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55 °F Forecast | Road Cams Friday, September 10, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Prime Times Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Rogue Valley's Finest EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend July 11, 2004 Ryan Davis� koi will be part of a new 4-H Club exhibit at the Jackson County Fair later this month. These three fish � Target, Kermit and Miss Piggy � are tame enough to take food from his hand. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli Teen spawns a new 4-H angle Phoenix student’s long interest in fish has led to establishing the first club of its kind in state By ANITA BURKE Mail Tribune Ryan Davis, 18, likes fish. He likes catching them. He likes watching them. He’s decorated his room with a fish motif. So when the long-time Phoenix 4-H member learned that he could raise fish as a club project, he dived in. Davis has developed what Anne Manlove, the 4-H extension agent at the Southern Oregon Research and Extension Center, says is Oregon’s first 4-H fish club, and he’s helped organize a chance for members to compete at the Jackson County Fair this month. "A lot of people don’t realize what you can do in 4-H," Davis said, noting that projects can range from cooking to art. In his nine years in 4-H, the home-schooled Davis has explored projects in engineering and welding as well as excelled in traditional projects raising livestock. Several silver belt buckles adorned with pigs displayed in the family’s living room attest to his success with hogs. Advertisement "I wanted a fish belt buckle, too," he said. The silversmiths who turn out the top-honor buckles for stock shows didn’t have a design for koi, though, so Davis and the five other teens in his club will vie for fish trophies and cash prizes. A judge from Roseburg will rank the fish on their bright colors, clear patterns and clean shapes, Davis said. Owners will be tested on their knowledge of the fish and their care. Davis credits Lee Kell, owner of Eagle Point Fish-n-Pet, with providing plenty of information as well as the fish for his club. She met weekly with the club members, none of whom had raised koi before. Now, the entire Davis family can spout information about the exotic fish as they gather around a tank in their living room. Davis points out the barbels — catfish-like whiskers that differentiate koi from goldfish. His mom, Mary, explains that tri-colored fish are known by the Japanese name "sanke," while those that are orange and white are "kohaku." The white, black and orange-splashed fish in Davis’ tank is called Miss Piggy because it loves to eat. "The more you feed them, the bigger they get," he said. Miss Piggy’s smaller companions are Kermit, a mottled gold and white, and Target, a white fish with a single orange spot on its head. Target’s pattern is particularly popular in Japan because it’s similar to the national flag, Davis said. In another tank, two nameless orange and white koi with long, flowing fins swim languidly. Developed in America for display in tanks rather than ponds, these fish are known as butterfly koi, he said. Davis raised all his colorful fish in aquariums, but other members tried stock tanks, an outdoor pond, an old bathtub and even a kiddy pool set up in a bedroom, he said. Next week, Davis will set up 10- and 20-gallon aquariums in Padgham Pavilion at the Jackson County Fairgrounds & Expo Park for the state’s, first 4-H koi competition. Judging will be at 2 p.m. July 24. After the fair, where he also will exhibit sheep, a meat goat and a pig, as well as a welding project, Davis plans to build a backyard pond for his koi. This is his final year in 4-H, but he wants to return next year as a leader. He hopes the fair exhibit will build interest in 4-H aquatic science projects, especially among kids who might not have room to raise a steer or even a market lamb. "Anybody can do this," he said. Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. 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