Nature Society (Singapore) Volunteer Guides Field Training Course (VGFTC)

A visit to Sungei Buloh Nature Park by NSSguides

Previous December walks at SBNP walk for NSS

OUTLINE OF WALK - THE QUIZ

Galleries - Dry Run - NSS Walk

Dates to remember
Assessment and debrief: 3pm - 6 pm, Saturday 24 November 2001
Date of NSS Guiding: 9 am -12 pm, Sunday 2nd December 2001

The Mangrove II workshop prepared the new NSSguides to take over the walk for NSS members that is conducted at SBNP every December, close to the anniversary date of the park's opening on 6 December.

The short route (about 2 hours) based on the boardwalk, bridge, sluice gate and main hide provides very simple content suitable for new visitors to the mangrove, even the little 'uns.

An introduction + nine stations each manned by a guide has been prepared. The new batch of nssguides from Mangrove Session II will now conduct the session for NSS members on 2nd December 2001.

It is hoped another group - a secondary school group on an RMBR attachment - will provide support in producing a simple guidesheet based on this route and content.

The Stations are listed below. If you do develop your content further from subsequent visits to the park, please inform me and I will update the list.

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Station Numbers, Location, Guides and Content.
Provisional timing: 2 hours 15 minutes
Introduction - 15 minutes
Change between stations - 3 minutes; Each station: 12 minutes

Station VC: Visitor Center Theaterette: (Juggi & Ria)
Introduction - NSSguides Team & Mangroves / Flyways of the world / East Asian Flyway/ Resident & Migratory Birds / Sungei Buloh map & guiding route.

Station 1: Mud Lobster Mound - back mangroves (Beng Chiak)
Smell of hydrogen sulphide/ Concept of zonation / Mud lobster mound / Excoecaria / Longicorn Beetle Attack

Station 2: Along boardwalk (Aurora)
Avicennia / Rhizophora / Nypah / mudskippers (if opportunity arises)

Station 3: Second Platform. Marine zone. (Raymond)
Summarise concept of zonation / Barnacles / Sonneratia / mudskippers (if opportunity arises)

Station 4: Bend in boardwalk (Allan)
Rhizophora / Episesarma / Nerite

Station 5: Final platform facing Johor (Fiona)
Concept of vivipary / Bruguiera gymnorrhiza / Sounds of kingfishers, woodpecker or cicadas / Silence to appreciate the ambience.

Station 6: Along return route to VC. (Bee Leng)
Derris trifoliata / Sea hibiscus / Ellobium

Station 7: Bridge (Andrew)
Archer Fish/ GreenChromide / Garfish / Halfbeaks / Green Mussels / Crocs/ Otters/ Monitors/ WWII Story/ Waterhen / Sandpiper/ Little Heron.

Station 8: Main Hide (Juggi) - obtain scopes from SBNP
Types of waders / flyways/ refuelling / camouflage / feeding patterns - beak form & function / Telescopium

Station 9: Sluice Gate (Ria)
Sluice gate function/ water drainage / danger / history & methods of prawn farming / nypah vs. coconut

--- thanks to Juggi for transcribing his notes.

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