Minutes of Committee Meeting held at 19.30, 21st January 2008 at 71 Kidmore Road, Caversham

1. Apologies for absence: Rosalind Stanley; Ruth Angus; Andy Tomczynski; Chris Robinson; Colin Wilson.
2. Minutes of the Committee meeting held 22nd October 2007 were approved. Some members said that they had not received the minutes, which would be circulated again (Secretary).
3. Matters Arising
1. Renton Righelato reported that the data transfer agreement with TVERC, following a meeting between the parties had been redrafted to include the NDOC and conform with current database procedures (attached for information).
2. Neil Bucknell suggested that the agreement be simplified by omitting details of the database procedures to avoid the need to revise the agreement itself every time these changed.
3. John Lerpiniere reported that the Berkshire Conservation Forum had discussed the TVERC proposed designation of landscape scale areas of conservation interest; these were intended to help local authorities, DEFRA and others prioritise conservation spending. Several BOC members had contributed in the earlier consultation process.
4. The Chairman thanked the members who had made the Christmas Social another success and lamented the rather low turnout.
4. Membership renewals: John Roberts reported that subscriptions so far this year were £3078 (total of £3057 for 2006/7). Dot Lincoln said that membership stood at 281 units (about 330 members). 34 had not renewed, a large proportion of whom had joined in the last year. An email or letter would be sent to defaulting members shortly (Dot Lincoln). 9 new members had joined since 14th November.
5. Promotional activities report. Ruth Angus had sent a report that was read by the Secretary. It was agreed that:
1. A raffle prize would be provided for the BTO Conference at Didcot on 23rd February (John Roberts).
2. We would ask the NDOC if they would like to share a stand at the Berkshire Show, which would promote both clubs and the atlas. The cost was thought to be too high for the Club to accept alone. Dot Lincoln noted that the Earley Green Show had been productive for new members, though in general such shows were not. She said the website and hides were most productive.
6. Bird Report update: Colin Wilson’s report was presented and discussed. The 2004 report was delayed further a number of reasons. The Committee recognised the huge effort that is being put into preparing the reports and wanted to see what could be done to expedite publication. It was agreed that the whole process of recording and report preparation warranted a full discussion when Colin was available. The Berkshire Checklist was still awaited from Peter Standley.
7. Conservation Fund plans It was considered that there was not enough in the fund to fund major projects, and the Committee discussed how to make the most of smaller grants. It was agreed that publicity should be improved through the website and elsewhere to boost both income and the grant programme (RCR) and that the Club should promote projects from time to time. A number of low cost options were put forward by John Lerpiniere and others, including nesting boxes for Black Redstarts, Swifts and owls, and feeding stations. Owl box installation was agreed as the first measure for this year and John Lerpiniere agreed to find sites and arrange installation. It was also noted that, as the fund was now entirely managed by the Club, it should be consolidated in the BOC accounts (John Roberts).
8. Any other business
1. Photo competition: Colin Wilson had asked that the Photographic Competition be given publicity. LCE vouchers would be given as prizes and Gordon Langsbury said that David Cromack had offered to give a year’s subscription to Birdwatching magazine.
2. Kennet Valley Park development: Colin Wilson had provided a note asking that wide publicity be given to the meeting arranged for 26th January at the Cunning Man to protest against the development. Neil Bucknell said that the inspector's report was being considered by the Secretary of State and no representations were being considered at this stage. The next stage is the publication by the Secretary of State of her amendments to the South East plan document after consideration of the inspector's report. This was due originally late last year, but the Government Office for the South East now said it would be "in the New Year"
3. Quorum for General Meetings: After discussion of a range of options (reducing the quorum; introducing proxy voting; increasing the attractiveness of the AGM), it was agreed that every effort should be made to attract members to the AGM and that it should be brought forward to the beginning of November to facilitate a reconvened meeting if it proved necessary.
4. Garden Bird Survey: Ted Rogers had concluded that the sample size of the BOC GBS was too small (30-40 gardens) to provide useful data. He proposed to discuss with the BTO ways in which the data could be combined with the BTO GBS and output taken for the BOC.
5. 2008/9 Programme: Ray Reedman reported good progress on next year’s programme. It was noted that over the last 4-5 years, attendance had not increased with increasing membership. In particular non-member attendance had fallen. ID appeared to have been an attractive topic, though difficult to find speakers. A draft programme will be put to the next meeting (Ray Reedman).
9. Date and venue for next meeting: 7.30 pm, Wednesday 26th March at 63 Hamilton Road, Reading

Distribution: Committee Members: Ruth Angus, Gordon Langsbury, John Lerpiniere, Dot Lincoln, Ray Reedman, Renton Righelato, John Roberts, Ted Rogers, Rosalind Stanley, Andy Tomczynski, Marek Walford, Colin Wilson. BTO rep Chris Robinson, County Recorder: Chris Heard.