Disrespect for nature will be water under the bridge...

Otters, pine martens, herrons and dippers are just a few of the wonderful creatures that make the natural environment in the Lough Ramor and Virginia area their home. While a small minority of people disregard the ecological beauty, there are many groups intent on conserving it. Lough Ramor And Local Area Conservation Society is a recently formed group that joins Virginia Tidy Towns and the Lakeshore Development Committee in the aim of restoring the area to its natural glory. Last summer a small group got together and decided to put a notice in the Virginia Local News of The Anglo-Celt to ascertain whether there were any interested parties, for example fishing, boating and environment enthusiasts who might form a club. "What spurned us was the disrespect being shown for the Ramor lakeshore by some people," says Gene Clancy, who is now chairperson of Lough Ramor And Local Area Conservation Society. The first public meeting was held in the Riverfront Hotel in Virginia in July. "About 30 people showed up, which was very encouraging," says Gene, explaining that the group covered more diverse interests than had been anticipated. Walkers, fishing and angling enthusiasts, boaters, nature, bird and wildlife enthusiasts all turned out, with the common ground being a respect for the natural ecology and environment. "Not everyone there had an interest in fishing, yet everyone could see that the Park River was being desecrated. There seemed to be issues with illegal fishing and litter." There was a lot of discussion and a lot of interest at that inaugural meeting and it was decided to form a committee. Among the dedicated committee members, all of whom work on a voluntary basis, are Gene as chairperson, Gerard Hopkins vice-chair and Raymond Tynan secretary. "The first things that seemed to be needed was a clean-up and to try to encourage a more healthy respect for the environment. We identified a number of black spots, including the Park River and the Boat Pond. We also drew up a list of priorities in terms of what we could address," recalls Gene. Natural glory Following discussions with Inland Fisheries, Coillte and the local gardaí, it was decided that the best action was to ban fishing along the stretch of the Park River where the issues arose. It was also decided water-keepers were needed to regulate activities in light of the ban. At a February sitting of Virginia District Court, ten water-keepers (all members of the committee) were appointed, with Oliver Clinton as head water-keeper. There are now also two further applicants, and members of the society are pleased with the progress being made. "The Park River has since been monitored and fishing has all but ceased," says Gene. Next on the to-do list is a major clean-up of the river banks, which are blighted with litter pollution. Details of clean-ups are listed regularly in Virginia Local News. The committee has already established an angling and boating sub-committee and they're inviting interested parties to set up a bird and wildlife sub-committee as well as a walks and historical appreciation sub-committee. A long-term aim is to have public toilets provided in the area. Gene pays tribute to Virginia Tidy Towns and the Lakeshore Development Committee. "They do admirable work; we feel we're all working towards the same objective," he says. "We hope to bring the river bank back to its natural glory." Representatives from both Birdwatch Ireland and the Irish Wildlife Trust have told locals how impressed they are with the richness of birds and wildlife in the area. The society would like to thank Francis Carolan and all his staff at Inland Fisheries as well as Coillte and the local gardaí for their help. • Anyone interested in joining the society or sub-committees, contact Gene at 086-8131815, Ray at 087-2504098 or Ollie at 087-0534931. The society is currently working on developing the harbour area, including the southern half which is in disrepair, for juvenile fishing. Donations to the project would be greatly appreciated.