Concerns have been raised over the impact of quad bike riders on wildlife in a woodland area near Muff, County Donegal in the Republic of Ireland.
Margaret Peoples, who is from Carnamoyle, said people riding quad bikes in Lisnagra Woods have been visiting the area throughout the summer.
Peoples said the quad bikes are causing significant damage to the woodland, making the area difficult for families and dog walkers to use, while also cutting up the forest floor, which is impacting plants and wildlife.
She said the noise and damage caused by the heavy vehicles are particularly concerning for a colony of red squirrels, at a time when they are gathering and storing food ahead of winter.
Margaret Peoples says so many animals call the woodland their home and must be protected
"These quads have been cutting the place up every weekend," Peoples told BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today programme on Thursday.
"It's been happening all summer, and it's making the place nearly unusable for people coming with their kids, or for a walk with the dog or whatever, because it's very badly cut up and mucky at the minute.
"Plus, it's also doing a lot of damage to the forest floor, which is bad for the survival of the woods, for the food chain in the woods, for the seeds and the birds.
"It's not the place for quads. It really isn't."
Margaret Peoples urged the quad bike riders to take their activities to an area that is more appropriate
"The damage that they're doing to the forest floor and the undergrowth, where the small mammals – your squirrels, your rabbits, your pine martens – are at this time of year gathering up for the winter, they're wrecking that.
"And the noise disturbance is clearly going to be an issue for any bird life. Even now, there's not as much birdsong in the morning or afternoon as there would have been before all this started."
A number of areas within the woodland are like a quagmire, councillor Terry Crossan says
"We have a colony of red squirrels here who are having to deal with all this disturbance, you know, these things need peace and quiet to thrive.
"It's their home. We're only visitors there, and we need to respect that if they're going to survive and thrive."
