30 Jan-5 Feb: Highlights of the week ahead

For kids and the family

• HeART for Nature FREE workshop for kids

Special event
4 Feb (Sat): Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve Celebrates World Wetlands Day 2012 with talks, food tasting using products from the mangroves and displays of fishes and mangrove creatures.


Volunteer opportunity

• Horseshoe crab Rescue and Research with the Nature Society (Singapore)

Walks in wild places

• Mangrove walk at Sungei Buloh on Saturday and Sunday.
• Up Close and Personal @ Peirce
• Edible and Medicinal Plants tour at the Botanic Gardens

Talks this week

• 4 Feb (Sat): At Sungei Buloh's celebration of World Wetlands Day
  9.30am : "The Mangrove Forest" by Ria Tan
  10.45am: "Migratory Birds & Wetlands" by Wang Luan Keng, RMBR
• 4 Feb (Sat): "Presents from Plants"
• 5 Feb (Sun): "Appreciation of Microworld"

Announcements: Kids! Send in your artwork of trees and nature and win an Apple iPad 2 in the NParks Trees for Life Art Competition 2012! more details

5 Feb (Sun): Horseshoe Crab Rescue & Research

Open to the public

Join us for this monthly mission to rescue and study the Mangrove Horseshoe Crab (HSC). We have also started an ongoing HSC Training & Accreditation Programme for anyone keen to be a qualified HSC R&Rer. We recommend that you bring a cap, shoes/booties, sun block, repellent, cutter (for HSC rescue) and camera. Washing facilities available.

Pre-registeration required, by clicking on the 'ATTEND' button.

Time: 2pm, meet at the extension of Kranji Road at the junction with Kranji Loop. Take bus 925 from Kranji MRT station and alight at the Chinese temple along Kranji Loop, cross the road and look for the nameless track that starts beside Leong Soon Pte Ltd (251 Kranji Road).
Website: http://www.nss.org.sg/
Contact: email contact@nss.org.sg or call 6741 2036.

5 Feb (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

5 Feb (Sun): Talk on "Appreciation of Microworld"

Held in conjunction with the "Portraits of Nature" exhibition are a series of interesting and enriching talks/workshops on nature appreciation and nature photography by Meng Foo.

The talk is free but pre-registration required. Register by 3 Feb, call 6332 1200 / 6332 1302 / 6332 5795. Limited to 30 participants

Meng Foo has been photographing since he was fifteen years old. At sixteen, he won the Best Print (Student Section) for Asian Photographic Salon competition and his works were exhibited in the Singapore National Museum and the National University of Singapore. Most recently his works were featured in Asian Geographic, Silverlining, Wave and One magazine. He has been giving seminars and workshops on photography and digital photoshop technique. He has keen interest in shooting theatrical performances, cityscape and Arthropods. Some of his works have been collected in Singapore and abroad. He was trained as an architect and urban designer, travelled extensively in Southeast Asia. He also loves to write, paint, design and think. He put his thoughts of 30 years on photography in the book: 100 ways to Photography. He continues to explore the world through photography, sketching, paintings, thinking and writing.

Time: 10-11am
Venue: The Foothills Fort Canning Park, Galeri Utama (opposite Liang Court, entrance via River Valley Road)
(Formerly the old swimming pool complex)
Website: http://www.nparks.gov.sg/

4 Feb (Sat): Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve Celebrates World Wetlands Day 2012

The World Wetlands Day theme for 2012 is Wetlands and Tourism. Wetland tourism has benefits for people and wildlife in areas such as stronger economies, healthy people, quality of life and thriving ecosystems.

It is worth noting that tourism is only one of the services that wetlands deliver. Ensuring well-managed tourism practices in and around wetlands and educating visitors on the value of wetlands contributes to the health of the world's wetlands and the long-term benefits that wetlands provide to people, wildlife, economics, and biodiversity.

Join us at SBWR for a day of discovery about the rich fauna and flora of Singapore’s only protect wetland reserve.

Talks!

9.30am : Talk on "The Mangrove Forest" by Ria Tan
10.45am: Talk on "Migratory Birds & Wetlands" by Wang Luan Keng, RMBR

There will also be food tasting using products from the Mangrove Forest and fish species displays in the morning, and all day, a display of mangrove forest inhabitants.

Entry charges: While the activities are 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

4 Feb (Sat): Talk on "Presents from Plants"

Plants are important to people. They give us many things like shade, materials, food and scents. With these presents from plants, our lives become more pleasant. For example, wood from trees can be made into beautiful furniture for our homes. Join us for this programme where you can discover how plants are useful to us. You can also make participate in a hands-on activity by using plants to create your own masterpiece!

Jiahui is a manager from the National Parks Board. She enjoys gardening and is passionate about spreading her love for green and nature to the public, to let them appreciate the wonderful world of plants.

For kids 5-12.

This talk is free of charge and registration is not required.

Time: 2-3pm
Venue: Bishan Public Library
Website and contact: http://www.nparks.gov.sg/

4 Feb (Sat): HeART for Nature - FREE workshop for kids

This FREE 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 8 years (with parental supervision).

Limited spaces available. Register online or email vanessa_chang@nparks.gov.sg

Time: 9.30am - 10.30am. The workshop will be cancelled in the event of bad weather.
Venue: Lower Peirce Reservoir Park (big shelter next to fishing ground)
Website and contact: http://www.nparks.gov.sg/

4 Feb (Sat): Up Close and Personal @ Peirce

Free guided nature walk along the boardwalks through cool, shady forests and by the Lower Peirce Reservoir. Learn about our forests, spot forest and aquatic wildlife, enjoy panaromic views of waters surrounded by luxuriant forest.

Suitable for young children.

More about the Lower Peirce Trail on the wildsingapore website and NParks website.

This walk is conducted by the volunteer guides of NParks Central Nature Reserve and is held every first Saturday of the month.

Sign up on this online form. Walks will be cancelled in the event of bad weather.

Time: 9.25am. Meet at Casuarina Entrance of the trail along Old Upper Thomson Road, which is a 2-minute walk from Casuarina Road. Location map
Tour duration: One-and-a-half hours. Suitable for young children
Website: http://www.nparks.gov.sg/

4 Feb (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.

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)

4 Feb (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.

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 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