Vol
7 No 3
Dec 2000
Traditional uses
of mangroves
Reflections of a Rhizophora Seedling
Pink-necked
Green Pigeon
BotanicalReveries
about the common names of plants
Cymbly Great
rediscovery of
an extinct Cymbidium
at the Park
Rediscovered Palm at the Park: Nibong
Deborah Yeo shares her volunteer experience
The value of trees by Julian
Nick's encounter with Smooth Otters
at the Park
About the signboards
at the Park
Up & Coming Boardwalks
and Tower Hide |
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Volunteer
Corner
Currently
holding the post of Chairperson of the Volunteer Committee,
Debra Yeo, shares with us her Natural Therapy.
 Her
occupation ...
Visitors are nearly
always surprised to find out that I have a "normal" weekday job
which is not even remotely related to biology or any of the sciences. Some
are even more surprised that I do it for free during "valuable"
weekend time. You see, on weekdays I am an airfreight planner in an international
logistics company; on weekends, I turn volunteer nature guide at Sungei
Buloh.
When
it all started...
I have been a volunteer guide at Sungei Buloh Nature Park since it was
first opened in December 1993. The park has pleasantly metamorphosed from
disused fish farming land to a nature park of cultivated wilderness. There
has been little change since those early but I hardly tire of the place
after all this time.
The reasons
why she became a volunteer...
What excited me about the volunteer programme was that here at last was
an avenue for the public to be shown the interesting aspects of their
non-human neighbours. A chance for me to do my small bit to conserve whatever
remaining natural habitat left in an increasingly crowded Singapore. It
matters little that there is no monetary reward. So long as one visitor
has learnt a new nature fact, I am satisfied; it is after all, a small
step towards nature appreciation by the whole.
The satisfaction...
I love the quiet of the park and its varied inhabitants delight me. It
is quite another world from tall concrete buildings, busy roads and modern
life. It is not always easy to communicate the value of the complex ecological
mangrove system to all visitors yet it is reward enough to know that they
bring home good thoughts of the serenity and rustic beauty of the mangroves.
Contact with
the visitors...
Many visitors are just curious, having heard much or nothing of the park.
Others show a mild interest; yet others savour the relaxed peace. Seldom
are there visitors who remain totally oblivious to the wild beauty although
modern life does appear to have taken its toll on many of the younger
visitors. This saddens me but the process of education and awareness is
ongoing and I know that I can can contribute to the process. I enjoy the
process of educating, of bringing awareness because I love the balance
that nature gives to the craziness of life today.
Her determination...
My contribution may be a small step but at least it is a right step towards
building a better understanding of wildlife next door. Life could get
crazier but as long as Sungei Buloh remains untouched, I will still continue
as a volunteer nature guide—for the birds and the mangroves, if for
nothing else. And I think these are more than reason enough.
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WETlands