Queen’s University Field Studies Residential
A recent residential visit by staff and students from the Biological Sciences Department of Queen’s University Belfast turned Share into an Environmental Field Studies Centre, helping to showcase the diverse uses that Share Discovery Village has the potential to deliver.
35 level 2 students and 11 researchers and professors spent a week at Share transforming the Arts Arena into a fully functioning laboratory and work space.
Students used the extensive grounds at Share as well as neighbouring farmland, Smith’s Strand and even accessing some of the many islands via boat to study the diverse flora and fauna of the Upper Lough Erne region.
Projects included sampling the insect life of different habitats, exploring the feeding preferences of small mammals and the species-richness of Fermanagh’s famous hedgerows.
Some very interesting results were discovered and there was a lot of brilliant footage caught of mammals by the camera traps that included hares, mice, deer and pine martins.
Environmental Field Studies Centre in Fermanagh
In previous years the ecology field course had been based at the Field Studies Council in Derrygonnelly which has now sadly closed for residential visits.
The University staff and students found Share to be a more than suitable replacement, with ample habitat around the site and easy access to other important research sites such as Crom Estate and Cuilcagh Geopark.
Having worked hard all day and well into the evening the students also found that the onsite bar facilities were a welcome way to have some well-earned downtime and some of the Share staff were only too happy to participate in the final evening pub quiz.
The week-long field course was a great success and both Queen’s and Share are looking forward to next September. Both parties have learnt a lot about the potential of what can be achieved in terms of indoor and outdoor teaching environments at Share and the surrounding area and such was the success of the partnership, we’d be only too happy to welcome other third level field courses and other environmental education programmes to base themselves at Share.
Enquire about a University Residential at Share Discovery Village
If you are interested in visiting Share Discovery Village for a third-level residential trip we would love to hear from you. Please contact +44(0) 28 6772 2122 or email info@sharevillage.org.
We are able to tailor packages to suit groups of all ages and sizes, while also being able to provide classrooms and equipment such as tables, projectors and screens to name but a few.
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Share Discovery Village also showed their capability at providing environmental education to young people by hosting the inaugral Lough Erne Schools Convention to local primary school children.
Read all about the event, which was attended by 350 pupils, here: Lough Erne Schools Convention
