Manx BirdLife is over-joyed to announce the launch of its new Outdoor Education Programme (OEP) for children and the wider community in the Isle of Man.
In response to the biodiversity crisis and society’s growing disconnect with the natural world, Manx BirdLife is broadening its education work to include outdoor experiences for school and community groups on its nature reserves; the Manx BirdLife Point of Ayre National Reserve (MBLPOANR) and Manx BirdLife Langness Nature Reserve (MBLLNR).
In recognition of this important milestone for the charity, and those who have helped reach it, Manx BirdLife hosted a celebration at the MBLPOANR on Monday 18th May with school groups, fellow conservation educators, representatives from organisations who have funded the OEP facilities and equipment, and esteemed guests Lady Lorimer and the Chief Minister Alfred Cannon.
In unusually calm weather, guests gathered around the new education shelter, generously funded by the Gough Ritchie Charitable Trust, to hear about the OEP and see, Manx BirdLife Patron, Lady Lorimer, cut the ribbon to the shelter and officially launch the Programme.
School children, family members and teachers were then invited to bug hunt in an area of scrub and grassland next to the shelter. Children enjoyed trying out sweep nets; catching spiders, flies and moths in the longer grass, and using pots and magnifiers to get a closer look at beetles, woodlice and caterpillars hiding in the bushes. This area will be developed alongside children with further habitat creation, interpretation and artwork.
Guests were also invited on a guided walk of the MBLPOANR, with the opportunity in the Collister Hide to try out other new equipment such as binoculars, a moth trap and sound recorder, all generously funded by Manx Lottery Trust Thematic Fund.
Aside from the education shelter, the most welcome new resource for the reserve was the compost toilet, kindly funded by Curraghs Wildlife Park Conservation Fund, which will make visits to this remote part of the Island more practical for visiting groups.
The OEP will enable people to discover the birds living in the Island’s wetland and coastal habitats through workshops and walks on the nature reserves, and will also be outreaching in local communities, offering workshops in school grounds, parks, and churchyards.
In the long term, Manx BirdLife will be working to make workshops more inclusive and accessible to people with special needs, and with its wider Education Programme funding from the Scheinberg Family, supporting schools, where possible, with transport costs; the charity believes that money should not be a barrier to accessing nature.
It is hoped the OEP will nurture a new generation of bird champions, whilst sharing the knowledge, understanding and skills needed to monitor and protect our natural environment. Ultimately, Manx BirdLife wants to instil a sense of stewardship for the Island’s birds and their habitats; hoping people will want to cherish and protect birds for generations to come.
