Dodder Action

Here are a couple more photos of yesterday’s balsam bash courtesy of Jimmy Cahill. Thanks Jimmy💚

Yet another very successful morning for six of our amazing volunteers, as they continued their assault on the Himalayan Balsam. This time it was a two pronged attack. Two of the team were on the bank at the river walk outside Bushy Park. The other four donned waders and continued upstream from the Ely arch.

They’re not quite finished there yet so they’ll give it another go next Tuesday.

Very interesting interview with Faustine Bas-Defossez of the European Environmental Bureau

This event is on this Saturday in the Saggart Schoolhouse Community Centre. Saggart & Citywest Together are co-hosting with the South Dublin Volunteer Centre and Saggart Tidy Towns.

There will be 2 people who are going through the IP system speaking about themselves, and one local man who is a poet, historian, ex-social worker, author, and practically a seanchaí.

There will be food and drinks, and it's a lovely opportunity to share life stories and discuss the personal experiences of people that some of us may never meet.

This morning eleven Dodder Action volunteers tackled a load of rubbish along the banks of the Whitestown Stream at Avonbeg Road, Bolbrook. This was mainly household waste that is being regularly dumped, as was confirmed to us by a local resident who stopped to speak to us. We also came across a large amount of green waste, including cherry laurel. The dumping of green waste is, of course, also illegal.

We came across piles of empty bottles, left behind after drinking sessions, plus a number of nitrous oxide canisters. Our toughest job was bringing up a mattress and lawnmower that had been dumped in the stream. We also filled 11 bags of rubbish.

A stand of Himalayan Balsam was spotted between Circle K and the Stream, a worrying sign that it’s continuing to spread.

Sadly we also came across the remains of a hedgehog lying on the verge. How it died we don’t know but could we ask our members to leave out shallow containers of water during this hot weather for hedgehogs, birds and pollinators.

Further downstream another nine Dodder Action volunteers removed 14 bags of rubbish along the river at Bushy Park. And more volunteers were out “balsam bashing”.

All in all a highly successful morning’s work and a huge thank you to all our amazing volunteers.