STAFFORDSHIRE INVERTEBRATE GROUP (SIG)

Minutes of the 11^th meeting of SIG held at 7.30 p.m. 09^th February 2004 at the Wolesley Centre. (confirmed)

Present: D Skingsley (Secretary), C Slawson (Records Compiler), M Smart, S. Phipps, M. Bloxham, A. Jukes, D, Grundy.

Apologies:  E Brown, R Gillibrand, J Stanney, P. Deddicoat

No apologies: T Colshaw, R Tribbeck, M Waterhouse, S McWilliams, A. Pullin, T Beynon, N Collingwood, S Sheppard, B Hardwick, D Emley, J Dover, P Mitchell, P Dedicoat, P Smith.

1) Minutes of the previous meeting were presented and accepted as a true record of events

2) Matters arising from the previous minutes

• It is with regret from all the panel that the SIG Cotton Dell report was not completed by Helen Ball. Any records that were submitted to Helen should be deemed lost and if you have copies please could you send them to Staffordshire Ecological Record (Email: info@staffs-ecology.org.uk).
• The MapMate programme has been taken up by a number of panel members. The secretary provided information on a training day for Mapmate to be held at the Wyre Forest Visitors centre on the 29th of February 2004.
• The position of Chair has been taken up by Andy Jukes (proposed by D Skingsley, Seconded C Slawson, carried unanimously). We pass on our sincere thanks to Andy on taking up this role

3) Record Compilers Report:  Presented by CS.

• There has been a 22% increase in invertebrate records (58,395) within the SER database, with a linked increase in the number of species of 7% (5,028). Does not include MapMate data which has 5,000 potential records.
• There is to be an SER/SBAP seminar for volunteers at Wolseley in March 2004
  
• Link to Staffordshire Ecological Record (SER).

4) SiG HOT SPOTS 2004:
The following recommendations were made

• Primary Focus is on Wolseley Garden Park. SIG hopes to have two invertebrate events in 2004
• 22nd May to coincide with National Moth Night
• 21st August
• Other sites of interest in 2004 are Highgate Common (contact Roger Hill), Oakwood (Needwood Forest and Yoxall Park).

5) AOB:

• It is with sadness that since the last SIG meeting one of our founding members has passed away. Maurice Waterhouse will be missed by those who knew him via SIG.
• The Lichfield local group of Staffordshire Wildlife Trust undertook a survey of Dragonflies in 2003. Their distribution maps can be viewed from the SER website.
• Request from Helen Gee (Reserves Manager SWT) for a list of Caddis flies from Cotton Dell. Anyone interested in collecting at Cotton Dell with a view to updating Caddis records should contact Helen Gee in the first instance
• Request from Nick Motte for help with a project on woodpiles in water
• Request from Sarah Henshall for help with a project on shingle bank recolonization in the river Trent
• Secretary raised the question of corporate membership of Buglife. If the cost was reasonable the secretary was asked unanimously by the panel to join as a corporate member.
• Malcom Smart has been elected the Conservation spokesperson of the Dipterists Forum
• Dave Grundy is the National co-ordinator of the garden moth scheme

Date of next meeting February 21^st 2005 7.30 PM Wolseley Centre, Wolseley Bridge