THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB
HEADQUARTERS:
THE PASSMORE ED WARDS MUSE UM,
ROMFORD ROAD, STRATFORD,
LONDON, E15 4LZ
NEWSLETTER NO. 12 December 1994
ESSEX FIELD CLUB EPPING FOREST MUSEUM
AND TAXONOMIC WORKSHOP
At its meeting on the 14th November the City of London Epping Forest & Open Spaces
Committee expressed a very strong interest in becoming involved in the most effective way
in safeguarding the Field Club's former collections. How best to be involved has still to be
decided, and no specific decision has yet been made. The committee has however asked to
be provided with costs of various opions and will meet to consider the matter further on
January 6th.
If by one means or another a new museum comes about, it would become the Club's new
headquarters and we hope it would provide a wide range of facilities for its members,
including a meeting room/taxonomic workshop. To equip this workshop the club is planning
to apply for a separate grant, and we need the advice of members, and especially our recorders,
to compile the shopping list. It is our intention that the workshop facilities will also be
available to associated learned natural history societies, and again we would like to hear from
any societies in the London/Essex area who would be interested in participating.
The proposed workshop facilities fall into three categories. We would like to acquire as
complete a set as we can of the latest identification guides to relevant groups of organisms
in the county. To do this effectively would mean for example buying well over £3000 worth
of modern mycological monographs andregional European fungus floras. Secondly, we want
to provide a sophisticated computing facility linked to both a GIS (Geographical Information
System) and GPS (Geographical Positioning System). GIS would enable us to have complete
sets of O.S. maps in digital form so that we can store site information superimposed upon
them, and so that we can superimpose landuse, soil or geological information on our
distribution maps. The GPS system, (already in use at the Warren) would enable us to pinpoint
the location of sites anywhere in the county. In addition we hope to have high resolution b/
w and colour printers, a scanner and reader, together with associated software so that we can
desktop compile all newsletters, the Essex Naturalist and other publications, print out high
quality distribution maps, and maintain copies of our records in central computer files that
can be handed down to the next generation of recorders.
Thirdly, we would like to offer members a complete range of recording and preservation
facilities. These would include a colour photography stand and large format camera for
photographing specimens in house, microscopes, including one with camera attachment,
plant presses, mounting and drying paper, central supplies of insect pins, setting boards,
drying equipment for fungi, pickling materials and vials for soft materials, etc. On members
days say once a month, members would be able to bring in their specimens record and preserve
them and deposit them in with the existing collection.
So, whilst there is still along way to go in safeguarding the Club's former collections and there
is no certainty that a new museum can be provided, please let us have your ideas for shopping
lists for the three categories.
Ken Adams. President.