Insight into peat lands

Submitted by vicky on Thursday, 23 September 2004 Page Views: 2964

**Lindow** submitted by Vicky : Lindow Moss near Wilmslow where two or possibly three bog bodies including Lindow Man or Pete Marsh (now in the British Musuem) were discovered in the 1980s. A prehistoric trackway was also reported in the area in the 19th century. The layer of sphagnum peat in which the bodies lay has now almost completely disappeared due to commercial peat cutting on the Moss. (Vote or comment on this photo)

A new school aims to bring scholars "back to the land" in Northern Ireland. The Peatlands Park Education Centre in Dungannon, County Tyrone, opened by NI Environment Minister Angela Smith on Wednesday, looks deceptively like a traditional farmhouse. But inside, the school is geared up to offer children an exciting look at their land and their history - everything from bog butter to bog cotton has a place on the curriculum. Staff will focus on the importance of the peatland habitats of Northern Ireland for wildlife, archaeology and cultural heritage.

"The peatlands of Northern Ireland, both lowland raised bogs such as those at Peatlands Park, and the blanket bogs of upland areas such as the Sperrins, represent a very significant part of the remaining peatlands in the UK and Europe," Ms Smith said.

"It is essential to their conservation that coming generations appreciate their importance."

Wilderness walks

Peatlands Park is managed by Northern Ireland's Environment and Heritage Service.

In addition to the green lawns, landscaped ponds, parkland and woods expected in 'traditional' country parks, Peatlands Park offers a board-walk through a bog garden, an educational tour by narrow-gauge railway, and extensive walks with a 'wilderness' atmosphere through its 260 hectares of bogland and woodland.

The classrooms at the new Peatlands Park Education Centre are already well booked by both primary and secondary schools for the incoming school terms.

The centre will open to the general public on Saturday 25 and Sunday 26 September.

Source: BBC News Northern Ireland 22/09/2004

Contributor Bio for vicky: Ex Megalithic Portal Editor, Co-author of 'Rock Around the Peak - Megalithic Monuments of the Peak District' and... More

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