Hope you are well and Storm Ewan hasn't caused too much disruption wherever you are! When the storm passed here this afternoon we had glorious blue skies and sunshine before sunset over the bay. We have had a busy start to February with school bookings for the Marine Explorers Programme for primary schools and Heritage in Schools Programme which will have me out and about traversing the nation teaching all things marine to primary schools in the coming weeks.

Also last week we had a UCD SMARTLAB seminar in Cahersiveen for international and local PhD students of which I'm delighted to say I am now part of the cohort, I am starting a PhD on Marine Education influencing youths wellbeing and environmental stewardship!! A new chapter begins! The event was also featured in The Examiner as we had a fabulous Light Tipi ceremony in Cahergeal fort to get the week long seminar off to a good start!

The Failte Ireland Skellig Coast Visitor Experience Development Plan has also been launched a project where all the communities from Kells to Castlecove came together with agencies such as Failte Ireland, SKDP, LEO, Kerry County council & Udaras na Gaeltachta to put a tourism plan in place for the region. We will have Skellig Coast representatives at one of the largest Tourism conferences in the world - ITB Berlin in March, so it is exciting to get our special part of the world out to such a huge international audience with over 7000 exhibitors! We also spoke to Frank Lewis on Radio Kerry about the new plan.

We have been shortlisting our interns for Sea Synergy and interviews planned with them this week. Its looking like its going to be a cracker of a season with lots of workshops, camps, activities and surveys for the summer planned! Keep an eye on our facebook  page to stay up to date.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Clean Coasts Roadshow in Tralee Bay Wetlands 4th of March (see poster attached)

Burrenbeo Learning Landscapes on the 9-12^th of March in Kinvara, Co Galway.

I will be running a weekend Introduction to Irelands Marine Life course for UCC on the 24-26^th of March in Cahersiveen Adult Education Centre for anybody interested in learning about Ireland’s fantastic sea life from small seashore animals to largest animals on Earth. More info is available on the link above. registration instructions on the above link.

Also that weekend a fantastic astronomy weekend in Irelands only Gold Tier Dark sky Reserve - Messiers Marathon in Ballinskelligs

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SAVE THE DATE:

I’m delighted to say Alex of Carey Yoga & Nutrition  and I are teaming up again to do our Boost retreat in May 12-14th for anyone who wants a boost for their New Years resolutions and have a fun relaxing nurturing weekend. We are located in the beautiful Danu House in Chapeltown, Valentia (€320pp inclusive of all meals, accommodation, yoga, nutrition, mindfulness and guided walk sessions over the weekend) please email careyyogaandnutrition@gmail.com to book in for a weekend invested in you or for more information.

Seasearch Observers Course  May 27-28th for any Scuba divers and snorkellers interested in surveying our beautiful coastline and learning more about survey techniques and marine biodiversity. 

The Iveragh Learning Landscapes weekend will be back in Autumn due to popular demand from the 6-8^th of October!! A weekend of empowered learning outdoors in the Iveragh classroom!  We have some great talks and workshops planned.

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Last Friday was Annual Skip the Straw Day, plastic drink straws are one of the biggest marine litter problems adding to the plastic in the ocean. These straws can kill marine wildlife like turtles. Scientists believe that by 2050 there will be more plastic (by weight) in the sea than there will be fish! A horrifying fact for all of us. You can help reduce plastic by simply asking for 'No straw please' when getting a drink or use your own alternatives you can purchase steel straws and bamboo straws that are much more environmentally friendly.

As Spring is on the way Dandelions and other perennials sometimes thought of as 'weeds' will be springing up, please don't spray them with harmful chemicals. Leave them add colour to your garden or verges and help the bees. Some of these plants are are also extremely beneficial to us and can help relieve common ailments, don't just believe me ask expert herbalist Niall Hogan from Derrynane Clinic!

Look forward to seeing you soon,

Have an awesome few weeks til next time! :)