Wallace and the Sarawak Museum


KUCHING: Who is Alfred Russel Wallace? What is his relationship to the Sarawak Museum? Why are his works important to us and what can we learn from him?

These are some of the questions which will be discussed and explored at an upcoming public talk and tour, featuring writer and ardent Wallace researcher, Paul Spencer Sochaczewski.

Malaysian Nature Society, Kuching Branch (MNSKB) and Friends of the Sarawak Museums (FOSM) are organising the talk and tour highlighting the connection between Wallace and the museum.

The one hour talk, titled “The Hero’s Journey of Alfred Russel Wallace in Southeast Asia”, will be held at the Bongkissam Room of the museum’s Dewan Tun Abdul Razak building on 20th Oct at 2.30pm. After the talk, there will be a 40-minute tour of the Old Building of the Sarawak Museum lead by Louise Macul from FOSM. Admission to the talk and tour is free.

After the talk and tour, there will be a “Secret Rooms” tour lasting 40 minutes. This exclusive tour, arranged with the permission of the Museum, will take you into the rooms of the Museum that are not open to public. You will be shown the archives and 100-year old collections of the Museum.

You will have to register beforehand for this “Secret Rooms” access, and a fee of RM30 per person will be charged. MNS members will pay RM25. This tour is limited to 25 people on a first-come-first-served basis.

Wallace spent eight years in the mid-19th century exploring the Malay Archipelago, spending some 18 months in Sarawak. He is perhaps best known as the co-discoverer of the theory of natural selection.

Wallace was a prolific collector of “natural productions,” classifying and preserving some 125,000 specimens while in Asia.

Less-widely known are his writings on often controversial themes: the role of women in building a strong society, the dignity and self-governance of “savage” societies, mysticism, the good and bad effects of colonialism, and environmental destruction.

The speaker, Sochaczewski, has a background in journalism and nature conservation. He was head of creative services and director of the Faith and Environment Program at WWF International.

The speaker has written more than 600 articles for leading international publications. He co-authored two books with Jeffrey McNeely: Soul of the Tiger: People and Nature in Southeast Asia and Eco-Bluff Your Way to Instant Environmental Credibility.

Redheads, his comic conservation novel set in Borneo, is about tribal uprisings, fraudulent scientists, corrupt government officials and schizophrenic orangutans.

The Sultan and the Mermaid Queen is a collection of some 70 articles he’s written over the years.

His latest book, which will be launched on 5th November 2012 at the Singapore Writers Festival, is An Inordinate Fondness for Beetles, which follows the trail of Victorian-era naturalist and philosopher Alfred Russel Wallace in Southeast Asia.

For more information and registration for the talk and “Secret Rooms” tour contact Friends of Sarawak Museums - Louise Macul at 012-8550588 or email to fosmuseum@gmail.com

Dear members,

We would like to invite you for a meeting to voice your opinion and help decide what MNS Kuching Branch's stand should be regarding the cable car project in Santubong. Some concerns have been highlighted in the media and Facebook.

The meeting will be held at Telang Usan Hotel on Oct 10 (Wednesday) at 7pm. Your concern on this issue and participation is greatly appreciated.

Thank you.

Regards,
MNSKB committee member

The Sarawak Nature Festival and the Sarawak Bird Race 2012


By Ann Armstrong

The Kuching Branch of the Malaysian Nature Society and Borneo Highlands Resort are organizing the two-day Sarawak Nature Festival 2012 at the resort on Saturday September 29 and Sunday September 30.

The featured item of this festival is the Sarawak Bird Race 2012 which will be flagged off at 2.00pm from the Borneo Highlands Resort Clubhouse. The race will come to a close 22 hours later on Sunday at 12noon.

The bird race is the main event of the Sarawak Nature Festival 2012, but a number of exciting nature-based, family-orientated activities are planned for the two-day event. On Saturday afternoon visitors can choose to join guided nature walks or attend photography workshops; in the evening star gazing and weather permitting a night walk. On Sunday they can learn to make hand cream from natural ingredients, join guided walks and attend more workshops. Plus there are activities aimed at the junior members.

The Resort Manager of the Borneo Highlands Resort, Zakaria Ismail is excited about this event as it should increase awareness about nature and the importance of birds. Borneo Highlands Resort is dedicated to the conservation of the nature and environment.

The Penrissen Highlands was recognized as an Important Bird Area in 2010 as it hosts several endemic and endangered species. Sightings of eight of the endemic Bornean species have been documented at the Borneo Highlands Resort include exciting species such Bornean Barbet ('Megalaima exima'), Blue-banded Pitta ('Pitta arquata') as well endangered trophy species such as the Black Hornbill ('Anthracoceros albirostris').
The Penrissen Highlands is one of the 55 Important Bird Areas in Malaysia. The recognition of these areas have many benefits beyond birds, however, bird populations, including species diversity and numbers, are an indicator of an area's ecological health. Society benefits as these wild or semi-wild areas can act rich ecological niches in the species poor environments created by man. Plus they can play important roles in the natural cycles, for example water, carbon and nitrogen.

The organizing Chairman from the Malaysian Nature Society, Vincent Wong believes 'Understanding and appreciating Nature is understanding and appreciating ourselves. Without nature we all wither. Save them to save ourselves and our children.' The Sarawak Nature Festival and Bird Race provide a venue to develop this appreciation. Furthermore that our, despite our ability to moderate microenvironments of homes and other buildings, is dependant on nature and we should not forget this.

The students at Sarawak campus Swinburne University got first hand experience in creating environmental awareness when they worked through the extend process of creating the designs for the event and participating in one of the activity, the natural hand cream demonstration. The Sarawak Nature Festival is a community affair.

Others share his passion. John Ariffin a well-known Singapore based nature photographer, educator and writer will be joining the event and facilitating a workshop on nature photography. He travels across Asia to document wildlife and cultures of Asia in search of a perfect moment to freeze in time.
On Saturday, September 22 at 2pm at the Sarawak Tourism Complex, which is located on Jalan Tun Abg Hj Openg, Old Court House, an introduction to The Sarawak Nature Festival and the Sarawak Bird Race 2012 is being organized. Visitors to this introduction will have the opportunity to learn more about birds and the festival.

The Sarawak Nature Festival and the Sarawak Bird Race 2012 is sure to be fun and educational for all members of the family. For further information go to the website at birdrace2012.borneohighlands.com.my or Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/sarawakbirdrace. Special rates at the Borneo Highlands Resort are available for participants, but book early.

Bird race on Sept 29 and 30 promises to be fun (Source: The Star)



KUCHING: Dust off those binoculars because the annual Sarawak Bird Race 2012 is about to take off.
Part of the Sarawak Nature Festival 2012, the highly anticipated bird rac...e promises nature lovers and bird watchers plenty of nature themed activities and fun.

Jointly organised by the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS) together with Borneo Highlands Resort (BHR), the event aims to bring people closer to their natural surroundings besides promoting bird watching in the state.

First held in October 2008, the bird race consists of teams of two competing against each other in locating, identifying and recording as many species of birds as they can within a stipulated amount of time.

“This is a great chance for people to break out of the monotony of their daily lives, unwind and enjoy nature while bird watching,” said deputy state secretary Datuk Ose Murang.

“I remember joining the first ever bird race more than four years ago, where I first saw the blue-banded Pita, a curious little bird with vividly coloured feathers. It goes to show the many species of birds we have in Sarawak alone. Some even perched in our backyards without us knowing,” he said.

Members of MNS have been going up to Borneo Highlands to conduct bird surveys since the late 1990s, recording some 120 species in the past. The bird race has since added new species to that list, totalling over 200 species last year.

Come Sept 29, the bird race will return for the fifth year running with the tagline “Because Birds are Important”.

The race will take place on Sept 29 and 30 at Borneo Highlands Resort.

There will also be many interesting side events at the resort for all to enjoy, such as nature talks, day and night nature walks, junior nature activities, mini bird race for the children and an exhibition on bird photography.

Those interested in finding out more can visit http://www.birdrace2012.borneohighlands.com.my/ or www.facebook.com/sarawakbirdrace.

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Talk on Orangutans of Sarawak by Sundai Silang

Dear Friends of SBC

We will be holding a talk on Orangutans of Sarawak by Sundai Silang (Sarawak Forestry Corporation).

Details of the talk are:

Date: 28 Sept 2012, Friday
Time: 2.30pm
Venue: Sarawak Biodiversity Centre

We would love to have you join us during this talk where Sundai will present interesting orangutan facts, including how they live, their behaviour, biology, distribution and conservation efforts.

Please do let us know if you are able to make it for the talk by emailing to biosar@sbc.org.my or call 082-610610

And as always, do bring colleagues, friends & family.

Hope to see you then!

Regards

Asha