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COA offers farm and forest tours

Two children look at caterpillars on a plant yesterday at one of the Summer Nature Health Tours organized by the Soil and Water Conservation Bureau, Forestry Bureau and Taiwan Forestry Research Institute. PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES

People can ward off the summer heat by going into the wild and learning to embrace what nature has to offer, the Council of Agriculture (COA) said yesterday.

“For the summer months, the council’s Soil and Water Conservation Bureau, Forestry Bureau and Taiwan Forestry Research Institute are joining forces to host an array of ‘Summer Nature Health Tours,’” council head Chen Wu-hsiung (陳武雄) told a press conference.

The tours include farm village visits, forest adventures and botanical educational trips, Chen said.

“More city folk are now spending their leisure time away from urban areas. With 18 forestry recreational areas, eight botanical gardens and 123 farming communities around the nation, Taiwanese have an array of good options to choose where to spend their free time,” he said.

BRING THE KIDS

For example, parents can bring their children to enjoy the outdoors and observe the thousands of indigenous animals and plants around the nation, or employers could host company outings for their employees, Chen said.

In forestry recreational areas, workshops and guided tours are being offered to children and adults on not only local flora and fauna, but also how people can show their love of the Earth by living environmentally friendly lifestyles while “bringing only their laughter, and taking only good memories” from nature, Chen said.

In farm villages, people can learn how farmers work to produce food and participate in do-it-yourself agricultural activities, such as fruit picking and pickle making, he said.

LEAVES AND TWIGS

“In addition, children can get up close and personal with nature and make toys that [their parents] played with as children, like whistles made out of tree leaves or stems, or boomerangs made out of twigs,” he said.

Those interested in a visit are provided with extra incentives to do so as soon as possible.

“From now until September 20, city people can bring a ‘farm passport’ when visiting these communities, and by collecting stamps from each destination, they can enter a raffle hosted by the council and win prizes such as laptop computers and bicycles,” Chen said.

For more information on the council’s farm and forest tours, visit 123.swcb.gov.tw.
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