THE first of a year of free lectures on the Exe Estuary, the Jurassic Coast and global warming takes place at the community college, next Thursday.

THE first of a year of free lectures on the Exe Estuary, the Jurassic Coast and global warming takes place at the community college, next Thursday.

The first lecture, 'The Exe Valley Source to the Sea', will be in the form of a slide show and is being conducted by member of the Exmouth Visitor Centre Trust and local naturalist and ecologist, Rod Lawrence.

The lectures are being held at the same time as the Trust put into a multi-million-pound funding bid to build an interactive interpretation centre, caf� and shop set for the Mamhead Slipway - the result of that bid is expected later this month.

The lecture will focus on the 60-mile-river, revealing the 'important ecological corridor' connecting the South coast of Devon, through the Exe Valley to its source in Exmoor - and also explain how the river's ecology and wildlife are connected with the estuary's.

Rod Lawrence said: "Such corridors are of vital importance, creating avenues through which animals and plants can migrate in response to climate change.

"The wildlife and scenery is spectacular...however, equally rich in wildlife and landscape beauty the rest of the river remains virtually unknown.

"Unknown and unexplored it may be, but it is all out there waiting for the intrepid explorer to discover...come along and find out where to go and what spectacular wildlife you can find from red deer and wild boar to dippers and hen harriers."

He added that the aim of the lectures was to bring the public, organisations and interest groups together for the future benefit of the environment.

"Huge and very exciting opportunities exist for improvement to our environment, for the people of Exmouth and all of the Jurassic Coast.

"This is a project (the visitors' and interpretation centres) that everyone can get involved with and each person involved can make a very positive change for the future.

"With more than 40 years experience under my belt, I now hope to be able to use this expertise to influence the powers that be, in order to improve more and more, the environment of the Exe estuary and Jurassic Coast," he said.

l The lecture is in the Telfer Suite, Exmouth Community College on Thursday, September 10, at 7.30pm.