Wild Orchids of Hertfordshire – the 2026 Gerald Salisbury Lecture
Join us in Welwyn at 8pm on Thursday 22 January for 'Wild Orchids of Hertfordshire' – the 2026 Gerald Salisbury Memorial Lecture.
Co-county flora recorder Dr Ian Denholm will give a talk that he and Prof. Richard Bateman, a fellow orchid expert and enthusiast, have prepared. Together, they have half a century's experience surveying for orchids in Hertfordshire.
North Herts Museum reception rounds off 150th anniversary year
More than 50 HNHS members attended a reception at North Hertfordshire Museum in Hitchin on 12 January to view our 'Wildlife for the Record' exhibition and round off the Society's 150th anniversary year.
We were delighted to welcome the High Sheriff of Hertfordshire Nicholas Buxton, his wife Henrietta, and the Chair of North Hertfordshire District Council Cllr. Keith Hoskins as special guests. Mr Buxton who farms the Easnye estate near Ware, has made 'nurture through nature' the theme of his current year in office.
Broadwater Lake SSSI Under Threat Again
Broadwater Lake, Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), is under threat again from Hillingdon Council's revised proposal for a watersports and activity centre on this hugely important refuge for wildlife.
Find out more here >> Broadwater Lake
Submit objections and comments by Friday 9th January 2026 here >> Planning Application Hillingdon
Happy New Year – our anniversary celebrations are not quite over...
A Happy New Year to all our members and friends!
Hertfordshire Natural History Society held its first meeting in January 1875, which means that our 150th anniversary celebrations are sadly almost at an end.
Don't, however, miss the opportunity to visit our closing exhibition in North Hertfordshire Museum which runs until February 16th (Brand Street, Hitchin, SG5 1JE, not Mondays).
Hertfordshire's Local Nature Recovery Strategy Launched
Hertfordshire’s first Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) has now been published. Tim Hill, Trustee of HNHS, said: "This is a landmark step in restoring and enhancing nature across Hertfordshire and the wider restoration of nature across England. This "blueprint" for the county is designed to identify where and how to restore nature to tackle the biodiversity and climate crises."
The full details of Hertfordshire’s LNRS are available here.