THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB
DEPARTMENT OF LIFE SCIENCES
UNIVERSITY OF EAST LONDON
ROMFORD ROAD, STRA TFORD,
LONDON, E15 4LZ
NEWSLETTER NO. 27 Novemberl998
PRESIDENT'S PAGE
Over the summer months matters have been relatively quiet. Regretfully there have been
two resignations from Council, of Irene Buchan and Colin Plant. Both have made useful
contributions to the work of Council and it is hoped that we can call on their services
again at some time in the future.
From previous Presidents' Pages you will know that past Presidents and I have been
trying to give the Field Club more vitality such as by getting it more involved in sites,
through contributing to the Red Data Book and co-operating with the Essex Wildlife
Trust. There was also a feeling in Council that we were getting more concerned with
administrative matters than the core work of the Field Club. Accordingly, I have moved
discussion of sites requiring attention to the first elective item on the Council's agendas,
so that such matters can be discussed fully rather than being rushed. 1 hope these moves
will begin to make an impact. However, for this to happen, Council members, recorders
and members will need to become more involved and pro-active. At the moment I feel
that many of our fellow organisations have more vitality. Through our collections, the
Essex Naturalist and our recording procedures we have a very important role to play in
the life of the County, but we cannot afford to be complacent.
Despite what I have just said, during the winter months, I hope to turn my attention to
administrative matters such as the Constitution. These are matters that need to be
addressed periodically so that they remain in good order and facilitate the work of the
Field Club.
Action on the Field Club's collections is still active and it is hoped that some positive
developments will occur before the end of the year. Ken Adams has been exploring
various avenues to ensure that the collections are properly housed and curated for the
future. Meanwhile, specific attention is being paid to the geological collection and,
thanks to Graham Ward, a comprehensive catalogue of the fossils, minerals, rocks and
erratics will be available shortly in Mac and IBM formats. Many aspects of the
geological collections are important nationally, particularly the Tertiary fossils and the
Quaternary glacial erratics. These include many new records, indicating the importance
of the County geologically.
Peter Allen
Essex Field Club Newsletter No. 27, November 1998