How it started

How it all started

At the beginning of the Covid pandemic, Mark Zygadlo, an artist based near Glenmidge, Auldgirth, was involved with a Stove project called Atlas Pandemica in which artists, writers and  academics looked in depth at a particular area in the context of the pandemic. To find out more, see the Atlas Pandemica site.

Mark looked at the Glenmidge catchment. After walking both the perimeter and the length of the burn, meeting local residents and asking them what they felt about where they live, he refined his focus onto three things: power security, food security, and biodiversity (another security.)  This project is a continuation of the focus on the biodiversity, exploring the lower reach of the Glenmidge Burn.

The first stage of the Glenmidge Project is to undertake a Baseline Survey of the Glenmidge Burn corridor between the village of Glenmidge and the River Nith. Based on the results of this first stage (which includes Phase 1 Habitat surveys, invertebrates, birds, bats, moths surveys and more), ways to enhance the Glenmidge habitats will be explored. 

We are grateful to the owners of the  areas of land included in the survey for their help and support for the Glenmidge Burn Project.

Antoine Lemaire has joined Mark on the project and together, they have began surveying the area. They have found support in the local community of Glenmidge as well as organisations such as the South of Scotland Environmental Information Centre (SWSEIC). Students from Glasgow University and Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), Glenmidge residents and local ecologists volunteer to carry out surveys with training in surveying techniques, species identification etc.