- Intel's Biodiversity Program has been chosen
as a lead example of corporate responsibility in Ireland.
The Rye River is so much more beautiful because of it.
We would like to really compliment Intel on this program
which has brought together people from the local community
and environmental leaders along with Intel
to really make their local environments beautiful.
The biodiversity element of this is something
that we would encourage all of our companies to look at.
So congratulations, Intel.
- When we arrived in 1994,
the river was very shallow, slow-flowing,
very canal-like in appearance.
I would say low fishery potential.
The river had filled with silt
and on the silt there was vegetation growing,
so the river was full of vegetation.
In fact during the summer months,
there was only about one meter of open river channel.
We have been monitoring the fish populations
in this section of the river for the last 14 years.
And depending on water quality,
in years where the water quality has been good,
we've seen a four to six-fold increase
in the numbers of fish in the section.
And that's all attributed to the rehabilitation work
that has been supported by Intel.
- I am a member of the Friends of the River Rye.
We meet three or four times a year,
and I represent the local anglers on the committee.
The committee looks after the well-being of the river,
the water quality,
and does all it can to protect the river
and to improve the spawning for the trout and salmon
that run up the river each year.
- Because quite a large portion of the river
is actually running through the site itself,
it was always an important natural resource for us.
And we were always very conscious
of all of the natural resources that are present
at the site itself.
- In conjunction with the Leixlip anglers
and the fishery board,
Intel funded a large-scale rejuvenation of the river.
Banks were improved,
they were shored up,
the channel was cleared,
and spawning gravel was put in.
And by and large they saved the river.
- Around 2001 we did some work in terms of butterfly beds
that were planted along the river,
and that was to encourage the attraction
of certain flora and fauna to the river area.
Some of the river itself,
particularly some of the river banks in the Intel site
are actually special areas of conservation
so we look after those quite closely as well.
Some of the work that happened in 2004
was in relation to pruning back the trees
which had become quite overgrown again,
and which were causing a shadow problem
to the river itself.
We also had some work that took place
around that time in terms of spawning gravel beds
that were laid on the river also
to encourage salmon on spawning.
So there's been continuous works over the years.
- We meet, between 15 and 20 people,
on site for several days to carry out a fishery assessment
on a small stretch of river.
We couldn't do that work without
the financial support of companies such as Intel.
- As much as it costs to reduce the size of chips
and the micro technology that we develop,
we don't underestimate the big impact
that we can have on the world through our technology
and the products and process that we use.
The company really puts a lot of emphasizes
on controlling everything that it works on.
And for that reason, I think that it
has a good understanding
of how we impact onto the environment.
- The enhancement of the River Rye
was a significant signature project
that we felt would benefit both us and our employees.
I would recommend that any company
would work with the community
and commit to protecting the environment
in particular enhancement of the biodiversity in their area.
And it's something that Intel will continue to do
for many years to come.
(calm music)