Interpretation on and beside peatlands: visitor centres and education
Case study
IPCC Environmental Education Programme
The IPCC actively promotes environmental education and in particular the study of peat and bogs in schools. Programmes of study for primary and post primary students are available at the centre.
Each year they organise a series of in-service courses for teachers and instructors from education centre and are committed to training 100 teachers annually. The courses provide a tremendous opportunity to give individual attention to participating teachers, and to provide resources, skills, guidance and stimuli to allow them to successfully introduce bog studies to their classes.
Guided walks
Lodge Bog is a raised bog site about five minutes' walk from the Bog of Allen Visitor Centre. The bog is owned and managed by IPCC and used for guided walks. Much of the site is fragile and of high conservation value. However a small area in the north of the site is less vulnerable to visitor pressures and is used for guided walks. A boardwalk has been installed and IPCC plan to install some on site interpretation in the future. Casual visitors are also welcome at the site.
Celebrating Boglands
Relevant both for visitors to sites such as the Bog of Allen
and to the concept of Taking Peatlands to People,
'Celebrating Boglands' is the title of a book
produced by the IPCC in 2002. It celebrates boglands as
seen through the eyes of 36 contributors including
environmentalists, poets, writers, photographers,
archaeologists, scientists, journalists, artists and
sculptors.