Seagrass Reproductive Survey

The Ecology Centre are wanting to assess the reproductive capacity of the meadow on Burntisland Sands, this survey will inform us of the number of seeds the meadow produces on an annual basis. It is hoped that the information collected through this session will enable us to perform a seed harvest on this beach during August. 

Meeting Location:

Beach side car park beside Beacon Leisure Centre in Burntisland.

Google maps pin: https://maps.app.goo.gl/LFQE9zAXBQnnGT1K6

What 3 Words location: ///besotted.sobbed.unfolds

Plan:

Participants will meet with Lyle, the Ecology Centre's Seagrass Officer on the Burntisland promenade beside the Beacon Leisure Centre's beach side car park, in Burntisland. We will be meeting on the 7th of July at 09:00am. Once everyone has met and performed the bio-security process, the group will walk out to the main body of the seagrass meadow, roughly 20 minutes to reach this area. The group will be split in to smaller groups and will be provided with a quadrat and survey sheet. Each group will count the number of reproductive shoots in their quadrat, the number of spathes each shoot contains and finally the number of visible seeds in each spathe. This process will be performed 30 times amongst the group, to acquire the data to require. Participants will be shown a demonstration of this process before they commence their survey. 

What to bring:

Please ensure that you bring clothing appropriate for the weather that day, water, and any medication you may need. As we will be conducting this event at low tide, there may be tidal pools, so please come with wellies to avoid wet feet. Depending on the weather, please pack waterproof clothing, a warm layer, suncream, a hat and sunglasses.

Accessibility:

We anticipate the activity to last approximately 3 hours. There will be no cover when on the beach, no available seating and no toilets. Toilet facilities can be found at Burntisland park from 08:30am onwards and from 11am at Burntisland Leisure Centre.

We will be on the move during this task, and the route includes some gentle slopes, uneven sand, rocky ground, and slippery surfaces. Burntisland beach can be accessed via a slip way for those with mobility issues.

The Ecology Centre has 1 beach wheelchair which can be requested by persons with mobility issues.

Age restriction:

This is a scientific session which is been developed to collect spatial data from the seagrass meadow in Burntisland. Children under the age of 14 are not permitted to participate in these sessions. Children above the age of 14 must be supported by a parent or guardian.

Keeping everyone safe:

Our group leader is a trained first aider and will be carrying a first aid kit and mobile phone.

Ticket information:

Attendees will be expected to register for this event and provide ticket evidence on the day.

To ensure everyone in the community gets a chance to participate, we ask that participants refrain from booking large numbers of tickets. We are a small team and can accommodate only a limited number of volunteers, therefore we are not able to take any large groups at this point.

What if my event is cancelled:

If this event is cancelled due to poor weather, we will get in touch with you the day before to make you aware of any changes. On rare occasions, we may be in touch on the day of the task (if there is a change in the forecast). Please keep an eye on your emails prior to the event.

Likewise, if you can no longer attend this event, please let us know as soon as possible to allow for other people to attend.

Who we are:

Restoration Forth is a major marine restoration programme working with communities to restore seagrass habitats and European flat oyster populations in the Firth of Forth. Our goal is to inspire and give agency to community members from around the Forth to participate in and lead on restoration activities in the marine environment. Restoration Forth is managed by WWF Scotland but is a partnership of scientific institutions, environmental charities, and community hubs. Restoration Forth is funded by: Aviva, the ScottishPower Foundation, the Moondance Foundation and supported by the Scottish Governments Nature Restoration Fund.