Garadise Lake
County Leitrim is all but landlocked, having a coastal outlet to the Atlantic only two miles in length on Donegal Bay between the boundaries of counties Sligo and Donegal. County Leitrim is hilly, ranging from shaggy brown hills to lofty mountains, and with deep valleys. There are several beautiful lakes of which the best known are Lough Gill, Lough Allen, Lough Garadice, Lough Glenade, Lough Rynn, Lough MacNean and Lough Melvin whose western shores is in the county of Leitrim and eastern in the county of Fermanagh. Many of the smaller lakes are also picturesque.
With one of the lowest population densities in Ireland, you can find plenty of unspoilt, rural scenery, where farmers carry on in the traditions of past centuries. There are also numerous sites of archaeological interest, from ring forts to restored manor houses (like Parkes Castle on Lough Gill). Not for nothing is the county known as 'lovely Leitrim'.
The environment in County Leitrim is virtually unspoiled, due to low population density and industrial activity. A unique feature of the county is the low use of fertilisers and pesticides in the common methods of farming. This has resulted in very high biological diversity in hedgerows and meadows throughout the county. Leitrim contains habitats for many rare plants and animals, including wild orchids, tea-leaved willows and many species of bats.
Threats to the environment include the spread of Zebra mussels into local waterways, unnecessary destruction of hedgerows, illegal waste disposal and decline of our fisheries resource.
The Environment Department of Leitrim County Council is responsible for protecting and improving the natural and man-made environment of County Leitrim. This Department must ensure that the principles of sustainable development are implemented by the promoters of public and private development projects in the County. The Environment Department’s responsibilities fall into two broad categories – Waste Management and Surface Water & General Environmental Protection.
Leitrim County Council provides an Environmental Hotline 1890 205 205 for the public. This is allows members of the public to easily and cheaply contact Leitrim County Council with queries and comments relating to environmental issues. The Hotline is staffed during normal office hours, while an appropriate member of staff during the next working day will deal with messages left outside office hours.
Other organisations actively involved with environmental issues in Leitrim include: