Events to celebrate IYOR all year round!

Lots of events are planned throughout 2008. From family walks on our shores and reefs, to exhibitions and talks. There's also lots of opportunities to make a difference for our reefs!

Here are some of the events you can expect in 2008!

For exact dates and other details, please view the listing on the left sidebar of this blog.

ALL YEAR ROUND!

Chek Jawa Intertidal Walks with the volunteers of Ubin NParks A guided walk for the entire family to explore this now famous shore and the new boardwalk. There are reefs at Chek Jawa too, but these are too delicate to bring large groups of people to. Nevertheless, there is plenty to see on the vast seagrass meadows and other amazing shore ecosystems. Sea stars as big as your face, giant sea anemones, crabs and more! More about Chek Jawa and the Ubin NParks volunteers.

Chek Jawa Boardwalk Tour with the Naked Hermit Crabs Our shores are fascinating even when the tides are not super low! Volunteer guides introduce the coastal forest, mangroves as well as other intertidal habitats on this walk designed especially for families. Chek Jawa has reefs too! But these are rather delicate so we don't conduct walks on them. More on the Adventures with the Naked Hermit Crabs blog

Pulau Hantu dives with the Hantu Bloggers A unique and educational dive experience in our very own reefs. Discover what is truly, uniquely Singapore! Your support helps the Hantu Blog monitor and document Hantu's fascinating living reefs on a regular basis. More on the Hantu Blog.

Kusu Island Reefwalks with the Blue Water Volunteers Our wild and wonderful coral reefs are just too exciting to be enjoyed by divers only! Non-swimmers are most welcome, as we only visit the reefs during low tide, so you only expect to get wet around your ankles at most. Trained and enthusiastic volunteer guides will introduce you to the marine life found on Kusu Island and share reef stories. More on the Blue Water Volunteers website

Pulau Semakau intertidal walks with the volunteers of the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research A half-day guided walk that introduces you to the operations of the landfill and the pristine intertidal area of Pulau Semakau. Explore the rich seagrass meadows and coral reefs without having to dive! More on the Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research website.

Sentosa intertidal walks with the Naked Hermit Crabs Explore this natural shore with reefs, seagrasses, natural cliffs and coastal forest. Sentosa is often thought to be an artificial 'Disneyland'. Few realise that there are still some natural treasures on this island. Come see them for yourself before they are lost to further development. Volunteer guides conduct this walk designed especially for families. More on the Adventures with the Naked Hermit Crabs blog


TeamSeagrass monitoring of our seagrass meadows at Chek Jawa, Sentosa, Pulau Semakau and more! Ordinary people CAN make a difference! This team of volunteers from all walks of life regularly monitor our seagrasses. The data gathered will help us better understand and manage our seagrass meadows. More details on the teamseagrass blog.

Sports Fishing at Semakau with the Sport Fishing Association of Singapore. From January to September 2008, SFAS Semakau sport fishing trip will be an on going fishing league, based on a point system, there will be total of nine trips to compete for the League Champion and a final shoot out in October 2008. Those who do not wish to take part in the league can also come for the trips during this time. The SFAS practice catch and release and among the rules are that anglers must demonstrate proper conduct and practice good fishing ethics and etiquette, and anglers are to use artificial lures or flies for sport fishing and not to use any organic baits (dead or alive) in all fishing activities. More details on the Sport Fishing Association of Singapore website.


SPECIAL IYOR EVENTS IN 2008

JANUARY

17 Jan: Talk about our living shores to 450 people at the National University of Singapore. By Ria Tan as part of the Department of Geography's 'Biophysical Environment of Singapore' course.

22 and 25 Jan: Young Writers Blogging about our Reefs! The homeschoolers learn about blogging and our reefs! The young ones go for a seashore walk and later are introduced to blogging by NIE Green Club and the Naked Hermit Crabs, while Joseph Lai introduces them to the shores. The young bloggers will then post about their reef experiences throughout the year! More about the homeschoolers on the Flying Fish Friends blog.

10 Jan (Thu): "SharkWater: Protect them, not eat them" This Charity Premiere by the Singapore Environment Council features biologist and investigative reporter, Rob Stewart who follows the trail of the multi-billion dollar shark fin trade and sets off a chain of events that has to be seen to be believed. Proceeds from this premiere support Singapore Environment Council and OceanNEnvironment’s SAY NO TO SHARK FINS campaign in Singapore. More details.


FEBRUARY

15 Feb: Talk on Pulau Hantu About 50 students were treated to Debby Ng's stories about Pulau Hantu's underwater beauty and the threats it faces, while Toh Chay Hoon also shared about all our other wildlife beneath the sky - from spiders and lizards to slugs and bugs! More about the talk.

22 Feb: Talk about our wild shores about 40 people at NIE attended a talk by Ria Tan. More about the talk.

MARCH

18 Mar: Talk about our shores 80 students at Woodlands Ring Primary School attended a talk by Ron Yeo about our shores. More about the talk.

31 Mar: Talk about our shores students at North Vista Secondary School attended a talk by Ron Yeo about our shores. More about the talk.

31 Mar - 1 Apr: Code Blue features our reefs at NUS, raising awareness and inspiring action. More about the event.

APRIL

3 Apr: Reef talk for NUS 60 students attended a talk about our shores by Ria Tan. More about the talk.

18-20 Apr: Asian Dive Expo (ADEX) features International Year of the Reef in their eco-village. More about the event.

MAY

1 May: Dugong Ambassadors at Chek Jawa the homeschool kids will paint a mural, conduct public outreach and beach clean up to celebrate International Year of the Reef. More about the event.

3 May: "Secret Shores of Singapore" talk by Ria Tan during the Earth Day and World Biodiversity Day celebration by NParks Conservation Division. More about the event.

15 May: "Secret Shores of Singapore" talk by Ria Tan for about 40 staff at MUIS. More about the event.

26 May: "Southern Haunt" talk by Debby Ng was during the Earth Day and World Biodiversity Day celebration by NParks Conservation Division. More about the event.

JUNE

7 Jun: "Secret Shores of Singapore" talk and exhibition by Ria Tan for the Transitions Optical event. More about the event.

JULY

13 Jul: "Secret Shores of Singapore" talk by Ria Tan for about 40 young film-makers at Reel Revolution. More about the event.

SEPTEMBER

Clean up our shores! International Coastal Cleanup Singapore will be conducted in September to clean up our mangroves, beaches and reefs. Come join us to not only help clean up our shores and reefs, but also learn more about them. What are the threats they face? And what can we do to help. More on the News from the International Coastal Cleanup Blog