总理来了,城市里的花园启动了: FOBP - City of garden and water

Prime Minister Official Launch of Bishan-Ang Mo Kio Park (2012)

 

The City of garden and water was officially launched

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said :

“ By the places where we grew up, the memories we have, we must forge new memories and strengthen our emotional ties. “

just Quietly watch the following Memorable and beautiful 5 minutes of video footage, from the video you can feel that :

" as long as you are willing to slow your step, careful attention to the scene around you, you will find there are many simple lifes styles and beautiful scenery....."

       

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CsLgSwtAk9Q - 城市里的花园和水 - City of garden and water

You are welcome to join FOBP-. Perhaps one day you could become a Park
ambassador /Guides, which will bring you a totally different perspective and feelings;
Because in the city of garden and water, to explore the knowledge of the nature
ecololgy,plant gardens and streamsof water resources, you can enjoy the fresh air , to know
like minded friends, and may even include a nature-loving travelers from oveaseas friends.

 

Links to Facebook and remember to click i like : www.facebook.com/ilovekrbp  , Many interesting activities waiting for you

Click the Links to join FOBP : https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/embeddedform?formkey=dFZPdHZjMEg5OEhYaXQ5TTFkNEpXVHc6MA

李总理来了，城市里的花园正式启动了..........

李显龙总理说： 这是我们生活、成长、创造新回忆、加强情感联系的地方.......

静静观赏5分钟Video录像画面 ,它就像我们平凡生活中,总偶尔会有的美丽情景,只要你不行色匆匆,只要你愿意停下脚步,细心注意你周围一景一物的话,你就会发觉生命中有许多小小的 简单的人与景物,值得你去留住的美好记忆与悠闲的感觉.

 欢迎你走进这里，加入FOBP ，与我们共同融入"城市里的花园和水".......

Features and Amenities – Biodiversity - (Bishan-AMK Park)

                              Features and Amenities –  Biodiversity (Bishan-AMK Park)

  

骑车风雨中 ------ 写给FOBP公园之友的伙伴们

骑车风雨中 ------ 写给FOBP公园之友的伙伴们

每一次提笔时，又是一种心情记录的开始。。。。

今天原本阳光灿烂的，突然就哗哗啦啦的下起雨来 ,Derek短信说阴云密布,还有雷声阵阵，或许我们今天骑车自由行就成了休止符……但我心里想阳光总在风雨后，一刻钟以后天气果然晴朗了，因为这场及时雨，我们一伙都有了天凉好个秋的舒畅感觉。

因为喜欢阳光和大自然, 所以我们骑车相聚；因为喜欢这条浅浅的河道, 所以我们开始盼望未来的12 个月。

玉冰说她从西安来，我想起秦始皇和兵马俑，去年筹划“兵马俑与秦文化”导览员训练时, 着实不小心沉重了2000多年；而这个翠绿朴实的公园没有千年的历史,只有花鸟树木与细水长流的溪径, 我们这群伙伴想法很简单，就是走入自然气息的园林中,或漫步 或骑车 都可以是写意的风景和点缀....

衍德Alwyn 说他在美国成长，老爸要他回新加坡国民服役，能说相当不错的华语也确实难得，我告诉他保持几千年中华文化的归属是很珍贵的附加价值；当我们周围仅仅只有450万英语气氛的时候，中文将是你另一种独特的文化象征；应该自豪于你的母语和文化, 别忘了13亿，每回我在上海深圳北京穿梭的时候，就能感受到这种巨大数量的差异, 身居南太平洋的小岛国,许多人往往忽略了这个全世界都在注意的中华焦点,无论是经济,文化,艺术 与 新思维的突破与转变。

我知道Kong kin有一种活跃的心态，除了刚刚经历了漫长59公里的脚踏车旅程，他也喜欢在缓缓的溪流划桨中渡过美好的日子,我为他这种积极阳光的精神感到鼓舞。。。。

LingJun 说大部分时间窝在国大宿舍，如果一个月几回阳光在公园里漫步 ,那将会是另一种写意的健康。

在公园溪流进行大使活动时，当我们懂得尝试多做深呼吸，大约60%的二氧化碳就会派出体外，另外40% 就靠运动出汗，而简单的步行只是 1万步，身体就会微微出汗。二氧化碳CO2 在身体一多，就会呈现酸性,人的气血循环缓慢,活力下降, 身体也就病态丛生。

从事公园大使活动,好处不少吧 :-）,但这不仅只是社区服务的概念,更重要的理念是 :  3E (Enjoy , Educate , Encourage)

享受(Enjoy):  当你自己懂得享受阳光灿烂,凉风习习的感觉,你才能真正从心里与人分享走近大自然的感受。
教育(Eduacte): 当你了解保持园林干净和维护水资源的重要性,传播教育大众就是一件有意义的使命。

鼓励(Encourage)：当你喜欢走进这个岛国的湖畔,蓄水池与公园,你就会积极鼓励自然的美好，鼓励更多人加入这个富有阳光气息的大使团队.

近黄昏时，我们目睹公园有2只小白鹭(Little Egret)飞翔停驻小溪边，另一只同伴也尾随其中,那是一种美丽的相随; Michael 拿起相机设法捕捉镜头，Derek,永辉 说不远处也有另一种浪漫，因为一对

情侣在风雨中的球场边缘相互撑伞。。。这就是人与飞禽相对映的美丽情景………



也有人从老远的Potong Pasir步行到这个公园，我们也幸运的认识了。。。我相信还会有更多爱好大自然的人继续走进这个公园之友的团队中，像今天Yi ming和Alwyn 的加入 .

人生虽然总有许多事会徒劳无功，但只要坚持，只要不灰心 ,只要有一次你做对，你就海阔天空了……

还有一个重要的就是过程，所以今天我们一起轻车风雨中，就是一种过程，在这样风雨轻飘中的黄昏以后，我们将会有更多灿烂的明天。。。

入夜过桥了, 当你走进这个城市里的公园，你会开始喜欢上这里灯火点点的浪漫气氛的............



                Bishan Park - Amenities and Facilities

Bishan Park Amenities and Facilities

At 62 hectares, Bishan Park, with its ponds and bridges, colourful shrubs and lush greenery, is one of the largest and most popular parks in Singapore. Divided by Marymount Road into two plots, Pond Gardens (formerly Bishan Park 1) and River Plains (formerly Bishan Park 2), the rejuvenated Bishan Park has a natural river that flows through it. The park caters to park users of all ages with exciting features including three exciting playgrounds, a community garden, a vantage point on a hill that gives one a landmark view of the park, and a Riverside Gallery.

A Natural River

One of the main highlights of the park is the transformation of the stretch of the Kallang River that used to run in a concrete canal along the park edges into a naturalised and meandering river teeming with life.

Restored and reshaped from a 2.7 kilometre-long concretised canal, the river will bring park users closer to the water so that they can enjoy its beauty and serenity, and also appreciate the flora and fauna that have flourished in the park because of the waterway. Park visitors can choose to head towards the river and stroll along the water’s edge during dry weather, when the water flow is confined to a narrow stream in the middle of the river.

The meandering river that flows through the park is the result of a joint collaboration between National Parks Board (NParks) and PUB, under the Active, Beautiful and Clean Waters (ABC Waters) Programme.

The canal was transformed into a river using a series of bioengineering techniques, which involved using a combination of natural materials such as vegetation and rocks, and civil engineering techniques to stabilise the slope and control soil erosion.

To maintain the water quality in the ponds and river without the use of any chemicals, a cleansing biotope is used. The cleansing biotope, which is located in Pond Gardens, consists of carefully selected plants which help to cleanse the water by filtering pollutants and absorbing nutrients before returning it to the ponds and the water playground.

Park Amenities and Facilities

Bishan Park has a range of facilities to cater to the diverse needs of all park visitors.

Children will certainly enjoy the three playgrounds in the park, each with a distinctive theme – the Water Playground, Adventure Playground and Bubble Playground. The Adventure Playground has a range of climbing facilities for active teenagers who enjoy a challenge in climbing.

The Water Playground, which helps children appreciate and value water through interacting with it, is suitable for those who love getting wet. Younger children will be fascinated with the rubber mounds that seem to peek out of the sand-filled Bubble Playground.

Those who wish to get a landmark viewpoint of the park can head to Recycle Hill which is located in River Plains. When works began to transform the canal to a naturalised river, theconcrete from the canal was cut into slabs and stacked to form Recycle Hill. This was a deliberate effort to preserve a part of the park’s history and to reuse the concrete in a creative and meaningful way.

  

Pond Garden	River Plains
Water playground *	Bubble playground *
Adventure playground *	Foot reflexology area
Lotus Garden	Dog run area
Information Point	Recycle Hill  *
Cleansing biotope*	Community garden
Fitness corner	Fitness corner
Open fields / event lawns	Riverside Gallery
Restrooms	Open fields / event lawns
Car park – along Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1* and Sin Ming Avenue	Health and wellness centres
	Cafes / restaurants
	Restrooms
	Car park – along Ang Mo Kio Avenue 1

* Indicates that the feature is new.

Event Spaces

There are several lawns and open spaces interspersed throughout Bishan Park which are available to the public for booking.

The three event lawns in Pond Gardens have a combined area of more than 28,000 square metres while the combined area of the four event lawns in River Plains add up to more than 40,000 square metres.

Activities in the Park

Visitors at Bishan Park can choose to engage in a variety of activities such as foot reflexology, kite flying, jogging, tai chi, soccer, photography, picnicking, dining at one of the F&B outlets, or bringing their dogs to the dog run area.

Biodiversity in the Park

Bishan Park is a haven for biodiversity. Park visitors can look out for a variety of flora and fauna species, including Wild Maracuja (Stinking Passionflower), Basil, Bladder Cherry, the Scaly Breasted Munia (Lonchura punctulata), Purple Heron (Ardea purpurea), Little Egret (Egretta garzetta), Variable Wisp (Agriocnemis femina), Common Scarlet (Crocothemis servilia), and the Peacock Pansy (Junonia almana).

Commercial establishments

There are a variety of food and beverage outlets and health and wellness centres that operate within Bishan Park.

Safty features in Pond Gardens (Park 1)

Safety comes first

A river monitoring and warning system with water level sensors, warning lights, sirens and audio announcements are in place to provide early warning in the event of impending heavy rain or rising water levels. Warning signs, red markers and life buoys have also been put up along the river.

The river monitoring system will trigger warning lights as well as the siren and audio announcements at safety nodes, to alert the park users to move out of the river beyond the red markers in the event of impending heavy rain or rising water levels. In addition, there are safety lines with buoys at selected locations across the river, as well as CCTVs and a round the clock patrol surveillance team.

For their own safety, park users should take care while enjoying the river, and pay attention to these warnings to move out of the river accordingly.  

Safty features in River Plains (Park 2) 

Creating a natural river using soil bioengineering

A combination of vegetation, natural materials such as rocks, and civil engineering techniques has been applied to transform a concrete canal into a natural river at this park.

Termed soil bioengineering, these techniques help to stabilise the river banks and protect them from erosion. They also form natural habitats that encourage wildlife species to settle and multiply.

A test bed was successfully carried out in 2009 to test out approximately 10 techniques in the nation’s tropical climate. Seven of these techniques were eventually applied along the main river.

(a) Fascines

Fascines are bundles of young shoots tied together and placed at the foot of the slope to prevent erosion

(b) Rip-rap with cuttings

These are rocks placed along the banks with shootforming branches inserted between them.

(c) Geotextile wrapped soil-lifts

These are alternating layers of shoot forming branches and permeable fabric filled with soil. 

(d) Brush mattress with fascines

Brush mattresses are thick mats of cuttings constructed using plants. Fascines are placed at the foot of the slope.

(e) Reed rolls

These are geotextile fabrics that are planted with vegetation and soil and secured using wood stakes. 

(f) Gabions

These are structurally-stable steel wire baskets filled with rocks. They are stacked on top of one another to provide instant erosion control and river bank protection.  

(g) Geotextile with plantings

Commonly used for erosion control purposes, plantings are covered by a permeable fabric. These are applied further inland.

City of garden and water (城市里的花园和水) 

The natural ecology of Bishan Park -碧山公园-自然生态

Why A Naturalized River brings in Biodiversity？为什么自然溪流带来多样性生物 ？

Moving from the old concrete canal to a newly naturalized river, new habitats are created. Long grasslands and a new waterway attract a wide variety of birds and insects. A whole new ecosystem has been created. Many species of wildflowers have self-sowned along the banks and attract a whole range of other biodiversity. ABC waterways project (Kallang River Bishan Park) aims to introduce a more natural system in urban areas so that residents and visitors can enjoy new leisure activities. They can get to get close to nature, and learn how to co-exist together in a shared green space.

Purpose of Wild flowers in Bishan 

Along either side of the river bank, many water loving wildflowers have taken root and established themselves in this unique environment. Wildflowers give the landscape a new variation of color and texture, something unique to bishan park. There are a wide variety of wildfowers that not only gives us aesthetically beautiful and charming flowers, they also provide seeds and fruits for the birds to feed on.

Wildflowers with Edible Fruits 野花与食用水果

Wild Maracuja or Stinking Passion flower

Wild Maracuja is a creeper that has thin and wiry stems. When the leaves are crushed, it gives off an odour that is unpleasant to come people, thus being called ‘stinking passion flower’ in some countries.

Commonly found in kampongs back in the old days. The flowers of the wild maracuja are unique and beautiful. Edible sweet yellowish-orange fruits with black seeds that are encapsulated within a feathery wrap. The fruits are also keys sources of food to the birds and  small mammels.

Bladder Cherry 膀胱樱桃

Balloon-like structures are formed by the sepals (the outermost layer of a flower). Small, yellow, juicy berries develop within the balloons and are rich in Vitamin C. The berries can be found in local supermarkets and are often preserved in sugar and used for decoration on cakes. This species has very good resistance to insect pests and diseases.

野菜  Edible Herbs

Basil  蓬蒿

This herb is popular in Thai cuisine and is good for tomato dishes. It is also used to make pesto for pasta. Inhaling the vapours of sweet basil tea is thought to reduce fever. The leaves are used to relieve excess gas and treat coughs. Thai basil is also considered to be an auspicious plant for prayers in some religions. Here in Bishan Park, two kinds of basil can be found.  Sweet basil (green stemmed) and Thai basil (purple stemmed) can often be found along the river banks.

Red Sessil  紫红色的叶子

Dark reddish purple leaves provide colour contrast in mostly green landscapes. This cultivar is planted as a border or groundcover. Ideal for damp soils or humid environments, such as pond edges or terrariums. Tea prepared from the leaves is thought to improve blood circulation and reduce high blood sugar and cholesterol. The leaves may be consumed as a vegetable.

WildFlowers  野花系列 

Stylo Townsville 柱花草汤斯

Tolerant of saline soils and soils contaminated with heavy metals. Can be used as a groundcover that helps to reduce soil erosion. Planted to improve nutrient poor soils, because it is a nitrogen-fixing legume that adds nitrogen to the soil. In Australia, this species is grown as pasture to feed goats,sheep and cattle and is also used to make hay. Planted as a cover crop to prevent weeds from growing in agricultural fields.

Mexican Petunia  墨西哥矮牵牛

Produces pink or purple, trumpet-shaped flowers that provide nectar for bees and butterflies. Fast growing species that tolerates a wide range of light and soil moisture conditions. Often used in landscaping, because it grows well in many types of environments and has large flowers. Used in phytoremediation to cleanse water by removing excess nutrients, like nitrogen and phosphate.

Kang kong 甘弓

Leaves are rich in iron. They are usually stir-fried and found in popular dishes such as Sambal Kangkong. Consumption of leaf extract helps to reduce blood sugar and may benefit diabetic patients. This species accumulates heavy metals, such as lead, cadmium and mercury and can be used in phytoremediation to cleanse polluted soils. This species tends to grow aggressively. It can choke waterways and is a potential tripping hazard for people.

Red Fox 红狐

The red fox is a tropical plant that is well known for its vivid colors. It is a branching annual with oval leaves that contain a multitude of tiny flowers that are densely packed into beautifully colored flower heads. These are commonly sold at plant nurseries during Chinese New Year and can be used cut or dried.

Water Birds 水禽

With the naturalised river, water birds are more commonly seen nesting and feeding in Bishan Park. 

Purple Heron苍鹭

The purple heron is the most colorful heron at Bishan Park. Its purplish plumage provides the perfect camouflage in the grasses and reeds. They don’t often wade in deep waters, but prefer to stand motionless in shallow waters to wait for fishes and insects to come by. These 1m tall birds are solitary hunters who hunt at night and in the early mornings The purple herons nest in small colonies in dense reed beds and thick vegetation, mostly in the Central Nature Reserve and costal mangroves. They come to Bishan Park to feed in the day. In Bishan Park, there are more than 5 individuals that are always found fishing and circling in the sky. That is a good number for a short 3 km of naturalized river.

Black Crowned Night Heron 黑冠夜鹭 

Black Herons are a rare sight in Bishan but they are becoming more and more commonly seen in the naturalized river. Night Herons do not fit the typical body form of the heron family; they are stocky with shorter bills, legs and neck. They are often seen hunched up at the fringes of the river islands in the midst of the thick vegetation. Their short necks and white plumes erects when greeting other birds and during courtship. They nest in colonies and often in Singapore with other birds like the striated herons or purple herons.  Cool fact: Young night herons often disgorge their stomach contents when disturbed, making it easy to study their diet.

White-breasted Waterhen  白胸水禽   

They are often heard before they are seen. Malays have named them Ruak Ruak after their loud calls. In Bishan Park, they are most often seen running around the hibiscus bushes along the river at the test reach. There is a family of waterhens nesting in the Lotus ponds and you can often see the chicks playing on the lotus leaves. The chicks are fluffy and black. They feed on seeds and insects and have a chicken like pecking movement when scouring the low bushes for food. They are interesting birds to observe.

Little Egret 小白鹭  

Little Egrets are the most common egrets of Singapore. It has a black bill, black legs and yellow feet. Easily spotted along the river waiting for prey or ‘dancing’ around chasing fishes along the banks

Seed Feeding Birds  种子饲养禽鸟 

With the long knee length grasses found along the 3km stretch of river. Wildflowers in bloom often provide a wide variety of seeds and fruits that attracts seed feeding and grass birds. 
Scaly Breasted Munia  鳞屑文鸟

Scaly Breasted Munias are one of the most common munias in Singapore. They can be found in large flocks of more than 50 birds in Bishan Park throughout the whole 3km of waterways. Munias specializes in feeding on grass seeds and sedges and love foraging the tall grasses. Often, the rarely seen black headed and white headed munias can be spotted in the midst of their flocks. They are agile little birds which can be often mistaken for the common Eurasian sparrow from far. The young are playful and can be seen hanging off sideways and upside down on reeds.

Paddyfield Pipit  稻田鹨

A small brown streaked bird with an upright posture seen on short grass areas. Seen foraging seeds and hunting insects on carpet grasses on either banks of the river.

Dragonflies and Damselflies  蜻蜓和豆娘

Common Scarlet  常见猩红

The Common Scarlet is the largest red dragonfly in Singapore and can be found in large numbers along Bishan Park. This species is also the first to colonize the Bishan Park waterways. The males are a deep scarlet red and the females are brownish yellow. On good sunny days, lots of them can be seen flying around the river.

Common Chaser  常见猎蜓

Yellow-tailed Ashy Skimmers can be found in habitats with standing and slow flowing waters. They usually perch in high areas while preying and appear near body of water to mate and lay eggs during bright hot afternoon and disappear after that.

Common Bluetail   常见蓝尾蜓

The Common Bluetail is common in our nature reserves and widespread throughout the country.

This tiny damselfly is the first damselfly to colonise Bishan park. It can be found perched on the

vegetation adjacent to the water

Variable Wisp 变幻精灵

The color of this damselfly changes with maturity. Its colors ranges from white, to pale blue to

orange. It is the smallest species of damselfly in Bishan Park. They are usually found perched on low

Grasses  草

Exotic Species and Why they Harm the Ecosystem

Exotic species reproduce at an alarming rate and will outcompete their native counterparts for food and shelter. Native species of animals are much more vulnerable to alien predators because they have been thriving without the introduced species prior to the latter’s entry into the

habitat. Coupled by a slow reproductive rate that was sufficient to maintain the species, alien

predators can wipe out native species extremely effectively.

Fish 鱼    

Spotted Tilapia  斑点罗非鱼  

The spotted tilapia is one of the most invasive exotic fishes in our waterways. Here in Bishan Park,

the Kallang River is home to a big school of tilapia. The abundance of hiding spaces between the rocks and boulders are ideal for the fish nurseries. A pair of spotted tilapia will bond well in advance before mating and remain together to care for their young. They are reported to be monogamous.

In Singapore, the spotted tilapia has overrun it environment to the point of being highly invasive. These semi-aggressive fishes are usually the dorminant fish in our pond and canal systems and have the potential to affect other introduced native fish Tilapias are an important source of protein in South East Asia. Typically, commercially raised tilapias (red tilapia) can be found in our supermarkets/wet markets.

Mosquito Fish   食蚊鱼

Introduced into ponds and other water bodies, mosquito fishes highly adaptable to their

environments and are small enough to get into small pockets of water and feed on mosquito larvae. They are small and dulled colored, thus not valued for their aesthetic and ornamental value. They reproduce at a rapid rate and are found through small pockets of the Kallang River at Bishan Park. 

American Bullfrog  美国牛蛙 

This is the largest frog in Singapore. However, it is not native. Commercially bred for food (frog leg) and religious offerings, people have been introducing them into our waterways by releasing large numbers during festivals like Vesak day.

American Bullfrogs are highly invasive and has created devastating effects in the ecosystem by outcompeting with fish and other frogs for nesting grounds and food. They eat a great variety of food, which includes anything they can swallow from other frogs, fishes, small birds and even their own kind.  A female bullfrog can lay up to 20,000 eggs each time and have multiple clutches each year in a suitable environment. At this breeding rate, they can easily outcompete out native species. At night you can hear a low baritone moo-ing from the waterways. This is the distinctive call by the bullfrog, hence its name.

Giant Apple Snails  福寿螺

These usually found in aquarium shops. These appear to have yellow shells, but those found in the wild usually have a shell with a more brownish-green coloring due to the algae and food consumed.  They lay their eggs on boulders and leaves above the waterline in bright pink clutches. These eggs are soft and have a milky color when laid, but they harden within hours. They hatches after 2-4 weeks, the baby snails eat their way out and drop into the water. Many fishes like the tilapia eats these small baby snails.  The apple snails not only have gills, they have the ability to bread air in combination with a shell door and can survive periods of droughts by burring themselves in the substrate with their shell firmly closed.  

The naturalized river has provided an ideal habitat for snails to feed on detritus and lay eggs on the side on the vegetated banks, thus, numbers are very large here at Bishan Park and we need to clearthem when the population has exploded. They can grow as large as fist sized.