Death of Belleek herons ‘a crime against nature’

Death of Belleek herons ‘a crime against nature’

Anton McNulty

‘A CRIME against nature’ was how a Ballina councillor described the death of two heron chicks as a result of tree felling by Coillte in Belleek Woods.
The tree felling operation, which resulted in the death of the two nesting chicks, was heavily criticised by local representatives and the Ballina public. The incident occurred on Saturday, April 26, when Coillte was carrying out thinning operations at Belleek Woods. The existence of the heron’s nest was reported to Coillte by a member of the public.
The matter was raised at last week’s meeting of Ballina Town Council where councillors criticised the actions by Coillte and questioned how the workers could not have noticed the nests before felling the trees.
Independent councillor Gerry Ginty described the incident as a ‘crime against nature’ and called for Belleek Woods to be designated a wildlife sanctuary.
“Coillte are ultimately responsible, and questions must be answered,” he told The Mayo News. “The heron is a big bird, and when a heron builds a nest a blind man could see it. I’m not saying it was malicious, but wildlife would not be high on their list of priorities. The landlords who owned Belleek Woods may have come in for criticism through the years, but the wildlife was protected.
“I heard about this while out canvassing and of all the things that are wrong [in the country] there was a lot of anger over this. The people see Belleek as part of their heritage. I would be looking for it to be declared a sanctuary for wildlife to ensure the birds and animals are protected because they are not at present,” he said.
In a statement to The Mayo News, Coillte said it regretted the incident but stressed it was not aware of the presence of the heron nest at the time of the felling.
“Felling is a year-round operation, but had we been aware that herons were nesting in Belleek Woods, the felling operation would have been rescheduled until after the heron’s nest had been vacated.
“Coillte have a process whereby a felling licence application is made to the Forestry Service, at the Department of Agriculture, and a harvesting EIA (Environmental Impact Assessment) is carried out at all sites before felling can commence.
“In this instance the felling licence was granted and a harvesting EIA was completed without the presence of a heron’s nest being identified. Furthermore advance notices went up around Belleek Woods, to inform the public of the intention to thin a section of the wood, and contact details were provided if anyone had any questions or issues to raise,” the statement read.
Coillte added that it has a long-term conservation plan for Belleek Woods, whereby non-native trees are gradually being thinned out and replanted with native species.
At last week’s Ballina Town Council meeting, €5,000 was granted to the Belleek Forest Park Enhancement Committee, whose work was praised by the councillors. Cllr Ginty’s call for the woods to be turned into a wildlife sanctuary was supported by Cllr Mark Winters, who said the amenities in the wood were the ‘envy of many’.