BES 2008 Annual Symposium
Ecology of Industrial Pollution:
Remediation, Restoration and Preservation
Austin Court, Birmingham, UK
7 - 8 April 2008
POST-CONFERENCE EXCURSIONS
Suggested Itinerary
9 - 11 April 2008
The trip will leave Birmingham at 09.00 on the Wednesday morning and will return to Birmingham by 16.30 at the latest on Friday afternoon.
Day 1. Peak District
The Peak District was one of Europe’s main producers of lead particularly in the 17th and 18th centuries. The unusual mineralization of the area results in the presence of veins that outcrop at the surface resulting in numerous surface hillocks which contain residual galena and other ores.
The lead rakes (rake being a local term to describe the presence of mineral deposits within faults in the limestone) support rare metallophyte-rich grasslands, that are of international importance. Some of the sites have been designated as candidate Special Areas of Conservation and Sites of Special Scientific Interest and are also an important component of the local Biodiversity Action Plan. It is estimated that there are only about 20 ha of these grasslands remaining within the Peak District highlighting their rarity and importance both on a local and national scale. The main species that occur on the lead rakes are Spring Sandwort (Minuartia verna, also known as ‘leadwort’), Alpine Penny-cress (Thlaspi caerulescens), Pyrenean Scurvy Grass (Cochlearia pyrenaica) and Mountain Pansy (Viola lutea). Other important species that are found on the lead rakes include orchids, saxifrages, autumn gentian and kidney vetch amongst others.
We will visit a number of sites within the Peak District which are known for both their metallophyte communities and their importance for industrial archaeology. These sites will include Tideslow Rake and Magpie Mine.
Day 2. Parys Mountain
Parys Mountain has been the site of sporadic copper extraction from Roman times although it was not until the late 18th and early 19th centuries that major works were carried out. At this point Parys became Europe’s premier copper mine exporting >3050 t/yr of copper together with minor amounts of lead and zinc ore. The ore was originally mined from shafts but was replaced by opencast mining until 1920 when all hard rock mining had ceased. The site is now covered by extensive spoil heaps together with some precipitation ponds which were used to extract copper from wastewaters.
Until recently a large pit lake was present but concerns about the collapse of structures underground and the potential release of large volumes of contaminated waters (as occurred at Wheal Jane in Cornwall) led to drainage works being carried out on site. However, drainage waters from the site still contaminate the local rivers (one being the Afon Goch or Red River). These waters can have a pH of 2-3 and contain high concentrations of Cu, Fe, Mn, Al, Zn and Ni.
The area is now an important industrial heritage site and supports important extremophile bacterial communities and lichens which cover the rock surfaces. In addition the old mine works have been colonised by bat populations and there are several bird species that use the area.
Day 3. Parc Mine, North Wales
The mountainous area of North Wales has been mined for lead and zinc over many centuries and Parc mine is a typical example, although it was worked up until the 1950s. The tailings heaps associated with Parc mine were a very important source of surface water pollution, contaminating not only the local water course but large areas of agricultural land on the flood plain. In the 1970s a reclamation project was put in place consisting of capping the spoil heap with quarry material followed by re-grassing. This successfully prevented the removal of particulate material from the spoil heaps but not leaching of the metals.
At present part of the site is y being considered within the Gwydyr Mines and Bat sites potential Special Area of Conservation. The area included within this designation was not capped as part of the reclamation scheme and as such is potentially of importance for its metallophyte flora (alpine penny-cress and broad leaved helleborine (Epipactis helleborine)). Other smaller mine sites within the catchment area of the Gwydyr Forest Mines are also important for their metallophytes including calmanarian grasslands.
We will visit Parc mine and several of the adjacent mine sites to examine the rare plant communities, archaeological features and remediation projects within the area.
Weather
April in the UK can be extremely unpredictable in terms of its weather. It has been known to snow at this time of the year, but it may also be very rainy or indeed glorious sunshine. It is advisable to be prepared for all possibilities! The Peak District and Wales have an average max temperature of 11°C and a minimum temperature of 4°C for April. Please bring warm clothing, waterproofs and sturdy footwear.
Costs
The cost of the trip is not finalised yet as it depends upon the number of people who sign up. However it is likely to be around £150 and will certainly not be more than this. This cost includes all accommodation, travel and meals. Payment will be by cheque or bank transfer by the 3 March at the latest. Further details of payment will be given to those signing up for the excursion. For more details, please contact Lesley Batty .
| 
AREA OF INTEREST:
Home
Annual Meeting 2006
Annual Symposium 2008
