BioBlitz

Celebrate the International Year of Biodiversity by joining a BioBlitz event at Edge Hill University this weekend.

West Lancashire Wildlife has organised a number of free activities that the community can get involved with at the Ormskirk campus from 4pm on Saturday 21^st to 4pm Sunday 22^nd August.

There's everything from pond dipping, bat detecting, plant walks and talks and wildlife spotting races for children, to bird and bat surveys, setting mammal and moth traps, and searching for butterflies and bees. Full event details can be found at westlancswildlife.org.uk.

The idea behind the two-day event is to encourage people to take an interest in wildlife, discover which animal and plant species exist in the local area and also support biodiversity conservation.

For anybody interested in studying Biology at the University, it's a perfect opportunity to get some hands-on experience and learn more about biodiversity on the site.

Alan Bedford, Edge Hill Lecturer in Natural, Geographical and Applied Sciences and who is also part of West Lancashire Wildlife, said: "Our Ormskirk campus is rich in biodiversity and this is a fantastic opportunity for the local community and prospective students to sample the variety of wildlife and habitats we have in our area. The information collated will also be used to help us decide which species should be protected at a local or even a national level."

Edge Hill University still has a small number of places available on the Biology BSc (Hons) degree for exceptional candidates. The programme focuses on how Biology influences modern society from cloning to the decline in biodiversity, combining tradition with exciting new developments. Students have the opportunity to shape their own course and specialise in areas such as ecology, evolution, genetics, physiology, conservation and disease. For more information, visit edgehill.ac.uk/study/courses/biology.

Prospective students should call the Clearing Team on 0800 028 66 77, which is open from 8.30am on Thursday 19^th August to 5pm on Friday 27^th August.