Coastwise members have for many years carried out the MBA's structured Shore Thing Surveys, contributing to a national database of marine flora and fauna which acts as a baseline for changes.

Funding difficulties have paused this process, and a new survey format has been established to identify Invasive and Non-Native Species - INNSHORE surveys.

Coastwise members Nicola Mello and Pip Jollands successfully applied for funding that allowed the MBA's Jack Sewell to visit for a training day at Lee Bay.

It’s a well-worn aphorism that history is written by the victors, but prolific author and historian Dr  Todd Gray  gave Coastwise members  a fascinating insight into the way that inconvenient facts have sometimes been omitted or manipulated to allow a desired image to be presented to posterity.

He pointed out, using many examples from his historical research, how attitudes have changed, and the acceptability of issues and labels has changed radically over sometimes quite short timescales.

Coastwise members reviewed the results of the previous day's census at Saunton sands.

The hardy Coastwise stormtroopers had hit Saunton beach hard (well, actually quite sensibly, really, and after a briefing on the local geology by resident expert Dr Stan Coates, late of the British Geological Survey)  on 19th February to carry out an iRecord census.

At this stage of the year, it's really a matter of recording what's there rather than finding unusual flora and fauna, but there was plenty to keep people interested.