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Geography fieldtrip 2021 York Moors ;

Adapting fieldtrips in the light of COVID-19

For the second year in a row, COVID-19 restrictions threatened to prevent fieldtrips for the Department of Geography. Although the trips usually take students overseas, the department were left with one question – should they cancel the trips entirely or give students the chance to explore what we have at home?

Every year, the Department of Geography organises fieldtrips to allow students to develop their data collection skills and environmental knowledge. In Autumn 2021, travel restrictions and safety concerns meant that taking the students abroad wasn’t a feasible option.

Rather than cancel the trips or undertake online alternatives, the department remained committed to providing the students with the important experience of learning in the field. So instead, they organised trips closer to home, taking their undergraduate students to York and Malham.

Geography fieldtrip 2021 Beaver Reintroduction

Exploring what’s on our doorstep

Staying in our own cities and villages showed how much there is to analyse and learn about in our own backyard – across different natural, social and urban environments.

The physical geography students on the trip explored the different environments in the area. They were able to collect data on how much carbon is sequestered in grass, trees and peat bogs, monitor water quality, and count plastics found on the beach. They also visited a beaver reintroduction site to study flood management and sediment filtration, Malham Tarn and the preserved area of Brimham Rocks.

Geography fieldtrip 2021 Malham 1

Human geography students remained in York for the trip, well known for its Roman roots and Viking past. They had the chance to conduct research into the process of ‘place-making’ in York and how different characteristics of the city are selected or embedded in the city’s identity. Students researched how ghosts and the phantasmagorical are emphasised and packaged for tourism, observed what aspects of the built heritage are chosen or ignored to showcase the city, and interacted with locals to understand how flooding and flood management are central to the identity and experience of York.

The trips were also filmed so anyone who was unable to travel due to the pandemic wouldn’t entirely miss out on the experience.

Image credit: Randa Kachef 

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