Nature stories
Hot potato
Farmers of the future may be more like ecological managers of land, according to John Feehan, radical thinker and inspiring lecturer in the Faculty of Agriculture at University College, Dublin. Feehan is the guest speaker tomorrow at the annual Potato Day in the Organic Centre, Rossinver, Co Leitrim. Author of the ground-breaking book, Farming in Ireland: History, Heritage and Environment, Feehan believes mainstream farming may yet be seen "as an experiment from which we learned much but at too high a price". He laments the lack of biological diversity in today's crops: there are about five varieties of potatoes grown today, compared with more than 100 a century ago. Potato Day events include information on potato blight, seed potatoes for sale and information for small farmers. Admission €5. www.theorganiccentre.ie.
Cottage industry
As the Minister for the Environment, Martin Cullen, pushes through more flexible (and controversial) planning guidelines on rural housing, a project in Tipperary hopes to enhance the countryside through eco-friendly restoration of abandoned cottages. The Irish Eco-Cottage project in south Tipperary has restored and refurnished a derelict cottage near Clogheen, at the foot of Knockmealdown Mountains. The cottage, which is available for holiday lettings, has been fitted out with the latest eco-friendly technologies including a dry composting toilet, a wood-burning stove which also heats water and a water-driven electric turbine. For more information on renting the cottage, contact Eamonn Looby on Tel: 052-65191. www.ecobooley.com
Spot the whale
The Irish Whale and Dolphin Group is holding a series of one-day training courses on how to identify and record sightings of whales, dolphins and porpoises. The venues are the Atlantiquarium, Salthill, Galway (March 20th); Scattery Island Centre, Kilrush, Co Clare (July 3rd); and Portrush Countryside Centre, Co Antrim (October 23rd). Cost: € 40. www.iwdg.ie
The big clean up
More than 700 participants have registered for An Taisce Spring Clean Up. The initiative offers residents' associations, tidy town committees and community and youth groups free kits to help clean-ups in their area during April. Contact An Taisce for more details on 01 -7077066 or register online at www.antaisce.org/projects/nsc.html (registration closes end of March).
Killarney nature school
Themes at this year's Killarney National Park Education Centre Spring School (March 26th-28th) include Deer Species of Ireland, the Co Kerry Lesser Horseshoe Bat Survey and Yew Woodland Ecology. There will also be walks along the Muckross Peninsula and the Kerry Way. Cost: €140. For booking,
tel 064-35960; e-mail: knpeducationcentre@eircom.ie