Dear Friends of Leave No Trace,      

Welcome to our final newsletter of 2021!   

With the countdown to the festive season in full swing, we at Leave No Trace Ireland are taking a moment to remember and celebrate any and all achievements from this year, no matter how big or small, and we invite you to do the same.    

Leave No Trace Ireland has seen some exciting increases during the year: our memberships are up, our engagement has increased, and even our team has expanded. What’s more, all these trends look set to continue growing in 2022!   

Outdoor recreation continues to be more and more important to both our physical and mental wellbeing, as we continue to navigate our way through this ever-changing pandemic. But as our interest in getting outdoors increases, so too does our impact on the natural environment around us. As we move into 2022 we must continue to learn about our impacts, and strive to find new ways to protect the natural beauty of our Island.   

If you would like any guidance or information on how to be responsible in the outdoors and Leave No Trace, please visit our website on www.leavenotraceireland.org or email info@leavenotraceireland.org 

Here’s a snapshot of what we’ve been up to,  
and what’s coming up this December: 

And The Winner is…  

Leave No Trace would like to congratulate Kinvara Tidy Towns for their exceptional entry in this year’s Special Award at the National Tidy Towns Awards. The various initiatives carried out by Kinvara Tidy Towns showed they are working hard to embrace Leave No Trace principles. We would like to thank all the communities around the country who entered the Special Award this year, and we look forward to supporting our Tidy Towns communities in 2022.  

Congratulations to all involved in Kinvara Tidy Towns!
Read more here

Leitrim Development Company Funding has Supported Leave No Trace in Education & Awareness Campaigns  

In late 2020, Leitrim Development Company awarded funding to Leave No Trace Ireland under the “Outdoor Recreational Infrastructure Scheme”. The aim of this fund was to develop new resources and marketing materials to support the promotion of responsible outdoor recreation across Leitrim. 

Support through the Outdoor Recreational Infrastructure Scheme has enabled Leave No Trace Ireland to enhance communication and awareness campaigns, to generate a greater awareness of the benefits of outdoor recreation, and to promote a positive Leave No Trace message. As always, our aims are focused on connecting people with programmes, events, training opportunities and educational materials so that going forward, we are all aware of our impacts.    

This work by Leave No Trace would not have been possible without the generous support of the Leitrim Development Company and we sincerely thank them for this funding and their continuing support. 
Read more here!

Marks & Spencer Ireland Choose Leave No Trace Ireland to Benefit From New Sparks Programme  

Leave No Trace Ireland has been chosen by Marks & Spencer Ireland as one of the charities that will benefit from its new customer loyalty programme, Sparks. 

Sparks is a digital rewards scheme hosted through the new M&S App. For customers Sparks will provide a more personalised experience with instant rewards, tailored personal offers and a selection of charities to support. Most importantly, shoppers will be able to choose which charity they would like to support, and we are delighted to say Leave No Trace Ireland has been chosen as one of those charities! 

Whenever you shop with M&S, your donations will help to achieve amazing things.  
Ready to choose Leave No Trace Ireland as your Sparks charity?  

Read more about this announcement here.

Hot Spot News! 

We had our final awareness sessions in Glengarra Woods with Coillte, the Burncourt Community Council and Gas Networks Ireland!

Our volunteers learned all about the wonderful biodiversity and how to help protect and care for this great outdoor amenity with the Leave No Trace team. This project has been amazing - the sense of community and place that was created throughout this year-long project means that hopefully the education and impacts of this programme will be long lasting and passed onto others in the future.  

Glengarra itself is a woodland that has passed through many hands - once a demesne woodland, there are trees from all over the world planted here, with some particularly rare rhododendron to be found inside its gates. The forest is now run by Coillte, and in recent years this area has become a huge recreation area for locals. As the forest became a more and more popular outdoor recreation space, the importance of education and care to the environment became clear. Through the hotspot programme, the local community has been given the tools to take this care into their own hands. When we know the names of the trees, or have talked to others about our favourite moments in such spaces, we become more connected to our outdoor spaces. It’s through programmes like this that we hope in inspire everyone to become guardians of nature. A big thank you to the Burncourt Community Council, Coillte, and Gas Networks Ireland.  

This has been the first project of its kind in Europe, and we cannot wait to take all we have learnt forward into our future projects.   

Throughout the process of the project we’ve documented the events through videos, which you can find here.

Knocksink Wood Nature Reserve Webinar 

On Tuesday 30th November we ran a webinar all about one of Ireland’s most beautiful nature reserves, Knocksink Wood Nature Reserve. Padraic Creedon, an ecologist at Leave No Trace Ireland, talked about the wildlife, plants, unusual habitats, and issues facing this designated special area of conservation. Attendees learned some tips on how to get the most out of their visits to the outdoors while also helping to protect this fantastic place. This Community Engagement project webinar was funded by The Community Foundation For Ireland and in partnership with the National Parks and Wildlife Service. 

You can watch back this webinar here

It’s a Park’s Life!  

It's a Park's Life is a six-part documentary series letting viewers go behind-the-scenes like never before in one of Europe's largest city spaces - Dublin's Phoenix Park. This winter it has returned for an incredible third series! The second of six cracking new episodes (which aired on Thursday November 25th) featured Leave No Trace Ireland's own Dr Noel Doyle talking all about waste with Paul McDonnell from the Office of Public Works.  

You Watch back on RTE player here!
It's a Park's Life | Season Three | Episode 2

Putting our Sustainable Foot Forward this Christmas  

Christmas is an exciting, magic time of year. This year, we’re here to help figure out the best ways of having a sustainable Christmas! All last week we shared short guides on a range of topics, including; what materials are recyclable this year; how we can all embrace the Reduce – Reuse – Repair – Recycle mantra; and how long our rubbish remains in the nature if it ends up there.
You can find these guides here.

Over the Christmas break we will also see an increase in people heading outdoors – a combination of time off work and school, and as time to decompress from the energies that come with this season. We ask that everyone remembers to Plan Ahead and Prepare: keeping warm on our walks with extra layers; not getting caught out in the dark when the sun sets early; avoiding places that might be crowded (we all know those local hidden gems to escape to!); and bringing something to carry any rubbish or waste home with. 

Most of all, we ask people to Plan Ahead and Prepare because we want everyone to have the best time possible when outdoors! So before you head out into the world, head on over to our website to read up on our guidelines for getting outdoors responsibly.  We also have some great checklists and skills and ethics for activities.  

That’s all for now. Leave No Trace Ireland would like to wish all our members, trainers and community affiliates a Merry Christmas and a Happy and Safe New Year. 

From all of us here at Leave No Trace Ireland ❄️