World Wetlands Day is celebrated every year on 2nd February. This day marks the date that the Convention on Wetlands was adopted on 2nd February 1971, in the Iranian city of Ramsar on the shores of the Caspian Sea. Since 1997, the Ramsar Secretariat has provided outreach materials to help raise public awareness about the importance and value of wetlands. The Ramsar network today includes 2,225 sites in 169 countries covering 214,569,564 ha of fantastic wetlands including the Danube Delta, Pantanal, Okavango and St Ouen’s Pond (see all the sites here).
As World Wetlands Day is on a Tuesday this year, the National Trust for Jersey, custodians of St Ouen’s Pond, will be holding an open day at the Wetlands Centre on Sunday 7th of February in celebration.
Events on the day will include:
- A unique opportunity to hone your bird-watching skills with help and guidance from local bird-watching experts Mike Stentiford MBE, Bob Tompkins and Cristina Sellares who will be on-hand throughout the afternoon
- Fun crafts and games for children run by the Trust’s Education Officer in the bunker classroom
- Guided walks setting off from the centre (weather permitting) giving an insight into the natural history of St Ouen’s Pond and surrounding meadows
- Taking time to marvel at our resident population of marsh harriers and trying to spot the rare and secretive bittern.
Entry and activities are all free of charge but donations will be welcomed. For more information check here
With prime assistance from all those magical wetland birds, It promises to be a great afternoon out for all the family. Looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible. Wetlands rule OK?