Document text
Students pick up trash, put trees in Talent park By WENDY SIPOREN TALENT -- Sixth- and seventh-graders from Talent Middle School took their science studies to Lynn Newbry Park Wednesday to learn about the benefits of riparian planting firsthand. After being warned about tool safety and the possibility of syringes and condoms in the area, the 27 students headed to the banks of Bear Creek to pick up trash and plant 142 trees and shrubs native to the region: big leaf maple, Oregon ash, alder, red osier dogwood, twinberry and snowberry. The project is a collaboration between the middle school and the Bear Creek Watershed Education Partnership, coordinated by Talent Assistant Planner Kevin Cronin. It was funded by a $500 grant from the partnership and $250 from Stop Oregon Litter and Vandalism (SOLV). Representatives of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Rogue Valley Council of Governments were on hand to guide the students' activities and answer questions. "It's partly to teach the students about the tree community here and to develop some civic pride," said Beth Franklin, environmental education coordinator with RVCOG. "Hopefully they will treat the riparian areas with more respect," said Alan Ritchey, fish biologist with ODFW. The trees will provide shade for fish in Bear Creek and help restore a balance of native species along its bank. The field trip is the beginning of a science study of riparian areas, water quality and creatures such as young dragonflies and damseflies, said teacher Kathy McNichol. Later in the school year, McNichol plans of taking the students to study Wagner Creek. "When I was a kid it was dittos (paper handouts). This is just such a good way to learn," she said. "They're actually being field biologists in their own hometown." Students from four school districts will be presenting their watershed studies at an education symposium Saturday. The fourth annual symposium will take place from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Phoenix Elementary School. "The kids are teachers for the day," said Franklin. "They get to teach their peers what they've been doing." The public is invited to attend and learn more about students' different projects. The event is free and lunch will be provided. In addition to the students' work, the Bear Creek Kiwanis recently repaired flood-damaged exercise equipment at Lynn Newbry Park. Along with the county, the group originally purchased and installed the equipment, popular with users of the Bear Creek Greenway, in the mid-80s. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA