Saturday 14 February 2009

Horse Island: Gorse Clearance


We met at Mount Stewart this morning and shared a lift to our destination further down the Ards Peninsula, Horse Island. Horse Island lies between the village of Kircubbin and Saltwater Brig public house in County Down. We all agreed that it would be a good idea to head to the pub for a shandy and snack the next time we visit the area.

Our task today was to burn gorse at an area on the mainland adjacent to Horse Island. It has been literally overwhelmed by the gorse (also known as furze or whin); there must be acres of the stuff. The idea is to control the amount of gorse, not to eradicate it completely; thereby encouraging more delicate flora - such as indigenous heather and fern - to thrive.

We lit a mighty bonfire at the site. It was easily controlled because the gorse was damp. There were seven of us today; no new volunteers. I had Sainsbury's cheese and celery sandwiches (which were not as tasty as Tesco's cheese and onion) and tea. Craig handed round some fresh coriander cake which Anna had made herself; and it was very tasty, so thanks Anna once again!

It was another enjoyable day. I'm going to try the new chip shop this evening, For Cod & Ulster.

2 comments :

Stephen Barnes said...

Are you looking for volunteers? I've always been keen to get involved more in local environmental issues.... drop me a wee note if you are.

Timothy Belmont said...

Absolutely. If you contact me at the link on the left and send me an email, I'll give you more details Stephen.

Cheers Tim