What’s new?
26 October 2009
Countryside photographs needed
A photograph can speak a thousand words which is why the Bedfordshire and Luton Biodiversity Recording and Monitoring Centre (BRMC) is developing a new photographic archive to tell the fascinating story of how Bedfordshire’s countryside has changed over the years… and your photos - old and new – could be added to the collection.
Keith Balmer, Biodiversity Network Officer at the BRMC, told us why it’s important:
“Older photographs can show how Wildlife Trust and other nature reserves and the wider countryside have changed (or haven't changed) over time. Photographs can provide a valuable resource to those managing our wildlife sites. Photographs takentoday will also provide a reference set for showing futurechanges, for better or for worse”
The images collected are being stored on a special website Bedscape which was created by Keith Balmer and is now being run by the BRMC.
The oldest photo on the website so far shows the Old Warden Tunnel Nature Reserve. The site was once part of the railway line between Bedford and Hitchin and this photo was taken not long after the tracks were removed, probably in the 1970s. It shows very little scrub on the cutting, which has now grown up over the following decades.
However more images showing different habitats (grasslands, woodlands and wetlands) are needed. The more photographs collected the better we can see how the natural landscape of Bedfordshire has changed over the years.
The location of where and roughly when the image was taken needs to be known in order for it to be allowed to go onto the Bedscape website.
For more information or to upload your images visit www.bedscape.org.uk and go to the "Contribute" page.
Ends
Notes to Editor:
The Biodiversity Recording and Monitoring Centre is aiming to become the "one-stop shop" for biodiversity information within Bedfordshire and Luton.
We are gathering biological records covering all species and habitats within the county, in order to make them available to those with a need to know.
For more information contact Bernadette Mooney, Communications Officer, on 01954 713551 or email bernadette.mooney@wildlifebcnp.org