28 Jun - 4 Jul: Highlights of the week ahead

For kids and the family

• HeART for Nature Workshop for kids
• Our Kitchen Garden Tour at Pasir Ris Park

Walks in our wild places

• Kranji Nature Walk with the Nature Society Singapore
• Mangrove walk at Sungei Buloh on Saturday with a Marine Fish Tour at 9.30am and Sunday.
• Edible and Medicinal Plants Tour at the Botanic Gardens.

Film screening

• 1 Jul (Thu): Preview screeing of 'Oceans' by DisneyNature

Talks this week

• 1 Jul (Thu): "NUS Recycling story - Using human biases to encourage green behaviour"
• 3 Jul (Sat): "Figs of Singapore" by NParks

Specially for Singapore shore guides: veteran, newbie, wannabe! A weekly series of intensive workshops (8 Jul - 5 Aug) that covers all our favourite shore ecosystems, and ends with a field session! Registration now open.

Registration now open

• 17 Jul (Sat): Living Earth Walk at Chek Jawa boardwalk with Cicada Tree Eco Place
• 10 Jul (Sat): Living Earth Walk at Sungei Buloh with Cicada Tree Eco Place

Highlights of Singapore nature news

• PM: Don't expect flood-free Singapore Jeremy Au Yong, Straits Times 28 Jun 10;
• Man For Beast: The monday interview with Louis Ng akshita nanda Straits Times 28 Jun 10;
• Help! There's a monkey in my flat Home owners can call AVA to lend them traps and take the animals away, Melissa Pang Straits Times 27 Jun 10;
• Why we've been getting so much rain Grace Chua Straits Times 26 Jun 10;
• The value of quiet in the city Alan HJ Chan Today Online 25 Jun 10;
• NParks seminar to focus on biodiversity conservation and management Mustafa Shafawi Channel NewsAsia 24 Jun 10;
• URA wins international award for transformation of Southern Ridges Surekha A Yadav Channel NewsAsia 23 Jun 10;
• Butterfly Trail at Orchard project takes off Straits Times 22 Jun 10;

Highlights of Singapore nature blogs

• Kallang Riverside megatrash from sgbeachbum
• Bleaching at Pulau Hantu from wonderful creation
• Depressing Reef Survey Dive @ Pulau Hantu from colourful clouds
• Starry night trip to Cyrene from wonderful creations.
• Signs of crude oil still on Tanah Merah from wild shores of singapore
• Dillenia excelsa var. tomentella: A new phenotype arising from Flying Fish Friends
• How much mangroves are left in Singapore now? from wild shores of singapore
• Butterfly of the Month - June 2010 from Butterflies of Singapore
• Carpenter blue from The annotated budak
• Speared through jaw, dead 'dolphin' washed up at East Coast from wild shores of singapore
• Chek Jawa Northern Sandbar Check Out from Colourful Clouds

4 Jul (Sun): Mangrove walk at Sungei Buloh

Free guided nature walk along the Mangrove boardwalk under shady mangrove trees. Spot mudskippers, crabs and other marine life, learn about our mangroves, enjoy views of the Johor straits.

Suitable for young children.

Registration is not required for small walk-in groups. But each walk is limited to 15 persons per guide and is on a first-come -first-served basis. The walks are weather permitting and may merge with other activities at the Reserve. Those coming with large groups are advised to pre-register.

More about the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve on the wildsingapore website and Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve website. This walk is conducted by the volunteer guides of NParks' Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve and is held every Sunday morning, subject to availability of guides.

Time: 9.30 am (subject to availability of guides) for walk in guests, register at the Visitor Centre.
Tour duration: One to one-and-a-half hours. Suitable for young children.
Entry charges: While the walk is free, admission fees to the Reserve apply: $1 per adult, 50cents per child/student/senior citizen.
Website: http://www.sbwr.org.sg/
Contact: info@sbwr.org.sg or call 6794 1401

3 Jul (Sat): HeART for Nature Workshop for kids

This art workshop helps children to delve deep into their hearts to express nature in various themed art activities like drawing, fingerprinting, origami, puppet making. The children will also learn about our natural heritage.
Suitable for children aged 5 to 10 (with parental supervision).

Limited spaces available. Please call 3 days in advance at 65545127 to register for the activity.

Time: 9am - 10am
Venue: Lower Pierce Reservoir Park (big shelter next to fishing ground)
Website and contact: http://www.nparks.gov.sg/

3 Jul (Sat): Talk on "Figs of Singapore"

Figs are a very interesting and unusual group of plants. They produce the distinctive fig fruit and have complex relationships with wasps, which they depend on to pollinate their flowers. Figs have been part of our culture for a long time, having religious, cultural and even medicinal significance. In Chinese, it is they are known as 'flowerless fruit'.
Time: 3-4pm
Venue: Choa Chu Kang Library
Website: http://www.nparks.gov.sg/
Contact: Loh Chay Hwee at Loh_Chay_Hwee@nparks.gov.sg

3 Jul (Sat): Edible and Medicinal Plants Tour at the Botanic Gardens

Join this free tour by our volunteer guides and spice up your knowledge of Edible and Medicinal Plants.

This tour is conducted every first Saturday. Registration is on a first-come-first-served basis at the Visitor Centre, 15 minutes before the tour starts.

More information on the Singapore Botanic Gardens website.

Time: 9am and 10am, register 15 minutes before the tour at Singapore Botanic Gardens Visitor Centre
Website: http://www.sbg.org.sg/
Contact: Visitor Services (6471 7361)

3 Jul (Sat): Our Kitchen Garden Tour at Pasir Ris Park

Excite your senses with our Kitchen Garden Tour. Find out how vegetables are grown before it gets onto your plate! You will also learn about some natural remedies that our grandmothers might have planted in their own backyard.

Suitable for children from K1-P6 levels.

To register, please contact Wei Teng at 64653305 or email chong_wei_teng@nparks.gov.sg

This walk is conducted every first Saturday of the month

Time: 9am - 10am
Venue: Pasir Ris Park, Pasir Ris Green (Carpark C)
Cost: $4 per person
Website: http://www.nparks.gov.sg/
Contact: chong_wei_teng@nparks.gov.sg

3 Jul (Sat): Mangrove walk at Sungei Buloh

Free guided nature walk along the Mangrove boardwalk under shady mangrove trees. Spot mudskippers, crabs and other marine life, learn about our mangroves, enjoy views of the Johor straits.

Also a Marine Fish Tour at 9.30am.

Suitable for young children.

Registration is not required for small walk-in groups. But each walk is limited to 15 persons per guide and is on a first-come -first-served basis. The walks are weather permitting and may merge with other activities at the Reserve. Those coming with large groups are advised to pre-register.

More about the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve on the wildsingapore website and Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve website. This walk is conducted by the volunteer guides of NParks' Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve and is held every Saturday.

Time: 9.30am and 3.30pm for walk in guests, register at the Visitor Centre.
Tour duration: One to one-and-a-half hours. Suitable for young children.
Entry charges: While the walk is free, admission fees to the Reserve apply: $1 per adult, 50cents per child/student/senior citizen.
Website: http://www.sbwr.org.sg/
Contact: info@sbwr.org.sg or call 6794 1401

2 Jul (Fri): Kranji Nature Walk with the Nature Society Singapore

Join this free nature walk at the beautiful Kranji Reservoir Marsh tucked in a remote corner of Singapore. Get away from it all and enjoy the interesting wildlife and the scenic landscape of Kranji Reservoir and the countryside.
This event is part of Singapore International Water Week (SIWW) 2010, an annual global platform for water solutions that brings together policymakers, industry leaders, experts and practitioners together to address challenges, showcase technologies, discover opportunities and celebrate achievements in the water world.

For more information and to register contact Karen Neo L C NEO_Lay_Cheng@pub.gov.sg or call 67313276. She can also arrange chartered buses for group visits.

For more information about the Nature Society Singapore's work on Kranji Marsh, see Happenings at Kranji Marsh

Time: 8.30am.
Website: http://www.siww.com.sg/

1 Jul (Thu): Talk on "NUS Recycling story - Using human biases to encourage green behaviour"

Green Drink's session this month features Marcus Tay who will give a talk entitled "NUS Recycling story - Using human biases to encourage green behaviour".

Many environmentalists believe that the way to get more people to behave in an environmentally-friendly lifestyle is through sharing for more information on the climate crisis.

Marcus Tay will share the NUS recycling experience where they employ the understanding of human tendancies to tackle recycling contamination - the first step of a series of improvements that results in a increase of recycling amount from about 80 tonnes a year previously to about 120 tonnes in just 7 months. He will go on to show how to employ the same strategies to attract viewership in emails to the entire school.

Hope to see you there!

In his talk, Marcus looks at the following:
- Report finds contamination in most recycling bins/ Grace Chua recycling third class article
- What do U think should be done?
- Education? But how to educate?

About Marcus Tay
One of the happiest period of Marcus Tay's life was working at Shanghai Roots and Shoots from 2006 to July 2007 where he was the project coordinator for Eco office Programme( One of the 12 finalists in Volvo Adventure 2008) and the School Organic Garden Project (the garden in Qingpu High school won the "China Youth Toyota Environment-protection Award").

Since joining NUS Office of Environmental Sustianability in 2009, he has also helped drive "Waste Minimization through Recycling " project which won NUS Excellance Day Outstanding IQ Project in 2010.

Getting a good grasp of brown issues through a degree in Environmental Engineering and getting an exposure to green issues through volunteering with Raffles Museum of Biodiversity, Marcus Tay feels that he has learnt enough of the problems and is now keenly looking for solutions in the fields of applied pyschology/behavourial economics.

Time: 8-10pm
Venue: to be confirmed
Website: Green Drinks Facebook Group
Contact: olivia@greendrinks.org

1 Jul (Thu): Preview screeing of 'Oceans' by DisneyNature

Nearly three-quarters of the earth's surface is covered by oceans. French co-directors Jacques Perrin and Jacques Cluzaud have set out to capture the full expanse of these waters that have played such a crucial and constant role in the history and sustenance of man. The deep and abundant oceans are places of great mysteries and dangers that this film will dare to explore.

Featuring never-before-seen imagery captured by the latest underwater technologies, OCEANS offers and unprecedented look beneath the sea in a powerful yet enchanting motion picture. 'Oceans' screens on Golden Village theatres from 8 Jul.

Discover the wonders beneath the seas in a special preview of Oceans.

Join Director of Underwater Photography - David Reichert in an exclusive dialogue session after the movie and find out more on the making of this spectacular documentary.

David Reichert is an experienced nature cinematographer, having contributed to various documentary series for Discovery and BBC, including the Emmy winning series The Blue Planet.

For 'Oceans', David was responsible for some of the most spectacular, never-before-filmed sequences involving blue whales, jelly fish, dolphins, hammerhead sharks, leopard seals and walruses to name but a few.

As a certified Dive Master, David has experienced and filmed in a myriad of underwater conditions: tropical, temperate, open-ocean, cave and ice. He is also writing, producing and directing a documentary feature which follows an extreme skier and a mountaineer, and their extraordinary attraction to the mountains.

Movie website: http://www.oceans-lefilm.com/ (French) and http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/disney/oceans/

Time: 7pm (Movie Screening), 8.40pm (Dialogue session)
Venue: Cinema Europa, GV VivoCity
Cost: $10 per ticket
Website: http://www.gv.com.sg/moviedetails/gv_moviedetails_0435.jsp