25 Feb (Sat): Evening at the Pasir Ris Mangrove boardwalk with the Naked Hermit Crabs

There are fascinating mangroves at Pasir Ris Park! A boardwalk allows us to explore it easily and it's open even at night! Join the Naked Hermit Crabs for an evening stroll through this interesting but often overlooked mangrove.

The boardwalk takes us through tall mangrove trees
and allows to see all kinds of curious creatures.

Chek Jawa, a trove of treasures

We had our first public walk of 2012 at Chek Jawa Boardwalk on 11th February. There were 15 visitors , and they certainly had a wonderful time exploring the Chek Jawa in a smaller group!

We had 4 students from NUS, 3 from NTU (Earthlink), 2 groups of friends, and a family with young children. The NUS students said they are learning about biodiversity in an inter-disciplinary course and decided to make special trip to Chek Jawa to learn more. When they saw the different habitats found in Chek Jawa, the lessons finally sank in that ecosystems and biodiversity have such a tight relationship, that one cannot exist without the other. In their words, they say Chek Jawa made their university lessons come "alive"!

Here's what they wrote:

"Chek Jawa is a trove of treasures, containing the natural heritage of Singapore. Away from the mainland, it is the last recluse from the concrete jungle. Chek Jawa is not to be missed!"

"After coming to Chek Jawa for several times, I still find Chek Jawa beautiful. The flora and fauna I have encountered certainly educate me. Please keep Chek Jawa as it is, so that the next generation can enjoy the beautiful part of Singapore. Thank you for not building HDB flats, resorts, etc."

Coming up ... first Chek Jawa Boardwalk outing in 2012

CNY 2012 is finally over! Time to work on the New Year resolutions .... visit more nature places in Singapore, gain a better understanding of biodiversity conservation issues, get out to places where the air is cleaner, do some bird-watching, and to walk off the excesses of CNY feasting! Seriously... Pulau Ubin is a wonderful retreat away from the urban environment, and Chek Jawa, located in the eastern tip of Pulau Ubin, is a real gem of a wild and natural shore line where you could pause to observe nature and be enchanted by it.

The Naked Hermit Crabs would like to introduce you to Chek Jawa without getting your feet wet. Even though we are not going on to the shore, there is still much to see and enjoy. There are monitor lizards, fiddler crabs, spiders, rare plants, wild boars, mudskippers and lots of fruit trees. If we are lucky, we might even spot the Oriental Pied Hornbill, White-bellied Sea Eagle and the giant Atlas Moth.

Dates: 11th February 2012 (Saturday)
Time: 9:30 am
Duration: about 2 hours
Meeting Place: Chek Jawa Information Kiosk, Pulau Ubin
Cost: The Crabs do not charge for the trip but you will have to pay for the bumboat and taxi rides to get to Chek Jawa.


Write to nakedhermitcrabs@gmail.com to register. We welcome small family and friend groups.