OPAL is an air quality survey.
If you want to take part, all you need to do is visit the Field Studies Council site, and order your survey forms.
It's a national community-led survey of air pollution, run by Natural History Museum and Imperial College London, running from September 2009 to January 2010.
"To get involved, all you need is safe access to 2-4 trees - trees in playing fields, parks or in the countryside are all suitable. By looking for a small number of easily recognised lichens growing on tree trunks and twigs, you can find out more about levels of air pollution in your area, and whether air quality is improving or deteriorating locally."
Class sets of survey packs, each including a free lichen guide, tree identification guide and workbook, can be obtained from the Field Studies Council.
http://www.field-studies-council.org/projects/opal/register.asp
"To get involved, all you need is safe access to 2-4 trees - trees in playing fields, parks or in the countryside are all suitable. By looking for a small number of easily recognised lichens growing on tree trunks and twigs, you can find out more about levels of air pollution in your area, and whether air quality is improving or deteriorating locally."
Class sets of survey packs, each including a free lichen guide, tree identification guide and workbook, can be obtained from the Field Studies Council.
http://www.field-studies-council.org/projects/opal/register.asp
I have ordered some packs, and will be taking part with local school children. Over 400 survey results have been completed at the time of writing, and none of them have been in East Anglia, so it's time I put Norfolk on the map...
Some maps showing data that has been collected so far, have been placed on the OPAL website.
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