We would like to welcome a new recruit to the Sea Watch team, Patricia Magee, who has recently been appointed as Sea Watch Regional Coordinator for Northern Ireland!
Hello! My name is Patricia, or most would know me as Trish and I have the pleasure in having just been appointed as the Regional Coordinator for Northern Ireland. A role which will be challenging, but I’m really looking forward to meeting likeminded people, helping Sea Watch Foundation to spread their wings over this part of the UK and working with other NGOs and groups.
A little about myself. I currently work for a sustainable transport charity trying to encourage commuters to travel more actively and sustainably. It’s from this role I have learnt the importance of being able to have conversations with people and challenge their perceptions of the world around them. Prior to this role I worked for a consultancy writing Environmental Impact Assessments for road schemes which allowed me to assess scientific data and use my judgement risk assessing and recommending mitigation measures for these developments.
I also gained experience working for NIEA climbing around rivers investigating pollution incidents, however I really cut my teeth working as the National Coastal Officer for another NGO called Keep Northern Ireland Beautiful. This really fuelled my passion for practical action as I was out helping with beach clean ups, working with volunteers, counting marine plastics and running the prestigious Blue Flag and Green Coast beach awards programme for Northern Ireland. This gave me the opportunity to work with a range of organisations with the common goal of protecting and conserving the aquatic environment.
In addition to my work experience, I had the pleasure of completing my BSc (Hons) in Marine Science with Ulster University, Coleraine which was a fantastic course with lots of practical training and introduced me to Scuba diving. I later returned to Ulster University and completed my MSc in Environmental Management. Overall, I count myself to have been really lucky to have a range of experiences in this sector. I don’t claim to be an expert in anything, but I’m always happy to keep learning from others.
It was in 2018, I started conducting land-based effort watches for cetaceans around the coast of Northern Ireland and I’ve been hooked since. For me personally it’s an escape where I can zone out, tune in and if I’m lucky get to watch cetaceans cruise past me and share those experiences with others. There’s no better feeling!
I look forward to meeting you.
Trish
To get in touch with Patricia click here!
