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Home News ‘Stories from the waterside’ – readings and website launch on 2 February for World Wetlands Day

‘Stories from the waterside’ – readings and website launch on 2 February for World Wetlands Day

The Local Authority Waters Programme (LAWPRO) will launch a new website dedicated to ‘Stories from the waterside’ at an online event on 2 February at 19:00 to share these wonderful stories on World Wetlands Day.

Stories from the waterside was a writing competition held last May during lockdown. LAWPRO received almost 500 stories from across the island of Ireland and even further afield from Irish living abroad.

This new website will archive all those stories, celebrating local connections with Ireland’s magical waters. It will also be a platform to record any stories about water received in the future.

You can get a ticket to this online event on Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/world-wetlands-day-2021-tickets-137399318059

Some authors will read their stories at this informal event hosted by popular radio presenter Jim Finn. There will be conversation about the background to the stories and people’s connections with local water bodies and nature. The event will also mark World Wetlands Day 2021.

Raven Point, Wexford – one of the many wonderful wetlands you can find all around Ireland.

Stories from the waterside was a collaboration between LAWPRO (Local Authority Waters Programme), The Heritage Council and the Heritage Officer Programme, Waterways Ireland, and Inland Fisheries Ireland.

Learn More:

Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.ie/e/world-wetlands-day-2021-tickets-137399318059

www.watersandcommunities.ie

www.irishwetlands.ie

About author

EPA Catchments Unit

Administrator

The EPA Catchments Unit is based in Dublin, and the team is involved with catchment science, chemistry, ecology, hydromorphology, modelling, Geographic Information Systems and planning. We work with the wider EPA, all of our local authorities, the Local Authority Waters and Communities Office, the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, and other public bodies and Departments to ensure we have the best available data and information about our catchments.

Who is involved?
Quite simply, everyone in Ireland has a role to play. This can be from something as simple as making sure you don’t pollute your local stream, or a local community working together to establish a Rivers Trust to enhance the rivers and lakes in their area, to a Government Department or Agency helping a Minister implement a new policy to help protect and enhance all our water bodies.

This website has been developed and is maintained by the Environmental Protection Agency, and is a collaboration between the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Local Authority Waters Programme.

Local Authority Waters Programme

The Local Authority Waters Programme coordinates the efforts of local authorities and other public bodies in the implementation of the River Basin Management Plan, and supports local community and stakeholder involvement in managing our natural waters, for everyone’s benefit.

Environmental Protection Agency

The EPA is responsible for coordinating the monitoring, assessment and reporting on the status of our 4,842 water bodies, looking at trends and changes, determining which waterbodies are at risk and what could be causing this, and drafting environmental objectives for each.

Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage

The Department is responsible for making sure that the right policies, regulations and resources are in place to implement the Water Framework Directive, and developing a River Basin Management Plan and Programme of Measures to protect and restore our waters.