WHAT IS THE SNS FOR ?

SNS Council has regular debates on how to maintain and increase our membership. Like all natural history societies our members are gradually declining in number. Special interest groups such as Butterfly Conservation do seem to maintain and increase membership and new groups continually emerge or reinvent themselves, such as Buglife. Those, such as the Wildlife Trusts and RSPB that appeal to the general public, continue to thrive, an excellent sign that people are very interested in wildlife, but not necessarily at an academic level.

At the next meeting in July Council will discuss employing a Publicity Officer with the intention of deciding how someone could be employed and what their duties would comprise. In order to brief such a person it is essential for us to define our role so as to be clear on how we wish to be promoted. I hope members can help by coming up with concrete ideas of how we can present ourselves to the world. I apologise to those of you who have contributed your ha'porth in the past, I will use whatever material I have but feel free to have your say again.

Our constitution states
The objects of the Society shall be:
    2.1     To study and record the fauna, flora and geology of the County.
    2.2     To publish Suffolk Natural History, Suffolk Birds and White Admiral.    These publications shall be free to members except those whose annual subscriptions are in arrears.
    2.3     To liase with other natural history societies and conservation bodies in the County.
    2.4     To promote interest in natural history and the activities of the Society.

Through a legacy from the late Mrs Rivis, we have funds that allow us to publish members’ work annually in our transactions: Suffolk Natural History and the bird report Suffolk Birds (these cover current scientific findings and the conference reports). We fund the publishing of occasional County atlases based on members’ research, the latest being the Millennium Butterflies; one on mammals is in the pipeline. We also publish the White Admiral newsletter with reports of more general interest. There are now five bursaries of £100 awarded annually for scientific study. The legacy needs to be kept intact and only the interest used, (it is unlikely to be repeated and we do not want to have to start fund-raising) not whittled away by inroads into the capital sum. We have our treasurer Howard Mendel to thank for being its guardian for many years! We hold a biennial scientific conference but for this we obtain sponsorship.

Here are some of my thoughts about the role of SNS. Please let me know whether you agree or disagree or wish to add to them.

    We are an amateur academic society studying all aspects of the natural world including geology and even weather. This cross-discipline approach is unusual these days, other groups tending to be more specialist. It allows people to transfer their interest from one area to another without having to join another group and information is easily shared.
    We continue a long tradition of independent amateur scientific study. Much of this work would never be done if people had to be paid for it. It is very valuable work and with current concerns about climate change is demonstrating its importance.
    It can be argued that anyone with a serious interest in natural history will find us, particularly on the internet at www.sns.org.uk. However, there is an obvious need to maintain our current members by giving them good reasons to belong and to try to get new members.
    I suggest trying to get families to join - they are nurturing the next generation of naturalists - and encourage them to come to field and other meetings. To enjoy field meetings and benefit fully from them, newcomers need guidance and a ‘mentor’ for the day should be offered even if not taken up. So, at field meetings if non-recorders or general interest attendees are identified they can be introduced to someone willing to take them round. I also suggest that half way through the meeting there is an organised re-grouping so that they can swap mentor to explore another discipline. The experts should find it useful to have someone else scrabbling in the undergrowth finding things and so make the day more productive. Taking some spare equipment along would facilitate this.
    It will be argued that we should avoid the temptation of ‘dumbing down’. However, if younger people are to be encouraged, how do we appeal to them without being superficial? A slight change in name or emphasis might help - how many of us wriggle out of the statement “I am going to a Suffolk Naturalists' meeting” because of the sniggers they have encountered? Would it be outrageous to become the Suffolk Natural History Society? Can anyone come up with alternatives? How about the strap line: Recording Suffolk's Wildlife?