REPORT OF THE ESSEX FIELD CLUB FOR 2001-2002
Administration
The Council of the Essex Field Club met five times during 2000-2001 at the Red Cross Hall, Chelmsford,
the main thrust of its activity being to maintain the steady rise in membership by publicising the
activities and publications of the club, for which a separate advisory sub-committee was set up, and to
continue to support production of our high quality publications. Towards the end of the year Council
began looking at the advantages of acquiring charitable status. This is to be fully investigated in the
new year and, if found to be to the Club's advantage, recommendations may then be made for
consideration by the membership at the 2003 AGM.
Meetings
The Field Club held 43 meetings, and an Annual General Meeting during the year, 5 of which were
held jointly with other societies. The joint meetings were held with the Essex Rock and Mineral
Society 2, the Veteran Tree Group 1, and the Essex Invertebrate Forum 2, Field meetings comprised
botany 4, fungi 10, birds 7, moths 9, with 2 general meetings devoted to the survey of Hylands Park.
The mammal group attended a conference organised by Southend Borough Council, Peter Harvey
gave an illustrated lecture on Essex spiders, and at the AGM Peter Allen gave his third presidential
address, on the geography of the Crag seas and the early Thames.
The Foot and Mouth outbreak exacted its toll on the field meetings program. Fortunately however,
only the Coalhouse Fort and Hanningfield bird, and the Curtismill Green botany meetings had to be
cancelled, as we were able to adjust the remainder of the meetings on the new program card, so that
they did not involve sensitive sites, e.g. by targeting some of them to town centre (Saffron Walden) and
coastal venues. In the longer term, many of our grassland sites are likely to suffer from the lack of
grazing during the crisis, and a prolonged delay in restocking, which could lead to permanent changes
in their flora and fauna.
Frustrated by not being able to survey some of our navigable rivers from their largely inaccessible
bank sides, the Botany and Invertebrate Groups hired a river boat from the Broxbourne Centre with
the intention of probing the River Lee/Stort section up as far as Hunsdon Mead. At the last minute
however the propeller detached itself and the trip had to be postponed until 30 September. Undeterred,
10 club members eventually braved a very wet and windy day to sweep the rivers for higher plants and
invertebrates. Sadly however, it was discovered that both the Lee and lower Stort are now virtually
sterile, being heavily polluted with an iridescent surface oil film, any surface vegetation daring to
develop being 'lawnmown' by boat screws. Although for a time water quality appeared to be improving,
leading to the return of some pollution sensitive plants and invertebrates during the mid 1990s, the
trend now appears to have gone into sharp reverse,
The success story of the year was undoubtedly the Club's second Annual Exhibition and Social, held
at the Red Cross Hall, Chelmsford, which this year was publicised well in advance with posters and
invitation cards, thus ensuring an attendance of over 85, ably fed and wined by Mary Smith, and
generally organised by Del Smith, who also manned a welcome bible to supply non-members with
Club membership details and enrolled 3 new members on the day. We were pleased to welcome
several 'outside' exhibitors, including Jonathan Tyler and his magnificent set of orchid paintings.
Essex Naturalist (New Series) 19 (2002)
I