Two free public talks will be hosted by the Upper Teesdale Botany Group this autumn.
The group was founded and is led by Dr Margaret Bradshaw, author of the recently-published book Teesdale’s Special Flora.
The first talk, From Teesdale to Inis Mór (largest of the Aran islands), is on Monday, October 2. The speaker is conservationist Dr Pat Doody who will describe aspects of his career from gaining his PhD in 1975, titled Studies in the population dynamics of some Teesdale plants, (under the supervision of Margaret Bradshaw) to becoming head of the Coastal Conservation branch within the Joint Nature Conservancy Council.
During more than 20 years of advising on UK coastal conservation issues, Pat began to find links between some of the plants in Teesdale and those on the coast.
He went on to set up an independent consultancy, working with UK institutions and the European Commission, and travelling widely throughout Europe and in the eastern USA.
He has published three books on coastal conservation and management, one general and one each on saltmarsh and sand dunes – including the impact of climate change.
The second speaker, on October 30, is Professor Bob Baxter, of Durham University, on Arctic Flora and vegetation of Arctic Scandinavia.
Both talks take place in the Masonic Hall, in Middleton-in-Teesdale, starting at 7pm, Donations welcome. For more details, see teesdale
specialflora.uk
