A TEAM of enthusiastic youngsters donned their walking boots and trekked over the rolling Saddleworth moors to get hands on with some climate change research.
The ten Dovestone Youth Rangers, led by Greg Cookson who runs Saddleworth Environmental Education, spent an afternoon high on Wessenden Moor for the project.
The Moorlands as Indicators of Climate Change Initiative, now in its ninth year, aims to investigate the impact of climate change and human activities on the moorland environment.
Around 100 children across the country took part, supported by the Peak District National Park’s learning and discovery team and Moors for the Future Partnership.
At Saddleworth, Jo Hanney helped the group mark out a grid using a compass, tape measure and bamboo canes to give a sample area to research.
Then the Youth Rangers set about identifying the vegetation and its quantity, measuring the depth of the peat with drainage rods, and checking the soil’s pH levels.
Saddleworth School pupil Bronagh McKeown, 13, explained: “We do all the testing here and measure the levels, the send off the data as well for it to be checked and recorded.
“I love the outdoors and doing projects like this. I did it last year as well and really enjoyed it.”
Jac Taylor, 11, who attends St Mary’s Primary School in Greenfield, added: “I like being outdoors so as soon as I was 11 my mum signed me up for the Youth Rangers.”
And Helen Black, 15, who goes to Crompton House, wanted to take part in the project for a second time after enjoying the experience last year.
“I had never even heard of peat before I took part last year so I learned a lot and wanted to do it again to see what I else I can learn,” she explained.
“I really enjoyed it last time and wanted to see how our research this time compares.”
The groups’ finding will be collated and analysed by the Moors for the Future Partnership to investigate peat moorlands’ potential to help tackle climate change.
For more information about the Dovestone Youth Rangers, call Greg Cookson: 07810 552139.
To find out more about Saddleworth Environmental Education and their projects, go online: http://seenorth.co.uk
You must be logged in to post a comment.