Introduction to Citizen Science and Biodiversity recording - Sat, 11 Oct 2014 - 11:00 to 15:00

Fancy phrases like 'Citizen science' and 'Biodiversity recording' sound intimidating but come along to our training day and we'll show you that they're really not that complicated and in fact anyone can get involved!

The clue to 'citizen science' is in the name, all it refers to is ordinary people, who aren't necessarily experts, getting involved with nature and science in simple and accessible ways. One example of this is by helping to provide infomation about what kind of wildlife, be it plants, animals, or wee beasties are found in your local area and this is what we mean by Biodiversity recording.

To make it easier for everyone to get stuck in the Open Air Laboratories network (OPAL)  has created it's own surveys that come in the form of handy leaflets. These surveys range from counting bugs and assessing tree health to working out what's living in your pond and hedges and how to use plants to monitor air quality.

On our training day we will show you how to complete several of these surveys as well as explaining in a little more detail about the importance of citizen science and Biorcording and why everyone should get involved. So come along and see how fun it can be for yourself!