Management and funding
WWT Castle Espie Wetland Centre is one of nine Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT) centres throughout the UK and is the WWT centre for Northern Ireland.
WWT is a registered charity, founded by Sir Peter Scott in 1946.
WWT Castle Espie is funded mainly through membership and admission fees. Secondary spend is also obtained through the shop, coffee and education. The annual visitation has risen over the years to about 65,000. The number of WWT members in Northern Ireland has also increased to 4,000. Government grants, legacies, trusts and some private sector funding is also available.
Founded/opened
WWT Castle Espie was officially opened as a WWT centre on the 4th May, 1990.
Description
WWT Castle Espie has a wild reserve and a collection of wildfowl from around the world. The centre consists of a series of flooded quarries which were used in the nineteenth century for limestone and clay extraction. The site adjoins Strangford Lough, one of the most important marine sites in Europe, and the centre affords the best viewing of waterfowl feeding areas on the Lough. Rare fossils and a fascinating industrial archaeology make the site of special interest to historians.
Despite its small size, WWT Castle Espie has a range of wetland habitats - wet woodland, salt marsh, deep lakes, wader scrapes, and most importantly the mudflats of Strangford Lough.
In 1993 WWT Castle Espie installed a reed bed sewage filtration system, one of the first in Ireland. An exhibit called the 'Sustainable Garden' and straw bale building was erected and opened to the public in 2000.
Visitors that enter the centre are greeted with a play park for children and a magnificent gift shop suitable for all ages. The coffee shop is renowned for its homemade tray bakes and scones (I can absolutely vouch for their magnificence - WLI Coordinator and editor) as well as light lunches.
There are two main walks for visitors. One is the Wildfowl Walk where can feed captive wildfowl. The second walk, the Woodland Walk, is where the visitor can see the natural countryside in all its splendour.
Within the 26 hectare (65 acre) boundary, there is the largest wildfowl collection in Ireland including threatened White-headed Duck, Laysan Duck and Mandarin Duck.
Key species/features
Strangford Lough is home to virtually the entire world population of wintering Light-bellied Brent Geese who migrate from the Canadian arctic.
13 butterfly species have been recorded as well as Badgers, Sparrowhawks and Foxes.
Disused limekilns, gunpowder stores and old farm buildings are dotted around the site.
General
WWT Castle Espie adheres to the WWT curriculum for the conservation of wetlands and their biodiversity as well as WWT's Learning for Life policy and education guidelines.
Interpretation and exhibitry
Interpretation at WWT Castle Espie includes a number of trail boards around the grounds with various themes depending on the time of year. Notice boards are erected beside the ponds and woodland areas to inform visitors of the various types of wildfowl.
A lot of interpretation is human-led. A number of education staff are available to communicate directly with various groups of different ages. In the winter there is a weekend hide (blind) scheme run by volunteers. Many events communicate wetland messages.
Formal (school and university) learning
The centre runs various programmes for schools based on the 'WISE UP to Wetlands' philosophy of WWT. The areas considered in details follow the acronym WEBS (water, ecology, biodiversity, sustainability).
Both internal and external programmes are tailored towards the Northern Ireland schools curriculum. Teachers can refer to the Learn area of this website for programme information. Castle Espie's programmes take place on-site and try to avoid traditional classroom teaching at all times.
The centre regularly caters for special needs groups as well as providing a teaching service for Queen's University, Belfast.
Informal (general public) learning
Guidebooks, maps and information about the centre and what it does are available in the shop.
Daily and seasonal events are ongoing and range from the trails around the grounds, pond dipping, art exhibitions, drop-in workshops (such as bird box building, duckery tours and T-shirt making), to a variey of animals (e.g. owls and Hedgehogs) visiting the centre on specific dates. For more information, contact WWT Castle Espie directly on 028 91874 146.
An outreach education service is available to any group in Northern Ireland. This is particularly targeted at disadvantaged groups and has a strong arts remit.
The Castle Espie Birdwatching Club is a support organisation for the centre run by volunteers.
Professional
Centre staff contribute to various meetings with public, private and voluntary organisations at local, regional and national levels to help promote environmental initiatives.
Staffing
There are 25 fulltime/parttime members of staff and approximately 45 volunteers. The Centre Manager has the following departmental heads - Education Officer, Grounds/reserve Manager, Coffee Shop Manager, Shop Manager.
CEPA activities are led by the Education department, with two fulltime Education Officers (outreach and internal), one fulltime Visitor Services Manager and five casual Educational Assistants.
Contacts
James Orr, Centre Manager, Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, Castle Espie, Ballydrain Road, Comber, Co Down, Northern Ireland BT23 6EA
T: 028 91874 146
F: 028 91873 857
E: james.orr@wwt.org.uk
John McCullough (Outreach Education Officer) - E: john.mccullough@wwt.org.uk