Spring 2017

1.

NEWSLETTER

‘Sustainable land use management for the conservation of the freshwater pearl mussel’

2.

KerryLIFE is working with local communities and

partners to secure the future of the mussel

In this issue KERRYLIFE 2

FARMING 2

FORESTRY 3

MONITORING 3

RESEARCH 3

EVENTS 4

NEWS 4

LIFE PROGRAMME 4

FARMING Farm enterprises in the project area are mainly mixed suckler beef and sheep enterprises. Average farm size is 80 ha with 20-30 cattle and/or 100-150 ewes. KerryLIFE will work with farmers to trial farm based freshwater pearl mussel conservation actions including:

drain management

stabilising river with broadleaf tree planting

establishing buffers

sustainable livestock grazing

farm nutrient management planning and

alternative livestock drinking water facilities Farm measures, to protect the freshwater pearl mussel have been up and running in the Blackwater and Caragh catchments since the summer 2016. The majority of the work being carried out in the winter 2016 / spring 2017. There has been a great interest in the project by local farmers and communities and one can see many changes in the farming landscape as you take a drive through the Glencar and Blackwater areas.

KerryLIFE KerryLIFE is a demonstration project to restore two internationally important freshwater pearl mussel (Margaritifera margaritifera) populations. The project will operate in the Blackwater (Kerry) and Caragh rivers in southwest Ireland from 2014 to 2019. KerryLIFE is a partnership project between the Blackwater and Caragh communities and Dept. of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs; Dept. of Agriculture, Food and the Marine; Forest Service; Teagasc; Coillte; Pobal and South Kerry Development Partnership Ltd. The project focuses on farming and forest practices and is working with farming and forest-owners to develop conservation measure that will sustain the freshwater pearl mussel and the local communities. KerryLIFE aims to:

develop practical conservation measures

demonstrate sustainable land use management

produce guidance for farming and forestry sectors

enhance awareness of the species and its conservation

Principal threats to the freshwater pearl mussel

Farmer Information meetings

Cloon Lake, Glencar Bohacullia, Blackwater

KerryLIFE held discussion group meetings in January on the farm of Dan O’Sullivan, Bohacullia. Our project partner Teagasc led the discussion on the Sheep Welfare Scheme and Profit Monitor. Farmers were provided a project update also.

A demonstration event on the installation of cattle nosepumps, one of the KerryLIFE conservation measures was held. More demonstration events are planned throughout the farm year.

Bohacullia, Blackwater

Freshwater pearl mussel

3.

UPDATE Karen O’Neill, KerryLIFE PhD Student / Teagasc Walsh Fellow

The KerryLIFE project includes a range of monitoring actions to track the condition of the freshwater pearl mussel population and habitat. An important element of this work forms the basis of a PhD programme that will be carried out by Karen O’Neill. The research aims to 1. Investigate the quantity of

sediment being discharged into three sub-catchments annually

2. Determine the key sources of sediment from forests, farms and other land uses that impact on the freshwater pearl mussel’s habitat.

3. Investigate the historical trends in sediment yields arising from land use changes over the past century.

“I first became familiar with the freshwater pearl mussel while studying ecology in UCC were I

researched the structural and distributional differences between river and lake dwelling mussels. I feel very lucky to have been allowed to continue my research career with this interesting species, especially as I am based in the catchments where I grew up on a sheep and cattle farm.” Excess fine sediment is understood to contribute to the decline of freshwater pearl mussels in Ireland. Fine sediment clogs the interstitial spaces between the gravels in which juvenile mussels dwell, cutting off the supply of nutrients and oxygen and causing the mussels to either suffocate or starve to death It is possible to mitigate some sources of sediment through modifying land use practices but first an understanding of the quantity of sediment in these rivers, as well as seasonal change in sediment outputs, is essential. Turbidity metres which record in-stream suspended sediment have been installed in three sub-catchments. These metres allows us

to track trends of sediment concentrations in the river over time. An understanding of the seasonality and severity of sediment delivery to the freshwater pearl mussel habitat will further our understanding of how land use effects water quality. This information will also contribute to demonstrating sustainable land use management practices such as those being trialled by the KerryLIFE project on participating farms and forests.

Feel free to get in touch with me at karen.oneill@teagasc.ie if you would like to find out more about my project.

FORESTRY Forestry is an important land use in the project area accounting for 12% (2,590 ha) of the total land area. The majority is coniferous with the main species being Sitka spruce and Lodgepole pine. This forestry is currently managed for clearfelling but such clearfells can give rise to excess silt and nutrient release to watercourses. KerryLIFE is working closely with public and private for-est owners to trial novel solutions including:

drain management

converting conifer forests to native broadleaf for-ests managed for conservation

continuous-cover forestry

firebreak controls Eight public forest and three private forest have been surveyed for these actions and trials to restructure these plantations have started. Halo-thinning is a method of early felling and ring-barking of conifers around selected native broadleaves that would otherwise shade-out and kill them.

MONITORING Monitoring is an important aspect of all LIFE projects and KerryLIFE is no exception. We are monitoring the conservation condition of the freshwater pearl mussel and the effectiveness of the conservation actions being demonstrated on project farms and forests. Monitoring focuses on the freshwater pearl mussel population and habitat condition as well as sediment and flow monitor-ing, water chemistry and vegetation monitoring. Monitoring equipment which will record turbidity and flow and collect sediment samples have been deployed throughout the project network

During a flood, it can be possible to see the sediment suspended in the water column

Mussel population moni-toring commenced in 2014 and has continued each year since. Unfortunately, both the Caragh and Blackwater catchments continue to have insufficient numbers of juvenile mussels surviving to maintain the population and are in unfavourable conservation condition.

Regular monitoring of the condition of the mussel habitat is conducted each year. High levels of fila-mentous algae were a particular concern at some sites in 2016 and KerryLIFE is investigat-ing.

Before After

Freshwater pearl mussels

Floating river vegetation

Sediment & Flow Monitoring

www.facebook.com/KerryLIFE #Kerry_LIFE

4.

kerrylife@ahg.gov.ie

EVENTS

Project number: LIFE13 NAT/IE/000144

Title: Sustainable land use management for the

conservation of the freshwater pearl mussel

Beneficiaries: Dept. of Arts, Heritage, Regional, Rural

and Gaeltacht Affairs; Dept. of Agriculture, Food and

the Marine; Forest Service; Teagasc; Coillte; Pobal

and South Kerry Development Partnership Ltd.

Period: 01 Jul 2014—31 Dec 2019

Total budget: €5,010,581

LIFE contribution: €2,439,924

The KerryLIFE team were de-

lighted to host the 2nd

annual

‘Pearl Shield’ underage football

competition in July 2016. There

was two very sporting and excit-

ing matches with Glenbeigh/

Glencar winning the U10s game

and Templenoe winning the

U12s game. Kerry Footballer,

Darran O’Sullivan presented the

victorious captains and players

with their shields and medals.

Glencar participated in the

IPB Pride of Place, an

all-island competition that

acknowledges the work that

communities are doing all

around Ireland. The Glencar

community rallied and the 19

groups in the parish, along

with KerryLIFE and

Cappanalea OEC welcomed

the judging team. It was a

fantastic occasion and

brought together the

community with each group

preparing posters, tidying up

the parish, Community

Centre, school, playing field

and the many bridges and

road verges along the 23km

route taken by the judges.

During March, KerryLIFE hosted 82 Agricultural Science and Wildlife Biology course students from Tralee Institute of Technology. Three sites were visited with both groups to raise awareness of the freshwater pearl mussel, conservation measures and monitoring.

LIFE PROGRAMME

The LIFE Programme is the EU’s funding instrument

for the environment. The general objective of LIFE is

to contribute to the implementation, updating and

development of EU environmental policy and

legislation by co-financing pilot or demonstration

projects with European added value.

The fourth phase of the LIFE programme, LIFE+ (2007

-2013), co-finances best practice or demonstration

projects that contribute to the implementation on the

Birds Directive (79/409/EEC) and Habitats Directive

(92/43/EEC) and the Natura 2000 network.

To find out more about the project please contact the KerryLIFE Project Office on +353 (0) 76 1002621 or visit www.kerrylife.ie

KerryLIFE ‘Pearl Shield’ Football Competition Field visits with Students from I.T. Tralee

Pride of Place

Noctural wonders! KerryLIFE are delighted to announce a public talk on the lesser horseshoe bat @8:45 p.m. in the Blackwater Tavern followed by a guided bat walk @10:00 p.m. at Dromore Football Field on Wednes-day 17th May 2017. The event is being held jointly with the Vincent Wildlife Trust to celebrate 25 years of the EU LIFE programme

UPCOMING EVENTS

3rd

KerryLIFE Pearl Shield Football Competition The KerryLIFE Pearl Shield football competition will be held in Dromore Football Field in Blackwater in July 2017.

Lesser horseshoe bat