Where now for the RAUK website?

Sorry I'm a bit late catching up with this thread.

As I see it, we have a group of people who all want to help herps. So they join all these different organisations. Now unless you're a Time Lord and can bend space and time, you aren't gonna have enough hours in a day, to make a really good job of it. If you want to make a difference, concerntrate your efforts, don't spread yourselves out over various committees/groups. Commit to one group (preferebly RAUK) and do your damndest to get things done.

I'm already on the LVNP committee, producing the newsletter and this takes up my time 'cause I want to produce the best darn newsletter I can. When I took over the role, the quarterly newsletter was 2 sides of A4 black and white. Now it is 12 pages of colour. It is hard work keeping the standard up and so I can't help out on any more committees. 

But I do think RAUK is a worthy cause. And if any body is going to help Gemma out with this idea, please give it 110%.

Thanks Gemma for all your work. Don't you wish you could just kick some a**e, sometimes?

Maybe you could if everyone pulls together. There are a lot of intelligent people here (and I don't include myself) so one would hope something concrete could be achieved.

Here's hoping.

I think David has raised a very good point here about our UK herp groups/societies and organisations. Many are voluntary and limited by human resources and funding.

The main 'problem', if it is a problem as such, I've come across is that of 'expectation' of members. Often it is different to what the group either strives to provide or is able to, which may lead to disappointment.

Today I saw bulldozers moving across a site I voluntarily surveyed for an ARG, reported to the county wildlife trust as a key reptile site (exceeding their criteria for county wildlife site (SNCI)) and spent a great deal of my personal time and money trying to protect.

Today there was NO reptile mitigation in sight.. what happened to the report and records I wonder? I guess I could feel bitter that nobody ensured that the adder on the site were protected, but really I just feel terribly sad about it all, clearly my expectation of these groups exceeded what they could deliver. No protection and the site not even reconised as a key reptile site.

Still, back to the point of this thread, an important issue has been raised by way of David's defence of the BHS.

What do those who use RAUK expect of it? Does it deliver the expectations and should RAUK strive to meet some of the expectations of the public, as an organisation, rather than just being a web forum, that are currently not covered by the existing UK herp organisations?

Be interested in any views.

LOL Rob,

RAUK = herpetofauna = herpetofauna.co.uk

I knew it would catch on one day! 

Yes Rob I actually contacted David from a link on here so nothing to do with BHS.

RSPB=Birds

?=Herpetofauna