Every year we pull on our gloves and join the Booterstown Marsh clean-up, a volunteer day organised with An Taisce. This time Pachamama Style was there too. I am Ozlem, the founder of Pachamama Style, and you can spot me first on the left in the photo.
Pachamama Style is a baby and kids’ clothing online store based in Blackrock, Co. Dublin. We care about the kind of world our little customers will grow up in, which is why we choose sustainable, pure cotton clothing and why we love taking part in environmental volunteering.
Why Booterstown Marsh matters
If you have taken the DART along the coast, you have passed Booterstown Marsh without necessarily noticing it. It is the last remaining saltmarsh on the south shore of Dublin Bay, and it brings a real piece of nature right into the city.
The marsh covers about 4.3 hectares and is fed by both salt and fresh water. Its plant life changes through the seasons and from year to year, which is typical of a marsh like this.
It is also a bird sanctuary, the only one on the south side of Dublin Bay. The bay is internationally important for ducks, geese and waders that feed and rest here, and it is thought to host some of the highest numbers of wintering waterbirds on any Irish estuary. For migrating birds, Booterstown Marsh is a valuable place to rest and refuel, with habitats that range from fresh water to salt water.
Teaching children to love nature
As parents, one of our biggest responsibilities is to prepare our children for life. A good place to start is teaching them to love, respect and protect nature. Why not take your little ones for a walk along the marsh and see which birds you can spot?