SILNEWS 24
January 1998

Contents

Ireland on the Internet
Regionalization of Freshwater Ecosystems
Wetlands - further comment
Counter 4.4 - software
Biodiversity Working Group
Litter Breakdown in Streams and Rivers
Reservoir Conference
Rotifer Symposium
Ancient Lakes meeting in Japan
Kinneret Symposium 1998
Books
Forthcoming Meetings

75th Anniversary of SIL

At the meeting of German limnologists at Frankfurt am Main in October 1997 they celebrated the 75th anniversary of the founding of SIL in Kiel. In the next issue of SILNEWS I hope to include a piece by Professor Overbeck to mark this milestone with some previously unpublished photographs.

This issue contains reports and comments on several recent conferences and announces a number of forthcoming meetings. By the time this newsletter reaches you, you should have received the second circular and returned your registration form for the XXVII SIL Congress next year. Below we start with an article giving some background to the premier lecture of each congress. At the Dublin congress, the Baldi Memorial Lecture will be given by Professor Charles Goldman of the University of California, Davis on "A century of contrasting change in two Californian subalpine lakes".

Baldi Memorial Lectures of SIL

The Baldi Memorial Lectures of the Societas Internationalis Limnologiae were established in 1952 to perpetuate the memory of Edgardo Baldi by stimulating research and inquiry within the field of theoretical limnology to which he devoted his life work. SIL honors one of its members by requesting a synthesis of a subject within theoretical limnology to be delivered as the foremost lecture at the initial General Assembly of each Congress. The selection of the lecturer is made by a committee elected by the International Committee of SIL, and consists of the President and General Secretary of SIL, and three members from different countries, one of which shall always be from Italy. The endowment of the Baldi Memorial Foundation in SIL provides a modest honorarium to the Lecturer.

Edgardo Baldi (1899—1951) was trained at the University of Pavia, Italy, in natural sciences and specialized in studies on the neurophysiology of insects. In collaboration with Rina Monti, Baldi became interested in freshwater biology and particularly in the biology of copepods of alpine waters. In 1937, he became director of the Institute of Comparative Anatomy and Zoology of the University of Milano. With the encouragement and support of Dr. Marco De Marchi, a biologist with interests in plankton living in Pallanza, the Istituto Italiano de Idrobiologia "Dott. Marco De Marchi" was established in 1938, and Professor Edgardo Baldi became its first director. With the exception of a hiatus of imposed military service during the war years, Baldi worked unceasingly to develop the Institute at Pallanza into one of the foremost freshwater hydrobiological laboratories of the world.

The combination of the intellectual stimulation, research, and instruction in limnology that emanated from the Institute was so pervading and influential to the discipline that Italian was erected as one of the four initial official languages within SIL. That leadership position began with Baldi and has persisted with a continuing progression of excellent scientists and contrib-utions to the development of limnology. It is to the memory of Edgardo Baldi's contributions and leadership that this primal lecture is dedicated.

Robert G. Wetzel
University of Alabama

References

• D'Ancona, U. 1952. Edgardo Baldi. Hydrobiologia 4:294-301.
• Armocida, G. 1988. L'Istituto Italiano di Idrobiologia "Dott. Marco De Marchi" Cinquanta anni de ricerche (1938 - 1988). Documenta Ist. Ital. Idrobiol. 16. 115 pp.

Oops! Correction (Robert G. Wetzel)

In my article on the origin of the Naumann-Thienemann Medals of SIL (SILNEWS 21), I erroneously omitted several of the earliest recipients. My apologies. The correct listing follows after the Naumann Medal was established in 1939:

Naumann Medal Awards:

A. Thienemann (1942)
C. Wesenberg-Lund (1942)
F. Ruttner (1942)
H. C. Redeke (1943)
G. Huber-Pestalozzi (1947)
Freshwater Biological Association (1948)
American Society of Limnology and Oceanography (1948)
R. Lauterborn (1949)
E. A. Birge (1950)
C. J. Juday (1950)
F. Lenz (1953)
I. Findenegg (1953)
G. Alm (1959)
F. Hustedt (1959)
G. E. Hutchinson (1959)
S. Stankovic (1962)
H. Järnefelt (1962)
K. Berg (1965)
C. H. Mortimer (1965)
V. I. Shadin (1965)
V. Tonolli (1968)
S. I. Kuznetsov (1971)
W. Ohle (1971)
W. Rodhe (1974)

Naumann-Thienemann Medals:

G. G. Winberg (1977)
E. Steemann Nielsen (1977)
E. Schweizerbart'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung (1977)
D. G. Frey (1980)
W. T. Edmondson (1980)
H.-J. Elster (1980)
E. A. Thomas (1983)
J. Hrbácek (1983)
L. Tonolli-Pirocchi (1983)
P. M. Jónasson (1986/7)
R. A. Vollenweider (1986/7)
D. Uhlmann (1986/7)
R. Margalef (1989)
J. F. Talling (1989)
D. W. Schindler (1989)
A. D. Hasler (1992)
V. Sládecek (1992)
R. G. Wetzel (1992)
W. Lampert (1995)
G. E. Likens (1995)
R. Lowe-McConnell (1995)

IBP-PF: an invitation

If you are old enough to know what the intials IBP-PF stand for, were a member of one of the National IBP Project teams, or attended one of the meetings in Kazimierz Dolny or Reading, you are invited to a social gathering during the Dublin congress in August 1998. Tickets not exceeding 10 Irish punt will be sold at the SILNEWS stand to cover the cost of the room and refreshments. There will be a cash bar available. The day and time will be announced in the next issue of SILNEWS. I hope to meet many friends before we have all retired and/or are too old to attend any more congresses. I look forward to seeing you, Mary Burgis.

Next issue of SILNEWS

Material for the next issue (SILNEWS 25) must reach the Editor, Dr M.J. Burgis, West Mains, London Road, Ascot, Berks. SL5 7DG, U.K. by 31 March 1998. Contributions on a PC formatted disk (large or small), in any standard word processor, or DOS text (ASCII) will assist the Editor who can also now be contacted on e-mail at p.morris@rhbnc.ac.uk.