BACK__________________________________________________________________________________________________

NEWSLETTER No. 5 -  Summer 1981

WEST MIDLANDS BRANCH, BUTTERFLY CONSERVATION

Contents

1981 is an important year for butterfly conservation in general and the BBCS in particular. The conservation of British butterflies has been highlighted on both radio and television, and, by the time this issue of our newsletter reaches you, the butterfly stamps designed by Gordon Beningfield will be on sale. This issue of postage stamps on May 13th. also marks the start of Butterfly Year 1981-82 which is being promoted by a range of bodies concerned with conservation including the BBCS. All members will have received preliminary details with their latest edition of BBCS News.

All in all, these events provide a tremendous opportunity to put both butterfly conservation and our Society on the map. The West Midlands branch is arranging a number of special events to mark Butterfly Year, and there are also many ways the individual member can play an important part :-

1. Encourage new members join the Society - First and foremost is the need to encourage new membership. National membership is far too low and current members are in the best position to do something about this. More members would mean more money for the establishment of reserves and to fund vital conservation research.

2. Join your local Nature Conservation Trust - These bodies already do much to conserve sites of butterfly interest but sometimes they need a gentle reminder to respond to interests of insect conservation in the same way as for birds or wild flowers, which often seem to have more vocal spokesmen on their behalf.

3. Publicise the Society - We need your help in publicising the work of the BBCS. Do you know an organisation that would like a slide talk on butterflies or would allow the Society to mount a display at one of their events? Would your local library be willing to display a poster advertising the Society with your name as a local contact (or the Secretary's if you prefer)? Could you approach your Building Society on our behalf and ask if they would be prepared to have a BBCS display in their window? (We can supply material.) Do you know a group of people (Ramblers' Club, Natural History society,
School etc.) who would be interested in going on a butterfly walk in their area if one was arranged? (We could supply leaders)

4. Take part in a recording scheme or habitat survey - We hope that everyone will want to play their part in the new Branch Recording Scheme (details inside). This is of crucial importance, especially if the BBCS takes over from Monks Wood responsibility for the National Mapping Scheme of butterflies. Until we know more precisely where butterflies are to be found and what their requirements are, we cannot hope to take action to protect them.

We have the opportunity to make 1981 a turning point in public indifference to the fate of butterflies. Let us try to make certain by our actions that no other species go the way of the Large Blue.