Curriculum Vitae

Dr Patrick Crushell PhD MSc BSc MIEEM

WORK EXPERIENCE

2001-2008 Ecological Consultant

December 2008
National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), Department of the Environment
Natural Heritage Areas Appeal Reports. Carried out ecological surveys to assess and report on the ecological interest of numerous designated upland Natural Heritage Areas for the National Parks and Wildlife Service.

October 2007 – May 2008
NPWS and BirdWatch Ireland
National Red Grouse Habitat Survey 2008. Undertook field surveys of 100 peatland sites in Ireland, mainly upland areas. The following was recorded for each site: land-use, habitat types and extent, habitat condition, photographic record and suitability for grouse. Data from survey findings was stored in a Microsoft Access database. Mapped habitat condition, land-uses and other site data using ArcView GIS. Compiled site reports and summarised survey findings on the condition of Red Grouse Habitat in Ireland.

May 2007 – Oct 2008
Jointly with Dr Peter Foss
Clare Wetland Survey 2008: Clare County Council and The Heritage Council. Desktop study on the distribution of freshwater wetland habitats in County Clare. Work included compiling existing data sources on wetland distribution within the county. Developed a database and GIS of all known wetland sites / habitats within the county with reference to a wide range of datasets from various sources.

Monaghan Fen Survey II 2008
Monaghan County Council, The Heritage Council and NPWS. Field survey of a further 40 wetland sites in Monaghan. Analysed results and co-authored the final report.

National Fen Survey Manual 2008
NPWS. Prepared a manual outlining the methodology to be used in a National Survey of Fens in Ireland.

Monaghan Fen Survey 2007
Monaghan County Council, The Heritage Council and NPWS. Carried out field surveys of 45 fen sites in County Monaghan recording amongst other things; vegetation, hydrochemistry, surface hydrology and management regime. Co-authored final report.

Jan 2003 – Jan 2009
Self employed
Environmental consultant to a range of organisations including environmental consultancies, engineering firms, local environmental groups and NGO’s. Produced ecological impact reports, baseline ecological assessments and appeared as expert witness at oral hearings.

Apr 2002 – Sep 2002
RPS Environmental Sciences, Cork, Ireland
Undertook ecological surveys of proposed development sites and compiled reports to be included in Environmental Impact Statements (EIS).

Dec 2001 – Apr 2002
An Taisce, Irish Peatland Conservation Council, Coastwatch, Irish Wildlife Trust, BirdWatch Ireland
SAC’s in Ireland - NGO Review 2002. This desktop study involved reviewing the NGO shadow list of Special Areas of Conservation (SAC’s) in line with new government proposals and requirements of the EU Habitats Directive in preparation for the final adequacy of the Irish list by the EU. The final report was published by the Irish Peatland Conservation Council, Dublin.

Jan 2000-Nov 2001
Conservation Officer, Irish Peatland Conservation Council (IPCC)
Dealt with planning matters, policy strategy and public enquiries. Liaised with many organisations and individuals concerned with the conservation of Irish bog landscapes. Assisted in organising a conference and study tour on the conservation, utilisation and after-use use of Irish raised bogs.

ACADEMIC QUALIFICATIONS

PhD thesis (defended at Wageningen University, the Netherlands, November 2008): Soak Systems of an Irish Raised Bog: a multidisciplinary study of their origin, ecology, conservation and restoration.
2002-2008 University College Cork, Ireland / Wageningen University, the Netherlands

Described the changes that have occurred in the Clara Bog (Co Offaly) landscape since pre-history to the present day.
Assessed changes in vegetation communities of soak systems on Clara Bog.
Investigated the biogeochemistry of soak systems with a view to understanding their origin and development.
Carried out a restoration experiment to assess future management options for soak systems.

Education Certificate

2002-2008 Production Ecology and Resource Conservation (PE&RC) Research School, Wageningen University, the Netherlands

• Various educational activities including teaching, publication writing, oral presentations and participation in work-shops and seminars equating to 32 ECTS (= 22 weeks of activities).

M.Sc. (Agri) Environmental Resource Management (Award 2H1)
1998-2000 University College Dublin, Ireland

• Thesis title: An investigation into the environmental management options for Akeragh Lough, Ballyheigue, Co. Kerry.

B.Sc. (Biol) Applied Ecology (Award: 2h1)
1993-1997 University College Cork, Ireland

PUBLICATIONS

Peer Reviewed Papers

Crushell, P.H., Connolly, A., Schouten, M.G.C. and Mitchell, F.G. (2008). The changing landscape of Clara Bog: the history of an Irish raised bog. Irish Geography, 41 (1), 89-111. http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~content=a791562778~db=all

Robroek, B.J.M., Limpens, J., Breeuwer, A., Crushell, P.H. and Schouten, M.G.C. (2007). Interspecific competition between Sphagnum mosses at different water tables. Functional Ecology 21, 805-812.

Crushell, P.H., Schouten, M.G.C., Smolders A.J.P., Roelofs, J.G.M. and Giller, P.S. (2006). Restoration of Minerotrophic Vegetation within an Irish Raised Bog Soak System. Biology and the Environment: Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy 106B (3), 371-385.
http://www.ria.ie/cgi-bin/ria/papers/100636.pdf

Submitted Manuscripts

Crushell, P.H., Smolders, A.J.P, Schouten, M.G.C., Robroek, B.J.M., van Wirdum, G. and Roelofs, J.G.M. Restoration of a terrestrialised soak lake of an Irish raised bog: results of filed experiments. Restoration Ecology: in revision.

Crushell, P.H, Smolders, A.J.P, Schouten, M.G.C., Roelofs, J.G.M. and van Wirdum, G. The origin and development of a minerotrophic soak on an Irish raised bog: an interpretation of depth profiles of hydrochemistry and peat-chemistry. The Holocene: In revision.

Crushell, P.H., Schouten, M.G.C., Kelly, L. and Sake van der Schaaf, S. Recent vegetation change in soaks of an Irish raised bog. Plant Ecology: In revision.

Robroek, B.J.M., Limpens, J., Breeuwer, A., Crushell, P.H., van Ruijvan, J., Bardense F. and Schouten, M.G.C. Can re-introd uction measures increase Sphagnum diversity in peatlands: the role of aggregation size, species identity and water table? Basic and Applied Ecology: In revision.

Other Publications

Crushell, P.H. (2008). Soak Systems of an Irish Raised Bog: a multidisciplinary study of their origin, ecology, conservation and restoration. PhD thesis, Wageningen University, with a summary in Dutch and Irish. http://library.wur.nl/WebQuery/catalog/lang/1891085

Crushell, P. and Foss, P. (2008). Clare wetland survey. Report and accompanying GIS datasets prepared for Clare County Council and the Heritage Council.

Foss, P. and Crushell, P. (2008). Monaghan fen survey II. Report and accompanying GIS datasets prepared for Monaghan County Council and the National Parks and Wildlife Service, Department of the Environment Heritage and Local Government, Ireland.

Crushell, P and O’Callaghan, R. (2008). Survey of Red Grouse (Lagopus lagopus) habitat in Ireland. Report and accompanying GIS datasets prepared for National Parks and Wildlife Service, Department of the Environment Heritage and Local Government, Ireland.

Foss, P. and Crushell, P. (2008). National fen survey manual. Report prepared for National Parks and Wildlife Service, Department of the Environment Heritage and Local Government, Ireland.

Foss, P. and Crushell, P. (2007). Monaghan fen survey. Report and accompanying GIS datasets prepared for Monaghan County Council and the National Parks and Wildlife Service, Department of the Environment Heritage and Local Government, Ireland.

Crushell, P.H. and O’Connell, C.A. (2005). Conservation of peatlands in Ireland. Proceedings of IMCG symposium, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, December 2005.

Crushell, P.H. (2002). SAC’s in Ireland – NGO review 2002. Irish Peatland Conservation Council, An Taisce, Coastwatch Europe, Irish Wildlife Trust, BirdWatch Ireland, Dublin.

Foss, P.J, O’Connell, C.A. and Crushell P.H. (2001). Irish bogs and fens conservation plan 2005. Irish Peatland Conservation Council, Dublin.

Crushell, P.H., Foss, P.J. and Dwyer, R. (2001). Irish raised bogs – conservation, utilisation and after-use – conference and study tour. Irish Peatland Conservation Council, Dublin.

Crushell, P. (2001). Irish Fens - briefing sheet ENFO, Dublin.

Crushell, P. (2000). Irish fen inventory – A review of the status of fens in Ireland 2000. Irish Peatland Conservation Council, Dublin.

Crushell, P. and Kelly, T. (1997). The utilisation of a landfill site by Crows in winter. Proceedings of the first European conference on vertebrate pest management, University of York.

OTHER DETAILS

Full Member of the Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (IEEM).
Professional Indemnity Insurance and Public Liability Insurance.
Past member of the Board of Directors of the Irish Peatland Conservation Council (2002- 2008).
Represent environmental NGO’s on government appointed Special Area of Conservation (SAC) Appeals Board.

Computer Skills: Good working knowledge of: Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Access and PowerPoint), FileMaker Pro Database, ArcView GIS, MapInfo and Adobe Creative Suite 3, SPSS, PC-ORD Ecological Statistics Package, Quark Express.

Hobbies: Enjoy many outdoor pursuits including hill-walking, surfing and cycling.

Please use the link below to contact Wetland Surveys Ireland
Consultancy Service