WORKING TOGETHER - WILDLIFE GUARDIANS

The Trust believes that the protection of our natural heritage is the responsibility of everyone, not just a dedicated few. Our relaunched corporate membership scheme, Wildlife Guardians, aims to harness the potential that exists for collaboration between business and the voluntary sector to contribute positively to environmental conservation.

We believe that building strong working partnerships across the business and industrial sectors in Cornwall will lead to mutual benefits. Organisations can make significant contributions to protecting our natural environment through their financial support and through their involvement and expertise. Companies can "adopt" their local nature reserves and participate in our community and educational programmes, while interested employees can take part in our volunteer programme.

A belated welcome to Reserves Project Officer Bena Smith, who joined us too late to be introduced in the last magazine.

Photo: Mark Nicholson

STAFF CHANGES

Thanks and best wishes go to Biodiversity Project Officer Ruth Adams and Semi-aquatic Mammals Project Officer Jim Roberts who left us recently. We should still be working closely with Ruth, who is now Education Ranger for the Helford Voluntary Marine Conservation Area. Jim is currently in South America on the first leg of his adventure of a lifetime - we won't see him for over a year.

Meanwhile, Victoria Whitehouse has just returned to us (following maternity leave) in her new role as Conservation Manager and we have been joined by Records Centre Manager Sarah Myles (see page 6). We also welcome Administrative Assistants Margaret Pritchard and Caroline Viner, who are working with Business and Resources Manager Alison Vaughan at our Boscawen House offices.

Mark Nicholson

Congratulations to Jane Anderson of the RIGS Group who, together with St Gennys Parish Council and the North Cornwall Coast and Countryside Service, won a prestigious national award - the LASMO Geological Challenge Award - for a leaflet aimed at saving Crackington Haven from unnatural erosion. The problem is people removing pebbles, to be used in garden features for instance, from the shingle ridge which protects the cliffs. This is a superb example of local action leading to a small change in people's behaviour which greatly benefits the environment.

Photo by courtesy of North Cornwall District Council

Her interests in natural history lasted throughout her life, and when she retired to Cornwall in the 1960s, she concentrated on observing and noting all she saw. Her writing was minute, so a page of records from her was equivalent to more than two or three pages from others, with a wealth of information in every square inch. During her lifetime her records, some of them dating from holidays in the Lizard area, were given to the Cornish Biological Records Unit (now ERCCIS) where they were incorporated into the original computer system.

It was in the 1960s that she attended my late husband's Adult Education lectures and, when he suggested to the students that galls made a fascinating project, she it was who embarked on their study in a dedicated manner: descriptions, photographs, dissections, microscopic drawings (in both senses), and correspondence with various specialists, as well as actual specimens crammed into files and boxes, all now in the possession of the Trust together with her books on the subject. She used to say that nature rambles consisted of looking for plants that were deformed in some way!

This did not stop her recording "normal" plants as well as birds and mammals, whose songs and sounds she often captured on tape. Any insect that caught her attention would be examined, drawn and photographed. Indeed photography was a passion and she entered many of the Trust's competitions, often winning. Not long before she died, Colin French scanned many of her slides onto a later edition of the CD-ROM version of The Flora of Cornwall.

It was her family's wish that any donations should be given to the Trust in lieu of flowers. A memorial service was held in the Friends' Meeting House at Marazion on 7th November.

Stella Turk