Moors for the Future attended Science in the Park on 2nd November at the Peveril Centre in Castleton and on the 9th at Bakewell Town Hall.
The event was organised by the Peak District National Park Authority's learning and discovery team and provided the public with an opportunity to try out some hands on science, such as identifying sphagnum moss under the microscope and finding out how to monitor a manual dipwell (used to check the water levels on the moors). Visitors had the chance to feel the texture of different mosses in our portable sphagnum garden. The team also had some samples of BeadaMoss™, an innovative product developed by Micropropagation Services and used in our conservation work to reintroduce sphagnum onto the moors of the Peak District and South Pennines. Each gel capsule contains 5-7 sphagnum plantlets – the gel provides a convenient means of transporting and spreading the plantlets as well as a source of nutrients to get the moss plants off to a good start.
Community science project manager Gareth Roberts was on hand in Castleton to talk about how to get involved with the exciting Community Science Project which aims to give local people in the Peak District National Park an understanding of their landscape and the chance to contribute to scientific monitoring on the condition of the moors.
Science in the Park is part of the Festival of Social Science, organised by the Economic and Social Research Council and included scientists from the Peak District National Park’s Learning and Discovery team, RSPB, Eastern Moors Partnership.
Academics from several universities also attended, including Beth Cole (left in photo below) who benefitted from collaboration and funding from Moors for the Future with her PhD - High resolution remote sensing for landscape-scale restoration of peatland.
More about learning and discovery in the Peak District National Park