Meeting 21 May 2009
The May Open Meeting of Bude & District USA at the Parkhouse Centre was opened by the Chairman, Sylvia Henry who gave members a news update. The Looe Island trip on the previous day had been very successful and was enjoyed by all. There will be vacancies for both Treasurer and Membership Secretary in the autumn. Applications for these posts are welcome. Theatre group have trips to Evita and Romeo and Juliet planned for the near future. Tickets for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang in July are still available.
The afternoon's talk was given by David Polgase who is a member of Lanson U3A. David was lucky to be chosen to go on a trip to Australia, funded by Earthwatch, to join a group studying endangered species in the rainforests of Victoria. David's main interest is in Economics, the study of the allocation of scarce resources. The group leader was Dr Lindenmayer, an authority on Victoria's forest ecology. The marsupials described were fascinating. These included the tree dwelling Leadbeaters possum which is only 100 grams in weight. The Earthwatch tasks were to empty and reload traps in the daytime, recording and tagging the captives. At dusk the group were driven to research sites in the rainforest. They then clambered to their positions with good views of Stag trees, trying to avoid razor grass, leeches and mosquitoes. The Stag trees can be hundreds of years old. As they die they develop a soft hollow inside which is inhabited by possums. Other animals emerging at night are the Beebock owls, so called because of their distinctive call. The mountain bush tail possum and the closest relative to the Koala, the Wombat, were also studied. Marsupial mice were regularly trapped , the smallest being the Agile Antechinus, only the length of a thumb nail and around 18 grams in weight . These tiny marsupials demonstrate strategies for survival and resistance to recessive genes by selecting partners from the most distant gene pool. David Polgase then drew some interesting and thought provoking comparisons with the human race. David concluded that there is much to be learned from the self-regulating behaviour of the marsupials, which ensure their species survival. Hilary Workman thanked David for his interesting talk.
Melder Wilkinson
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