not yet available as a dedicated website resource, it is available for you to use and
provide feedback on at http://www.essexfieldclub.org.uk/portal/p/Archive+Search/. The
Newsletters 1-61 (July 1991 to Jan 2010) have been scanned and OCRed by Peter
Harvey and added to the searchable archive. The 1999-on Essex Naturalists will be
dealt with shortly. A website is being designed and initial training so that further
material can be added has been provided.
Finally, I start my Presidency with a Council that has a useful balance of older heads,
who think they are wiser, and younger heads with ideas, enthusiasm and aspirations
for the Field Club. I look forward to working with such a good team.
Thank you Terri!
Having managed the Colchester Natural History Society Plant Database for 28 years
(and contributed most of the records), Terri Tarpey has now handed a duplicate file
over to be incorporated into the BRC National database and the 3rd Flora of Essex
MapMate Database.
It's a fantastic dataset, not only does it contain all the records used for the Flora of
North East Essex 1990, it has also been continuously updated and comprises over
280,000 records. It also contains analyses of the historical records culled from the
literature for N.E. Essex. Terri converted all the files to Excel from the Lotus Approach
program developed by her late husband Trev, and Bob Ellis (BSBI) used his magic
format correction program so that we could import it straight into MapMate.
The entire database has now been duplicated on the BSBI server for vascular plants
and the BRC database for bryophytes. A high proportion of the records have detailed
information such as numbers of plants and a word picture of their location. The county's
botanists of the future will be deeply indebted to Terri for such a dedicated contribution
to our knowledge of the county's Flora. We wish Terri a happy retirement from this
long term commitment, - she says however that she will still be doing some botanical
recording!
A reminder about Gift Aid
The Charities department of H M Revenue and Customs granted the Essex Field Club
tax exemption on gift aid from 11 March 2006. You only have to complete a declaration
once and claims can be backdated to cover subscriptions and donations paid from
March 2006.
If you are a UK taxpayer and you haven't yet done so, please complete, sign and date
the gift aid declaration (ask for a new form if you have mislaid the one on your
subscription renewal form sent with the January Newsletter) and return to me. If you
need more information please contact Sarah Kenyon on 01799 510641 or email
skenyon@uttlesford.gov.uk
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Essex Field Club Newsletter No. 62, May 2010