Rubble was dumped in local woods

VOLUNTEERS at Myross Wood House in Leap were angry to discover the illegal dumping of four tonnes of builders’ rubble in the woodland.

Mark Robins – a local ecologist who is playing a leading role in the restoration of the woodland at the Centre of Excellence for Climate Action and Sustainability (Cecas) – made the discovery last week.

Over the last two years, Friends of Myross Wood – a group made up of 80 community volunteers – have been working on a ‘Meitheal’ basis to restore the native woodland.

‘It really is shocking and depressing that someone would set out to damage a public woodland amenity that has been a brilliant example of a community coming together and giving their time and energy freely for the cause of creating a fantastic resource for so many people,’ said Mark.

‘The irony is that if someone had come to us and asked if we could use some of the rubble on new paths, or if we could use some poles in the garden, we would probably have said yes, because we are all about reusing and recycling,’ said the ecologist.

Trish Lavelle, the chairperson of Green Skibbereen, the organisation that runs Cecas, confirmed that the matter has been reported to the gardaí in Skibbereen.