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First Curious Minds Season 8 Lecture: Blue Carbon

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For the first talk in our 8th Curious Minds season, Professor Bill Austin from St Andrews spoke about “Blue Carbon”.

Oceans absorb 30% of our CO2 emissions and 90% of the heat trapped by greenhouse gases. But some marine habitats can sequester 10 times as much Carbon per acre as a terrestrial forest.

Professor Austin Bill spoke about the potential benefits of Blue Carbon and about government initiatives, both in Scotland and beyond, to conserve this vital and useful habitat.

This video is available in 4k on YouTube:

 

For further investigation, see:

Project Seagrass: https://www.projectseagrass.org/

Blue Carbon at St Andrews: https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/…/sustainability/blue-carbon/

Our YouTube channel with this and other videos: https://www.youtube.com/@PSNS1867

Our Faacebook page with this and other videos: https://www.facebook.com/PerthshireSocietyOfNaturalScience/

You can support our video work via our Patreon page: https://www.patreon.com/PerthshireSocietyofNaturalScience

Video Talk – 40 years of monitoring rare arctic-alpine plants on Ben Lawers 

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by Sarah Watts, Ecologist and Conservation Manager.

Sarah is a plant ecologist with a strong focus on upland vegetation, restoration ecology and applied science. She is the Conservation Manager of Corrour in the Scottish Highlands and is currently researching her part-time PhD entitled “Improving outcomes in montane woodland restoration”. From 2013-2020 she worked as an ecologist for the National Trust for Scotland at Ben Lawers NNR.’

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Curious Minds is Back – Season 6 – 2021/22

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Curious Minds is back – with an even bigger and better programme of live talks in the Soutar Theatre PLUS simultaneous participation by Zoom from the comfort of your own home.

The live talks and Zoom are open to the general public. To start with, we are limiting the numbers of live attendees to well below the Covid guidelines. That will be constantly reviewed. But there is no limit on Zoom participation. Tickets for the live events, and for Zoom, will be available on the Culture Perth & Kinross website at www.culturepk.org.uk/curiousminds6

See our Curious Minds page for full details of all the talks. 

Doors Open Day and PSNS Library

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Doors Open days is on 18th and 19th September and the PSNS Library will be open to welcome visitors. A part of the PSNS collection of over 5000 Natural History publications will be on display as well as selected volumes with content related to this year’s theme “The Year of Coasts and Waters”. PSNS members will be there to share their knowledge of the library room and its remarkable collection. 

 

Perth Festival of the Arts: Photographic Section Exhibition

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We are pleased to announce that our Photographic Section, the Perthshire Photographic Society, are holding an online exhibition in association with the Perth Festival of the Arts, from now until June 20 2021.

Read more about it and visit the exhibition on their webpage: PPS: the exhibition is open

Botanical Section excursion programme

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The COVID-19 restrictions are easing off, but we must remain vigilant; there is guidance in the programme. Our programmes have always provided opportunities for physical and mental health and they have a role to play in the easing of restrictions.

Two sites are covered in the programme, each with two visits, to maximise numbers who can attend. The first meeting will finish in the middle of the afternoon and the second about 8.30 pm. You can book to come on both meetings on the same day and fill the gap as you choose. Or book to come on both meetings on different days, or book on just one meeting.

Our programme will evolve as we continue to follow the advice of the Scottish Government and any changes that it makes. We should remain positive and retain a tradition that has lasted 150 years of recording and enjoying our Perthshire flora.

PSNS Botanical Section summer Programme 2021