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Report of the Essex Field Club for 1999-2000
by Geoffrey Wilkinson on a variety of floral and faunal topics, to an article on natural remedies for
purging and a plea for a 'natural' alternative to Viagra! One article, which perhaps was understated,
was on phenology by Tim Sparks (of the Institute for Terrestrial Ecology) which brought out the
importance of continued recording. Long records are vital for charting changes in the nature of our
natural history and form a basis for enquiring into their causes. We arc less than pleased to note that
field meeting reports are still conspicuous by their absence.
The Naturalist demonstrated the more serious side of the scientific activities of the Field Club and
its members. The Naturalist is now divided into sections highlighting these activities. The 'Wild-
life Review of the Year' extended the reports from the Recorders with other supporting contribu-
tions. The section on 'Conservation and Management' considered woodland at Chalkney Wood and
heathland in Epping Forest. About half the volume was devoted to more discursive scientific works
with nine articles on the flora, fauna and geology of the county. The range and depth of material in
the volume was a credit to the authors and reflects very well on the Field Club.
Another serious scientific work, Ted Benton's work on the bumblebees of Essex, should be pub-
lished later this year by Lopinga Books, in association with the Field Club and the Colchester Natu-
ral History Society. There are also plans to publish a "Spiders of Essex", based mainly on the results
of work done by the Essex Spider Group since 1986 using the Field Club's recording archival data.
A new publicity leaflet describing work of the Field Club and inviting membership has been brought
out. This will be distributed widely throughout Essex and adjoining areas, to libraries, other natural
history societies, country parks and other appropriate outlets. Another form of publicity we are
currently investigating is the possibility of setting up a web-site.
The input of Peter Harvey to the above is particularly worthy of comment. Besides mastering the
technological problems involved in the change of formats and of colour copy, his flair for layout
made our material look at its best.
The Field Club is continuing to contribute to the county RIGS group and the Red Data List. The
Regionally Important Geological and Geomorphological Sites group is currently establishing its
working procedures and hopes to have its first sites designated later this year. Peter Allen, as a
Council member, is representing the Field Club; several other members of the Field Club are also
members of the RIGS group.
Biodiversity activities continue to burgeon and the Field Club is in the thick of them. Several Club
members attend the Biodiversity Plan meetings chaired by Essex County Council and there will be
increasing opportunities for members to influence the work of their District Councils in this regard.
Progress reports on the county's many species and habitat Biodiversity Plans will be included in
future editions of the Essex Naturalist. In the current volume, section 3 is now entitled 'Biodiversity,
Conservation and Management' in recognition of this and includes an article on Biodiversity Ac-
tion Plans and their importance for fungi.
It was with great sadness that we learned of the death of Geoff Pyman in December 1999. We had
just awarded him an Honorary Membership of the Field Club, very obvious proof of the regard in
which we held his contribution to natural history and conservation in Essex.
The Field Club is removing its collections and library from the London Borough of Newham prop-
erty in East Ham (Burgoyne's) as rates will have be levied at a level that we could not hope to meet.
Essex Naturalist (New Series) 17 (2000)