Nature Study at KEEP Forester's School Gaining in Popularity

Kiyosato Educational Experiment Project, Inc. (KEEP) holds a year-round program named KEEP Forester's School as part of an environmental education service started in 1983. This is a hands-on activity through environmental education camps in which experienced rangers guide participants through the expansive natural environment of Kiyosato, Yamanashi Prefecture (west of Tokyo, Japan).

KEEP offers eight types of camps for a wide variety of participants, ranging from the general public such as elementary school kids and families to people who want to be professionals in environmental education. One of the programs is a camping activity to understand human-nature relationships from an ecological perspective, and another one involves experiments and observation of nature from a scientific viewpoint.

One of the most popular camps is the Dormouse School, which allows participants to observe dormice, small indigenous mammals that live in trees and are known as the "fairies of the forest." The participants can learn about dormice and their environment by walking through the forests and by night observations. Dormice have been designated as a protected species in Japan, and the number of participants in this camp is increasing as public awareness of them grows.

In fiscal 2003 there were a total of 453 participants in the overnight programs, and 340 in the one-day programs. The rising popularity of the program is reflected in responses, such as "I would like to apply what I learned from this camp in my everyday life," "I can see my environment with new eyes," and "I'm very happy with this program." The programs are gaining popularity every year.

http://www.ackeep.org/

Posted: 2004/11/29 04:44:06 PM
Japanese version