Watch Lisa’s talk at the Natural History Society of Northumbria from her MSc Conservation and Ecosystem Management degree. A smashing talk with interesting findings, I think. Link to the talk is below.

Being out with a student on Widdybank Fell, lying in the sun, identifying the plants – after all the Covid restrictions, was one of the highlights of 2021, I think.

Most of my posts reflect fun things we have done or celebrate student achievements. This is the saddest post I have written; Tracy left this world on 31st October 2021… I am nevertheless also celebrating a student achievement.

Tracy joined the MSc in Conservation and Ecosystem Mangement Course in Jan 2021, a transfer from Museum Studies when she realised she had chosen the wrong degree. She quickly became a valued member of our group, albeit predominantly on zoom, ever ready with an intelligent and engaging contribution in a seminar.

When we were eventually allowed to go out into the field, she was as excited, happy and engaged as we all were – enjoying learning about the habitats, ecosystems, soils, plants, methods … I think that is evident from the photos below

She started on her dissertation, working with the Game and Wildlife Conservancy Trust, dissertation supervisor Dr Dave George and technician Fiona Maclachlan to collect pollinator data from farms through the north of England. Because of her high organisation skills and meticulous approach to data recording and entry, the data are complete and ready to be analysed. High praise received from the GWCT and Dave.

Fiona and I met with her a few weeks ago to heroically work through tea and cake at a wonderful cafe and have a gentle walk along the beautiful beach at Cresswell. Was such a beautiful day, I regret no photo from the beach – but I promise it was Northumberland at its best with sea, sand and dunes!

Tracy was a trooper. I feel so privileged to have shared the last few months of her life. My thoughts are with her family and friends.

Now former MSc Conservation and Ecosystem Management students, Jamie and Lisa set up an ecology consultancy and won a contract to survey the Border Mires. Jamie spontaneously called the company “Sphagnum Consulting” so we decided we needed some bryophyte microscopy time – which to be honest, is me in my happy place!

Reflecting on how the skills learned on the MSc in Conservation and Ecosystem Management have helped our current students in their next stage of life. Not goodbye, but au revoir

So sad to be saying goodbye to our MSc Conservation and Ecosystem Management students – it has been a year! And also very excited to say hello to our new cohort. I hope they had a good week. Highlights for me was the talks from our current students, particularly Nico’s on Terns, then the zoom call (which I was ridiculously anxious about – but thoroughly enjoyed thanks to the speakers below). And today we went to one of my (many) favourite places in Northumberland, Hauxley – run by the Wildlife Trust – to watch the birds and walk along the beach looking for fossils and crabs!

… and anyway – we’re not saying goodbye, but hasta luego and bis später and until next time

Thanks to our external speakers, Marjorie Davey (Natural England); Nick Sotherton (Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust); Tom Dearnley (Forestry England) and James Common (Natural History Society of Northumberland) for sharing how students can get involved with volunteering or with dissertations. Also NOV from Gateshead who sent through a slide show

Very proud of our (Biodiversity) Conservation and Ecosystem Management alumnus, Natasha Helmsley for organising an excellent Bioblitz for Northumberland Wildlife Trust up on Benshaw Moss last Sunday. I can’t really take credit for her success as I was not DPD then. Natasha also has responsibility with Kielder Wildwood, I believe, replacing her BCEM peer, Steven…And between these two sites is Hareshaw Linn where Tash did her dissertation…And at the other end of the spectrum, Bridie – who got the credit for identifying all the species in the Molinia flush – will be starting with us next week. Really looking forward to it, Bridie and everyone else.
Thanks for the chocs, btw, Tash – I was disproportionately pleased with them, you’ll go far if you give your volunteer helpers such treats!

Not all our students do fieldwork. Typical labwork includes measuring pollutants or nutrients in water or soil.
Rafef has been looking at innovative, new growth media for lettuce grown in hydroponic systems, under the expert supervision of Dr Elisa Lopez-Capel. This is maybe a bit more removed from conservation and ecosystem management directly, but it is protecting ecosystems by reducing pesticide and fertilizer damage in the environment

This is two different bogs on two different days – Jamie is on Coom Rigg National Nature Reserve and SSSI in the middle of Kielder Forest a couple of weeks ago. We are working with Marjorie in Natural England to develop a model to measure temporal and spatial change in bog quality using satellite images. Here he is is collecting data for its development and his dissertation on this pretty high quality bog.
Sam is on a restored bare peat site, where we are working with the North Pennines AONB, on a replicated block experiment, testing phosphorus and lime requirements used in restoration. She came for a fun day out adding to her plant ID skills. She learnt, as it turned out, how to identify very dried up moorland mosses – among other things.
We watched a golden plover circling over us in the morning. This then became 10, then 20 and soon there were nearly 200 plover gathering and calling before they spent the rest of the day feeding on a patch of heather 100 yards from us. Wonderful – golden plover might be my favourite bird.

Lisa has the privilege for her CEM dissertation to be assessing the methods of recording the rare and beautiful plants of Teesdale. She has met with the legendary Margaret Bradshaw and pretty legendary John O’Reilly of Ptyxis ecology to develop the project, which was John’s idea acutally. Here we are enjoying a perfect, sunny day up near Cow Green reservoir last week. She found yellow saxifrage, Scottish asphodel (my fave) and hoary whitlow grass (her fave). I love my job anyway, but days like this are absolutely divine. Thanks Lisa

Well graduation was proving to be a bit of a damp squid tbh – but that changed when I met up with Freya (forgot to take a pic – but colleague Julia got one) and Toby (remembered to take a pic, but with no thought to a beautiful background of arches or statues – oh well, who doesn’t love a red pillar box?)

Freya (Agriculture) and Toby (Environmental Science) have both been amazing inspirations and a strong overcomers to get to where they are and it has been such a privilege to share their journeys and I’m so pleased I got to see them at their graduations. Toby is off to Northumbrian Water and Freya to Velcourt to start the next part of their lives