This session focuses on the problem of microplastics.
Nurdles are tiny plastic pellets used to make most of our plastic products. Unfortunately, spillages and mishandling by industry mean that nurdles easily escape and get washed into the sea. It is estimated that 53 billion nurdles escape into the UK environment each year!
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This session focuses on ocean plastics and the problem it causes locally and globally. We will look at the impact litter has on the river and strandline as well as in Lyme Bay, an important Marine Reserve. We will focus on the food chain and ecosystems as well as collecting rubbish. We will discuss recording the rubbish collected for Citizen Science and how the data we collect better informs organisations and government in policy making. The students will then focus on recycling and the problems faced by the disposal of the rubbish collected. Students can consider the time scales it takes for decomposition of different types of rubbish and the wider impact it has on the sustainability of the planet.
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Prior to the session you will be sent an introductory video on fossils and the Jurassic environment in which they formed. Once in Charmouth, your Warden will do a quick recap for the group, before leading the group onto the beach to search for fossils. At the end of the session the tour covers the Fossil Collecting Code and aspects of conservation associated with the site.
All finds may be taken back to school/college and we can adapt the content of this session to suit your groups needs. These sessions will now take place entirely outdoors.
The Warden will lead the group out onto the beach and along the coast stopping at certain points to discuss how the local cliffs and coastline have formed.
The walk will cover the local geology, the landslide systems of West Dorset, an analysis of the composition of the beach and local conservation policy.
Prior to your session you will be sent an introductory video to watch in class. Once at Charmouth, the session will be entirely outdoors.