Residents Speak Up for the Park

This past Thursday, 21 October, over 200 residents, concerned youth and reps from NGOs attended the public hearing to voice their concerns about the plans in the Draft Local Plan for Ampang Jaya - not a bad turnout for a working day!

All of the residents and NGOs expressed their intense objections to the KL Outer Ring Road cutting through  Taman Negeri Selangor and the increasing development pressures on the Park, particularly the Klang Gates Quartz Ridge.

Some of those who attended pose for a photo
with posters objecting to the KLORR

There were a number of other proposals that the residents and NGOs strongly objected to including:

• a proposed incinerator
• TNB high tension wires planned along a steep hill and near housing in Tmn Bkt Segar Jaya area
• continued development plans on the steep, sensitive slopes of the entire Ampang area
• the intensity of new housing and other developments that are destroying the greenery and overall quality of life throughout the areas of Ampang
• the increasing human-wildlife "conflicts" due to the lack of green space and conversion of green spaces to development, leaving no room for the wildlife
• increasing developments along river reserves
• the extremely small amount of green-recreational space (less than 5%) throughout the Ampang area

Chairman of the hearing En. Iskandar Abdul Samad (State Exco) said that the objections would be discussed at the State Planning Committee in December.

Many thanks must be given to the residents, young people and NGO groups that took the time to attend the hearing and speak up for the Park, the environment and our overall quality of life.  Many thanks must also be given to everyone who wrote in objections earlier this year, again, calling for the better protection of the Selangor State Park and the environment in general.  Thanks must also be given to the government for hearing us.  Now we must see if they ACT on our concerns.  

Read more about what happened during the hearing on  Malaysiakini's Komunitikini  and The Star Metro

Taman Negeri Selangor Needs YOU to Take Action!

Taman Negeri Selangor needs YOU to take action!  A public hearing will be held on 21 October relating to the Ampang Jaya Draft Structure Plans that came out at the end of 2009. 

In the Draft Plan, the alignment of the KL Outer Ring Road was shown to cut through the centre of the Klang Gates Quartz Ridge, and bisect the length of the Ampang Forest Reserve - both of which are critical habitats of the Park.   For more details click here

Putting a major highway through the middle of environmentally sensitive areas, critical to water supply and recently gazetted as a 'state park' seems to be an extreme contradiction in planning.

This is your chance to speak up for the Park.  Details of the hearing are as follows:

Thursday, 21 October 2010
9 - 11.30 am (session 1)
Auditorium, 5th Floor, Menara MPAJ
MPAJ

The reply form is below, IF you wish to fax to MPAJ your attendance.  Let's all speak up to keep this important forest intact - for the security of our quality of life.

Fieldtrip fun to Sg. Tua

A bus load of students from SK Tun Abdul Razak, Kuala Kubu Baru had an amazing experience at Sg. Tua Recreation Forest on Tuesday, 15 October, under TrEES School Programme.

The good time included discovering amazing things in the forest while jungle trekking, finding small creatures such as prawns and crabs to test the stream ecology and a refreshing swim in Sg. Tua.


Many thanks to the students and teachers of SK TAR.  Thank you to Yayasan Bursa for sponsoring the activity.  Thank you to the Forestry Department and LUAS for running excellent activities during trip!

Fieldtrip fun to Sg. Tekala

They're at it again!  The final batch of schools participating in TrEES' Connecting Schools to Taman Negeri Selangor Programme are having a fantastic time experiencing the wonders of the Park through the fieldtrips, sponsored by CIMB Foundation!

After a lot of hard work spreading the message of the importance of Taman Negeri Selangor, the student project teams are able to enjoy the beauty of the Park!  Students on today's trip were from SMK Putrajaya Precinct 16(1) and SMK PP 11(2), SMK Taman Melawati and Wangsa Melawati.

Activities included a 2 hour jungle trek, stream ecology and river swim.  The rain didn't deter any of the students from having a great time.  In fact, many of the students seem to really enjoy hiking and wading in the river, in the rain!

This Thursday will see the final batch of schools under the programme enjoy their fieldtrip - SMK PP11(1), SMK PP 9(2), SMK BUD3 and SMK Section 18.

Many thanks to the programme partners - the Selangor Forestry Department, Lembaga Urus Air Selangor (LUAS), and to the funders, CIMB Foundation Community Links Programme.

And many thanks to the students, teachers and schools for all their hard work and dedication.

 

Site of the Month - Sungai Tekala Recreation Forest

Sungai Tekala Recreation Forest is a charming picnic spot located at the southern most end of the Park, near the Semenyih Dam, in Hulu Langat.  The site is famous for the lovely river, Sungai Tekala, that flows through the site, and for the magnificent forest that surrounds it.   (see also recreation sites in & around the Park )

The river itself is rough in some places, with a few small falls and pools. But there is also a large area where the river flattens out and makes for a very gentle, shallow swimming area - making it a perfect location for family outings.

The forests within Sg. Tekala Recreation Forest are beautiful, with some magnificent old growth trees including Jelutong, Chengal and other individuals, some that are well over 100 years old!  In 2003 there was an exciting addition to science with the discovery of a new stream-side adapted dipterocarp tree species Vatica yeechongii found growing in the Sg. Tekala Recreation Forest area.

The site is managed by the Selangor Forestry Department.  They do a very good job keeping the area clean - especially given Malaysian's bad littering habit!  The site also has basic changing and toilet facilities.

There is a small auditorium and forest species garden plot, available only for pre-arranged group visits, that makes the site an excellent place for school fieldtrips.  Treat Every Environment Special (TrEES), together with the Forestry Department, has run over 20 fieldtrips at Sg. Tekala over the past few years, with the schools that participate in TrEES' Taman Negeri Selangor School Programme.

The Sg. Tekala Recreation Forest is open everyday to the public.  Weekends and public holidays the site can get very crowded.  There is a small admission fee, to help maintain the cleanliness of the area.  For more information on visiting the site, contact the Selangor Forestry Department.  For more information on the school programme, contact Treat Every Environment Special (TrEES).

So the next time you want a family outing, skip the shopping mall and take a drive to Sg. Tekala Recreation Forest, Taman Negeri Selangor, and experience your living heritage!

GPS Coordinates:

3°03'31.9"N 101°52'22.2"E

Want to read more about Sg. Tekala Recreation Forest:
safiansaidi.blogspot.my - TWNS Sg Tekala