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ARTICLE : PRESIDENT’S ANNUAL REPORT |
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Monday 20 August 2007 – PRESIDENT’S REPORT TO 68th ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OF WELLINGTON BOTANICAL SOCIETYSome highlights • A memorable trip to Rakiura / Stewart Island and the Catlins. Membership The Society has 260 members, down from 267 in August 2006. 14 new members joined and the Committee cancelled 12 memberships after sending several reminders about overdue fees. We have 121 ordinary, 30 group, 59 country, 5 student and 45 life members. We introduced two new membership services: Trips Our regular trips continued to provide opportunities for members to develop their plant identification skills. We were privileged this year to see more of the richness of the plant communities protected or under restoration by private land owners. The updated and new plant lists prepared on our trips are passed to the Department of Conservation (DOC). These records may in future become a valued resource for analysing and reporting on what’s been lost and where other species may still be found. Our summer trip to Rakiura Stewart Island and the Catlins was blessed with mostly fine weather. A visit to Ulva Island showed what can happen when pest animals are eradicated. This left me thinking about ways of recording changes in ecosystems closer to home. If only it were as easy to monitor ecosystem health as it is to record the species we see. The superb organisation of the summer trip, including the food, has, however, had a downside as no-one has volunteered to lead next summer’s trip to Great Barrier Island. There’s a shortage of people with the skills and time to provide “the full package” offered in recent years. The Committee is therefore experimenting with a new approach. We propose simplifying the leadership role by booking catered evening meals, asking participants to make their own travel arrangements and sharing out the other tasks. Committee members have signed up for some roles and remain optimistic of finding volunteers with the necessary skills for the remaining tasks. We’ve come a long way from the days when we all slept on the ground, drank from streams, cooked on open fires, and the evening meals rotated through tinned fish, tinned corned beef, tinned tongue and de-hydrated mince. Meetings This year’s speakers have been stimulating and informative. I’d love to see their knowledge and thoughtful suggestions disseminated more widely, perhaps in the Bulletin or on our web site. We’ve had feedback that there were too many slides at the Members’ Evening. Next year we plan to ask members to choose their 20 most memorable photographs so there is more time to see the paintings and sketches, and hear the readings that other members may bring to the meeting. Publications Bulletin 50 We celebrated a major milestone in the Society’s history, our 50th Bulletin, with a special cover. This featured an original wood-cut by John Christeller, developed from one of Tony Druce’s favourite photos, and recalling artwork by John’s mother on covers of some early Bulletins. This year’s Bulletin generated a series of discussions which are leading to greater clarity about the purpose of the Bulletin, and the respective roles and responsibilities of the Editor and the Committee. The Bulletin lies in an awkward niche. Some professional botanists will always prefer to publish in refereed journals, while some unpaid botanists may think their material is not sufficiently scientific. The Bulletin, however, has always been a varied journal so that it caters for the range of members’ interests. In 1989, Ted Williams, as guest Bulletin editor, made a plea for the continuation in our pages of at least some informal and narrative writing, complete with personal and humorous touches. In 1996, Carol West said remember, all botanical observations are relevant, and the style is not as formal as for refereed botanical journals I therefore encourage members to talk to current editor John Sawyer about possible articles so the Society can again achieve its goal of publishing one good Bulletin each year. Newsletters The Society produced newsletters in September, December and May. These are highly valued for their detailed information about events, opportunities and publications. Awards Montana Book Awards Audrey Eagle’s stunningly beautiful Complete Trees and Shrubs of New Zealand recently won the non-fiction category of the Montana Book Awards. Congratulations Audrey. Instead of making a Jubilee Award this year, the Society supported Botanical Society of Otago’s initiative to publish the supplement to Audrey’s main volumes. National Awards The Society submitted or supported nominations for New Zealand’s two major botanical awards, the Allan Mere Award and the Loder Cup. We hope to announce two successes in a future newsletter. Student Field Grants The Society made grants to to support their field work of four Victoria University students: Di Batchelor, Joe Buchanan, Daniel McNaughtan and Mei Lin Tay. Wellington Secondary Schools Science Fair The Society’s 2006 Award went to 11 year old Tony Armstrong for his study of the density and strength of New Zealand woods. Judging of the 2007 entries takes place later this month. Advocacy The Society has advocated for the protection and restoration of New Zealand’s indigenous plants in the Wellington region and further afield. A small group of members prepared submissions on topics ranging from draft management plans to regional pest management strategies and ERMA’s 1080 Review. More members contributed to a submission on the future management of Rakiura Stewart Island through discussions on the summer trip. The Society also wrote letters of support for applications for funding for restoration projects, for acquisition of additional land to reserves, and to raise concerns with councils. Issues such as the future of the facilities at Percy Scenic Reserve require persistence over many years. Community outreach BioBlitz Many members of the Society contributed to the success of BioBlitz, an event designed to raise the profile of Otari- Wilton’s Bush in its centennial year. We conducted a systematic inventory of the indigenous and adventive plants in the reserve, and were pleased about some of the new records. Members also offered displays, talks and guided walks. Displays Displays at open days and conservation awareness events have again helped raised the profile of the Society and awareness of New Zealand’s native plants. Brochure for Karori Sanctuary Work continued on refining the text for a brochure about plants in the Sanctuary. Word limits have focused the authors’ minds on identifying key points and how best to present them. The committee The Committee held eight meetings, appreciating the comfort of members’ homes. Our Agendas were very full, but anticipate that the development of more policies will speed up the induction of new Committee members and reduce the time needed to discuss some items. The incoming Committee will, however, need to consider how best to manage our core activities and the many other opportunities available. I want to offer my personal thanks to members of the Committee for their support, patience and hard work. I had no idea how much work went into running the Society. Acknowledgements Many other people contribute to the Society’s activities in many different ways. Thanks and acknowledgements are due to: Looking to the future We’ve usually streamlined the AGM to avoid cutting into the speaker’s time, and that is the intention again this year. However, as our previous president, Joyce Stretton, and Bulletin Editor, John Sawyer, have both expressed challenges to the Society in the past year, I propose suggesting to the incoming Committee that we provide an opportunity some time during the next 12 months for a wider discussion with members about their hopes, expectations and priorities. I feel privileged to have been given the opportunity to lead such an amazing organisation. Thank you all for your support. Bev Abbott
EVENING MEETINGS August 2006 – July 2007
FIELD TRIPS August 2006 – August 2007
WORK BEES August 2006 – August 2007
2007/2008 committee.At the 68th Annual General Meeting on 20 August 2007, the following were elected:
Treasurer’s report for the year ended 31 June 2007The audited accounts for the past year have been circulated and I am happy to answer questions about these. You will note that we made a small surplus on our normal operations covered by the General Account: $150, after making a $2,000 contribution to the preparation of the supplement to the forthcoming Audrey Eagle’s Trees and Shrubs of New Zealand. From the Society’s investments we have provided $3,800 to support botanical research and education. Our assets remain at about the same level as last year. Our operational costs in the coming year appears to be much the same as next year. I am therefore proposing that subscriptions levels for the 2007-2008 year should be the same as last year: Rodney Lewington, Treasurer |
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Last Updated 20th October 2007