The Jurassic Coast’s westernmost point has been busy in the last couple of months, with Jurassic Coast Trust Ambassadors working closely with the Exmouth Town Team to inspire the community with epic stories of fossils and dinosaurs.
In February, Ambassador Chris Woodward was invited to speak to the 5th Exmouth Sea Scouts about the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site as a precursor to their forthcoming work towards attaining their Environmental Conservation Badges, the first element of which is to examine the causes & impacts of coastal erosion.
Chris Woodward (left) with the 5th Exmouth Sea Scouts
Thirty scouts plus their leaders were in attendance. The talk given was an introduction to the WHS and its subsequent recognition by UNESCO some 20 years ago to ‘set the backdrop’ for their later investigations. Topics covered during the evening included the position of the coast in the geological time scale, the causes and effects of continental drifting, the different environments of deposition for the different rock type and associated fossils, plus what we can learn from past climate changes and associated mass extinctions.
The session lasted for around 75 minutes and the audience came up with many excellent questions. A separate talk aimed exclusively on coastal erosion, which will be illustrated with many examples from along the 95 mile length of the WHS, (but especially those more locally which could even be visited as part of a field outing) will be undertaken shortly and hopefully should link in well with the nature of the rock types, forms and structures found along its length.
Chris has also recently spoken to W.I. groups in East Devon and to the Otter Valley Association in Budleigh Salterton, as in-person talks begin to happen again after a two-year absence. Future talks will take place at Ocean in Exmouth, and on board Stuart Line Cruises’ boat for a ‘Triassic Cruise’ on 14 June with other JCT Ambassadors.
An Exmouth Town Team volunteer repainting a baby T-Rex emerging from an egg, ready for the tourist season 2022.
In addition to these talks, renovations (painting and repairs) began in early March in Exmouth town centre to their popular ‘Dinosaur Trail’. This is just the start of this work which will eventually include a dino graveyard, dino nests with eggs, a huge dino footprint trail, brand new notice boards and challenges. This work is being carried out by the Exmouth Town Team, led by Liz Oram. The project is generating lots of interest in the local community, providing something positive in these difficult times.
