WGCG Spring 2021 Newsletter - Flipbook - Page 3
WGCG
Spring 2021 Newsletter
Meanwhile….
….. despite all the restrictions on our lives, it is surprising how many ways we have found to keep involved,
geologically. The Zoom lecture on Arran stimulated Deborah Parke and Paul Abernethy to arrange to join a
field trip at the Lochranza Centre on Arran, only to find that Peter Hawksworth had had the same idea and
was already there. There is an account of the geology they explored on their visit on page 5.
There was a happy conjunction between a Zoom lecture and one of our social media accounts. On his Twitter
feed, Jon Radley mentioned the upcoming lecture on Plate Tectonics. This provoked a response from a lady
in Kenilworth. You can read about the outcome of that on page 14.
Out of the blue in late October, Natural England sought to include local geological societies in a long-overdue
monitoring of geological Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). We were contracted to survey sites within
Warwickshire. Not good timing with changing COVID-19 restrictions and a deadline of the end of January,
let alone problems of establishing site ownership from documents that dated back to the early 1990s. There
is an interim report on page 18.
In September 2020 WGCG gave a Holloway Bursary award of £2000 to Joe Botting & Lucy Muir, who are
independent geology researchers working and living in the Welsh Borders. They rewarded us in part by
Zooming a lecture in January 2021 but have also written another piece for this Newsletter on page 11.
Some members managed to find time to fit in some monitoring of our LGS and Phil Henser has updated the
information on page 25. He also looks forward to possible activities for 2021.
Following up from his very successful workshop on geological maps, Norman Dutton has a guide to accessing
electronic versions of BGS maps: 'Geology of Your Street'. page 22
And lastly looking back, in the Autumn 2020 Newsletter, Larry Wooding told us in the feature 'Geology at
Home' about digging a hole for a pond in his garden. He has since sent us some photographs of the wildlife
the pond is attracting.
A young
moorhen
consumed all the
snails and then
moved on.
The local
wagtail soon
found the pool.
Looking forward, the Education Committee has now produced a programme for 2021 which, of course,
becomes more provisional from May onward, Page 4. Updates will be posted on the WGCG website and by
email as they become available.
Meanwhile …. comments (likes and dislikes) on the Newsletter and offers of pieces to include in it are
welcomed by the Editor and Designer.
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