The Suffolk Naturalists’ Society is in grave danger of closing down.

Council met on 9th November and, to enable business to carry on until the next AGM, made temporary appointments from within its existing membership to fill the roles of Chairman and Treasurer that had been unexpectedly rendered vacant. (More details here).

Membership numbers are falling. The field programme was suspended, for at least one year, in 2008. Few meetings are arranged; when they are, attendance is low. There is little or no communication to or from members. Subsidiary groups have gone their own way. Is it just the publications (Transactions, Bird Report and newsletter) that members want in return for their annual subscription?

No single person is responsible for the state the SNS is now in: it is simply following the same trend as most other natural history societies. There are two basic requirements for starting to put things right:

1. In some way or other the membership must let Council know what they want from the society. Not doing so means Council has to work in the dark.

2. New ‘blood’ must join Council. Ideally, younger people will come forward who have the drive and enthusiasm to take on the challenge of revitalising the Society and making it work. What we need is new ideas, organisational skills, energy and dynamism.

If 1 and 2 are fulfilled, new activities reflecting the interests and matching the wishes of the membership can be identified and put into operation. If they are not it is likely that the society will have to disperse its funds to other charities and quietly die.

I am not overstating the case, please take this seriously. Come to meetings, especially the AGM. Correspond with us, say what you want. It is your society!

A brighter note to end on: the Editor’s November Award for Stoicism goes to the Collared Dove that has just raised a sixth pair of chicks in the rainwater gutter of Ancient House. Five months ago she was enduring daily exposure to baking hot sunshine, quite a contrast with recent conditions - downpours of biblical volume resulting in two-and-a-half inch deep, and fast, torrents of storm water. I hope the newest clutch will be able to gain sufficient fat reserves to survive the winter. See photo below.

Collared Dove family in guttering, photographed on 7th November