Milltownpass Bog & Woodland Trail

For the past number years, we have been working in close collaboration with the National Parks and Wildlife Service on the development of a Bog & Woodland Trail at Milltownpass Bog NHA. On the 5th of February 2023, we officially launched the woodland trail to a large crowd of over 300 people! 

The 1.2km trail has an average monthly usage of 1,000 people and is a wonderful new leisure amenity that facilitates easier access and better appreciation of the abundance of nature & biodiversity that exists on our doorstep. Over the coming years we have ambitious plans to expand the site further with the development of a bog boardwalk and loop to the existing trail which we're unofficially calling "the turf cutters track"!

Read on to learn more about some of the ongoing work happening at Milltownpass Bog NHA incuding the bog rehabilitation works, wildlife sculptures and signage, nesting boxes and wildlife monitoring.

Wildlife Sculptures & Signage

In the summer of 2022, we were successful in securing funding from the Peatlands Community Engagement Scheme which was used to commission several large wooden sculptures, with the objective being to help celebrate and tell the story of the wildlife that can be found in our native peatlands.

These sculptures have been incorporated into the existing woodland trail enhancing it's aesthetic as well as providing a means to tell the stories of the wildlife that can be found in such areas.

Interpretative signage for these sculptures is currently in development and will be installed in October 2023.

Nesting Boxes

In the summer of 2022, we also secured funding from the Peatlands Community Engagement Scheme to purchase 16 Bat & Bird Nesting Boxes to be erected along the woodland trail. 

Guided by our NPWS Parks & Wildlife Ranger, 8 volunteers turned out to erect the nesting boxes at pre-selected points along the trail. This was an excellent activity to engage our group and the wider community in conservation works to support biodiversity.

Wildlife Monitoring

In early summer we purchased 3 trail cams with funding from the NPWS Small Recorders Grant and have begun monitoring the wildlife at various points along the woodland trail. So far we've been been able to capture Fallow Pricket Deer, Pine Martin and Badger and are sharing our images and some details about these creatures on our social media page with great engagement and interest from the community. We are continuing to monitor our Bird & Bat nesting boxes for signs of uptake and have identified a number that are now occuped!

Bog Rehabilitation Works

In September 2023 the NPWS began implementing conservation measures on the raised bog at Milltownpass Bog NHA. The works are expected to be complete mid-November 2023, and mostly consist of inserting peat or plastic dams to block drains on the high bog which will raise the water table within the peat. When the water table is maintained within 10-15cm of the surface the conditions are suitable for raised bog habitat to develop within the area where the drains have been blocked.

These works are necessary to ensure the long-term conservation of the raised bog habitats and assist in reaching our national conservation target to restore raised bogs within the network to a favourable conservation status. In additon, it will play a part in fulfilling Ireland's obligations under the EU Habitats Directive.

The next phase of development will begin once the rehabilitation works are complete, and we very much look forward to assisting the NPWS in the planning and development of the proposed bog boardwalk and "the turf cutters track" loop to the existing trail.