Toddycats at IYOR 2008 Toddycats joined the marine community for the launch on National Day eve of the International Year of the Reef Singapore 2008 and a day of exhibition and talks on National Day itself. Inspired the wide array of activities that we have collectively presented to fellow Singaporeans under the umbrella of the IYOR blog, “Singapore celebrated our reefs“, I decided to offer an overview of the marine conservation community’s activity, all in 15 minutes! I thought about the presentation (and endless variations) for a week but not put it together since I had been juggling teaching preparations, TA recruitment, ICCS preparations, etc. And when I sat down to do it on Friday morning, it was already time to dash down to the museum to help the Ying Fong and Yan Mei haul the specimens over to the Botanic Gardens. Always lovely to catch up with old friends - the bonus at such events! We arrived to boisterous greetings and all those familiar faces that I usually mainly see on the shore. The announced news (almost with glee) that Tommy Koh had been called away, partly to contain their disappointment even if it was half-expected. Making the best of things, Ria proclaimed enthusiastically that I needn’t stick to my 15 minute timing anymore. I decided I’d bettter take a different tack with the presentation and I hightailed it to Holland Village’s Starbucks (a short bus ride away) where I hammered a draft out in 50 minutes in relative peace. When I returned, the Toddycats booth was looking good and LOTS of people were milling around and all dressed up. There was hustle and bustle in the air and Ria hollered (somewhat accusingly) “he’s back, we can start now!” Our booth with its slightly battered posters after years of use,was set up in a spontaneous fit as usual. I still needed time so quickly pulled myself away from everyone and hunkered down into a seat to keep working on the presentation. Iw as also listening to Francis Lee (Raffles Marina) who opened the session, and decided to respond to his suggestion about three points a la Tommy Koh’s. Francis’s points were thankfully groups of points since we had all that extra time and I encouraged him under my breath while I raced to finish the slides. I edited, inserted images, changed templates, tweaking content to better fit this audience and finally put in the transitions. Wilson (Eco-Singapore) was next to me chuckling at my urgency. Yakety-yak by Otterman. When it was time for me to step up, I immediately headed south with the Labrador dolphin carcass opening and soon after got a little too enthusiastic about an irreverent point, Mike the Headless Chicken. It was my students peering back at me that provided the urge to explain about his brainstem still being attached and all. But luckily I managed to haul myself out the hole I had dug for myself and largely stayed relevant for the rest of the talk. Prof Chou then made an excellent presentation that further contributed to the mood, it was reminiscent but also hopeful and the room was encouraged which was very important. Happily the exhibition crew were able to listen to all this because the booth had been setup in the same room - a very good design! Prof Chou gave a great talk, complete with references back to Sang Nila Utama! Exhibits in the same hall, so Toddycats got to listen to the talks Some of the Toddycats were shanghai-ed to parade the sea star posters to the audience and grinned at me as they lined up to spring into action - they did their best to hide behind the boards too! Toddycats roped in for Sea Stars duty! Later, I met several old friends including one who is on the 2003 Toddycats recruitment poster. Wei Ling finally got to see the video Eric, Ria and I made for the Chek Jawa submission in 2001 which featured her talking on the sand flats. This clip is usually shown in a learning environment to people who aren’t familiar with the site or circumstances so this time it was much more fun as Wei Ling and her friends made lots more informed comments! When I finally got out of the room, it was dark and the food was gone. But there was one more meeting - Envirofest 2009 with Boon Wah! She, Ria, Karen (NParks CNR), Debby and I plotted and we agreed to set aside 5th and 6th of June next year. Expect to hear more about this with time. Kids learnt When I turned up the next morning, I was amazed at the crowd that had already gathered! It was a great two days that reached out to approximately 500 people. The IYOR organising team did a great job and thee community responded very well! Certainly a nice event for National Day! 10.30am - Boy, did people come! Toddycats explained (three shifts over two days):Yin Fong, Yanmei, Dongrong, Marcus, Enoka,Janice, Eleanor, Nicholas and Anand. The photos of Toddycats in action in this post are mainly by Debby (Hantu Bloggers) and also from Marcus and Chee Kong. These links below point to lots of albums and account of the whole exercise.: “Wild Day at Reef Celebrations,” by Ria Tan. WildFilms, 09 Aug 2008. “A wild day at the IYOR launch,” by Ria Tan. WildFilms, 08 Aug 2008. Photos albums on Flickr: Debby Ng Budak Otterman juanicths Chee Kong Pedal Ubin 06 September 2008 Take a journey on bicycle with the Jungle Fowls, a bunch of friendly and passionate volunteer guides from NUS’ Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, who want to share the joys of discovering nature and heritage in Pulau Ubin. Come join us on Saturday, 6th September 2008, 8.30am outside Pulau Ubin Volunteer Hub!   For more information and registration details visit http://pedalubin.rafflesmuseum.net/ Marcus Tay in Aug 2008 issue of Knowledge Enterprise Recent NUS graduate Marcus Tay is featured in August 2008 issue of Knowledge Enterprise for winning the Gaia Life Challenge contest - thanks to Kenneth Pinto for the tip. Sat 09 Aug 2008 - Reef Celebrations! Reef Celebrations!Launch of International Year of the Reef in Singapore Saturday 9th August 2008Time: 10am-5pmFunction Hall, Botany Centre,Singapore Botanic Gardens See the IYOR webpage for a full list of activities exhibitions and talks. “Enjoying Pulau Ubin on a bicycle” Kaixin (Pedal Ubin Project Manager) and I met for lunch to push out a quick document about cycling in Pulau Ubin. It’s a bare bones document right now but there is enough to answer the “where to go?” and “how long will it take?” queries we usually get. We hope. It has an easy URL too: snipurl.com/rideubin This weekend Toddycats are going to be active this Saturday: Lim Chu Kang mangrove cleanup - link Heritage Fest: Pasir Panjang Heritage Trail - link Reel Revolution - link International Coastal Cleanup Singapore workshop The ICCS team conducted the workshop two Saturdays ago and it was great to see some familiar faces as well as some new ones amongst the crowd. We went over the issue behind the data collection as well as the challenges to the marine environment and some lovely examples of marine life that we still have in Singapore. Armed with powerpoints and the results of the discussion and consultation with Zone Captains, the organisers are better prepared to communicate the objectives with volunteers in their organisations, companies and schools. The Toddycats had an immediate debrief and there were many suggestions for improvement (including a venue that would better allow the break out into small group discussions). It’s all been minuted and scheduled to reappear n our mailing list in 9 months time. I was very pleased with this effort and enjoyed watching the very experienced Zone and SIte Captains discuss operational methods with the organisers; we have to make that consultation session a longer one next year! Congrats to the team led by Marcus and Dongrong! We kept the lectures short to break out into activities and discussions Anand copying resources into various thumbdrives and memory cards- we managed to avoid burning a single CD! Reel Revolution, Sat 19th July 2008: 7.30pm - 10.30pm I will be speaking at “The Learning Talks” which are part of “Reel Revolution: Our Environment,” a youth film mentorship programme. In order to youth to grapple with issues, they have introduced a sweep of speakers to inform, engage and network with the youth. See revolution.youth.sg: Alison Wee - hair today, gone tomorrow Alison Wee (ICC Penang), is going to lose her two-year length of hair! We were walking out from NUS this afternoon after the 1st ICC Singapore Workshop for Organisers when she startled me with this revelation - “my head is going to look like yours!” ICCS Data Manager Anand then chipped with some notes because his mum had done the same thing a year or two ago. So why are a bunch of ladies lopping off their head of hair for? It’s Hair for Hope - a resonant gesture in an effort to raise funds for the Singapore Children Cancer Foundation and “to let cancer patients know they are DEFINITELY not alone.” We discussed how she thought she would feel when she goes under the blade. Dinesh (ICCS Zone Captain for Pulau Ubin), Anand and myself (note all guys) said, “it’s just hair, it’ll grow back!” We were trying to be reassuring of course. But yeah, right! If you wish to make a donation in support of Toddycat & HFH Shavee-to-be, Alison Wee or post an encouraging message, click here . She and the rest of the shavees will be at Velocity@Novena Square (main floor atrium) tomorrow, Sunday 6th July 2008. Why do we hit the beach in September? Why do we bother with the International Coastal Cleanup Singapore? Aside from the mangroves, most of our beaches are recreational and well cleaned even as the sun rises. So why bother? We want to know what organisers think, find out how much they know, learn from each other, tackle misinformation and provide them with resources they can use in that all important briefing which should convey both objectives and motivation. People will go to the beach anyway with or without any of this information. But we want to make sure that ICCS Organisers and thus their participants have a better idea than most. Thanks to Marcus, Dongrog and the other ICCS Otters, we will be conducting our first workshop for organisers tomorrow! Pasir Panjang Guides get into action for Heritage Fest Heritage Fest is almost upon us and the Pasir Panjang team carries the baton for this annual contribution to the festival. In this version of the trail, the guides meet the public at Raffles Museum and walk to Bukit Chandu. The museum meeting point allows late comers to play catch up. As always, all the information is on the webpage at heritagefest.rafflesmuseum.net. I used Rapidweaver 3.5 to setup the Heritage Fest webpage quickly. I just needed to adapt the text from the old webpage, which was relatively easy. The experience was smooth enough to have me thinking of Rapidweaver 4.0 once I shift to OS X Leopard. Also I shall buy some new templates for other projects as it has been fuss free. Since the Pasir Panjang Guides, like most other Toddycats programmes can only cope with a small number of people at anyone time (some 60-80), we can conduct the same trail with minor variations each year. We see fresh faces each time so this is a sustainable formula; we also don’t overtax ourselves by limiting our walks to just three times a year. This formula means registration and publicity can run its usual course after just a couple of phone calls between friends. That keeps everyone updated and in contact. It also renews the motivation - all provided I remember to get things going in the first place! But since this is nothing a well-timed calendar reminder can’t accomplish, it is a relatively safe situation! Then of course, it is the guide’s natural interest and commitment to these dates we agree on at the beginning of the year that sees it through. Since this small company has suffered attrition from the flu in the past, we have decided to step up recruitment. So join us if you’re interested and observe us this time. New guides get pretty good tuition before they guide as history content is somehow less straightforward than the flora, fauna and geography components. Envirofest’08 - reflections The “See Dugong” team had a great outing and a fruitful session, surviving the heat and talking to the crowds non-stop but we were supported and revived by the company of our peers in the many booths at Envirofest’08 and the ice cream! And it was all thanks to Wen Hua and her team from Kolam Ayer Youth Executive Committee! For a list of blog posts and photos from Envirofest’08, see Habitatnews. Now for some observations off the top of my head: Everything we displayed and talked about was news to the heartlanders, so it was very exciting to be able to share our stories. Hmm..wait a minute! Don’t we get the same reaction from undergraduates when we exhibit in NUS? The “See Dugong!” mascot is a head turner - as I carried it from the carpark to the booth, heads turned in our direction and mouths were agape. We should do this as one-man mobile teams in the heartlands. But we’d probably be mistaken for snakeoil salesmen and end up creating a demand, uh-oh! Several old men come up to ask if the snake in the bottles are tonics for sale. Sorry, ah uncle, they are in poisoned industrial alcohol and we hope to keep them for centuries - in a museum! At least no one tried to pick up any of the Toddycats. Can’t say the same of ahem, some other volunteer at another booth! Louis of ACRES reminded me not to dismiss market vendors - he has seen captive animals even in the past year, including snakes, in the ‘performances’. Take a closer look, he urged. And call the authorities. The guy in Toa Payoh was harmless though (yes he was scrutinised). I missed the videos that we all contributed to Vegetarian Society who had the giant television at Tampines in 2005 and Envirofest’06. Hey where were they this year? An LCD screen might have been helpful in pointing out webpage resources like organisation sites and event listings - Debby of Hantu Bloggers did pick up a wireless signal on her MacBook and used it to show her website. We could screen some of the videos we participated in to highlight Singapore’s nature and green issues. We did that successfully in Museum Fest 2002. It would also give the guides a respite from talking non-stop. I miss the activities we created for Envirofest’06 - again also respite from talking non-stop. The audience loves to be challenged so we must revive that. Got to find that white board though, its gone MIA! Our posters were felled by the wind multiple times and their corners were well beaten up. Adds to a rustic look and muses the public, but its nice not to have to pick them up yet again! It was really, really hot that weekend, thanks goodness for water Hamsa bought and the nearby supply of ice-cream! I think we were lucky, though; the other wing was warmer and experienced little wind! The Sunday 1pm - 5pm shift was the quietest time of the two days according to Hamsa, the See Dugongs Project Manager who ran shop the entire stretch. Luckily we had three shifts with enough people per session - even then voices were frayed after some time. And it was nice to see the fresh voices belt it out at the beginning of their shifts! Never ever believe we’ll keep specimens overnight at any location - we always chicken out. Sure enough we packed up and brought all the specimens back to the museum for safekeeping for the night. Its amazing how much we can stuff into a single car or taxi, A-frames and all. And nice taxi drivers make it all pleasant! Our A-frames fell apart even as we brought them back to the museum! Maybe the mechanical engineer Toddycats can try fixing them up for the umpteemth time. But seriously folks, we need something sturdier! The ice cream man next to our booth dealt us much larger ice-cream bricks than his miserly competitor - we discovered as much on Sunday evening, hmph! Thankfully most of our business had been given to the generous ice-cream man. Besides ice-cream for Toddyats, I finally bought the vertebrate book from NSS and a t-shirt from Cat Welfare Society. The rest of my cash went to a donation appeal by some persistent, humourless kid. My cycling gear was quite the hit when I returned on Saturday afternoon. This crowd is certainly very appreciative of the green transport mode I had adopted that sunny day. It was very encouraging! What did I do while Toddycats toiled? Why catch up and plot of course! Exhibitions of this nature have always been the best time to network and plan, and Envirofest itself was the main topic of discussions that I had with various other groups. Unable to cope with numerous festivals and exhibition requests, I would like at least one major predictable festival that the community can plan, prepare for and collaborate on. And collectively offer activities to the public in the weeks after Envirofest. Everyone I talked to was game, so Wenhua, call for a post-Envirofest debrief! I received comfirmation from Waterways Watch Society about lowered water levels in Kallang for the coastal cleanup; so its on! Sure beats email. Stella (manpower) scheduled my interviews with new volunteers at Envirofest’08. I suggested to NParks they arrange for poster-pickup during Envirofest as well. We’re there for two days, may as well schedule in meetings. I was encouraged by the passion, patience and dedication the Toddycats displayed as they informed and educated the public at Envirofest’08; well done y’all! The enthusiastic crew at Envirofest: Saturday, 11-2pm: Xiuli, Kenneth, Yin Fong, Mangai, Marcus, Dewi, Dongrong & Hamsa. Saturday, 2-5pm: Xiuli, Cedric, Yin Fong, Anand, Hamsa. Saturday, 5-8pm: Janice, Oiyee, Andy Dinesh, Hamsa. Sunday, 11-2pm: Kenneth, Ya Wen, Alan, Hamsa. Sunday, 2-5pm: Xiuli, Ya Wen, Ying Fong, Alan, Kaixin, Chee Kong, Hamsa. Sunday, 5-8pm: Anand, Xiuli, Yin Fong, Joelle, Hamsa. Lim Chu Kang cleanup, 19th July 2008 Lim Chu Kang mangroves is a special tiny mangrove patch west of Sungei Buloh. It does not enjoy any protection but is a unique and special place to me. This is one of the first mangrove sites I wandered in, alone at night in the late 80’s.I can tell you there are no ghosts! Lim Chu Kang has a heavy trash load that is never completely cleared during the annual ICCS. See the gallery of a recent recce I did with my honours student. I am interested in conducting a cleanup once or twice a year. We are going there on 19th July 2008: 8am-11am. It will be a short but intensive session focusing on the beach area fronting the mangroves. The muddy area has to be sensitively tackled so we will do less of that this time - there will be repeat visits. We will not be using the ICCS Data Card but as is standard in all round-year cleanups, we will measure the weight and number of some prominent items. If you can join me, sign up here. Toddycats Booth @ Envirofest’08 Anand thought he’d better emphasise that Envirofest this year is “at the amphitheatre in front of Toa Payoh Library, NOT the Toa Payoh Hub area next to the interchange/MRT where it was last time… Toddycats @ Envirofest - preparations The exhibitions team is now the youngest group amongst the Toddycats as it is currently in a recruitment phase. The revived grouping was setup by Hamsa in 2007 and first got into action last October during the NUS Green Carnival. I called the new team’s facebook group the “See Dugongs” in playful reference to the ever popular but tragic juvenile dugong (or sea cow) specimen that we bring to every fair. The specimen attracts immediate gawks by passerbys and has become a trademark exhibit eversince it was first brought out for Museum Fest in 2002. The sea cow provides a natural conversation opener about current populations of dugongs, the importance of sea grass (their food) and the whereabouts of marine life and ecosystems in Singapore so it is a very important specimen! Once an exhibition is arranged, the exhibitions team invites Toddycats from other projects and friends to come down and help out. The old hands will slip into story-telling immediately and the newbies receive training on the spot, slowing building up their content! It is an appreciative audience for the awareness that these animals even exist in Singapore is in itself a revelation to many visitors to the booth. The conversation that follows has the visitor getting to know about the animals a little better, hear about anecdotes and get introduced to conservation issues. The best part about EnviroFest? Many of the other nature, environment and animal welfare groups will be there so we can just point to their booths when we raise issues! This includes Nature Society (Singapore), Naked Hermit Crabs, Hantu Bloggers, Nature Trekker Singapore, Waterways Watch Society, Animal Concerns Research & Education Society, Cat Welfare Society, Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Singapore Polytechnic Environment Club, National Junior College Greenlink and Hwa Chong Institution. Click to read the WildSingapore advert Hamsa has applied for these specimens for this exhibition: Malayan Pangolin Baby dugong Common fruit bat House shrew Black spitting cobra Paradise Tree snake Dog-face water snake Water monitor lizard Bamboo shark Stone fish Tree-climbing crab Horseshoe crab Tarantula Pitcher plant For the recruitment this time we used Google Docs Spreadsheets’ new forms feature to sign up volunteers and it proved to be very helpful. I just published a duplicate sheet of the roster minus emails and handphone numbers at snipurl.com/toddycats-28jun2008 (click to view) See you at Toa Payoh! Champion Blood Donor Kok Oi Yee “She has given blood 70 times,” by Hedy Khoo. The New Paper, 22 Jun 2008. Lab officer, 66, oneof 108 donors given gold award. “THE number of times she has donated blood surpasses her age. Sprightly part-time lab officer Kok Oi Yee, 66, has made 70 blood donations so far. In recognition of her contribution, she was given a gold award on the Singapore Red Cross Blood Donor Recruitment Programme Honour Roll for champion blood donors. She received her award on 14 Jun during the Champion Blood Donor Recognition Ceremony held to commemorate World Blood Donor Day. WOMEN DONORS Ms Kok is among 10 women donors out of 108 gold award winners. She said her former boss encouraged her to donate blood in 1965. ‘A group of my colleagues agreed and we all went together to donate blood for the first time,’ she said. She hasn’t looked back since. She tries to donate blood four times a year. ‘To me, it is a simple procedure. This is a simple act that can impact and save the lives of others,’ she said. ‘I wasn’t squeamish, because I am a tomboy by nature. But I understand there are people who cannot take the sight of blood. ‘The sight of the needle can also be daunting. But I just focus on the fact that someone needs my blood.’ She recalled with a smile how some of her old friends, who were NSmen, were frightened by the idea of donating blood. FEAR FACTOR ‘They told me they didn’t mind getting leeches stuck to them in the jungle and swamps, but the thought of the needle struck more fear in them,’ she said with a chuckle. Ms Kok, who is single, said a lot of people have misconceptions about blood donation. ‘It is hard to change their minds, but I do encourage my friends to at least come and take a look at the process,’ she said. ‘Many are not aware how their blood can help to save lives.’ According to Miss Amanda Soh, 22, spokesman for the Singapore Red Cross Society, it is harder for women to meet the blood donor criteria because they tend to have lower levels of iron than men. Ms Kok has a diet rich in iron like spinach. To keep fit, she also does taiji three times a week and walks briskly for about 11km once a week. Only regular blood donors are allowed to continue to donate blood past 60, subject to the assessment of the doctor, said Miss Soh. While some of Ms Kok’s friends who used to be regular blood donors had to stop because of health conditions such as diabetes or high blood pressure, she is still going strong. Her latest donation was in March this year. Said Ms Kok: ‘I feel thankful that I am still able to do my little part for the community. ‘The satisfaction I derive from knowing I can help in some way is much more than any amount of blood I have donated.’ November in Green “Urbanites” feature in The Straits Times November was featured in a slightly inaccurate article in The Straits Times today. She has already blogged her corrections from Cameron Highlands, Malaysia! I reproduce it below with the correction about Toddycats numbers since we better not have people think we are such a large group. We struggle to do what we can as it is! Ms November Tan, 26, winner of the Bayer Young Environmentalist Award and HSBC National Youth Achievement Award Ms November Tan began her love affair with nature when she was a child. She went for hikes with her parents and learnt about the environment she lives in. Now 26, she is a nature guide on Pulau Ubin, taking groups around the island and teaching them about environmental conservation. She also trains new guides, and authors a blog about the island and its history. The environmental warrior in her also initiated Toddycats Engage, a group of over 100 volunteers [there are 35 Toddycats right now] from the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, which provides feedback to various government agencies and organisations on environmental issues. ‘Every time I hear somebody come up to me saying that they felt inspired to do something for the environment, even if it’s as simple as to stop using straws, I feel a sense of fulfilment.’ Marcus Tay, finalist in Saving Gaia contest Hi, Siva, Juz a piece of good news! Marcus Tay [Guan Hock] got selected as one of the finalists for the Saving Gaia, a contest by the MediaCorp.. Cool~ See: savinggaia.sg/contest.htm and do come down to support him!! [Venue: Bugis Junction, Bugis Square (Water fountain area) Date: 21st Jun – 22nd June, Sat – Sun; Time: 1pm – 1pm] Jiayou to Marcus! Cheers! ..dewi..   Marcus says, The interview questions were of the “which electrical appliance is more energy saving” than the “do you think the skeptical environmentalist is right?” or “is global warming or depleting resources more important” kind of marco questions I had in mind. I guess, it gave me another perspective into environmental issues. Maybe the saving money elements will appeal more to he public as it does to the private sector. So anyway, yes, I had to provide three ways I can contribute to saving Gaia and provide a short write-up about why I deserves to win…; a panel of judges examined the entries and I got called up for a short interview (20mins?) yesterday with three ladies (one particularly gorgeous) and I learnt I am in the finals! Dewi (who seems to know more about the final competition) elaborated, Well, he will be put into a glass box with other finalists and then go through the challenges (see also savinggaia.sg but beware the gory video!) I think he will have to answer quite a lot of questions too.. :p All the best to u, Marcus! Cheers! ..dewi.. Apparently that glass box thing is for real! Update (21 Jun 2008: 10pm)- webpage updated and I saw him on telly (TCS Channel 5 news).     Update (Sun 22 Jun 200 - Channel News Asia reports: “Gaia Life Challenge winner walks away with S$10,000 cash,” by Lynda Hong. Channel NewsAsia, 22 Jun 2008: 1852 hrs. SINGAPORE: The winner of the Gaia Life Challenge, Marcus Tay, walked away with S$10,000 in cash. For 24 hours, the environmental engineer and two other contestants lived in rooms at Bugis Junction. But what was not explicitly made known to them was that their energy consumption would be calculated. However, they received hints from the organisers. Second runner-up Michelle Scully caught on to the hints and minimised her energy usage to the bare minimum. Florence Lian, judge of the Gaia Life Challenge, said: “She switched off her refrigerator. I think she only used the fan and she did not use the air-conditioning at all. Unfortunately, based on the challenges that formed 70 per cent of the scores, she just didn’t manage to catch up on the total scores.” The contestants faced nine other challenges which tested their knowledge on the environment. The winner, Marcus Tay said he also knew that their energy consumption will be calculated. Still, he switched on the air-conditioner but kept the temperature at 25 degrees celsius. His fridge, which stored only water, was kept at an optimal temperature. He said: “If I were to present a side that I don’t switch on the air-con here, but when I go home and do it, then people are not going to believe in the environmental movement. I just want people to understand that none of us can be Gandhi but if you can, it’s even better. But for normal human beings out there, let’s just do our part and don’t waste.” All three contestants got to take home all the electrical appliances and furniture which had kept them company for the past 24 hours. - CNA/vm Toddycats @ Envirofest’08 (Sat 28 Jun & Sun 29 Jun) The Toddycats Public Exhibition team are setting up a booth during Envirofest’08. It will be held at the Amphitheatre area of Toa Payoh Centre, in front of Toa Payoh Community Library from 11am-8pm on 28 and 29 June 2008 (Sat and Sun). The event is expected to draw a crowd of some 5,000 - 6,000 visitors.Help at the booth is sorely needed, so please sign up fora 3-hour shift at snipurl.com/toddycats-envirofest.You can invite friends to sign up for duty too; they can learn some stories on the spot! Toddycats in action at Envirofest’06 The team on duty there will talk about the animal exhibits and posters we have on display like the Dugong, Pangolin, Turtle, mudskippers, horseshoe crabs, coastal cleanup, pedal ubin etc. We will inform the public about Singapore’s natural heritage and introduce them to some of the activities we conduct as well as webpages where they can learn more about activities conducted by all groups in Singapore. Guides from our various projects are invited to sign up for duty to help out the main team - there are six 3-hour slots over the two days to sign up for. The stories from your respective projects will really entertain the crowds! This event is at a good location at the Toa Payoh hub. People are are fascinated by the exhibits and stories so we usually are swamped and even when packing up have to keep talking! They don’t believe the exhibits are from Singapore or have misimpressions about some animals, so its a highly constructive session. Read about the 2006 session - we talked to lots of people and also caught with our friends from other groups there! From: wenhuamariasharapova.spaces.live.com The other nature and environment groups will be there as well, including the Naked Hermit Crabs, Hantu Bloggers, NParks and Waterways Watch as well as the Animal Welfare groups. So you can catch up and get to know some similarly passionate friends from the community! Comment on Dewi Anggraini honoured for her International Coastal Cleanup work by acroamatic Yay, Dewi! Looking classy too! =) Comment on Dewi Anggraini honoured for her International Coastal Cleanup work by monkey congrags dewi!!! Dewi Anggraini honoured for her International Coastal Cleanup work I had the pleasure of accompanying Dewi Anggraini to the Ministry of Environment and Water Resources building this afternoon. As one of the International Coast Cleanup Singapore Site Captains, ICC-NUS Organiser and initiator of ICC Bintan, she was there to receive the HSBC/NYAA Youth Environmental Merit Award from Dr Amy Khor, the Ministry’s Senior Parliamentary Secretary. It was a well-deserved award for Dewi got a surprising amount of work done despite being in the final year of NUS Environmental Engineering. This was a time when I’d expected her environmental volunteer activities to take a back seat to school work. Instead she contributed significantly to ICCS and also helped to initiate ICC Bintan which I found myself in the thick of during the term break! I’d not recommend this strategy to most of us. Other ICCS folk who were also present at the ceremony were Marcus Tay and Dinesh N which meant we also discussed this year’s ICCS Workshop and other ICCS matters before and after the ceremony! ICC Bintan is in its second year in 2008 and Dewi is now gearing us for greater participation by the ICCS Otters this year. Puddle Ubin! When we ride on in heavy rain, Peal Ubin becomes Puddle Ubin! Coined by the corny Jungle Fowl, Ivan. Rain threatened. Then poured. We conferred. Pedal Ubin is a rain or shine ride! Eventually there were some dry spells. Guides took 42 participants around Ubin in three groups, heading East, North and West. Low tide allowed inter-tidal visits. We even rescued horseshoe crabs from a ghost nets. Standard Pedal Ubin fare - chain drop up the Ketam trail! The West group at the German Girl Shrine. Moreo photos courtesy of Teutoburg. Pedal Ubin 07 June 2008 The pouring rain didn’t dampen the spirits of the 42 Pedal Ubin participants who came for our quarterly ride!  Everyone was raring to go and we set off when the rain lightened momentarily.  They were broken up into 3 groups and led by Ming Sheng & Gurmit; Siva; Ivan, Tammy & Kai-xin respectively.  Siva was greatly amused as he was supposed to take only 12 participants (Ivy’s group) but somehow ended up with 20 participants.  His group got a rare treat as he was hunting for mudskippers for Theresa’s Honours year project and managed to free some horseshoe crabs from a ghost net in the process; NParks was informed of the abandoned net later..  However, the rest of the participants were also in luck as the wildlife emerged after the 3-hour rain.  Our group caught sight of a monitor lizard and a pair of jungle fowls that scooted across the road.  We also managed to observe a magpie robin feeding on a lizard, a pair of horn bills, a pair of courting raptors and many more.  The Pedal Ubin guides would like to thank the enthusiatic participants who braved the rain to ride along with us last sat. Hope to see you at our next ride!! Other posts and pics: “Puddle Ubin,” by N. Sivasothi. Toddycats! 09 Jun 2008. “Long Wet Ride Through The Jungle,” by Gurmit Singh. gurmit the blog, 10 Jun 2008. “Pedal Ubin Sat 7 June 2008,” by Teutoburg. Flickr, 07 Jun 2008. M.I.A. Trail recap (an International Museum Day activity) 31 May 2008 Two groups of about 40 participants each took part in the third annual M.I.A. Trail. This walk is conducted as part of International Museum Day 2008 celebrations. The Pasir Panjang Heritage Guides met the participants at Harbourfront Cruise Centre’s bus bay. First stop: Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research at NUS, where we introduced Singapore’s flora and fauna as well as the many species and habitats that have gone missing or are close to being wiped out. We then headed to Kent Ridge Park. Here, we explored the plants of the ridge. One eagle-eyed participant even spotted a snake, which was probably more terrified of us than we were of it. The guides started weaving in stories of the Malay Regiment and the Battle of Pasir Panjang, which served as an introduction to… Reflections at Bukit Chandu, which is at the end of Kent Ridge Park’s canopy walk. Participants found out about the history of the Malay Regiment and the background about the Japanese invasion of Malaya. This led up to the Battle for Singapore and the Battle of Pasir Panjang, where the Malay Regiment had their final stand. That was also the last stop of the MIA Trail. It’s always a unique experience for guides and participants alike as this tour takes place at night. If you missed us this time around, we will be conducting more walks (daytime) when Heritage Fest is on in July. Our thanks go out to National Heritage Board for their support, National Archives of Singapore for their continuing collaboration with the Pasir Panjang Guides and our wonderful participants who make our efforts all worthwhile! International Museum Day - the MIA trail The Pasir Panjang Guides present the MIA trail once again this year. This tour of Raffles Museum’s Public Gallery, Kent Ridge Park and Reflections at Bukit Chandu is conducted in conjunction with National Archives of Singapore and is unique as it is the only night version of the trail. For more details about the trip on 31st May 2008 and registration requirements, please see imd.rafflesmuseum.net. Eastern Coastal Park Connector Network with Jungle Fowls Some of the Pedal Ubin guides enjoyed a day of leisure cycling last Saturday with no responsibilities. The result? Two accidents!! Photos here. Cheng Puay blogged about his crash even before I did to get his side of the story in first! Joelle crashed into a nine-year old kid on her way to the ride. The kid apologised as much as she did and she now bears some impressive scars! Most of the riders - Kaixin, Cheng Puay, Yew Jern and Ivan rented bikes from Mr Bikes Enterprise at Changi Village at the cost of $10. Airani, Joelle and myself rode down to join the rest. Kaixin is game for more rides so expect more news about leisure rides soon! Talk on the Singapore Freshwater Crab, 10th May 2008 Honours student Daniel Ng and myself will be highlighting “The status and biology the Singapore Freshwater Crab, Johora singaporensis“ this Saturday, 10th May 2008 at 2pm at the Function Hall, Botany Centre, Singapore Botanic Gardens. This is part of a four-week Biodiversity Talk Series organised by NParks Conservation Division to celebrate Earth Day and World Biodiversity Day 2008. Synopsis - “True freshwater crabs have evolved to be completely independent of the marine environment and possess unique characteristics as a result. Many large freshwater streams are home to endemic species and Singapore Island is no exception. The freshwater crab diversity here has been well reported as a result of Peter Ng’s studies in the 1980’s. One crab in particular, was especially celebrated – the endemic Singapore Freshwater Crab, Johora singaporensis. Since that taxonomic examination, little else has been revealed about the crab, partly due to concerns about impacting the small but endangered population. In a recent study, aspects of the population biology, distribution and status of J. singaporensis were studied. This talk discusses the historical discovery, reports highlights of the recent study and discusses conservation implications for the future. Complete details at: WildSingapore. Singapore Animal Welfare Symposium, 24 May 2008 I will be a panelist at the Singapore Animal Welfare Symposium on 24th May 2008. You can register for the symposium - see animalwelfare.sg Pedal Ubin ride on Sat 07 June 2008 - Registration Open! Take a journey on bicycle with the Jungle Fowls, a bunch of friendly and passionate volunteer guides from NUS’ Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, who want to share the joys of discovering nature and heritage in Pulau Ubin. Come join us on Saturday, 07 June 2008, 8.30am outside Pulau Ubin Volunteer Hub!   For more information and registration details visit http://pedalubin.rafflesmuseum.net/