Clare Glens Notice

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Adrians
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Clare Glens Notice

Post by Adrians » Sat Jun 13, 2009 7:18 pm

The Ul message board wrote:The conservation ranger for the Clare Glens has been in contact with me to help with conserving our local paddling spot. They don't wish to stop canoeing or kayaking within the glens but they do need to protect the site. The following are recommendations that they have made. Your co-operation with these recommendations would be appreciated to keep the Glens wildlife as it is


Recommendations
1. No putting in/taking out should occur within 50m either side of the constriction unless there is an emergency.
2. Kayakers/Spectators should use and/or remain on the provided paths.
3. That these directions are incorporated into any advertisement of the Clare Glen’s canoe route on websites or literature in order to preserve the integrity of the site
4. Notification of any races on the Clare River within the Clare Glens should be made to National Parks Wildlife Service local staff prior to their taking place: Áine Lynch 087-9369372 and Elaine Keegan 087-2240934

These recommendations are required to be put into practice for nature conservation reasons within the Clare Glens SAC (930).

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jimkennedy
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Re: Clare Glens Notice

Post by jimkennedy » Tue Jun 23, 2009 6:36 pm

I'm not sure what the Conservation Ranger is asking us not to do here:
Adrians wrote:
The Ul message board wrote:Recommendations
1. No putting in/taking out should occur within 50m either side of the constriction unless there is an emergency.
Are we not supposed to put-in/take-out there, as in, park cars somewhere and hike in to the river (although I can't imagine why anyone would want to do that)? If so, fair enough.

Or should we take this to mean s/he doesn't want us to get out to scout or portage the constriction? If so, that creates a bit of a problem. The constriction is not really the kind of drop I like running blind and some folks walk this one.

Is there any more information about this? I'm not disagreeing about the conservation efforts, just looking for a clarification on what we're not wanted to do.

Jim.

Ross Redmond
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Re: Clare Glens Notice

Post by Ross Redmond » Wed Jun 24, 2009 10:55 am

Hi All (especially Jim!),

This issue arose when the conservation ranger contacted the ICU with concerns about kayaking activites on the Glens, in particular relating to races and walking at sidewinder/constricion. The Clare Glens is a special area of conservation (SAC) and contains certain species of plants that are protected under the EU habitats directive. This makes it an even more special place to paddle.

The ICU gave the ranger my contact details as a local paddler and a meeting was arranged to discuss the issues. The guidance quoted above is the result of the meeting. (The ranger subsequently contacted local kayaking clubs in the Glens area).

There is no general restricion to access to the river however. In general you can start by walking along the main upper river left path to Top Drop or paddle in from the road bridge upstream.

I think the best policy in relation the Sidewinder/Constriction is:

- Scout and portage by taking out 50m above constriction and walking up to the main path and then down to the bridge downstream of Constriction. Put in 50m downstream from constriction where possible.

- Set safety by by taking out 50m above constriction portaging around by the upper main path and then walking up to constriction from the bridge downstream. Put in 50m downstream from constriction where possible.

- Follow "Leave no trace" guidlines at all times. Avoid dragging boats etc, avoid damage to plants at all points along the river.

The focus is to reduce foot traffic in the Sidewinder/Constriction area as much as possible however, in case of emergency then of course paddlers safety must be regarded first.

My understanding ids that the ICU are in the process of publishing further guidance on this type of issue however, if you need any clarification then feel free to contact me.
Regards,

Ross.

085 7049287/[email protected].
Last edited by Ross Redmond on Wed Jun 24, 2009 12:37 pm, edited 1 time in total.

muirs
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Re: Clare Glens Notice

Post by muirs » Wed Jun 24, 2009 11:45 am

I was slightly concerned when I read this first (cos I normally portage constriction due to the number of boats I've seen written off in there)
To me, this:
Ross Redmond wrote:Set safety by by taking out 50m above constriction portaging around by the upper main path and then walking up to constriction from the bridge downstream. Put in 50m downstream from constriction where possible.
Doesn't make a whole pile of sense... to set safety you still need to walk right up / down to constriction, and given that I'd say at least 10 - 15 boats a year go in there, for each one of those you're gonna need 3 or 4 people scrambling around to get it out... it's not really practical. I'm guessing I'll just be getting on below constriction from now on altogether, which is a real pity cos the top drop was always my favourite drop on the river. Also 50m downstream is well downstream from the bridge - is it possible to even get in there?

p.s. not arguing with the conservation stuff - obviously I think that's very important, I just don't know how the practical side of it is gonna work for most groups!

Adrians
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Re: Clare Glens Notice

Post by Adrians » Wed Jun 24, 2009 11:54 am

Hey,

I think what Rosco means (correct me if I am wrong) is to get off river left 50+ meters above "sidewinder", then walk back to path that leads to "top drop" and follow it the long way down to the foot bridge to inspect the Sidewinder - Constriction .

If you are going to portage the rapid then go a further 50+ meters down stream to get in. That's kinda how it reads to me.

The only thing I see where an issue would arise is that while there seems to be an allowance to enter the SAC in the case of an emergence there does not seem to be an allowance to set up a static rescue as most groups usually do.

Oh and like Muireann I'm not in disagreement with any consiveration plans, I reckon by dealing with these as they arise in a sensible and mature way such as this will help us avoid an access mess like the one that exists in the UK.


Adrian

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jimkennedy
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Re: Clare Glens Notice

Post by jimkennedy » Wed Jun 24, 2009 12:57 pm

Adrians wrote:I think what Rosco means (correct me if I am wrong) is to get off river left 50+ meters above "sidewinder", then walk back to path that leads to "top drop" and follow it the long way down to the foot bridge to inspect the Sidewinder - Constriction .

If you are going to portage the rapid then go a further 50+ meters down stream to get in. That's kinda how it reads to me.
Yeah, that's what I took from it too.

Wow, I knew the Glens was a particularly beautiful place to paddle in Ireland (God knows, Rosco bangs on about it being the best river ever, any chance he gets) but I was unaware there were particularly important plant species in there too. 50 meters upstream of the constriction is well upstream of the usual spot we get out to inspect (the flat slabs of rock on the left at the top of the last pool).

Rosco, is there a 'preferred' spot somewhere further upstream where we should be getting out and is there a way from there to the upper path without bushwhacking?

Jim.

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Seanie
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Re: Clare Glens Notice

Post by Seanie » Wed Jun 24, 2009 1:41 pm

I'm happy to know that both Ross and Benny are the ones in communication with the NPWS. These sorts of situations can be tricky if not dealt with in the right way. I was also contacted by them, but I quickly deferred all questions etc. to the two lads. Both of the lads have the required professional experience and education to deal with this sort of thing. They have done a great job so far. A big thank you lads for taking care of this.

As Ross said the ICU are in the process of getting something together (it might be Sept or later before we see anything). I think its best if we and Irish Whitewater wait for these guidelines before we communicate the NPWS guidelines to the wider paddling community on this matter, it will avoid confusion. And in the interim try to follow the 3 points Ross posted.

I'm all for the leave no trace stuff and I think these guidelines aren't a bad thing. We really should appreciate the areas we paddle. Every now and again we need a wake up call, its easy to have an inflated opinion of ourselves. At one with nature, environmentally aware eco friendly paddlers, isnt that's the image we like to present....Where as in most cases the reality is more like a bunch of people that drive ridiculous distances in large vehicles to paddle our non-recyclable oil based boat and gear down a river for their own personal enjoyment.

In situations like this I think we can have our cake and eat it too, we can be environmentally friendly and paddle the river too. From what I can see all it require is a bit more of a walk around, approaching from downstream when setting up safety on Constriction. On top of that this discussion has prompted me to think more about the environmental aspects of IWW and I hope to add an environmental section to each guide in version 2 of the site.

Ross Redmond
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Re: Clare Glens Notice

Post by Ross Redmond » Wed Jun 24, 2009 5:01 pm

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the replys.

Jim, I think the usual spot you mention is close enough to 50m upstream from the constriction. Thats the spot I'll use.

I will get up there at some stage to survey the existing paths and maybe put down some way markers to make it easy as possible for kayakers to avoid impact on the sidewinder/constriction area.

This is a really easily managed issue and it will not really make our day out any harder.

Cheers,

Ross

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