Cair Vie Resistance is raising concerns over the environmental impact of ground investigation works after a rare fungus was found in Cringle Park.
Ground investigation works were carried out in 2024 by contractors working for the Manx Utilities Authority in the area.
The resistance group has raised questions after a recent discovery of a “nationally scarce fungus” in Cringle Park.
Opponents of the wind farm say it has been found “on the same route identified as the access corridor to the Cair Vie Wind Power Station site”.
Rare Fungus
The group says the fungus, Byssonectria terrestris, a vivid red-orange ascomycete, was discovered this spring growing along the path leading to the site of the proposed windfarm at Earystane Plantation.
The group claims this is the first ever recorded sighting of this species on the Isle of Man, with just 13 verified UK records listed on the National Biodiversity Network (NBN) Atlas.
It says that the “area in which it was found lies directly along the route where the MUA’s consultants drilled multiple boreholes in 2024 as part of preliminary site investigations”.
Queries
Car Vie Resistance says “there is no evidence that a licensed ecological survey was conducted before those groundworks took place, and no public record of species assessments or mitigation plans”.
“This find raises serious questions about how thoroughly environmental risks were assessed before drilling began,” said a spokesperson for Cair Vie Resistance.
“Byssonectria terrestris is extremely rare, and its discovery highlights just how little we know about what’s living in these upland habitats.
Spokesperson for Cair Vie Resistance.
“It’s deeply concerning that such sites are being disturbed without proper baseline data in place.”
Cringle Park has been announced by MUA as the haul road and infrastructure access point for the Cair Vie Wind Power Station.
6 Comments