CE observed, thanking all involved from the local authority.

“There aren’t many urban areas on this scale available for rewilding. We saw potential. We’re standing here now and you can hear the birds in the trees. Planting this native hedge will give privacy to residents and increase biodiversity for birds and pollinators,” Dr McCreesh commented.

Situated right in the heart of Monaghan Town, on the Clones Road along the path from the roundabout, what was previously farmland is now an urban oasis of calm, where people will be able to spend time in nature. A special welcome was given to local residents, whom it was hoped would champion the project and enjoy the amenity on their doorsteps. They were assured that any concerns they may have would be addressed.

Fifth-Class pupils from neighbouring St Mary’s Boys’ School, were already busy planting the native hedgerow as people started to arrive on what was a brisk morning: “No matter what we do for biodiversity on a local scale, unless we involve children and pass on knowledge, skills and the interest, then we’re really just working in a vacuum,” Dr. McCreesh commented, giving full credit to the school and Principal Colm Mac Cinna for partnering in the project.

The school is right next to the site and in-between a nature walk has been created.

“It gives us an ecological corridor, that in terms of scale, is unprecedented in an urban environment,” Dr McCreesh observed. Principal Mac Cinna added: “Our site and this site is more or less linked like a nature corridor.”

Horticulturalist Michael Carroll thanked the students for helping the team make light work of planting the native hedgerow, comprising of hazel, whitethorn, spindle, and guelder rose. The boys gathered round him and listened attentively as he encouraged them to “keep an eye on the hedge” as it matured.

Minimal maintenance was key.

“We’re going to manage these hedgerows in such a way because we have so much wildlife. There’s so many trees that birds can nest in. We have a family of foxes here too… that’s unique for an urban town. Thank you all very much for coming along today and helping us,” he said to the children.

Cathaoirleach of Monaghan Co Council PJ O’Hanlon said: “This is all about the future and isn’t it fantastic to have a setting like this in the middle of Monaghan Town? It’s great to see students and local residents here, I hope this is something that will be cherished going forward.”

He praised the foresight and generosity of the Elliott family, who gifted the space to the Council as a public amenity. Urbanscapes were generally bricks and mortar, and he commended the local authority for their vision.

“I think it’s important that we look after this for generations to come. We can all say we played a small part,” he said.

Monaghan Co Council CE Robert Burns said: “The participation of St. Mary’s Boys’ School is fantastic. That’s what it’s all about. We’re stewards for the environment. We need to look after it as we’re going to hand it over to the next generation. And it’s good to know it’s in very safe hands. The amount of work they got done this morning was impressive. It’s really important to stay in touch with nature.”

Every living thing needed a place to call home, he reflected and that’s why projects like rewilding were important. Furthermore, people needed houses to live in, but they also needed somewhere to soothe their souls.

“It’s great to see it actually coming to pass. It’s so unusual that we were bequeathed land. We thank the Elliot family, we’re very grateful.”

Commenting on the site’s location, the CE added: “It’s appropriate because Monaghan Town is our decarbonizing zone. A lot of our key measures around climate action and promoting biodiversity are here. That’s not to say it isn’t happening elsewhere - there is the Eco Meadow in Carrickmacross. We will make sure that this is an amenity for all.”

Mr Burns acknowledged the presence of Emer Brennan, Chairperson of Monaghan Tidy Towns and noted the committee’s enthusiastic participation in the project. Incidentally, the CE mentioned pocket forests in his address and Ms Brennan told the Celt a little more about the imaginatively entitled initiative:

“We will be completing our pocket forest project next week by putting in the ground cover plants, native wildflowers and perennial flowers, which grow underneath the trees planted back last December. We have eight pocket forests already planted in different estates around the town. Residents and schools have been involved and of course our volunteers. This is a Monaghan Tidy Towns initiative, working alongside Pocket Forest CLG under the Climate Action Fund.”

Principal of St Mary’s Boys’ School, Colm Mac Cinna estimated that there were 5,500 trees on their entire school site, which is surrounded by greenery. This included the Christian Brothers plantation from the 1970s; AIBP Clones approached the school about tree planting as part of the company’s commitment to offsetting their carbon footprint; a recent Tree Council collaboration and the shelter belt around their football pitch. Monaghan Co Council are going to create a wildflower meadow on a hilly green area, which can be used for educational purposes, and that’s why the school featured in Monaghan Tidy Towns diversity plan. The school grounds are home to a pocket forest too.

Mr Mac Cinna told The Anglo-Celt: “We’re delighted that the children got an opportunity to come out here and plant. We planted 500 trees with the Tree Council a month ago, two years ago we planted 2,000 trees. So, we have planted 2,500 trees on our own site.

“We visited schools in Finland where they’re big into outdoor learning and when we came back here to Monaghan, we wanted to try and expand our own site. The entire school got involved with the tree planting recently, teachers, SNAs and all pupils planted a tree each.”

Within easy walking distance of the town centre Elliott’s Farm Rewilding Project (H18 HY33) is available to all to visit. It’s located out the Clones Road just past the leisure complex and is marked with a sign detailing the site’s history and objectives.