Conservation Volunteer Group

Community Led Conservation
 Volunteers:BCV is an active conservation group based in the Burren region.

Mission
The Burrenbeo Conservation Volunteers (BCVs) is a community of volunteers actively working towards the sustainable management of the Burren by addressing key conservation issues and needs.

Background
In 2010, The Burrenbeo Trust set up the Burren Conservation Volunteers. The work of BCV dovetails perfectly with Burrenbeo's overall objectives in creating a greater appreciation of the Burren through education information provison, supporting research, carrying out advocacy and conservation works.

Typical Action Days
Burrenbeo Conservation Volunteers came together to learn about the building and maintenance of dry stone walls  with local landowner, John Connolly and stone mason and heritage guide, Rory O’Shaughnessy. The workshop taught the group about the conservation of stone walls, the different types of walls, the different stones and the means of building a dry stone wall. This workshop was funded by a heritage grant from Galway County Council.

The Trust is also grateful for Jesmond Harding’s fantastic work in guiding volunteers as they worked in an important breeding area for the Marsh Fritillary butterfly. The site immediately south of St Fiachtnan's Well at Fahee North near Carran was identified as an exceptional lepidoptera site in 2006 when the site was found to hold a thriving population of Marsh Fritillary. Further searches yielded more rarities including the Pearl-bordered Fritillary, Dark Green Fritillary, Dingy Skipper, Wood White, Narrow-bordered Bee Hawkmoth, Wood Tiger and Transparent Burnet among many others.The area received only very sporadic grazing and was being encroached by scrub.Following valuable intervention by Mr Hugh Robson, the farmer and Burrenlife the site was fenced to allow for light,short duration cattle grazing.Volunteers from Burrenbeo Trust led by Jesmond Harding of Butterfly Conservation   Ireland cleared some encroaching scrub but leaving plenty of scrub to provide for continued shelter and habitat so that the balance between open and scrubland is maintained.This work is vital to grassland butterflies like the Marsh Fritillary whose larvae need to raise their body temperature to 35 degrees Celcius in order to metabolise. This can require the larvae to raise their body temperature 20 degrees Celcius higher than their surroundings and this will only be possible if the habitat receives sunlight and warmth.This requires a sunlit, sheltered habitat with warm nooks provided by a tall[typically over 15-25 cm on wet sites like Fahee] but not dense sward that has a tussocky structure.Selective scrub cutting and light cattle grazing is excellent for this rare butterfly and for other species too.Thanks are due to everyone involved in this important work.

Burrenbeo Conservation Volunteers also enjoyed action days with botanist Sharon Parr and NPWS Burren ranger Emma Glanvillewho gave their time in guiding the volunteers through addressing the conservation issue of hazel encroachment by cutting it back. Thanks to those of you who also helped out on our mapping archaeology event with Christine Grant - a wonderful success for al involved. If you want to be part of the Burren Conservation Volunteers, meet great people and make a real difference to the Burren, please contact trust@burrenbeo.com or call 091-638096.

Other BCV action days   ‘Surveying for archaeological sites near to Fanore Beach’ Archaeologists Michael and Clodagh Lynch led the Burrenbeo Conservation Volunteers on a preliminary archaeological survey.  This action day included field walking to identify archaeological sites south of Fanore beach, a basic form of surveying by walking the land, marking on a map and measuring the sites found.  The Lynches  also showed the group a shell midden t excavated last summer .This day was restricted to 12 people on a first come first served basis. Details on how to join in volunteer  conservation action days please email volunteer@burrenbeo.com or phone Burrenbeo Trust on 091 638096. 

Burrenbeo Conservation Volunteers Action day.  ‘Combatting invasive species on Abbey Hill’

Clare’s Biodiversity Officer, Shane Casey was the leader for  the Burrenbeo Conservation Volunteers action day in the tackling of Cotoneaster, an invasive plant that is encroaching fast on one of the Burren’s hills.  This event was open to everyone,  details on how to become  a Burrenbeo volunteer in future events please email volunteer@burrenbeo.com or phone Burrenbeo Trust on 091 638096.