Berwick Wildlife Group

Present: Fiona Aungier, Leslie Cook, Molly Hardie, Malcolm Hutcheson, John Rae, Enid Turnbull, M. Williams.

Apologies: John Inglis,

Items	Subject	Decisions to Make	Outcome
1	Minutes of last meeting	Agreed?	Agreed
2	Matters arising not below	Discuss briefly.	LC – Church Hall Meetings: LC is to take money on the door, as some attendees entered without paying. Committee members who can to arrive at 6.45pm to help with setting up prior to meetings. FA – Half the money tin had been left behind and will perhaps be found at the next meeting. ET had removed the takings for banking.
3	Recent events.	Sept 20th, Little Beach litter 4th Oct. Migratory Birds 8th Oct. First winter talk – Farnes by John Walton	Sept 20th, Little Beach litter ET thanked for her efforts at the final survey. Surveys to be annually in September from now on. 4th Oct. Migratory Birds Seven members attended on a rainy day to conduct survey. Next survey will be same time next year. A map is needed for those not familiar with local place names. 8th Oct. First winter talk – Farnes by John Walton. Excellent informative talk. M. Hardie to write letter of thanks.
4	Forthcoming events.	12th November – Kevin Rideout St Abbs. New Provisional Programme of Events attached. Problems with Border Events website.	12th November – Kevin Rideout St Abbs is all set. New Provisional Programme of Events. Kevin Rideout might know someone to lead a Fungus Foray, and various suggestions were put forward for a speaker to follow the AGM. FA to sort them out. JR – Proposed punch and mince pies for the December meeting. Problems with Border Events website continue. FA and M Hardie to have further attempts to get BWG events on. The Botanical Soc.of British Isles is holding an event at Berwick Guildhall on 9th May on Alien Trees and Shrubs, with appropriate walks on Sun 10th ,which we can join.
5	Other Surveys	Butterfly transects. Need sending in to Butterfly Conservation – help from JR please. Fixed pt photography plus meeting + Ancroft PC .	Butterfly transects. JR has results almost ready for sending in to Butterfly Conservation – FA to fill in accompanying form for Cocklawburn. Fixed pt photography – Photos for this quarter have been sent off. Jo Wilkes of Ancroft PC contacted FA re a meeting about perceived cattle damage. FA attended the meeting which turned out to be controversial and is to write to Jo with her comments. Squirrels – Library Display - MW thanked for help in putting up. 10th Oct - Squirrel Workshop in Kyloe, excellent. Recent sightings from Castle Hills, The Greens & Meadow Grange – members must keep reporting sightings. Two more surveys in local woods to be carried out late Oct.. FA to e-mail all members of the group re. 2 forthcoming meetings on squirrel pox.(Research by Oxford University has identified a group of reds in Norfolk which have immunity from squirrel pox. Further research is to be carried out). Some members of the committee expressed dissatisfaction with an article on squirrels which appeared in Berwick Advertiser Oct. 9th.
6	Old Coal Yard	Approach from developers.	Brief details re. proposed redevelopment of this Tweedmouth site were received from developer vial St Boisils' Residents Assn. LC – some environmental assessment needs to be made. FA to write to Planning Consultant for developer.
7	Berwick Comm. Devt. Trust	Berwick is Brilliant for Wildlife CD.	JR was asked to compile a 20 min. CD of local wildlife to be shown in the foyer of Berwick Community Development Trust. Also to do similar for the January Berwick is Brilliant for Wildlife CD. A plea for photos to be inserted in next Newsletter.
8	N. Gas Networks.	Still waiting or look elsewhere?	Results of application should be available by 28th October.
9	Membership list : computer lists?	Are we legal? Do we need disclaimers sent?	FA to look up Data Protection Act re. keeping members’ names on computer; to e-mail members saying that details are kept solely for club purposes, and asking if anyone objects. This info. is to be included on future membership application forms.
9	Any Other Business	.	Following many problems with Norton, FA is to download new antivirus on group computer. It was decided that the squirrel group’s finances should be held separately from those of BWG. ET to arrange it. JR – proposed no committee meeting in December, but one on 7th.Jan. prior to Berwick is Brilliant.
10	Date/venue of next Meeting	19th November, Castle. Do we want one 17th Dec?	19th November, Castle, then 7th Jan 2009.