BSBI News and the Annual Review
The BSBI members’ autumn mail-out, which includes the autumn issue of BSBI News and the Annual Review 2023/24, should start reaching print subscribers during the first week of October and digital versions will be available via the password-protected members’ area of the BSBI website.
Louise Marsh, BSBI Communications Officer
BSBI Annual General Meeting 2024
The BSBI Annual General Meeting 2024 will take place at 7.15pm on Thursday 21st November as an electronic meeting. The final agenda and supporting papers will be available soon on the AGM webpage, where you will also be able to see biographies of trustees up for election. You can register right now to attend the AGM which will be preceded by introductory talks starting at 6.15pm.
If you are one of our growing number of BSBI members, the AGM is your chance to have your say and participate in how the Society is governed, so we hope you will join us on 21st November.
Louise Marsh, BSBI Communications Officer
British & Irish Botanical Conference
This year’s British & Irish Botanical Conference will take place on Saturday 23rd November at the Natural History Museum, London. We have a fabulous day planned for you, with talks from speakers including Trevor Dines, Sandy Knapp, Stuart Desjardins and incoming President Paul Ashton; flash talks from early career botanists; behind-the-scenes tours of the world-famous Sloane Herbarium; and - a new feature this year - we are planning some herbarium-themed workshops. And it’s all free, although as always we welcome donations.
We won’t be going live with the full programme and the booking link until the first week of October when BSBI News goes out, to ensure that all BSBI members have a chance to book, so please keep an eye on the Conference webpage in the coming days. Please contact me if you would like to offer a poster or some other kind of exhibit about your botanical highlights of the year.
Louise Marsh, BSBI Communications Officer
Scottish Botanists’ Conference
The Scottish Botanists’ Conference will be held on Saturday 2nd November at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. There will be a mix of talks and workshops, ranging from One-flowered Wintergreen conservation translocations, a look at invasive species control initiatives, an introduction to Eyebright identification and how BSBI members can get the most out the BSBI’s plant distribution database.
Please watch this space for updates on how to book your place. There will also be an Exhibition Hall, where attendees are encouraged to display exhibits – so please email me to book a poster or table space.
As usual the Conference will include the BSBI’s Scottish Annual General Meeting, during which elections for membership of the Committee for Scotland will be held. If any of our Scottish members would be interested in joining the Committee, please contact me for more details.
Matt Harding, BSBI Scotland Officer
Irish Autumn Meeting and AGM
Bookings are now open for the BSBI Irish Autumn Conference and AGM, which is being held this year in Northern Ireland, at Lough Neagh Discovery Centre, near Craigavon, Co Armagh, on Saturday 12th October.
This promises to be an excellent event, with a variety of talks and exhibits on the theme of 'Lough Neagh and the Northeast of Ireland', an aquatic plant ID workshop, a chance to ID any mystery specimens you wish to bring (including aquatics) and a table to display your most interesting finds!
As usual, this is a free event, although booking is essential as numbers are limited and demand is likely to be high.
Bridget Keehan, BSBI Ireland Officer
Aquatic Plant ID field event
Following on from the Irish Autumn Meeting, aquatic plant expert Nick Stewart will also be leading an Aquatic Plant ID field event in the local area, on Sunday 13th October. Places will be limited to 20, so booking is essential. Bookings can be made here (although the meeting place and itinerary have not yet been finalised - so keep an eye on the booking page/website for more information).
Bridget Keehan, BSBI Ireland Officer
More eBooks now available
We’ve just added three new titles to our collection of BSBI eBooks:
- The Hybrid Flora of the British Isles by Stace, Pearman & Preston
- A Flora of Cornwall by Colin French
- and the Flora of Bedfordshire by Chris Boon
Why not browse the eBook collection of Handbooks, County Floras and standalone titles, and see what else takes your fancy?
Sarah Woods, BSBI Fundraising & Engagement Manager
Request: Field meeting reports
With the field season beginning to draw to a close, now is the time to check whether the meeting reports have been written and sent to the country field meeting secretaries. We’ve already received some reports, but some are still outstanding including from the ASM. Guidance on writing a report is available in the “Leading and organising BSBI meetings” document with an example to show the desired format. The report of a one-day meeting should ideally be about 350 words and is intended for a general reader.
Jonathan Shanklin, Hon Field Meetings Secretary
Request: details for 2025 national field meetings
It is time to start planning the field meetings programme for 2025. There are already some dates in the diary and some County Recorders will be waiting until the new year to decide their programmes. However, if possible, please send outline dates and locations by early November in order to publicise dates at the British & Irish Botanical Conference. Full details should be provided by late November so that they can be included in the Yearbook and the online Field Meetings & Indoor Events programme.
Jonathan Shanklin, Hon Field Meetings Secretary
Vacancy: Field Meeting Secretary for England
Mary Dean is stepping down as Field Meetings Secretary for England and a replacement is being sought. The role requires contacting potential hosts, obtaining meeting adverts from hosts and a report after the meeting has taken place. If you want to do more, then formatting the advert and report would be a welcome plus as would becoming more involved with the country committee. If you are interested contact Mary or Jonathan. One potential advantage of being a Secretary is that you can try to persuade County Recorders to hold meetings in places that you want to visit.
Jonathan Shanklin, Chair, Committee for England (CfE)
Initial notice: 2025 Recorders Meeting & Summer Meeting
Booking for the 2025 Recorders Meeting is now open. The meeting is being held at Juniper Hall, near Dorking in Surrey, from April 4 to 6. It will have the usual format of identification sessions, talks, workshops and an excursion. It is aimed at all botanists who record plants, whether beginners or experts.
The 2025 Summer Meeting is being planned for the Borders region of Scotland, perhaps based in Kelso or Hawick around mid July. We hope to have a date and venue next month.
Jonathan Shanklin, Chair CfE & Hon Field Meetings Secretary
County Membership Lists
If, as a BSBI volunteer such as a County Recorder, you need access to members’ contact details in your area, we can arrange this. We will need you to read and sign our Volunteer Confidentiality and Data Protection Agreement. For more information see the membership list page on the password-protected members’ area of the BSBI website.
James Harding-Morris, BSBI Countries Manager