Location
Pembrokeshire has an exceptionally diverse intertidal flora and offers habitats for marine algae ranging from open coast to sheltered rock and sediment and from fully saline to estuarine conditions, with a large proportion of the coastline being designated as a Special Area of Conservation.  Marloes (near Dale and Skomer) is an ideal location at which to base this course with its proximity to a large range of field sites.  If the weather is good, the course will make a visit to the shores of the Skomer Marine Nature Reserve.
 
Outline Course Programme:
The course will start at 0915 on Wednesday 7th May and end at 1500 on Friday 9th May.  (Sites chosen for field visits may vary depending on weather conditions etc.).
 
Day 1 – Introductory lectures followed by a field trip to Skomer (weather permitting).  
Day 2 – Laboratory identification of collected specimens, instruction on pressing seaweeds and viewing of the Skomer MNR herbarium, lecture on algal reproduction and field trip to StBrides Haven (a short drive from the laboratory).
Day 3 – Laboratory identification, culturing algae (a practical demonstration), seaweed reproduction lecture.
 
It is planned to collect sublittoral specimens to supplement the shore collections.
 
Costs  
The course fee is £176.25 (inc VAT) which will cover the teaching and use of laboratory facilities (excluding food and accommodation).
 
The base for the course will be Marloes Village Hall which is next to The Clock House cafe / restaurant which also does bed and breakfast.  The Clock House can also provide packed lunches and evening meals.  We have found that eating ‘in house’ is very useful to course members who want to work into the evening and the meals are very good and represent excellent value.  If meals are required, the cost of lunches (3) and evening meals (2) is £70.00 (inc. VAT) per person.
www.marinseen.com
 
If meals are required, please indicate your dietary requirements.  
 
Fees are payable in advance (before the end of March) to Francis Bunker, Estuary Cottage, Bentlass, Hundleton, Pembrokeshire SA71 5RN.
 
For further details please contact fbunker@marineseen.com or phone +44 (0) 1646 621277
 
Travel
Nearest rail stations are Haverfordwest and Milford Haven
 
Accommodation
Information on the Clock House cafe / restaurant can be found at the following address: http://www.chmarloes.co.uk .  There are many other small hotels and B& B’s in the area and these can easily be found on web sites e.g. http://www.stayinwales.co.uk/
 
 
 
British Phycological Society
            
COLLECTING & IDENTIFYING SEAWEEDS
                              
Marloes Pembrokeshire, Wales, 7th to 9th May 2008
 
Course Leaders: Professor Christine Maggs (Queens University of Belfast) and Francis Bunker (MarineSeen, Pembrokeshire)
 
 
  1.  
  2. This popular 3 day course comprising of a mix of lab and field work is now in its 5th year.  With limited numbers the course has been designed to cater for those interested in seaweeds at almost any level of expertise.
Topics to be covered
  1. •Collecting and identifying algae in the field
  2. •Use of keys and identification guides (including the Natural History Museum Seaweeds of the British Isles series and the complementary weedseen.co.uk website), microscopes and identification in the lab
  3. •Algal classification
  4. •Algal life histories and reproduction
  5. •Preserving seaweeds for a variety of different purposes.
  6. •Making a herbarium with necessary notes (including a viewing of the Skomer Marine Nature Reserve herbarium)
  7. •Donating seaweeds voucher specimens to museums; archiving material
  8. •Preparing specimens for DNA extraction and analysis techniques
  9. •Culture of seaweeds for research purposes