Anti-social behaviour

Ena Rafferty, current Chairwoman of the Wayfarers Association, a Dublin based
hillwalking club, asks:

Why has there to be terrible damage done to sites of great importance in
Ireland before anything is done to protect them?

Quad tracks up Lugnaquillia, Co Wicklow.

QUAD BIKE and scrambler riders and sports utility vehicle drivers are destroying special areas of conservation but cannot be apprehended, the Dáil has heard.

Mary White (GP, Carlow-Kilkenny) said that most of the damage "to the most magnificent habitats" on the Carlow-Wexford border and the Wicklow uplands takes place at weekends; national park conservation rangers generally patrol on Monday to Friday.

While we're sure that generally access is better organised in the UK than here, it's not all plain sailing.

http://www.sundaymail.co.uk/news/scottish-news/2008/01/20/landowner-heap...

Car on hillsDid anyone else see this vehicle taking a trip down Butter Mountain (Mournes) to the Spelga Dam carpark?
Story courtesy MountainViews.

A rucksack and some of all of it's contents were recovered when thieves were surprised while breaking into a car (Toyota people carrier or similar) at Ticknock on Sat 5th Jan.

The owner can recover the Lowe Alpine rucksack by contacting Jim Leonard
on 0879480634.

Regrettably car break-ins do happen when you park in the mountains. MountainViews members have reported a few including at Slieve Gullion and in Wicklow (Ballinastoe, Near Lough Bray, and near Carrigshouk.) http://www.mountainviews.ie/mv/index.php?ids=forum&forum_opt=forum_gener...