Horizons

Conservation Volunteers Ireland has released details of its residential conservation holidays, running from June to October this year. An ideal opportunity to play an active part in conserving heritage and protecting wildlife, the holidays offer participants a chance to learn new skills.

The working holidays go ahead in Brackloon Woods, Westport, Co Mayo from June 24th to July 1st and October 4th to October 7th and in the grounds of Leades House, Macroom, Co Cork, from July 15th to July 22nd; in the grounds of Annesgrove House, Castletownroche, Co Cork, from August 26th to September 2nd. The work includes woodland management, dry-stone walling, stream clearing and pond maintenance. Conservation holidays cost £64 per week, which includes accommodation, food, transport.

You must, however, be over 18 and a member of CVI in order to qualify to go on the conservation holdiays.

CVI is also starting its summer training days, which begin on June 20th with a woodland flora and fauna walk. Training days over the summer months include fresh-water sampling, dry-stone walling, summer tree identification and wildflower identification.

Contact: CVI on 01-4547185 or email: info@cvi.ie

Find out how to create an adventure playground from recycled materials, watch the art of thatching or dry stone-walling at the Green Living Fair in Castle Espie, Comber, Co Down, next Saturday and Sunday. Up to 100 exhibitors of green products and services are expected at this annual event held in the grounds of this Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT) centre.

Among the 50 events scheduled are a talk on the healing powers of herbs (Saturday, 10.30 a.m.), recycling workshops (5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday) and a workshop on creating a wildflower meadow (3 p.m. on Sunday). Earth walks (11.30 a.m. and 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday) and a Shamanic walkabout (11 a.m. Sunday) also sound inviting.

The WWT re-opened before Easter on the premise that there was no livestock at the centre. However, James Orr, centre manager at Castle Espie, says there is a restriction on parking for the Green Living Fair as farmers' fields cannot be used because of the foot-and-mouth crisis. A free bus service will operate from the village of Comber (three miles from the WWT) every 15 minutes throughout Saturday and Sunday. A number of parking spaces will be reserved for families with children under four and people with disabilities.

Admission to WWT is £3.65 for adults, £2.25 for four to 16-year-olds and £9.50 for families. There is no extra charge for admission to the Green Living Fair. Tel: 048-91874146.

Irish Wildlife Trust is calling for a boycott of Esso petrol stations. Esso is part of Exxon Mobil, which, according to the IWT, took out full-page advertisements in US newspapers stating its opposition to the Kyoto protocol on climate change.

The world's largest oil corporation, Exxon Mobil, poured millions of dollars into George W. Bush's presidential campaign, and lobbied the US president to reject the Kyoto protocol, despite the US accounting for 25 per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions. Email: inquiries@iwt.ie

Attracting both amateur and professional craftworkers, the annual RDS National Crafts Competition and Travelling exhibition is Ireland's oldest craft competition, dating from the 18th century. The competition has 19 categories including wood-turning and carving, blacksmithing and wrought iron work, weaving and leather work.

The deadline for receipt of slide or photographic submissions for this year's competition is Friday next. Tel: 01-2407211 for full details.