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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend September 23, 2005 Leah Schrodt of the Bureau of Land Management tells a Haida Indian story called �Salmon Boy� from inside a large inflated fish during the Public Lands Day education fair Thursday at Valley of the Rogue State Park. Mail Tribune / Jim Craven Nature offers a lot to learn National Public Lands Day gives local schoolkids a chance to study the outdoors By MARK FREEMAN Mail Tribune GOLD HILL — Before Thursday, 10-year-old Terry Thomas never knew little brown bats catch about five insects an hour, can hear an ant’s footsteps and move from upside down to an upright position to relieve themselves. But Thomas did know why some male bats honk loudly to attract mates. "It’s music to impress them," he says. "I have a book on it." Terry didn’t need his book Thursday. He and his fellow Evans Valley Elementary School students got a firsthand look at real bats, their skeletons and even how biologists use sensitive devices to listen for bats. "The bat thing," as Terry calls it, was one environmental highlight of the Public Lands Outdoor Learning Fair at the Valley of the Rogue State Park. Advertisement It’s the education part of National Public Lands Day, an annual event that encourages volunteers to help improve and enhance public lands and the resources they hold. The 12th annual Public Lands Day is Saturday, with separate volunteer opportunities in Jackson and Josephine counties, and both are organized by the federal Bureau of Land Management. Thursday’s fair, which was co-sponsored by several state and federal resource agencies, offered 65 of Evans Valley’s fourth- and fifth-graders a lesson on the outdoors. Kids learned about the aerial needs of hawks, how to make paper from pulp and the basics of wildland firefighting. They spent time discovering how noxious weeds out-compete native plants for survival and watched how American Indians wove baskets. J.J. Adkinson, a 10-year-old fifth-grader, stood agog while discovering how many different products have elements of trees in them. Band-Aids, tennis balls, golf balls, film canisters and even plastic Lego bricks are produced in part from trees. "Lego’s from wood," J.J. says. "Now, that was weird." To learn about salmon, the students stepped into the belly of a fish tent where BLM environmental educator Leah Schrodt taught them about the Northwest salmon’s life cycle in story form. Schrodt is convinced the bright tent and illuminating story invite a better learning environment than just a textbook. "Students that struggle in the classroom come out here and they become your best students in this setting," Schrodt says. "It’s cozy, it’s aesthetic and it’s very hands-on. The kids are extremely involved." Schrodt’s pitch worked on 9-year-old Daniel Perston. He stepped out of the bowels of the fish tent with a greater appreciation for the needs of salmon spawning in the Rogue River just outside the park. "This is a fun way to learn a lot of stuff," Daniel says. "Now I know I need to be nice to salmon and not take away all their water." In its 12th year, the fair is run for about $1,500 funded through the BLM. "I try to instill in (schoolchildren) a sense of stewardship of the lands," says Katie Wetzel, the recreation planner for the Glendale Resource Area and the organizer of this year’s fair. "This gives them an opportunity to appreciate them and, hopefully, respect them and protect them." And the best way into the hearts and minds of fourth-graders is through their fingers. "Anything gooey, creepy and odd works best," Wetzel says. Reach reporter Mark Freeman at 776-4470, or e-mail Nature offers a lot to learn ">[email protected] . Volunteers may help BLM projects The federal Bureau of Land Management is planning two field projects Saturday for adults who want to volunteer during National Public Lands Day. Jenny Creek Riparian Project: For the 17th consecutive year, volunteers will repair bird and bat boxes and do stream riparian restoration and trail work in the Jenny Creek drainage east of Ashland. Volunteers will meet at the group shelter of the Hyatt Lake Recreation Complex for a 6:30 a.m. breakfast. Work will be done between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. Volunteers will get a free box lunch and dinner, and camping at the Howard Prairie Campground will be free Friday and Saturday for volunteers. For more information, telephone Dennis Byrd at 618-2369. Cathedral Hills Park Trail Restoration: The BLM and volunteers will restore and build portions of the trail as well as clear brush to reduce wildfire susceptibility. Volunteers will meet at 8 a.m. at the All Sports Park in Grants Pass, and they will carpool to the site after receiving food and supplies. Work will finish at 4 p.m., followed by a 5 p.m. barbecue at the All Sports Park. For more information, telephone Barbara Zurhellen at 618-2394. Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Distance Education Computer Security Ztech Media Hosting Sports Equipment Online Casino Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation Online Pharmacy Online Casino Reviews Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Rogue Valley Travel Discount Hotel Reservations Southern Oregon Loans Online Casino News Casino Gambling Sites Budget Website Templates Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Advertisement s