by Abygail Fossett

“I’ve had questions put to me from all over the world – South Africa, Australia, parts of Asia and several European countries,” says coastal resident, Dr Adrian Cooper, “and they all want to know how they can do there what we in Felixstowe are doing here!”

He was telling us about Felixstowe Citizen Science Group, the crew of nature enthusiasts who have spent the last three years collecting and analysing data on the wildlife around them.

“We came about as a splinter group to Felixstowe Community Nature Reserve,” Adrian explains to us. “They have been doing amazing work ever since they started in 2015, with the aim of getting local residents to put aside three square yards of their gardens for wildlife, their goal being to have enough people involved to amass an area the size of a football pitch.” (They have since surpassed this goal, with an incredible 1,700 active members!)

“But this on its own was not enough; they needed data to illustrate the positive impact they were having. That’s where we come in – we count, we measure and we map all the ways that biodiversity is improving in our local area.”

When we first heard of this self-proclaimed ‘science group,’ we have to say, we were a little intimidated. When we think of science, to many it can seem lofty and impenetrable, something you need an expert to explain in very simple terms. Surely it would be a little too technical for the average Jo(anne) to understand?

Adrian, however, is emphatic this is not the case: “Collecting data does not have to be difficult, but projects like the Felixstowe Community Nature Reserve rely on it to justify the work they are doing. Only seven of our 35 members have actually studied any science beyond GCSE level. Passion, enthusiasm and dedication were far more important to get this group off the ground than expertise!

“Our first project was therefore as much a team-building exercise as a scientific investigation. We chose the hedgehog (one of the cuter members of the wildlife community!) and set about mapping sightings in Trimley and Kirton. We contacted our members and asked them to count hedgehogs during the first week of May. We then took our findings and mapped them using QGIS software. This is a simple, free type of data-plotting software.

“Since then, we’ve investigated all sorts – the effect of PV roof panels, the numbers of different bird species spotted, levels of pondlife. You name it, we’ve looked into it! We’re very democratic in the way we choose which aspects of wildlife to study – well, we have to be, being a community group! We undertake a different investigation every month, so everybody gets to explore their interests and suggest a project of their own. The expertise of those who’ve studied science is really useful here; sometimes, somebody might have an idea in mind for an investigation, but they’re not sure how to go about it. In those cases, somebody else will be able to put words around their thoughts and turn an idea into a real project.

Adrian clearly does very important work with his group within the Felixstowe area – so surely, this work will only be of interest to those within the local community?

“We’ve been featured in Communities, a magazine published in Canada and the United States,” Adrian tells us proudly. “My approach to life has always been to ask for what you want, with the attitude that the answer will either be ‘yes’ or ‘not yet.’ So, I told them about all the ways in which we are supporting biodiversity in Felixstowe, and they were intrigued. They published a long article on us, and then contacted me again about a year later, wanting to know more! Now, we’ve been featured four times.” Not bad for little old Felixstowe – it goes to show, it pays to dream big!

“Since then, our Facebook page has really blown up. I get asked questions from all over the world, all wanting to know how they can support biodiversity in their local area, too. My answer is always the same: start a citizen science group!

“I suppose this is our goal; to form new bonds with other nature enthusiasts. We’re an outward looking group: we treasure the bonds we’ve made with other countries over the course of our journey, and we want to keep them going, so we can all work together on the goal of conservation as a global community.

“Apart from anything else, it’s such tremendous fun! We have members who are seventeen and doing their geography A-levels, and then members who are retired nature-lovers who want to learn a new skill. Everyone here is united by a common passion, and we all have fun and support each other. And it doesn’t hurt that some members can brag to their grandchildren about how they use our software! Everyone is welcome.”

*To learn more about the Felixstowe Citizen Science Group and find out how you can get involved, visit their Facebook page at: https://www.facebook.com/Felixstowe-Citizen-Science-Group-110577793666042