In late October and early November, Foyle College became the latest and final school to complete the 2023 Foyle and Carlingford Ambassador Programme after a week of engagement and educational workshops across the Foyle catchment area.

On the Monday, 21 students from Foyle College were welcomed to the Loughs Agency in Prehen, making them the first school group invited to the agency by the Education Team since before the pandemic.

In the afternoon, the group were given talks and demonstrations from Diego del Villar and Kieran Byrne on some of the work they do for the agency, including acoustic telemetry, marine life tracking and water quality monitoring.

The day finished off with some map workshops with the group on the Foyle catchment, allowing them to get more familiar with the agency’s jurisdiction and the areas they would be visiting throughout the week.

Foyle College Ambassadors learn about the Lough Agency’s work at its HQ in Prehen

Tuesday saw the Education Team join up with FROG Outdoor Education at a crisp but sunny Moyagh Fishery to give the Ambassadors an opportunity to try coarse fishing and receive coaching from professional angling guides. Over 200 fish were caught, with some participants catching over 20 roach individually.

Ambassadors were taught how to safely catch and release the fish once caught, and afterwards received their Level One Cast Award. Some Ambassadors expressed an interest in taking up fishing and were subsequently given details of local angling clubs within the area.

The Ambassadors tried out coarse fishing with FROG Outdoor Education at a crisp but sunny Moyagh Fishery

On Wednesday, the Ambassadors made the trip from their school to Ness Woods for a day of river and woodland habitat studies. Fisheries inspector Jason McCartney discussed his role in the Loughs Agency and the work that goes on within the Conservation and Protection Directorate. He showed the group some native oysters, seized nets and key equipment such as thermal cameras.

The group of 21 pupils were then split into two groups and given different tasks in the late morning. The first group carried out practice kick samples and macroinvertebrate identification to help indicate the overall water quality of the river. The second carried out key weather observations that need noted when carrying out a freshwater survey, as well as learning all about the biodiversity within the woodlands.

Afterwards the group participated in a game based around the migration of the Atlantic salmon, eventually switching tasks and partaking in each other’s activities.

In the afternoon the two groups were brought together to carry out CSSI macroinvertebrate surveys, giving the river an overall score of ‘Good’ water quality. The Ambassadors loved getting in the water while learning about the waterways and how the Loughs Agency monitor the health of the rivers.

Foyle College Ambassadors were engaged in river and woodland habitat studies in Ness Woods

Thursday was a coastal exploration Day on Benone Beach, with the Ambassadors getting the chance to investigate the marine biodiversity washed up along the coastline and carrying out a litter pick.

A coastal exploration workshop in the afternoon saw the Ambassadors find everything from shore crab carapaces, diverse ranges of seaweeds and shells, shark and ray egg cases, welk eggs and much more.

Ambassadors then learned how to identify many of the marine species, and most importantly, how to gently and safely handle and minimise disturbance, returning anything that’s found back to its natural place.

The day was finished off with the Ambassadors creating some fantastic beach art from the sand, shells and any other natural materials they could find.

The students explored marine biodiversity on Benone Beach

There was a quick change of plan on Friday, meaning the Ambassadors ended up on a trip to Magilligan Point.

The Ambassadors started off with a quick litter pick to clean the beach before taking a walk through the dunes to the Martello tower, where Michael talked of the importance of the structure for the defence of the River Foyle in the 1800s.

Magilligan Point was the perfect location to talk about the Foyle system and the flows out towards the Atlantic Ocean. The group then discussed everything they had learned over the previous five days.

In the afternoon, to mark the end of the week, several team-building games took place, allowing the group some free time on the beach with some of the Ambassadors rock pooling, playing football and some even ‘sunbathing’.

The week ended with a trip to Magilligan Point

Overall, this was a fantastic week, where Loughs Agency staff witnessed a growth in confidence, the overcoming of fears and a new awareness and interest in local ecosystems being developed among the participants.

There were great conversations around environmental awareness, discussions on everyday life as a teenager and honest revelations on prospects. For many of the Ambassadors, this was their first experience in these types of outdoor locations, further emphasising the importance of open-air environmental education. The hope is that this experience has planted many seeds for future decision making when it comes to protecting and conserving the natural world.

The Loughs Agency offers a huge thank you to everyone who helped in the delivery of the programme, staff members Diego, Kieran and Jason for their time and efforts, and especially all the Ambassadors who took part in the Foyle and Carlingford Ambassador Programme.

The Loughs Agency will begin recruitment in the new year for the Foyle & Carlingford 2024 schools programme and early spring for the summer programme. If your school is interested in taking part, get in touch with [email protected].

Following July’s programme of events, the Foyle & Carlingford Ambassador summer programme was completed after a week of engaging and educational workshops across the Carlingford catchment this August.

Young people signed up from across the catchment to take part. A highly rewarding week witnessed a growth in confidence, fears being overcome and connections and friendships developing among all Ambassadors, making for lots of great memories.

A major aim of outdoor environmental education interventions is to provide individuals with the opportunity of knowing relevant facts about the ecological processes of natural environments, connecting visually, physically and emotionally, which can lead to development of positive attitudes and behaviours toward environmental preservation.

Summer programme participants visit the shoreline of Carlingford Lough for a study of the area’s marine biodiversity

The week began with an introductory day at Newry Leisure Centre with a hike to Cloughmore Stone near Rostrevor and a magnificent view over Carlingford Lough.

Day two brought an angling CAST Taster with the Foyle River catchment Outdoor Group (FROG) at Camlough, while day three took the Ambassadors to Fairy Glen/Kilbroney Park for a study of the river habitat and freshwater ecosystems as well as a Q&A session with a fishery officer and an electrofishing demonstration.

Day four took place on the Carlingford shoreline with an exploration of local marine biodiversity and ocean literacy, including a litter pick and a primer on safety at the shore.

Omagh Academy pupils get an an angling CAST Taster with the Foyle River catchment Outdoor Group (FROG) at Birchwood Fishery

Wilderness survival was the theme of the fifth and final day, with various challenges and team-building exercises helping those participating to complete the requirements for the John Muir Discover Award.

Elsewhere and more recently, the schools programme saw Omagh Academy — the first school in the Omagh area to take part — engaged in workshops across the Foyle catchment, with Ambassadors ages 12-14 building up environmental knowledge, skills and awareness for the outdoors, focusing on the role the Loughs Agency plays in conserving and protecting local waterways.

Omagh Academy pupils took in Strule Arts Centre, angling at Birchwood Fishery in Drumquin, Gortin Glen Forest Part for habitat study, the coastal environment at Benone Beach and Gortin Activity Centre for team-building.

Year 10 students at Gaelcholáiste Dhoire get their surf on at Benone Beach

In late September, students from Year 10 at Gaelcholáiste Dhoire completed their first Foyle & Carlingford Ambassador schools programme during the week Storm Agnes hit the UK and Ireland.

Benone Beach was also on their itinerary, for a day of surfing, as was Cashel Lake Trout Fishery for a morning of angling before the weather took a turn. A river habitat study at Roe Valley Country park was postponed to the following week, where certificates were also awarded to all the participating Ambassadors.

The Loughs Agency will begin recruitment in the new year for the Foyle & Carlingford 2024 schools programme and early spring for the summer programme. If your school is interested in taking part, get in touch with [email protected].