Sixth volunteering day at the A Abeleira beach

1 March 2020

 
This morning we were again at the A Abeleira beach (Paderne) with members of the Lewo Proyect of the Xunta de Galicia. They came to continue helping on our campaign of invasive plants elimination at the mouth of the River Lambre, within the natural heritage site SAC Betanzos-Mandeo.

During this sixth day, the seven girls and four boys, accompanied by two instructors of Ribeirán, focused on the elimination of small-leaf spiderwort.

The weather forecast was quite bad, but the morning passed with no rain. This time, the work difficulty was due to nettles, added to the plentiful bramble that got in the way.

Even so, the volunteers succeeded in breaking a record in the quantity of small-leaf spiderwort eliminated, as the withdrawn biomass weighted 503 kg. They also cleared the litter they found ―including a TV set― reaching a total of 83 kg of waste.


Volunteering day on Sunday, the 23rd

16 February 2020

 
Some days ago we cleared more than half a ton of litter from the surroundings of the bird hide in Souto, by the right bank of the Betanzos estuary. However a lot of residue still remains there because there wasn’t enough space in the garden trailer. So, we are returning next Sunday, since good weather is forecast.

Photograph of the volunteersAs on the previous day, we will take advantage of the low tide to spend some time watching the large numbers of waterfowl that use the protected natural heritage site SAC Betanzos-Mandeo as a wintering place and migratory passage, before leaving to North Europe to breed.

As usually, the meeting point will be the Outpatient Clinic of Betanzos in order to share cars (those who are going directly are asked to let us know, so that we do not wait for them in vain). Given that we are going to walk through the reed bed, it is necessary to wear wellingtons and gloves too (rubber gloves are most suitable). Because there is the risk of hitting your eyes with a reed, it is also advisable to wear glasses (sun glasses, prescription spectacles or safety goggles). Don’t worry about tools, but remember to take something to eat and drink for the mid-morning break.

If you would like to collaborate in the cleaning of the estuary, please send us your data in advance (complete name, ID, birth date, postal code and mobile phone number). This way, we can inform you on last minute changes, you will be covered by an accident insurance and you will facilitate organization. In section Contact you will find the necessary information.

Meeting point: Outpatient Clinic of Betanzos.
Date: February 23rd, 2020.
Time: We will be leaving at 9.30 a.m., coming back at 2 p.m.

The Deputación da Coruña will finance 80% of the volunteer insurance policy.

Post data: Again, we cleared more than half a ton of litter! To be precise, the fifteen volunteers who took part in this volunteering day withdrew 505.5 kg of litter. With this cleaning, the total weight of the littering removed during this year amounts to more than two tons: exactly 2,384.5 kg.

Photograph of the volunteersThe bulkier pieces we found were two wheels and a washer drum. But the harder work was to withdraw the agricultural plastics, especially the crop nets used for legume cultivation, because they were tangled with vegetation and half buried.

Before starting the clearing, the ornithologist of the Hábitat Naturalist Group, Mr. Santiago Vázquez, talked about the diversity of fauna sheltered by the Betanzos estuary. Although the fog made birdwatching difficult, he was able to show us different bird species that could be seen through the telescopes (Western marsh harrier, little egret, pink-footed goose, mallard, Eurasian teal, Eurasian curlew, common greenshank, common redshank, common sandpiper, etc.). It was a good prologue to encourage us to improve the conservation of the marshland.


Half tonne of litter taken out of the estuary

8 February 2020

 
Several employees of Naturgy and their relatives participated this morning in their third volunteering day. On this occasion we went to the bird hide of Souto, on the right bank of the Betanzos estuary.

Photograph of the volunteersBefore getting to work, we dedicated some time to explain the natural values of this protected natural area, while we watched the diverse bird species feeding on the mud (spoonbill, grey heron, little egret, mute swan, pink-footed goose, mallard, Eurasian teal, Eurasian curlew, common greenshank, common sandpiper, etc.).

Later on, while the children enjoyed a morning in the countryside, the nine adults got to the reed bed to collect bottles, plastics and all kind of trash, including two wheels. The results speak for themselves: more than half a ton of litter. We filled 45 sacks weighting 581 kg and filled to the brim the 4 m3 capacity of the garden trailer. With this action, we have already removed from the rivers and the coast 1,811.5 kg of litter and debris so far this year.

The surrounding area of the bird hide is not absolutely clean yet. Therefore, we hope to program another volunteering day soon, in order to complete the cleaning.

We thank Naturgy for promoting this day of environmental volunteering among their employees.


Our reserves at the Casa del Agua

30 January 2020

 
To commemorate the World Wetlands Day on February 2nd, the Technical seminar on environmental recovery of wetlands was held at the Casa del Agua of A Coruña, within the conference of specialists and part of the Life Fluvial project.

Logo of Life FluvialOur intervention focused on the O Catorce and Ollo da Roda reserves, explaining the context in which they were created, the difficulties we encountered, the environmental characteristics of these two wetlands and the actions taken to improve the habitats and to receive visitors.

Although Life Fluvial is not complemented by our work and we are not benefiting from this project in any way, our participation in this seminar has been a great opportunity to explain to the participant experts the objectives of our organization: preserving the natural heritage of our area by means of direct, efficient and long-lasting actions, as demonstrated with the creation and maintenance of these two reserves.


Interview with Roxín Roxal

28 January 2020

 
Logo of the Cultural Association Roxín RoxalToday we have been at the studio of Roxín Roxal, where we have participated in an live interview broadcasted on their video and radio internet channels.

In the conversation with María Gutiérrez Calvete we could explain how we address nature conservation through land stewardship and explain in detail all the work we have been doing during these years.

The interview can be seen on YouTube or on Radio Filispim; it can also be listened on Ivoox.


Volunteering at the marshland of the River Baxoi

26 January 2020

 
There were twelve of us participating in the volunteering day at the North side of the Baxoi marshland this morning. The reason for acting on this reed bed by the Praia Grande in Miño was the existence of two spots of Pampas grass and a lot of litter.

The participants were split into two teams. Five people focused on the removal of litter, walking along the reed bed and removing 156.5 kg of litter. The rest spent the time eliminating a Canary palm tree and 10 tufts of Pampas grass, amounting to 241 kg of biomass.

Because of the incline, the four tufts that grew on the slope by the bridge implied hard work, requiring the use of a rope and a harness to prevent accidents. The Canary palm tree and the rest of the Pampas grass were removed near the motorway exit.

This action did not complete the elimination of litter or invasive exotic species on the marshland, but there is no doubt that the North side presents a much better ecological state now.


After cleaning the River Mandeo, we now come to the River Mendo

24 January 2020

 
If we did the first cleaning of the year early this month in the River Mandeo stretch we safeguard, this week it was time for the River Mendo, along the section from As Moas Bridge to the Taibo Bridge.

We divided the 18 km-circular route in three stages during which we removed diverse litter, mainly plastics that were broken into small pieces by the strong swellings and got stuck on the vegetation. We also removed four bags filled with pieces of contaminating asbestos ―leaving them by the river shows an acute lack of civic sense― with a total weight of 53 kg.

As for exotic invasive exotic species, we eliminated two small spots with montbretia, one with small-leaf spiderwort and one blackwood acacia. We spotted other four blackwood acacia trees on the riverbed, but we were unable to uproot them because of their size, so we will get back to them with the right tools.

Periodically picking up litter by the rivers is essential to reduce littering, for the sake of the biodiversity they harbor and allowing us to enjoy the landscape without the interference of these examples of human negligence.


Volunteering day on Sunday the 12th

8 January 2020

 
This year’s volunteering is going to start next Sunday, given that no rain is forecast during the morning.

Photograph of the volunteersThe last swellings of the River Mandeo have removed the soil and the sand in the canal formed by the river in the recreational area of Chelo (Coirós). This way, some pieces of brick, tile and other building materials thrown away long ago are in sight now. We had already removed litter some time ago, but it is necessary to do it again if we want to keep this area free from waste materials.

As usual, the meeting point will be the Outpatient Clinic of Betanzos, in order to share cars (those who are going directly are asked to let us know, so that we do not wait for them). The canal does not have water running down, but it is advisable to wear wellington boots and rubber gloves (leather gloves are not suitable for this task). Don’t worry about tools, but remember to take something to eat and drink for the mid-morning break.

If you would like to take part in this first volunteering day of the year, please send us your data in advance (complete name, ID, birth date, postal code and mobile phone number). This way, we can inform you on last minute changes, you will be covered by an accident insurance and you will facilitate organization. In section Contact you can find the necessary information.

Meeting point: Outpatient Clinic of Betanzos.
Date: January 12th, 2020.
Time: We will be leaving at 9.30 a.m., coming back at 2 p.m.

Post data: Fortunately the day was not as cold as we had expected; even so, we felt lazy to dip our hands into the water to pick up the debris. The six participants quickly removed bricks, tile and other prefab building materials, leaving the canal and its banks clean by mid-morning. We filled the 20 available baskets with debris, summing up 743 kg, plus 35 kg of iron and diverse kind of litter. Future swellings will let new debris at sight, but meanwhile this canal will present a natural appearance.


First volunteering day of the year

8 January 2020

 
Last week, one of our volunteers walked both banks of the River Mandeo, from O Tope to Teixeiro Bridge. The strong swellings during the last two months washed the river banks, sweeping along leaves, uprooting vegetation and even severely eroding the soil. The swellings not only left some debris at the maximum rise line and plastics hooked on the vegetation, but also exposed some half buried litter. This way, litter was easily spotted and at the same time the riverside vegetation did not hinder the way.

During his 15 km-long walking, he removed two wheels, one wrecked informative panel and diverse residues, mainly small pieces of plastic broken by the flow. There was a total of 143.5 kg of litter, completing the first removal of litter of this year in the stretch of the River Mandeo which we safeguard.

He also checked the reappearance of invasive exotic species. We have eliminated all the exotic vegetation of shrub and herb size on this stretch, but we must keep checking to avoid recolonizations. Only some new shoots were found on the last spot eliminated last year, which indicates the efficiency of our effort. Unfortunately, he spotted an American mink. Since the elimination of exotic fauna is currently beyond our capacity, we report this information to the responsible authorities.


One more year of efficient volunteering

1 January 2020

 
Now that the year 2019 is over, it is timely to take stock of what has been achieved. It is not difficult, since we have been recording in detail every volunteering day. Let’s have a look at the results summary.

Photograph of the volunteersThe litter that we picked up from the coast and the rivers weighed 8,417.5 kg. In our fight against invasive exotic species, we eliminated sources of 21 different exotic plants, summing up a weight of 4,653 kg. of biomass. The species that required more dedication were the small-leaf spiderwort, of which we withdrew 2920 kg, and the montbretia, having uprooted 9,385 tubers.

The action areas by the rivers amounted to 43 km of banks by the rivers Mandeo, Mendo, Lambre and the As Bouzas stream. As for the coastal areas, we acted at the Betanzos estuary, at the mouth of the River Lambre (marshland and Alameda and Abeleira beaches) and at the beach of Miño (including the north side of the marshland). Apart from these areas of public domain which we safeguard, we continued working on the maintenance of the wood plots in which we do land stewardship, either by acquisition or agreements; among them, the micro-reserves we created in Ollo da Roda and in O Catorce.

All of this has been possible thanks to the work of 114 people who participated in one or more volunteering days, plus 51 people sent by the Directorate General for Youth and Volunteering. Many thanks to all!

Happy New Year!


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