Education & Schools

Promoting and raising awareness of biodiversity and natural heritage of the area

Ecology Field Studies Modules are  suitable for Junior Certificate and Leaving Certificate Biology Students. Our Ecology Field Trip Modules, which consist of wetland habitat studies, will fulfil all of the curriculum requirements of the Ecology modules from the Junior and Leaving Certificate Biology courses, and given the value of wetlands for biodiversity and conservation and their huge global decline, will offer an important alternative to grassland and woodland habitat surveys. 

Price: €13 Per Student

The course covers the mandatory requirements for practical ecology for the Junior and Leaving Certificate Syllabus and are excellent value

Please see the module content details below for both Junior and Leaving Certificate.

Duration:
Our courses are delivered from 10:30 am - 2:00 pm but we are happy to facilitate groups at later times if necessary. The duration of the Junior & Leaving Certificate Programme is 3.5 hours

Included is time for a 30 minute lunch break. Our onsite Lakeside Café offers a variety of lunch and snack options (Subject to availability). The café can be contacted directly through our phone number regarding advance bookings for large groups. We also have a picnic area available for students to eat their own packed lunches.

Please note that pre-booking is essential for our ecology programmes at 066 712 6700 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with a €50 deposit in advance of the date requested. All bookings will be provisionally held for 10 days.

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Junior Certificate Module

  • Mapping the wetland habitat.

  • The use of line transects to sample the plant community.

  • The use of simple keys to identify plant species.

  • The animal community is investigated through small mammal trapping and total area bird surveys.

  • Food webs and species adaptations are discussed with the students

 

 

 

Leaving Certificate Module

  • An overview of wetland ecology and the importance of wetlands.

  • Habitat mapping

  • A quantitative survey of the wetland plant community using line transects.

  • Qualitative surveys of the animal community using small mammal traps, point counts and total area counts for birds.

  • Aspects of community ecology such as food webs, interdependence and the pyramid of numbers are discussed.

  • The abiotic factors most critical to wetland communities are measured and related to the findings of the surveys.

Prices & Details

Course duration:
3.5 hours (includes time for a 30 min lunch break).
Course duration is typically 10.30am-2.00pm

Cost: €13 per student

Student Capacity:
Our facilities cater for groups of 30-35 students.

Lunch:
Picnic areas are available on the grounds for students who wish to bring their own lunches. These are located to the front of the visitor centre.

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