Terryland Forest Park facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Terryland Forest Park
Town
Terryland Forest Park Location in Ireland
Country	Ireland
Province	Connacht
County	County Galway
Time zone	UTC+0 (WET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-1 (IST (WEST))

The Terryland Forest Park is a special green space in Galway, Ireland. It's like a big forest right inside the city! The park started in January 2000. The idea was to get people in Galway to help plant 500,000 native Irish trees. This huge project covers about 120 acres (which is about 0.48 square kilometers). It's also very close to the city center.

Building the Park: Early Days

The Terryland Forest Park is looked after by the Galway City Council. In the beginning, from 2000 to 2003, many local people helped plan and design the park. They were part of a special committee. This meant that the community had a big say in how the park would grow.

However, after 2003, the City Council seemed to lose interest in working with the community. The committee didn't meet much anymore.

Protecting the Park: Road Plans

In 2007, city officials wanted to build a new road right through the park. This made many people upset! A group called "Friends of Galway Forests" started a campaign. They gathered 10,000 signatures to stop the road. People felt the road would go against the council's own environmental rules. They also worried it would destroy the park's role as an 'ecological corridor'. This means a natural pathway for wildlife.

Because of the protests, city officials promised to restart the community committee. They even hired someone to help set it up again. But the committee was never truly restarted. This made many local activists unhappy.

Community Successes

Even with challenges, park supporters achieved some great things between 2009 and 2010:

• Park Clean-ups: A monthly clean-up event, called Glan Suas Gaillimh, started in November 2009. Local people and the council worked together to keep the park tidy.
• Community Garden: In December 2009, a small part of the park (about 1 acre or 4,000 square meters) was set aside for a community organic garden. It's called An Ghairdín. The Mayor, Councillor Michael Crowe, officially opened it in July 2010.
• Stopping the Road: In January 2010, city officials tried again to include the Forest Road in the city's development plan. But the Galway City Council voted against it. They supported a motion from Councillor Derek Nolan to remove the road plan.
• First Tree Planting: The first community tree planting event happened in March 2010. This was a big step for the park's main goal.

Why the Park is Important

The idea behind Terryland Forest Park was "Green Lungs for the City." This phrase really caught the attention of people in Galway. It showed how important the park would be for everyone, now and in the future.

When the park started in 2000, it was a new kind of project. It gave local people a chance to be involved in planning a huge urban forest. Stephen Walsh, who was in charge of Galway City Parks, said that the park was special because it was "designed with public consultation from Day 1." This means that the community's ideas were important from the very beginning. The park was truly being built with the community.

How the Park Started

The idea for a park in the Terryland River Valley area came from a public campaign in 1996. People living in the Ballinfoile-Tirellan area were worried about too much building development. They wanted to save the land along the river from being built on.

Thanks to support from politicians and council staff, it was decided to create a plan for the area. This plan would include places for fun and also protect nature.

One key person was Gordon D'Arcy, an environmental educator. In 1997, he wrote a report called "The Crann Report." In this report, he suggested creating an urban forest in the parkland. He said it should only have native Irish trees. He also suggested:

• A center to learn about Irish trees.
• A tree nursery (where young trees are grown).
• Outdoor recreation areas.
• A place where nature could thrive.
• Promoting Irish culture within the park.
• Paths that are easy for wheelchairs to use.
• Not using artificial fertilizers.
• Building footpaths with wooden bridges and rest stops.

Who Helped Build the Park

The management committee for the park included many different people. There were artists, scientists who study nature, environmentalists, teachers, politicians, government workers, and community leaders.

Many fun community events took place, like:

• Tree planting days.
• Bulb planting days.
• Art festivals with a Celtic theme.
• Family picnics.

Schools, volunteer groups (like scouts), and even workplace organizations got involved. The first big planting event, called the Plantathon, happened in March 2000. Over 3,000 people came to plant trees! The park was also shown on national television (like Duncan Stewart's 'EcoEye' show in 2002), on the radio, and in newspapers.