EXCITING NATURE FESTIVAL IN SANTUBONG

Nature walk

KUCHING: Festival goers will be spoilt for choice at the coming Santubong Nature Festival.

There will be activities for all and the young at heart from easy-going heritage and nature walks, to adrenaline rush bike race, kayaking, night photography and night walk, eco-fashion contest, youth concerts and charity auction.

These activities will be take place concurrently at eco-resort Permai Rainforest Resort and Damai Central in Sanbutong on 9^th and 10^th November, 2013.

The Malaysian Nature Society Kuching Branch (MNSKB) is co-organising the Santubong Nature Festival with Permai Rainforest Resort. The inaugural event is supported by Friends of Sarawak Museum (FoSM), Sarawak Heritage Society (SHS), Sarawak Museum, Sarawak Economic Development Corporation (SEDC), Trienekens (Sarawak) Sdn Bhd, LimKokWing Institute of Creative Technology, UCSI University, SSPCA and Damai Central, to name a few.

Participation to this festival is free but certain activities required pre-registration due to limited seats, while firefly watching that required rental of boats a fee of RM50 will be imposed per child/adult.

On Saturday (Nov 9), nature talks will take place at Permai Rainforest Resort’s conference room starting at 2pm. The speakers comprise a senior geologist from the Geological Department Sarawak Mr. Henry Litong who will speak on Geology of Santubong; wildlife photographer and biologist Mr. Chi’en Chien Lee on The Carnivorous Plants of Santubong (2.30pm); social scientist Tengku Hilda Tengku Ahmad on Santubong Stonehenge (3pm); writer and teacher Mr. Tom McLaughlin on Chinese Settlers In Santubong (3.30pm); ecologist with SFC Mr. Rambli Ahmad on Defining Wallce’s Line (4pm); and researcher and entomologist with UNIMAS Mr. Ikhwan Idris on Butterflies & Moths of Santubong (4.30pm).

An indoor 30-minute talk by herpetologist Mr. Hans Breuer, introducing forest

creatures of the night will be held at 7.30pm and to be followed by a night walk which will take 90 minutes.

The first nature walk  starts at 2pm  guided by Datin Dr Katherine Pearce, a botanist and forest ecologist.  For those interested in the geology of Santubong, Mr. Hans Hazebroek who is a geologist, author and professional photographer will give a hands geology walk at 2.30pm after Mr. Henry Litong’s talk.

Archaeological site at Sungai Jaong 

At 3.30pm, there will be a 90-minute Santubong Heritage Walk which is a a visit to some archaeological & historical sites in Santubong, led by Karen Shepherd, Sarawak Heritage Society. Shuttle departs Permai and early registration is required.

There will be workshops on photography with a professional photographer, Mr. John Arifin, from Singapore at 2pm at Permai. The second workshop is on night photography which will be conducted outdoors and this starts at 7pm. Registration required.

For those children age three to 18 years old, there will be games station conducted by UCSI University students at Permai starting from 2pm onwards.

The three-hour Night Kayaking Experience along the coast of Santubong with trained

Professionals starts at 5.30pm. All equipment supplied but early registration is required.

Depending on the weather, a two-hour guided boat tour to observe the firefly colonies along Sungai Buntal will start at 6.30pm. Registration is required, on a first-come-first-served basis. Intending participants are to pay RM50 per adult/child.

At Damai Central, festival goers are invited to visit local bazaar booths set up by various organisations and local community around Santubong with a variety of merchandise and goods. The bazaar will be opened for the whole day and on Sunday, from 9am to 2pm .

At the same venue on Saturday, a musical treat by the AZAM Young Souls Musical Group will take place at 2pm onwards.  This group showcases busking by youth, and will move all over the venue, with breaks.

At 6.30pm is the Trienekens Eco-Fashion Contest featuring participants from colleges and secondary schools.  

Open Mic featuring Malaysian vocalist and songwriter Amir Yussof will take place at Escobar Bar and Grill at 9pm. Open Mic is an evening of music celebrating Santubong, brought to you by Sarawak Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA).

On Sunday, the nature talks continue at 9am with the first speaker talking on Oriental Pied Hornbills at Piasau Camp, Miri by MNS Miri Branch chairman & SFC honorary wildlife ranger Mr. Musa Musbah; , a bird specialist and environmental consultant, based in Penang Mr Dave Bakewell will speak on Surveying Migratory Waterbirds In Sarawak (9.30am); head of Protected areas Biodiversity Conservation Sarawak Forestry Corporation & and MNS Council member Mr. Oswald Braken Tisen on Endangered Animas & Enforcement in Sarawak (10am); and TRAFFIC Southeast Asia senior programme officer and MNS Council Ms. Kanitha Krishnasamy and senior communications officer Ms. Elizabeth John will speak on Illegal Wildlife Trade In Malaysia (10.30am).

The Santubong Heritage Walk led by Karen Shepherd from SHS starts at 11am. Shuttle departs Permai carpark and early registration is required.

At 9am, a walk in the forest guided by Datin Dr Katherine Pearce ecologist. The one hour walk will take participants through the forest trails in Permai Rainforest Resort.

At 8am is  the Race through Time which is a bicycle treasure hunt around Santubong assisted by Kooch Cycling Club. Exciting prizes are to be won and those interested are to register early. RM60 per participant.

UCSI University’s  Games Station offering great prizes will be opened from 9am to noon. Registration required.

For more registration, email to mnskuching@gmail.com or  visit www.facebook.com/SantubongNatureFestival or http://santubongnaturefestival.blogspot.com/ for more updates on the festival.

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SNF OBJECTIVES

To raise public awareness of the priceless natural and historical – local and global - heritage value of the Santubong Peninsula; to advocate for a holistic and integrated approach to development and management of the area  safeguarding its unique landscape, biodiversity and historical assets; to showcase the tourism and recreational potential of the natural and cultural values of the Santubong Peninsula; to stimulate reflection on responsible and sustainable further management of the peninsula and its surroundings; and to created environmental awareness and value among our public especially our young ones.

ABOUT MNS

The Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) is the oldest environmental NGO in Malaysia. Its mission aims at promoting the study, appreciation, conservation and protection of Malaysia’s natural heritage. It was formed in 1941. MNS Kuching Branch or MNSKB was set up in 1996.

ABOUT PERMAI RAINFOREST RESORT

Operating since 1990, Permai Rainforest Resort is an eco-resort set in pristine Borneo rainforest located on the shores of the South China Sea, and at the foot of mystical Mount Santubong. Carefully designed to minimise impact on the natural environment, it offers a unique rainforest experience. The resort is only 25 km or 30 minutes drive north of Kuching, the capital of Sarawak.