Indoor Meetings Programme: April – September 2018
Evening Meetings at the BRLSI. Doors open at 7 pm for 7.30 pm start
Tuesday 3rd April 2018 – Dr Michael Wells – Biodiversity By Design
Mike co-founded Biodiversity by Design, a Bath-based international environmental consultancy, in 2006 expressly to engage in promoting truly sustainable exemplar development projects, multifunctional landscapes and global biodiversity conservation. Mike is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management. He is the author of many papers and articles on ecologically informed design and is a Visiting Research Fellow at the Bath School of Architecture and Civil Engineering where he teaches examined courses exploring the relationships between ecology, masterplanning and architecture.
Tuesday 4th September 2018 – Dr Frank Ashwood – Earthworms
Earthworms are recognised ecosystem engineers, proving invaluable services to humanity and transforming and improving the soil habitat for other organisms. Most naturalists are aware of their fundamental ecological importance, but few have detailed knowledge of any of our 30 or so native British species. Frank's PhD was entitled 'Woodland Restoration on Landfill Sites: Earthworm Activity and Ecosystem Service Provision'. He is a soil ecologist working within Forest Research’s soil sustainability research group. Here Frank will describe earthworms’ behind-the-scenes work, which underlies the productivity and diversity of the natural systems we see every day.
Daytime Summer Workshop in The Percy Hall, United Reform Church, Grove Street from 2pm to 4pm
Wednesday 27th June 2018: Creepy Crawlies: Rob Randall, Peter Smithers and Mike Williams
Besides butterflies, moths and dragonflies, with which many Bath Nats members are familiar, a huge variety of other kinds of invertebrates abound within and around Bath. Using photographs and preserved specimens, Rob, Peter and Mike will introduce us to some of the main groups of these organisms and how to identify them. Participants are invited to bring their own photographs and preserved material (but no live animals!) if they wish. Bring a hand lens at least 8x or 10x, and any suitable books you possess. The FSC leaflet, ‘Bugs on Bushes’ provides a helpful introduction.
Weather permitting, following the workshop there will be an optional visit to Bathwick Meadows to see creepy crawlies in the field!
