STAFFORDSHIRE INVERTEBRATE GROUP (SIG)

Minutes of the 12^th meeting of SIG held at 7.00 p.m. 21^st February 2005 at the Wolesley Centre. (unconfirmed)

Present: A. Jukes (Chair), D Skingsley (Secretary), C Slawson (Records Compiler), M Smart, S. Phipps, R Gillibrand.

Apologies:  E Brown, M. Bloxham, J Stanney, P. Deddicoat, D Grundy, D Budworth

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

• The MapMate programme has been updates to version 2.09. Information on how to obtain the update can be retrieved from our records officer (C Slawson)
• Malcom Smart is now chair of the Dipterists Forum, and will represent SIG at the next BugLife AGM
• R Gillibrand is in the process of writing up the findings from Oakwood so that the overall report for this site can be finalised by SWT
  

3) Election of Honorary Officers:

• The position of Chair: A Jukes (proposed by D Skingsley, Seconded C Slawson, carried unanimously).
  
• The position of Secretary: D Skingsley (proposed by M Smart, Seconded C Slawson, carried unanimously).
  
• The position of Treasurer is still open
• The position of Records Officer: C Slawson (proposed by D Skingsley, Seconded A Jukes, carried unanimously).

3) Record Compilers Report:  Presented by CS.

• The record compiler was unable to provide a breakdown of information within SER that related to  invertebrates due to some technical difficulties. However he was able to report that data from MapMate sources had risen from 5000 records to over 70,000 records.
• A Deaths Head Hawkmoth caterpillar (dark form) was positively identified feeding on privet in Newcastle
• The SER website is being revamped to provide more dynamic atlases for a larger cross section of the SER data sets.
• Additional records are now available to SER from the WORCS record centre (primarily at Kinver Edge)
  
• Link to Staffordshire Ecological Record (SER).

4) SIG Meetings 2005:
The following recommendations were made

• Outdoor meeting: Wolseley Garden Park mid July (9th-10th or 16th-17th). Final dates will be confirmed following feedback from the Email discussion group (see AOB)
  
• When you visit other sites of interest in 2005, please let SIG know via a posting to the Email discussion group (see AOB).
• Indoor meeting: There was a feeling that an indoor meeting in the autumn of 2005 would be welcomed. This suggestion awaits further developments that will hopefully be driven by the discussion group

5) AOB:

• Email Discussion Group: All members of SIG who have Email addresses have been added to a discussion group that is monitored and hosted by SWT. This will reduce spam and should allow rapid dissemination of Invertebrate based information to the group. If you wish to be added please contact the SIG records officer C. Slawson.
• There was a discussion on the changes in law that relate to Environmental Information Regulations. Our records officer gave an overview of data collection and use. Should you wish for further information please contact him directly.

Date of next meeting February 2006 Wolseley Centre, Wolseley Bridge (tbc)