Tasmanian Field Naturalists Club Inc.

General Meeting 7:30 PM Thursday 5th. October

Tessa Smith will present: The little life in the leaf litter: a look at leaf-litter beetles in Tasmania.

Tessa will present some of her PhD research on the biogeography of leaf-litter inhabiting beetles in Tasmanian wet forests and rainforests. Beetles (Insecta: Coleoptera) are a megadiverse group, contributing over 2500 recorded  species to Tasmania’s fauna, with many new species being added regularly.  The talk will cover an overview of what types of beetles are living in these forests, how communities might differ over space, and how we can use a litter-sieving/Berlese funnel approach  to add to the existing knowledge of beetles in Tasmania. 

Excursion - Saturday 7th. October to Chauncy Vale

Combined excursion with Launceston Field Nats to Chauncy Vale. Entry to Chauncy Vale is $2.00 pp.

Chauncy Vale https://www.chauncyvale.com/ is a little under an hour’s drive from the centre of Hobart. We will join the Launceston Field Naturalists Club to explore this private reserve. They will be staying at the Woodfield Centre in Dysart https://www.caravanparkstasmania.com/woodfield-dysart-caravan-park.htm and have invited us to join them for a meal from 5:00 PM. Please bring your own food and drinks.

General Meeting 7:30 PM Thursday 2nd. November

James Wood from Royal Tasmanian Botanical Gardens will present on a topic related to Flora.

Excursion - Sunday 5th November

Mt Wellington with  James Wood. More details here closer to the date.

Members' Night - Thursday 7th December

Saturday 9th December

Christmas Barbecue. Venue to be decided.

2024 Easter Excursion - Advance notice

2024 Easter Excursion to Mt Cameron Field Study Centre

Friday 29^th March to Monday 1^st April 2024

For next year’s Easter excursion, the club has booked the Mt Cameron Field Study Centre in Tasmania’s far North-east https://scottsdalehs.schoolzineplus.com/_file/media/330/fsc_brochure.pdf . It is about four and a half hour’s drive from Hobart (that’s about one and a half hour’s drive east of Scottsdale). It is a biologically, scenically, and historically interesting area, featuring small granite mountains and has easy driving access to coastal reserves. More details and bookings will be available early in the New Year.

Covid Safety

TFNC follows the Tasmanian Government’s latest safety guidelines which can be found at Coronavirus (COVID-19) | Tasmanian Department of Health . Cancellation of events or new restrictions due to government advice will be posted on the TFNC website and an email will be sent to all members.

Non-members can now attend general meetings and excursions.

It is each member’s responsibility not to put others at risk. If you are unwell or have flu like symptoms, please get tested and stay at home.

Masks must be worn at meetings (speakers excepted). On arrival at meetings and excursions, please sign in on the TFNC attendance list to record your name and phone number and also use the hand sanitiser. Please socially distance at the required spacing.

TFNC excursion guidelines, including use of car sharing, are available from https://tasfieldnats.org.au/data/documents/2020-TFNC-Excursion-Guidelines-final.pdf .

 A little bit about us

Our members are both professional and amateur naturalists who share a common interest in the natural world.

We encourage the study of all aspects of natural history and advocate the conservation of our natural heritage. Our journal, The Tasmanian Naturalist, is issued annually and our quarterly information Bulletin covers forthcoming activities. 

The club was formed in 1904, and we are associated with other Field Naturalist Clubs throughout Tasmania and beyond.

Our monthly meetings usually include a guest speaker who presents an illustrated talk on a topic of their particular interest or expertise. Members also contribute and discuss their recent observations of nature. An excursion on the following weekend visits a site, usually in Southern Tasmania, and usually related to the topic of the presentation.

From October 2021 meetings are being held at University’s Sandy Bay campus Law Building Seminar Room (Room 132), located off Grosvenor Crescent near the University sports grounds. The entrance is located off the laneway on the northern side of the building.

Here is a map of the venue and instructions for access

CONTACT US

There is more about us here              website enquiries: web.master@tasfieldnats.org.au