SECRETARY'S REPORT

Whether you consider 1999 or 2000 to be truly the final year of the millennium, this Annual Report is its last one. The report applies, of course, to the year 1999 but is compiled and edited in mid-2000. It is an appropriate point to stand back and see how the Society is faring.

It is easier to generate enthusiasm for a new venture than to maintain it for many years. When the Society was formed in 1979, lots of energy was put into recruiting new members, organising lectures, field trips and publications. Local environmental issues were regularly brought to the attention of the local press and the Council by the Society. I think on the whole that we have maintained this level of enthusiasm reasonably well.

It is true that membership peaked a few years ago and has begun to fall. It is also true that we seem unable to attract new young members. We have been less often involved in practical conservation activities in recent years than when the Society first formed. These points form fair self criticism and hopefully can be addressed in coming years.

On the positive side we can claim to have instigated and maintained a reasonably comprehensive database of the flora and fauna of Chorley and District. We have been able to maintain a series of high quality lectures covering all aspects of Natural History. We have organised field trips which are invariably interesting and enjoyable. We have produced publications of a high standard which seem to me to improve each year.

I think we can be proud of what we have achieved but we must strive to improve on the standards we have set ourselves as we move into the new millennium.

The Committee and Officers and the end of 1999 were:-