Happy Earth Day!

Today is Earth Day!  Most of you who read this blog are already active and concerned for the environment.  Thank you for all your efforts! 

But I’ll bet there is still that project or two that’s been nagging at the back of your brain.  Make this weekend your weekend to get it done:

·    Start that compost bin.  It’s really not that difficult, and it can provide great exercise.  Visit  TrEES' Going Green Pages  for more tips on how to get it done.

·    Plant a native tree. I know it’s not always easy to find a place, there’s little space left in the urban areas for greenery, but you can do it!  I’ve got to get my sapling in the ground, too.

·    Fix that leaking tap.  The drip, drip, drip has been annoying you for weeks now.

·    Reduce your air-con usage.  Try to bring your aircon up one or 2 degrees.  Try to reduce the number of hours you use the air con in one day.  This will save you a bundle of cash, too, when you have to pay your next electric bill!

·    Put that reusable Tupperware & cloth bag in your car so it’s ready for use anytime….and don’t be shy to use it.

·    Make a day trip to one of the many beautiful sites at Taman Negeri Selangor, instead of the shopping mall this weekend!  A picnic by the river makes for a  wonderful family experience.  There's a whole list of sites to visit on this blog:  Recreation Sites In & Around the Park

Earth Day is a celebration of the wonderful things the Earth provides us with – water, oxygen, plants and animals, and so much more.  Let’s all celebrate and give thanks!  

Sungai Sendat Waterfalls - A Mini Adventure Close to Home

It's time to get out of the house and away from the shopping malls!

For an easy, mini-adventure, that is not too far from home, visit the Sungai Sendat Waterfalls, just outside of Ulu Yam town. 

Sg. Sendat is a lovely place for a day-trip and picnic.  It is a beautiful, 3-tier waterfall.  The recreation site is small and simple, but a fun and easy escape from the usual city grind.  While photographs and picnics can be enjoyed at the top levels of the waterfall, it is advisable to keep your swimming to bottom level of the waterfall only.  The top 2 pools look quite harmless, but after reading feedback and media reports, it would seem not.  The top 2 tiers of the waterfall can have strong undercurrents.  According to reports, people have drowned or nearly drowned due to the undercurrent's pull.

Access is quite easy now, as the Forestry Department of Selangor has been fixing up the site.  Toilets, changing area, as well as a natural trail are all under way by the Department.  There is a small entrance fee, to subsidize the cost to keep the area clean, about RM1 per adult.  But compared to the cost of a movie, or parking at KLCC, that's a very reasonable fee.

Sg. Sendat recreation site is located about 30 minutes drive from Batu Caves, heading past the Batu Dam, and Forest Recreation Sites of Sg. Tua.    From Batu Caves, you follow the road to Ulu Yam, drive past the Batu Dam, along Jalan Sg. Tua, past the many recreation sites of Sg. Tua, Taman Negeri Selangor, past the eco-resorts and small housing developments.  At the end of Jalan Sg. Tua, there is a clear signboard clearly stating 'Ulu Yam Baru (left), Genting Highlands (left) and Sg. Sendat (right)'.  Follow that small dirt road until the end.  You can now drive right to the entrance of Sg. Sendat Recreation site.

LOVE and care for Taman Warisan Negeri Selangor - keep it clean.  BRING YOUR RUBBISH HOME WITH YOU.

GPS Coordinates:

3°24'12.6"N 101°41'00.9"E

(Hutan Lipur Sungai Sendat)

Want to read another article about Sungai Sendat Waterfalls:

bongkitandwrite.blogspot.my

Historical Day for Forest Conservation in Selangor

This is NOT an April Fools Joke!!

Yesterday, 31 March 2011 was a historical day for forest conservation in Selangor & Malaysia.  The Selangor State Assembly, lead by YB Elizabeth Wong, amended the State Forestry Act to increase protection to all Forest Reserve in the state.

The amendment requires that before any degazetment of a Forest Reserve in Selangor, there MUST first be  a public inquiry.  

This is an important victory for the environment, especially in the International Year of the Forest 2011.  However, it does not mean that we, as concerned communities and individuals, can relax.  We must keep up our support for policies that protect the environment, and ensure the policies are fully implemented on-the-ground.  And we must show our disappointment for policies and activities that harm our environment. 

Forests like Taman Negeri Selangor provide us with so many services that build our economy and our quality of life, and they provide it for FREE.  It is up to us to ensure these forests remain intact.

Below is the press statement issued by YB Elizabeth's office.  Read it and smile!  :-)

31 MAC 2011

SIARAN MEDIA

KERAJAAN NEGERI SELANGOR MENCIPTA SEJARAH DENGAN PINDAAN SEKSYEN 11 ENAKMEN (PEMAKAIAN) AKTA PERHUTANAN NEGARA 1985

SHAH ALAM, 31 MAC 2011--Kerajaan Negeri Selangor pada hari ini meminda seksyen 11 Enakmen (Pemakaian) Akta Perhutanan Negara 1985 dalam Dewan Negeri Selangor.

Pindaan yang bersejarah ini diluluskan di dalam Dewan Negeri Selangor dan mewajibkan siasatan awam dibuat sebelum mana-mana kawasan Hutan Simpan Kekal (HSK)  diwartakan keluar. Ini bertujuan untuk memastikan ketelusan dalam usaha penjagaan kawasan hutan di negeri Selangor, yang merupakan negeri yang pertama di Malaysia untuk membuat pindaan yang progresif ini.

Rang undang-undang pindaan tersebut dibentang oleh YB Elizabeth Wong selaku EXCO Pelancongan, Hal Ehwal Pengguna dan Alam Sekitar dan diluluskan oleh ahli-ahli Dewan Negeri Selangor.

"Peranan kawasan Hutan Simpanan Kekal dalam memberi perkhidmatan tak ternilai atau  intangible bagi menjamin kestabilan alam sekitar dari aspek sumber bekalan air bersih, kualiti udara  bersih, kawalan banjir dan hakisan tanah, pemeliharaan biodiversiti, penyah karbon dioksida yang paling berkesan di samping membekalkan kayu-kayan, tumbuhan
perubatan, herba, rotan, sumber protein dan sebagainya semakin penting di era globalisasi kini," kata Wong dalam ucapan beliau.

Mengikut beliau, Kerajaan Negeri Selangor ingin mewajibkan penyiasatan awam sebelum Hutan Simpan Kekal diwartakan keluar untuk membolehkan rakyat, khususnya penduduk Selangor, untuk memberi ulasan serta cadangan bagi melindungi kawasan hutan simpan kekal yang sentiasa menghadapi tekanan pembangunan terutamanya di kawasan-kawasan maju yang menjadi tumpuan ekonomi.

"Dari 2000-2007 beribu-ribu hektar kawasan HSK telah diwarta keluar tanpa pengetahuan orang awam," kata Wong. "Misalnya, beberapa tahun yang lalu, Hutan Simpan Kota Damansara diberimilik untuk dijadikan kawasan perumahan mewah. Hanya bila Pakatan Rakyat mengambil alih pentadbiran negeri Selangor, pemberimilikan itu dibatalkan."

Sesi pendengaran awam akan diiklankan atas papan tanda dan juga suratkhabar dengan awal untuk memastikan penduduk dan juga badan-badan bukan kerajaan (NGO) untuk memberi pandangan mereka.

Pindaan Seksyen 11 yang dibuat adalah seperti berikut:

Pihak Berkuasa Negeri, jika berpuas hati bahawa mana-mana kawasan tanah dalam hutan simpanan kekal:
(a)    tidak lagi diperlukan bagi maksud yang mana ia dikelaskan di bawah seksyen 10; dan
(b)    diperlukan bagi kegunaan ekonomi yang lebih tinggi daripada kegunaan yang sedang dilakukan sekarang, boleh mengeluarkan kawasan tanah itu daripada hutan simpanan kekal dengan syarat tanah tersebut hanya boleh dikeluarkan setelah diadakan penyiasatan awam sebagaimana yang ditetapkan oleh Pihak Berkuasa Negeri."

Di bawah Perkara 74(2) Perlembagaan Malaysia, perhutanan adalah di bawah kuasa Kerajaan Negeri. Oleh yang demikian, setiap negeri berkuasa untuk menggubal undang-undang di sektor perhutanan dan mengadakan dasar perhutanan sendiri.

Wong juga mengucapkan terima kasih pihak Jabatan Perhutanan Negeri Selangor (JPNS) atas usaha mereka dalam menjayakan pindaan ini.

Untuk maklumat lanjut, sila hubungi Brian Yap (pegawaikhas@gmail.com)

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