Dear Sir/Madam
 
Would you be please be kind enough to print the enclosed announcement/press
release.
For a long time I have been trying to establish an international network for
naturalists - both amateur and professional. I have finally been successful and
have established a Naturalists' forum on CompuServe.
However, I must emphasize that in these early stages, it is neither a permanent
nor a complete forum - it is simply a section of the Pacific CompuServe Forum
running for a trial period.  The forum will only be made permanent if there is a
positive reaction from users and a substantial number of users shows interest.
Without your help and support the concept will perish, and a potentially
invaluable resource will be lost, possibly for ever.
The forum has been started entirely through my volunteer work without any
outside financial help or payments. Please do what you can for the benefit of
all of us.
 
                        Yours faithfully,
 
                                        Vratislav Richard
 
P.S.
We compilling database of Naturalists  Adressar.  Please would you be so kind
enough and send to following information about your organisation:
When your society/organisation was found, Address, phone, fax, e-mail,
secretary, yearly fee and details how to obtain membership,  journals and news
published (with price, when was published 1st. number) nd y other usefull
informations.
 
PRESS RELEASE
September 1994
 
CompuServe opens Naturalists' section
 
A unique and new "Naturalists' Section" in the Pacific CompuServe forum has just
opened on the world-wide CompuServe network, dealing initially with general
naturalist interests. CompuServe is an international computer "bulletin board"
type network with E-Mail (electronic mail) links to the world-wide academic
Internet and to many of the world's best information sources. It is accessible
from any computer via a modem conected to the telephone line. The information
available for "downloading" onto your own computer will include:
databases - eventually with high quality "multimedia" colour images, animation
and sounds
general gossip
on line, live conferences and chats 24 hours a day
conservation and legislation issues
specimen exchange or sale information (where legal)
 
CompuServe normally would devote a complete Forum divided into specialist
sections to a subject as broad as Naturalism, but at the moment everything has
to reside in a single section due to the small number of subscribers supporting
it at this embryonic stage. The original proposal is listed below and
illustrates the potential of a complete Naturalist's Forum in the future. This
means that in this critical stage you can expect to put a little more into it
than you will get out of it, but this situation will rapidly reverse and it is
crucial that you do not leave all this to others. Therefore, this will only be
achieved with your active support to achieve a critical mass after which it will
then become rapidly self sustaining.
Proposed Sections.
1 General
A forum for the electronic exchange of the latest news for natural history
workers e.g. the discovery of important new species or species thought extinct,
conservation issues, forthcoming publications, new legislation, and personal
items such as appointments, deaths etc.
2, 3 & 4. Animals, Insects, Plants
A library of photographic images of plants, animals and insects from around the
world, in a compressed standard graphics format, along with accompanying
information for each image, articles, small database files etc.
5 The Databases:
.         Address database
        A database listing contact address, telephone number, fax numbers, e-mail
address and special interests of each collector and each institution similar
with the registered PIFON's directory. This will gradually build up into a
comprehensive database of everyone interested in naturalism around the world.
.         Catalogue,  Checklist and Reference databases
        Databases recording all reference works (articles, books, films, videos
etc.), and checklists of all the world's wildlife and plant flora. The location
of "type" specimens will be entered here.
.         Collections database
        Database of specimens held in governmental or private collections around
the world, listing items such as species name, locality, date, name of
collector, etc. This data is important to researchers and to environmental
issues.
 6. Permaculture,  Natural Pest Control
Articles in the field of permaculture (gardening without chemicals) and natural
control of pests using "beneficial" insects.
 7. Techniques (breeding, collecting)
Tips for breeding, collection of specimens, photography, preparation of
microscopic slides, etc.
 8. Books, Journals & Articles
Book and Article reviews, plus abstracts of interesting and important articles.
 9. Conferences, Clubs & Societies
Upcoming conferences, meetings, expeditions.
10. Professional Corner
A discussion lounge aimed at professional natural scientists all over the world
for instant communication and debating of ideas in specialised fields e.g.
morphology, anatomy, genetic studies.
11. Sell/buy/swap
A central forum for the exchange, purchase or sale of specimens wanted or
offered by both institutions and private persons around the world. At present
this is done usually on an ad-hoc basis, with little organisation or detail as
to exactly what people have to offer or exchange, and researchers have to write
time-consuming letters and draw up extensive lists of species on paper.
Using the Naturalists' Forum, it will able to be done easily and quickly. Users
will simply register their name against a list of species that will be provided
as part of the service, with appropriate codes as to whether they wish to buy.
exchange or donate specimens.
12. Conservation and philosophy
A central forum to discuss aspects of wildlife conservation, insects, plants and
their habitats, along with the philosophical questions that arise.
13. CIS/Computers, software, programs
Information on special computer programs developed for taxonomists, geneticists,
statisticians and other natural science professionals.
14. Travelling (collecting, laws)
Information on laws, restrictions, travel and accommodation advice and
logistics, contacts, and the best places to collect specimens.
15. "TRAFFIC" Magazine
Devoted to the information expressed in articles in the magazine "Traffic" which
deals with trade in wildlife and legislation affecting it.
16. "New science"  & "Nature" Magazines
Devoted to the information expressed in articles in the magazines  which deals
with Nature.
 
What is Currently Available in the Naturalist's Section?
At the moment subscribers can download a catalogue of Australian Cleridae,
Lucanidae, pictures of Australian beetles (as GIF files), zipped dBase files the
addressary of  Naturalist Organisations, societies, universities etc. around the
world, Naturalists Abstracts (choice of articles from 1750 to today) or the
DELTA program (which is capable of writing an identification key). Users can
also offer sale or exchange of insects etc.
Many more features will be added as the Forum develops according to the above
plan. But in order to develop, the Forum needs the following:
* users to show their interest by registering as members of the Forum. Note that
this is FREE! If joining CompuServe, it would also help a lot if you put down
Naturalist when asked for your interests.
* regular users to provide material and information which they are willing to
share. It would be of great assistance if naturalists who have such information
could upload it direct to CompuServe, or send it on computer disk in any popular
form to my address and it will be acknowledged and uploaded, or even send it to
me via modem for uploading.
 
The Forum has been started entirely through my volunteer work without any
outside financial help, payments or promises of payments. naturally, any offers
of help of any sort will be gratefully accepted! The cost of using the service
is minimal considering that users will be able to access vast amounts of
information and correspond with others with similar interests world-wide, 24
hours a day.
The CompuServe software program (WINCIM, available free from CompuServe) runs
under Windows (also available under DOS), and is probably the most user-friendly
communications program available with complete automation and even voice
prompts.
If you are a current member the command to access it is GO NATURALISTS (which is
a section of PACFORUM,). If you join "Pacforum", please do not forget to write
"Naturalist" as the first word inside the "Interest" column. to show that you
are supporting this section..
CompuServe is now available in:
 
Argentina (541-457 825),                        Australia (free call 008 025
240),
Canada (614 457 8650),                  Chile (2-698 8807),
France (331 47 62 79 60),                       Germany (free 0130 86 46 43) ,
Hong- Kong (867 0102),                  Hungary (1 251 7676),
Israel (3-290 466),                             Japan (free 0120-22-1200),
New Zealand (free l 0800-441-082),      South Korea (free 080-022-4700),
Switzerland (free 155 31 79),           United Kingdom (free 0800 289458),
USA (free 800-848-8990) ,                       Venezuela (2-793-2984) ,
but will soon be available in other countries as a Ukrain or Russia
 
For further information, please leave E-mail for me on CompuServe, write to me
or call me.
I sincerely hope that you will take advantage of the Forum. This is a very
exciting opportunity and I welcome any suggestions or criticisms that you might
provide.
Vratislav Richard  BEJ
AK
PO Box 619,     Bondi Junction,
New South Wales 2022
Tel: (61+2) 365 5253
Fax: (61+2) 30 6885
 e-mail:  76711,[log in to unmask]