Contents

1. Channel News Asia on Chek Jawa tonight, 7.30pm
2. Chek Jawa remembered: photo essays by Joseph Lai & others
3. Dead dugong off East Coast beach, 28th July 2001
4. Leopard Cat roadkill on Mandai Road, 11th June 2001
5. Ubin Biking 2001 - thanks to guides, safety and biker support
6. Michael Aw on "Nature Photography - Above and Below", 4th August
7. Bargain at Border's: Natural Earth, Living Earth
8. Habitatnews webpage updated, newsletter friendlier

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---> [1] Channel NewsAsia special on Chek Jawa tonight, 7.30pm
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If you missed the 10-minute feature on Mediacorp Channel 8, fear not.
An English version lasting 20 minutes will be shown on "The
Assignment" on Channel News Asia today (Thursday) at 7.30 pm.

It will be re-telecast on Friday 3.30pm, Saturday 6.30am,
Saturday 11.30am and Sunday 4.30pm

You will catch glimpses of Chua Ee Kiam, author of the "Ubin -
Ours to treasure" <http://habitatnews.nus.edu.sg/books/ubinbook.html>

Source: Julian Siau
 

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---> [2] Chek Jawa remembered: photo essays
<http://habitatnews.nus.edu.sg/news/chekjawa/>
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Many naturalists have been trooping down to Chek Jawa at the eastern
end of Pulau Ubin over the past few months, to imprint in their minds
a memory of the place. For it will become but a memory soon, another
casualty to relentless reclaimation by space-hungry Singapore.

Chek Jawa' allure is the variety of habitats that are bathed by the
sea - rocky shore, mangrove, beach, seagrass, mudflats and sandflats.
These are in turn peppered with sub-habitats formed by pools and
streams giving rise to an interesting variety plants and animals.
And the sun does its bit as well, and each sunrise and sunset
complete the gift.

Joseph Lai has been visiting Chek Jawa repeatedly, and has produced
a labour of love - a photo essay on powerpoint. Ria Tan made it
web-ready, and Habitatnews is proud to host the "Chek Jawa story
in sand script at: <http://habitatnews.nus.edu.sg/news/chekjawa/>

You will also see links to a virtual tour by Ria Tan and photos
by Ashley Ng. A few more will be added.

These will give you but a glimpse of the place. Chek Jawa, like
any habitat, cannot be experienced to completion in a single
visit. Surprises abound at every visit. And we hope the digital
images will inspire a physical visit.

In the past few weeks, while we have been exploring Ubin on bike,
we repeatedly encountered a lone cyclist pedalling around Ubin,
handing out a flyer suggesting the preservation of Chek Jawa. But
mainly, Tan Choon Ming suggests that you visit Chek Jawa. After all,
it may be your 'last chance to see'.

How to get there? Go to Changi Point, and take the ferry to Pulau
Ubin ($2/person). When you reach the main island, approach any of
the van drivers to take you to Chek Jawa. Mr Chu (PU10X) whose
wife's family lived at Chek Jawa charged us $4 for a two way trip.
Chek Jawa is listed on the map that NParks provides.
 

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---> [3] Dead dugong off East Coast beach, 28th July 2001
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Sea sports enthusiasts saw it floating on Saturday 28th July, but
word only gets to me late Monday morning. The race to retrieve at
least the skull for a physical record at the Raffles Museum of
Biodiversity Research will be reported in the next issue,
with photographs.

A New Paper reporter visited the carcass on Sunday night and writes:
"Why does that dugong smell so bad, ma?"
by ANDRE YEO, 30th July 2001
<http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/nplo103.html>
 

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---> [4] Leopard cat roadkill on Mandai Road, 11th June 2001
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Charith Pelpola recovers a leopard cat roadkill on 11th June from
Mandai Road, and sends the specimen to the Raffles Museum of
Biodiversity Research. We preserve it and it is written up as:

"From roadkill to museum research" by LEA WEE
The Sunday Times, 22nd July 2001
<http://www.ecologyasia.com/NewsArchives/Jul_2001/straitstimes.asia1.com.sg_singapore_0,1870,58391,00.html>

More on the Leopard Cat in the next issue, with photographs.
 

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---> [5] Ubin Biking 2001 - thanks to guides,
          safety and biker support.
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The exploration of Ubin on bike over three Sundays went off well -
no casualties except for bicycles, a lost pedal or two, and gears
that seized up. Two years ago, the bicycles were in great condition
but these days, you have to check your bike carefully before setting
out.

Thanks to the guides Jaswant, Min Yee, Mark, Ye Chen, Airani
and Angeline, who helped me herd the group and ensure we did not
lose anyone amongst the myriad of trails or suffer casualties. And
thanks for biker support from Daniel, Ben, Tse-Lynn and Athena.

This year, a few of us are in a much poorer state of fitness, so I
was particularly grateful when Daniel ran a damaged bike back from the
OBS road back to the basketball court outside NSS' GreenHub@Ubin,
our start and end point!

A startling change we experienced during the rides was the haunting
feeling of abandonment as we passed many square patches that used to
bear houses - Kampung Melayu is one example and the eastern side of
the Chek Jawa headland is another. The changes to the main island
have now reached Pulau Ubin. More challenges to the task of binding
people with their land  See:
"Moving out of Pulau Ubin" by Thomas White, STI Photo Gallery, 2001.
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/mnt/html/webspecial/gallery/ubin/story.html>
"Don't demolish identity markers" by Tan Yuen Lee, 2nd May 2001.
<http://straitstimes.asia1.com.sg/forum/story/0,1870,40912,00.html>

The LTA has paved roads so even a novice can cycle much further
these days, so much so that the "Journey to the North" will be
extended next year.

There has been the suggestion that Ubin will be kept the way it
is for as long as possible. Assuming it does not become another
Sentosa, we will be back there for the next few years. My 8-year
old, $200 second hand bike "Stalinski Champion Du Monde"
complete with 3 bells, 4 lights, a basket and bike stand is getting
repaired this week. It will make it to the Biking in Ubin 2002 series,
never fear.
 

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---> [6] Michael Aw on "Nature Photography - Above and Below"
       Woodlands Library, Sat 4 Aug 2001
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"Nature Photography - Above and Below"

by Michael Aw, Executive Director, Asian Geographic

Saturday 4 August 2001: 2.30 - 4.00 pm
at the Woodlands Regional Library, Auditorium
900 South Woodlands Drive, #01-03 Woodlands Civic Centre
Singapore 730900

Get close to wildlife through the lens of award-winning nature
photojournalist and conservationist Michael Aw.  His marine
photographs have been featured in publications all around the world,
most recently receiving an award in the BBC Wildlife Photographer of
the year Competition 2000. Highlights: prey and predator, courting,
mating behavior and parental care of fishes and invertebrates.

Admission is Free.  All are welcome!

Source: Sharon Foo, National Library Board

Michael Aw was here before for the launch of '24 hours Beneath the
Rainbow Sea' in July 2000; see: <http://habitatnews.nus.edu.sg/events/24hrs/24hoursLaunch.html>
Relevant links are available there.
 

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---> [6] Bargain at Border's: Natural Earth, Living Earth
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"Natural Earth, Living Earth" by Miranda Smith & Steve Parlor, 1999.
Dorling Kindersely, 380pp. ISBN  0-7894-5098-4. Price: $32.99

Features life on earth - various groups of organisms and habitats,
and the second sections deals with form and function.

Well provisioned with photographs and very well laid out.  Nice
introduction for children, and even undergraduates could learn a
thing or two.
 

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---> [7] Habitatnews webpage updated, newsletter friendlier
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It's been more than a year now, so I revamped the webpage a little.
I made little progress in webpage skills, but have managed to get
the one photo to stay in place. I said "sit! stay!" and it seems
to have worked.

Rare feedback has suggested that I attempt to be less factual, and
make the tone of the newsletter more personable. After all, I know
more half than the 400+ subscribers.

Interestingly, I felt like giving this up twice before when someone
wrote to say it was useful - since it is rare for Singaporeans to
write (and I don't mean forwarding lame jokes), the effect was
amplified and I have persisted, albeit at a lower frequency.

Then newsletter is hammered out on a battered four-year Macintosh
Powerbook which occasionally requires pressure downwards right of
the trackpad, and upwards left of the modem card. Some years ago,
I replaced the original 133MHz processor with a newer G3 233 MHz
but that heats up when I work at home. So preparing the newsletter
is a race against time! --- Sivasothi

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For weekly news compilations, see Ecology Asia at: <http://www.ecologyasia.com/Top-Level/eco-news.htm>
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