The All Ireland Coast Watch survey for 2020 starts on Tuesday 15th September and Judith Caldwell of the Strangford Lough and Lecale Partnership is confident that there will be uptake around Strangford Lough and is keen to promote and encourage local people to take part. The project runs until 15th of October.

The SLLP is a conservation body which looks after the magnificent natural and built heritage of the Lough and Lecale, the latter an area of historic and geographic significance, bounded by the Quoile River, the Blackstaff River, the Irish Sea and Strangford Lough. SLLP operates within the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), bringing together stakeholders and local interest with representatives appointed by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs.

The Coastwatch Survey is designed to give an overview of the state of the coast. It involves volunteers from all walks of life checking their chosen 500m stretch of coast (survey unit) once around low tide, and jotting observations down on the survey questionnaire while on the shore. This citizen science work can be augmented with water tests. Data is then collected and pooled to provide a snapshot of state in areas surveyed at that time.

More information can be found here