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50 °F Forecast | Road Cams Monday, April 18, 2005 Today's News | Shop Our Valley | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery | Contact Us SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend April 17, 2005 John Ward, left, gives Alfonso Moreno, 8, an opportunity to learn about water habitat Saturday morning in Bear Creek. The Latino Kids & Bugs program drew about 100 children to learn insect identification, salmon dissection, fly-tying and stream health. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli Their feet wet That’s what some Hispanic students got in a lesson on aquatic life By MEG LANDERS Mail Tribune Rosa Moreno said she’s splashed around in rivers and creeks before, but Saturday she learned a new twist. "I’ve played, but not looking for these buggies," said the 11-year-old Oak Grove sixth-grader, holding a tray of aquatic insects and crayfish found in Bear Creek. Rosa was among the many boys and girls putting on rubber boots and stomping out into the middle of Bear Creek, nets in hand, in search of life under the rocks. More than 100 Latino children learned about water quality Saturday at the Latino Kids & Bugs program, sponsored by the Bear Creek Watershed Education Partners and Bear Creek Watershed Council with help from other groups. The free event started with muffins and yogurt for the kids at the Santo Community Center in Medford at 7:45 a.m., followed by a bus ride to Bear Creek Park. Advertisement Bilingual instructors led groups through eight hands-on stations, including insect identification, salmon dissection, fly-casting and fly-tying, salmon stories inside a giant salmon tent and games. The event is the first time the program has focused specifically on Spanish-speaking students, some of whom spoke no English. Most of the students were recommended by their teachers. John Ward of the Bear Creek Watershed Council helped coordinate the day. He said environmental education in public schools doesn’t always address the Spanish-speaking population, and some children fall through the cracks. "We’re awfully white when it comes to watershed health," said Ward. It’s important to make the information available to everyone, he said, because water quality issues affect everyone. "These aquatic bugs are a very sensitive indicator of stream health," he said. "If the water is bad, they let go of the rocks and go downstream." So if Mayflies, stone flies and caddis flies are present, it’s a good sign. "It’s kind of like doing bug demographics," he said. Megan Kleibacker, a natural science instructor with the Oregon State University Extension Service, said Saturday’s students were enthusiastic. "The most challenging part is getting them out of the water," she said. Several boys had the same thing to say about the insects: "They’re cool!" Coordinator Lindsey Lyons, in the masters program for Environmental Education at Southern Oregon University, said examining water life and tying flies were first-time events for some of the children. "Economically and financially and socially, these kids aren’t going to get out to fly-fish," she said. "This is providing first opportunities." Reach reporter Meg Landers at 776-4481 or e-mail [email protected] . 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 Free Music Downloads Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg Distance Education Diamonds Online Poker Slippers Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation teleconferencing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Tatoo Tatoos Advertisement s