New enviromental project on Coney Island as Lough Neagh showcased in film

INVASIVE species which have been choking vital habitat in an island on Lough Neagh, is being tackled as part of a new environmental project.

The Lough Neagh Partnership say they are undertaking the project on Coney Island, which is around a kilometre off the Lough Neagh shoreline at Derrylaughan. The island is a key nesting location for a number of birds including herons.

Non-native and invasive plants including salmonberry, laurel, non-native pine and sycamore will be removed to encourage more growth of native plants.

The Partnership say work is weather dependent and a chipper is being brought across to the island on a large barge and while larger branches will be kept in situ, most of the branches chipped will be used to resurface the pathway.

Peter Harper who is the Shoreline Environment Officer at Lough Neagh Partnership, said the project was “vital for encouraging future native habitat to grow and flourish on Coney Island”.

He continued, “Non-native plants have been dominating growth on the island and freezing everything else out for some time now but we are hopeful that if the weather stays relatively good for this time of year, apart from any forecasted storms, that we will have the site cleared and be finished before Christmas.

“We’ll just be watching then to let nature take over and get ready for the approaching nesting season. Come springtime the island will be covered in a beautiful carpet of bluebells, wood anemone, foxglove and other native plants. Coney Island has a very important Heronry so it’s important to ensure that the work is completed well in advance of the nesting season which begins in February.”

Meanwhile, a film crew has been filming the length and breadth of Lough Neagh in a bid to showcase the Lough and its shoreline in a short film which will be promoted by The Lough Neagh Partnership. Local people have been interviewed and footage has been captured of the various species that live in and around the Lough.

Set for release early in the new year, the film explores the range of habitats and species, the importance of the Lough to human population and the work of Lough Neagh Partnership in sustaining the Lough and its shoreline for future generations.

Ciara Laverty, who is a ranger with Lough Neagh Partnership, said, “This film is being produced by Lough Neagh Partnership to capture the uniqueness of Lough Neagh and showcase the habitats and species that call Lough Neagh home. The film will also give a voice to the local people who live on the shoreline of the largest freshwater lake in the UK and Ireland.”

There are 15 species of fish found in the lough and it is home in winter to wildfowl, whooper swan, pochard, tufted duck, scaup and goldeneye.

Ciara added, “Some people wouldn’t know where these birds and fish come from, why they make Lough Neagh their home and how many miles they travel every year. This film will explore the intricacies of their journey and educate the viewer in some fascinating facts about what life is like on Lough Neagh. Spokespeople from Lough Neagh Partnership will also speak of the essential work carried out by the team to sustain the heritage, culture, flora and fauna for future generations.”