The MNS Secretariat premises at Jalan Kelantan has been inaugurated by the KSN Tan Sri Abdul Halim Ali on 27 February 1999. In conjunction with the inauguration of the premises, an open week is also being held from 1– 6 March 1999. Work has started to mark a Bukit Persekutuan Nature Heritage Trail starting at MNS premises to Jalan Travers. We have also unveiled plans for an Urban Nature Education Centre which is proposed to be housed in the annex. These two nature features will add a distinctive character to urban Kuala Lumpur, and more importantly contribute to entrenching the conservation of Bukit Persekutuan.
      The Secretariat extends an open invitation to all members to visit the Jalan Kelantan premises at your convenience and leisure. The Secretariat exists to serve the membership and a visit from the membership will always be treasured.
      The Secretariat also welcomes the following new staff: Juliana Low as Public Relations Executive, and Janice Lim as Accounts Officer.

Weekend Opening

      In line with serving the membership better, we are planning to start a trial period of weekend openings from 9.00 a.m. to 1.00 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays except public holidays. The weekend opening is to service membership applications and sale of selected souvenir items. The trial period will start on 6th March 1999 and will run for 2 months after which we will iron out the teething problems, evaluate and finalise the opening periods. The office will be manned by one Secretariat staff and one volunteer from Selangor Branch during these periods.

Environmental Events

      The Secretariat plans to participate in two key environmental events this year, namely the World Environment Day (5 June) and the Malaysian Environment Week (21-27 October).  We will post more details when the plans are finalised. All branches are also encouraged to celebrate these two environmental events in your respective branches or as part of the Secretariat events.

Response Time To Queries

      The Secretariat is continuously striving to improve its services to the membership and the projects undertaken by the staff. Critical to this is the review of key operating procedures. We aim to provide a response to queries from the membership within 7 days. This means that a response must be sent to the enquirer within 7 days either resolving the matter, or if more time is needed for a complicated matter, the additional time frame within which the enquirer can expect a further response. We welcome your feed back on our performance in this regard. It is only with your feedback that we can pursue continuous improvement which is vital to the success of any organisation, be it an NGO or otherwise.

Incidentally

      Car pooling is a more environmentally friendly means of transport (if you have to use a car) and is frequently a part of branch outings and activities. Please ensure that there is adequate insurance coverage for your passengers to pre-empt any problems if the unexpected happens.
 
Conservation Issues

      A number of conservation issues have come to the fore in recent weeks, amongst the more prominent of which were the Dugong, Sg. Selangor Dam, Bukit Sg. Seputeh and Sg. Semenyih. These are all manifestations of larger environmental issues and the Secretariat has established a small response team to respond to the press on these issues. Branches and members are also encouraged to respond to the press and provide your views. This will strengthen our voice. As a membership based Society, however, we must recognize that there will be a spectrum of views from members. The Secretariat will do its utmost to provide necessary information to members on these issues and work with the Conservation Committee on an appropriate response, taking into consideration the views of the membership and founded on a scientific basis.
      The Science unit in the Secretariat handles conservation issues. The staff of the unit also sit on review panels of a number of EIAs including that for the Sg. Selangor Dam.
      The Sg. Selangor Dam is essentially part of a larger Water Resources Management issue, and in view of the importance of this issue, the Secretariat is adopting a sub-theme on “Water….Precious and Finite” for the World Environment Day event in June 1999.

Secretariat Open Week 1-6 March 1999

      The Secretariat had a successful Open Week with visitors from a good spectrum of sponsors and potential sponsors including Boh Plantations, L & G Foundation, Shell, representatives from the Dutch, US, Australian and New Zealand Embassies as well as the media. Our visitors had a better understanding of the Society’s activities and we believe this is a basis the Society can build upon to enhance membership and support for the many erstwhile projects of the Society.

MNS Boh Nature Study Center

      The Letter of Understanding with Boh Plantations on the operation of the MNS Boh Nature Study Center has been extended for 5 years to 31 December 2003. We hope members will continue to enjoy the Nature Study Center for quiet relaxation especially during the weekdays and off-peak periods to help reduce the operational deficit of the Center. In our discussions, Boh Plantations referred to the Center as a Nature Study Center and this is perhaps a more appropriate description.

MNS Website

      Amazon.com is now linked to the MNS website and browsers to our site can purchase items from Amazon.com. For each purchase, MNS will be credited a small percentage of the proceeds.

Membership Drive

      The Fundraising Committee and the Secretariat have worked out a Member-Get-Member scheme with just rewards, an appeal letter to lapsed members and a recruitment drive targeted at the employees of major corporations. The proposed schemes have been endorsed by Council and these will be communicated to the Branches shortly.

Salim Ali International Award for Nature Conservation

      Bombay Natural History Society has instituted a biannual award for Nature Conservation to be awarded to an individual of any nationality for outstanding contributions and achievements in the field of protection, management and conservation of natural resources including population, wildlife, pollution and hazardous materials control, education, information and legislation.
      The award is of Rs 1,000,000 with a citation. If you are interested to nominate a candidate please contact the Secretariat for the application form.