|
|
|
|
Exploring and having fun with wisdom
Ms. Yuasa describes attempts to make riverbanks more natural at Makomanai River.=Makomanai River 99.10.17/ Temperature: 4C/ Weather: Snow/Wind Direction: SE
Current Location: Sapporo Latitude: 43 01 52 N Longitude: 141 21 09 E
Distance Traveled: 0 kmThe first snow of the year greeted the Save Earth group this morning for round two of their search for wisdom. Snowflakes were thick and wet as they sprayed from the sky. The early morning temperature was 6C. None of this hindered the Save Earth group from showing up for a morning of wisdom searching and fun alongside the Makomanai River.
Ms. Yuasa of the Waterside School for Fun greeted the chilled members of Save Earth at Makomanai Station shortly after 9:00 A.M. The site of our adventures today is part of the school's new efforts to make concrete riverbanks more natural and to have children and other community members enjoy the waterside.
Leading the group down to the river Ms. Yuasa stopped at the river's edge. "Look at the other side of the river. "Does it look natural to you?" she started. "The concrete banks here have covered with soil and rocks to return the river to a more natural state," explained Ms. Yuasa. Rocks lined up awkwardly along the shore in patterns that were obviously laid out by humans. Unlike the old concrete riverbed, rocks, soil, trees, and grasses in the river have created an environment good for many insects and fish.
Save Earth spent the cold, snowy morning in this man-made natural setting learning tricks of the fishing trade. Mr. Ishida, master fisherman and volunteer for the Waterside School for Fun, explained how to look for the right tree to make a fishing rod. "You'll want to make sure that the tree is tall and straight. Small willow trees make good fishing rods." With their eyes set on just the right tree, the kids took turns cutting down their very own fishing rods.
Save Earth members clutch their hand made fishing poles tight on the first day of snow in Sapporo.=Makomanai River The next step was to cut off all of the branches. Mr. Ishida handed over a large axe and the kids began cutting uneasily. Niyama looked up, "This is my first time cutting with an axe," he said. Almost all of the kids had never swung an axe. Niyama and others grew stronger and cleverer with every swing.
Stringing poles, weighting the line, catching and hooking bait, and actually pole fishing were all new experiences for the kids of Save Earth. No matter how hard the snow fell, group members tied fishing knots with frigid fingers, closed fishing line weights with their chattering teeth, and several of them squealing while hooking live larva as bait.
Turning over rocks, volunteers discovered small shrimp, dace and miller's thumb.
Though there was an occasional, "let's go home it's freezing," when Mr. Ishida called everyone to finish for the day, members stood proudly by their fishing poles reluctant to leave.
A T-shirt and a mesh bag were the only catches of the snowy day. A wise fisherman might tell you that a snowstorm isn't the best for fishing, but members of Save Earth were able to practice new skills and play in nature, great ways to continue searching for wisdom.
Innovations returning the natural river landscape and the fun approach to learning the tricks of fishing using natural materials have started Save Earth off in a great direction. When I asked what is next for them, Tasku said calmly and seriously, "We all need to think about it and make a plan. We can't decide now." His calm response assured me that they would think about it seriously and decide for themselves.
It is my wish for Save Earth that we can all continue our wisdom adventures in this enjoyable fashion. Start easy and fun and you will find that there is a lot to be discovered.
Greg
to Top News Page of Wisdom
< >
Copyright World School Network & ECO-CLUB, 1998-99. No reproduction or republication without written permission.
Send feedback to info@wschool.net
