100 UK events to celebrate 100 years of the British Ecological Society

To kick off its centenary celebrations the British Ecological Society has launched its Festival of Ecology website. With a diary of events and a clickable map of the UK, the website will help everyone find their nearest event during the Festival of Ecology.

Running from 15 June to 4 August 2013, the Festival of Ecology is a fun-filled series of ecological events for all the family. In partnership with 60 other organisations, the Festival of Ecology includes over 100 events across the UK.

Get up close and personal with native wildlife by discovering how to identify bugs, birds and bats, or give creatures a helping hand by learning how to build bird boxes and bug hotels. From wetlands to woodlands, and from cities to the countryside, the Festival of Ecology is a great opportunity to learn more about our amazing ecology.

Early birds can enjoy the dawn chorus at London's Horniman Museum, while night owls can find out what's on the wing after dark with the aid of bat detectors and moth traps. Budding film makers can make an animated wildlife film at Yorkshire's Dales Countryside Museum. Tree lovers can join guided walks of the Caledonian pinewoods in the Scottish Highlands or branch out into Salford's urban tree festival. You can even take to the waves to explore marine ecology in the waters around Arran, or discover more about transatlantic travelling seabeans in Seaford, East Sussex.

The Festival of Ecology is part of the British Ecological Society's centenary.  Founded in 1913 by Sir Arthur Tansley, the BES is the oldest ecological society in the world. Throughout 2013 and across the UK, the Society is celebrating its centenary with a series of special events designed to give everyone the chance to get involved in ecology.

For full details of all Festival of Ecology events plus a clickable map of the UK to help you find your nearest event, visit the Festival website.

You'll also find details of other centenary events, including the British Ecological Society garden at the Chelsea Flower Show, Sex & Bugs & Rock 'n' Roll stalls at this summer's music festivals and INTECOL, the world's largest international ecological conference.

Highlights of the British Ecological Society's 2013 centenary celebrations include:

  • From 21-25 May, the BES garden at the Chelsea Flower Show will illustrate the impact non-native species have had on our ecology and biodiversity over the past 100 years.
  • From June 15 to 4 August, the Festival of Ecology is a nationwide series of more than 100 events for all the family.
  • On 25 June, the BES will launch its new report on Extreme Events & Freshwater Ecosystems and reveal details of the 100 Influential Papers project. Over the past 100 years, BES journals have published 17,000 scientific papers. The BES asked 100 ecologists to nominate the most influential.
  • From 18-23 August the BES hosts INTECOL, the world's largest international ecological conference, at ExCel, London.
  • And if you're heading for a music festival this summer, look out for the Sex & Bugs & Rock 'n' Roll stall, where young ecologists will be demonstrating the fun side of ecology with hands-on activities. Find out what bacteria inhabit your festival kit, why bees wiggle and how to identify mushrooms by their surprising smells. Visit the website to find out more.

For more information on BES centenary events, visit the website.

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