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.
PHOTO: GEORGE TSORNG, TAIPEI TIMES
“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.
Aftershocks from a magnitude 6.2 earthquake that struck off Yilan County at 3:45pm yesterday could reach a magnitude of 5 to 5.5, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Seismological Center technical officer Chiu Chun-ta (邱俊達) told a news conference that the epicenter of the temblor was more than 100km from Taiwan. Although predicted to measure between magnitude 5 and 5.5, the aftershocks would reach an intensity of 1 on Taiwan’s 7-tier scale, which gauges the actual effect of an earthquake, he said. The earthquake lasted longer in Taipei because the city is in a basin, he said. The quake’s epicenter was about 128.9km east-southeast
The Taipei Summer Festival is to begin tomorrow at Dadaocheng Wharf (大稻埕), featuring four themed firework shows and five live music performances throughout the month, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said today. The festival in the city’s Datong District (大同) is to run until Aug. 30, holding firework displays on Wednesdays and the final Saturday of the event. The first show is scheduled for tomorrow, followed by Aug. 13, 20 and 30. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Disney Pixar's movie Toy Story, the festival has partnered with Walt Disney Co (Taiwan) to host a special themed area on
BE CAREFUL: The virus rarely causes severe illness or death, but newborns, older people and those with medical conditions are at risk of more severe illness As more than 7,000 cases of chikungunya fever have been reported in China’s Guangdong Province this year, including 2,892 new cases last week, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday said it is monitoring the situation and considering raising the travel notice level, which might be announced today. The CDC issued a level 1 travel notice, or “watch,” for Guangdong Province on July 22, citing an outbreak in Foshan, a manufacturing hub in the south of the province, that was reported early last month. Between July 27 and Saturday, the province reported 2,892 new cases of chikungunya, reaching a total of 7,716
The New Taipei City Government today warned about the often-overlooked dangers of playing in water, and recommended safe swimming destinations to cool off from the summer heat. The following locations in the city as safe and fun for those looking to enjoy the water: Chienshuiwan (淺水灣), Baishawan (白沙灣), Jhongjiao Bay (中角灣), Fulong Beach Resort (福隆海水浴場) and Sansia District’s (三峽) Dabao River (大豹溪), New Taipei City Tourism and Travel Department Director-General Yang Tsung-min (楊宗珉) said. Outdoor bodies of water have variables outside of human control, such as changing currents, differing elevations and environmental hazards, all of which can lead to accidents, Yang said. Sudden
RSS