EDITORIAL
It's a little bit late to be wishing you all a Happy New Year, particularly as it is likely to be March before you read this. Nevertheless, I look forward to a successful year in the field, and hope for a somewhat more favourable summer, in terms of the weather, than has been the case in the last couple of years.
Perhaps we are off to a better start, because if it hadn't been for what preceded them, we would probably have considered January and February to have been pretty good months for the time of year. There has been plenty of fine dry weather, albeit rather chilly at times. Let's hope they are setting a trend for the year.
Less welcome, however, is the news of the outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease, and the request for the public to keep out of the countryside. Not the sort of thing a naturalist wants to hear. Let's hope it is cleared up quickly.
It is also time for me to make my annual appeal for records, for articles for the newsletter and for participation by members in events arranged by the Committee. The Society is what you the members make it. Diana Downing's article on urban wildflowers illustrates that you don't have to go out into the wilds to come up with interesting records. Awareness of your surroundings is all that is required. On the recording front, we have finally got our act together, so that birds and butterfly records are now being computerised. The recording program that we are using requires, amongst other things, the date, number and location of species seen. Perhaps you could bear this in mind when submitting records.
Those of you who were at the last indoor meeting will have heard that Joyce Riley has decided for personal reasons that she will be unable to remain on the Committee after the end of this season. You will all no doubt appreciate that this is a bitter blow for the Committee, because of the amount of work that Joyce undertook. Any members who would like to join the Committee, or who feel that they could help in any way, please let us know. You will, no doubt, be welcomed with open arms! We won't ask you to do all of Joyce's job from the start!
Stop Press: Don't shout too soon, but it would appear that the council has come up with an alternative route for the by-pass, which skirts along the edge of Duxbury Woods, rather than cuts a swathe through it. All will no doubt be revealed!