Portlaoise Tidy Towns launched their Biodiversity Action Plan in 2023 and the group have now put together a comprehensive progress report on the initiative.
“Firstly, Portlaoise Tidy Towns would like to give a huge thanks to all our volunteers, Laois County Council, Portlaoise Town Team and other organisations and people who have contributed and helped deliver on the actions set out in the Plan,” they said
“The progress to date couldn’t have happened without all the long hours put in by everyone to make the town a better place for people and wildlife.
“Portlaoise Tidy Towns wish to continue the journey towards becoming the ‘Tidiest Town in Ireland’ and transforming Portlaoise into ‘A Town in a Garden’.”
The following are just some of the completed and ongoing projects that have formed part the Biodiversity story so far:
Raising Awareness and Monitoring Biodiversity
1. Biodiversity and river educational walks carried out.
2. Series of public biodiversity identification workshops on wildflowers, butterflies, and bumblebees.
3. Educational work ongoing with primary and secondary schools with regards to biodiversity.
4. An large educational mural has been painted in the Peoples Park, Portlaoise, to teach passers-by about all the wildlife and fish that live in and around the Triogue river.
5. ‘A Town in a Garden’ logo on solar powered Belly Bins throughout Portlaoise.
Tree Planting
1. Portlaoise Tidy Towns work with Trees on the Land to source native saplings, all of which are sourced and grown in Ireland. These efforts resulted in Portlaoise being awarded first place in the National Tree Project Award in 2024.
2. Over 40,000 young native trees/hedging have been planted and more to come bot on public and private land. This led to us being awarded The Tree Council of Ireland Special Award in the National Tidy Towns Competition in 2024.
3. Free tree giveaway is held every year during National Tree Week where over 1,000 native trees are distributed to the public.
4. The group have planted native Buckthorn plants, which supports the Brimstone butterfly, interspersed in some of the planted areas in the town.
5. Community orchards have been planted which includes apple and plum trees.
Meadow Creation and Management
1. Urban meadows of all sizes have been created throughout the town.
2. ‘No-mow May’, where possible throughout the town.
3. The species rich grassland of the Burial Ridge are being managed following the completion of a management plan.
4. Creating a biodiversity friendly Southern Ring Road landscaping scheme including the management of wildflower meadows, creation of pollinator friendly flowerbeds, planting of hedging and trees, and installation of educational coloured pollinator information wooden posts along the footpath.
5. Conservation of the rare and threatened Green-winged Orchid project is ongoing – important steps were taken with expert support to preserve and protect this species in the town and the group continue to monitor it each year.
Pollinator Friendly Planting Schemes
1. Pollinator friendly perennial planting in flower beds throughout the town to replace much of the annual bedding planting.
2. One million spring bulbs have been planted on the majority of approach roads and green areas in the town, which is a unique scheme to Portlaoise. This includes spring crocuses and daffodils and this scheme has had huge praise from the community.
3. Portlaoise Tidy Towns developed a roundabout landscaping strategy that includes different landscape treatments to support pollinators such as planting pollinator friendly flowerbeds and managing wildflower meadows.
Roundabouts completed to date include Fairgreen, Birch Grove, Beladd, Market Square, Mountrath Road, Kilminchy, Timahoe Road and Southern Ring Road.
4. The ‘Green Walls Project’ saw several large concrete walls have been greened up with evergreen and biodiversity friendly climbers such as ivy and pyracantha. The group aim to extend this to more parts of the town in the upcoming years.
Bird Boxes
1. Creation of a specific Sand Martin Nest Wall in the Peoples Park to support the disappearing habitat of this bird.
2. Swift boxes were built into the design of the New Library on Lower Main Street, again to support the disappearing habitat of this bird. These added to the Swift boxes already installed in previous years and the group aim to add more in the future.
3. Bird boxes have been erected on trees around the town of Portlaoise.
Nature-based solution for Rainwater Management
1. A Triogue River Safari was held and a water and wildlife management scheme has been established and this work is ongoing. A sustainable urban drainage study was carried out to identify opportunities for nature-based solutions for managing rainwater from roads, footpaths and car parking areas.
Portlaoise Tidy Towns are actively working with various partners to develop these identified opportunities.
2. Over 200 water reservoir hanging baskets and tubs used throughout the town.
Pollution Control
1. Ongoing litter picks which prevents this waste entering important habitats such as the Triogue which would have harmful effects on wildlife.
2. The group are working with project partners to help move away from pesticide use for weed control on roads. This is a successful scheme that continues to be rolled out to more areas of the town.
Invasive Species Control
1. Control of the invasive Himalayan Balsam and Japanese Knotweed plants in the town including along the Triogue River in the Linear Park.
What’s to come?
Portlaoise Tidy Towns has collaborated with the Town Team and Municipal District of Laois County Council and there are many new exciting projects in the pipeline for the coming year and years ahead, including:
1. Rainwater gardens to be developed throughout the town. These flower beds will cleanse water before it flows into the Triogue River.
2. Parklets – Relaxing seated coffee areas to be planted with pollinator friendly planting.
3. Surveys to be carried out to measure the increase in butterflies and bees in all the biodiversity areas in Portlaoise.
4. Planting of trees and bulbs to continue.
5. Expansion of the network of species-rich meadows.
6. Rainwater harvesting for the flower tubs in Portlaoise.
7. The creation of a Water Refill Station.
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