What's on this week for nature activities in Singapore

WHAT'S ON THIS WEEK?!
Nature activities and events happening this week

1-7 Oct 07

4 Oct (Thu): Film screeing "Expedition Linne"
The Linnaeus Expedition: An adventure on Seven Continents

Come join us in celebrating Linnaeus 300! This year marks the 300th birth anniversary of the remarkable Swedish biologist, Carolus Linnaeus, the Father of Plant and Animal Classification. Come join us in all the events and activities, at the Botany Centre, Singapore Botanic Gardens. All are welcome!

More details on the National Biodiversity Reference Centre website

Time: 6pm
Venue: Function Hall (Level 1, Botany Centre) Singapore Botanic Gardens

5-7 Oct (Fri-Sun): "Animals Matter to Me"
in celebration of World Animal Day with Acres

To mark World Animal Day, Acres will be celebrating Singaporeans’ support for animal protection efforts by holding a 3-day animal-themed festival. There will be a photographic exhibition, music, dance, children's activities and a large array of educational exhibits on animal protection issues, along with the opportunity for everyone to find out how they can help make the world a better place for the animals we share it with here.

More importantly, we aim to collect 10 000 signatures for the global “Animals Matter to Me” campaign in support of a Universal Declaration on Animal Welfare to be endorsed by governments of the world. This is a call to everyone, worldwide, to recognise all animals as sentient beings, that they can feel pain and can suffer and that we have a responsibility to put an end to cruelty around the world. Please drop by and show your support, and show the world that animals matter to you!

Time: 10am-10pm
Venue: The Atrium @ Orchard (Beside Plaza Singapura)
Website: http://www.acres.org.sg/

6 Oct (Sat): Feet To Walk at Jurong Park Connector

Feet To Walk, a new programme of morning brisk walking at parks, parks connectors and nature reserve. Learn to briskwalk the right way! Highlights include Scenic Lake View and Chinese Garden.

Time: 8am-10.30am
Start point: Jurong Park Connector, Jurong Lake (Entrance along Boon Lay Way)
End point: Jurong Park Connector
Website: http://www.hpb.gov.sg/feet_to_walk/

6 Oct (Sat): National Library Garden Walk

The Garden Walks tour introduces the surprisingly large number of plant species within the National Library gardens. Volunteer guides share the economic and therapeutic values of plants. Tours in English (Mandarin upon request). No registration is required.

Please take your place in person at the National Library Main Lobby Information Counter at Level 1, half an hour before the tour begins. However, places are allocated on a first come, first served basis with a maximum of 20 persons per tour.

Here's more about the walk on the discovery blog.

Time: 4-5.30 pm
Venue: Lee Kong Chian Reference Library
Website: http://www.nlb.gov.sg/

6 Oct (Sat): Green Vibes

Don't Just Eat Your Vegetable! Learn More About Them @ Green Vibes - An Educational Tour in a Vegetable Garden. An oasis of greenery with more than 100 species of vegetables and herbs awaits you. Located right in the heartlands, Green Vibes offer visitors a chance to experience its bounty and wealth of agricultural crops up close. There is truly something for everyone in the family.

More details on the NParks website

Time: 9-10am
Venue: Bishan Park (next to Bishan Road)
Website: http://www.nparks.gov.sg/
Contact: Register with Gin Chua at 64597744 or chua_tiong_ghim@nparks.gov.sg

6 Oct (Sat): Plant Walk @ Hindhede Nature Park

Do you know that we have a Brazil Nut Tree in the park? Do you also know that the wood of Jelutong is used to make pencils? Let our volunteers share with you stories about our green allies in Hindhede Nature Park.

This activty is conducted by the Building and Environment Green Volunteers from Ngee Ann Polytechnic?s School of Engineering and the Central Nature Reserve volunteers.

Time: First walk: 10.00am Second walk: 10.30am Meet us 5 minutes earlier in front of the information counter at Bukit Timah Nature Reserve Visitor Centre.
Website: http://www.nparks.gov.sg/
Contact: Genevie Chua at 6554 5127 or mailto:Genevie_Chua@nparks.gov.sg

6 Oct (Sat): Lower Peirce Boardwalk
free Nature Appreciation Walk

The 900m boardwalks take you through the forest then along the edge of the Reservoir. So you will encounter a wide range of wildlife from forest to aquatic creatures. And enjoy wonderful panaromas of waters surrounding by luxuriant forest. Shaded by the forest, the walk is pleasantly cool and suitable for young children. more

Time: 9.25am or 10.25am. Meet at Casuarina Entrance of the trail along Old Upper Thomson Road, which is a 2 minutes walk from Casuarina Road.
Tour duration: about one and a half hours. Suitable for young children
To join the guided tour, you will need to pre-book.
Website: http://www.nparks.gov.sg/
Contact: vanessa_chang@nparks.gov.sg or call :6554 5127.

6 Oct (Sat): Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve free guided walk

You'll see the fabulous plants and animals of the mangroves and freshwater wetlands. Besides the abundant bird life, there is also other fascinating wildlife in the Reserve. more

Time: 9.30 am and 3.30pm for walk in guests, register at the Visitor Centre. Those coming with large groups are advised to pre-register.
Tour duration: one to one and a half hours. Easy trails, some suitable for young children.
Entry charges: $1 per adult, 50cents per child/student/senior citizen.
Website: http://www.sbwr.org.sg/
Contact: sbwr@pacific.net.sg or call 6794 1401

6 Oct (Sat): Free Evolution Garden Tour, Singapore Botanic Gardens

Journey through time with our volunteer guides in this one-hour tour. Bizarre plants, bubbling pools of hot lava and lots of other things you wouldn't expect to see in a botanic garden!

Time: 9am, register at Visitor Centre Time. Register 15 minutes before the tour. Registration is on a first-come-first-served basis.
Website: http://www.sbg.org.sg/
Contact : Visitor Services (6471 7361)

7 Oct (Sun): Chek Jawa Boardwalk Tour with the Naked Hermit Crabs

All of us can now visit Chek Jawa any tide thanks to the launch of the Chek Jawa Boardwalk on 7 July 2007! The Naked Hermit Crabs have designed a special tour on the boardwalk to introduce everyone to Chek Jawa! Enjoy the great view and find out more about Chek Jawa. Join us to check out rare coastal plants, cute fiddler crabs, aggressive mudskippers, sturdy mangrove trees, interesting bugs and more!

Chek Jawa is on Pulau Ubin. To get to Pulau Ubin, take a 10-min boat ride from Changi Point Ferry Terminal (at Changi Village). From Ubin Jetty, you can take a van to Chek Jawa. You can also rent a bicycle at one of the shops near Ubin Jetty, to cycle to Chek Jawa.

Who are the Naked Hermit Crabs? Why are they naked? How do we sign up? How to get there? What do we prepare? All naked details on the Naked Hermit Crabs blog

Time: Starts 2.30pm
Meeting point: Chek Jawa Information Kiosk
Duration: 2hours.
Cost: $4 per person (does not include transport charges to Ubin and Chek Jawa)
Contact: nakedhermitcrabs@gmail.com

7 Oct (Sun): Feet To Walk at Tampines Park Connector

Feet To Walk, a new programme of morning brisk walking at parks, parks connectors and nature reserve. Learn to briskwalk the right way! Highlights include Fishing Pond and Mangrove Vegetation.

Time: 8am-10.30am
Start point: Sun Plaza Park (Amphitheatre)
End point: Pasir Ris Park
Website: http://www.hpb.gov.sg/feet_to_walk/

7 Oct (Sun): SPCA's Paws at the Beach in celebration of World Animal Day

Besides an exhibition on animal care and ownership, there’ll be games, fringe activities, pet care advice corner and many more.

NParks' exhibit will feature the animals of our nature reserves. Learn how to protect our natural heritage and about their regular free guided walks at Bukit Timah Nature Reserve and Central Catchment Nature Reserve.

Time: 10.30am - 6pm
Venue: East Coast Park, Area C3 near Marine Cove
Website: http://www.spca.org.sg/news_events/news.asp#a

7 Oct (Sun): Birdwatching and Farm Tour at Sungei Tengah with Alan OwYong
for NSS members only

This is our first outing to this neck of the woods. A walk around the hillock to look for migrant Flycatchers and Warblers as well as the resident Cuckoos and Hawk-eagles. When it gets too hot, we get back to our cars and drive along the main Sg.Tengah Road skirting Sg. Peng Siang stopping at a few promising sites to check out the birdlife. We will drive around and bird along Lorong Semangka stopping to admire the scenic view of Kranji Reservoir. In between we will visit a Vegetable Farm for some fresh greens and an Orchid Nursery at Jln Lekar before returning to Farmart for lunch at a rustic Zi Char stall and shop for some interesting farm produce. Please car pool.

Time: We meet at the Farmart Center at Sungei Tengah Road (KJE Exit 5) at 7.30am.
Website: http://www.nss.org.sg/
Contact: To join the NSS, email contact@nss.org.sg or call 6741 2036.

7 Oct (Sun): Bukit Timah Nature Reserve
free Nature Appreciation Walk

The walk takes you along South View trail, a short, slightly undulating natural path, for a quick introduction to the rainforest. You will learn more about the amazing plant life in a rainforest and how everything fits remarkably together. Suitable for children aged 9 and above. more

Time: 3.55pm. Meet at the Bukit Timah Nature Reserve Visitor Centre, gather at the ranger counter.
Tour duration: About one hour. Not accessible to prams and wheelchairs.
To join the guided tour, you will need to pre-book with NParks.
Website: http://www.nparks.gov.sg/
Contact: vanessa_chang@nparks.gov.sg or Tel:6554 5127