A: Good afternoon. Welcome to 'Kids for saving Takayasu' Today we have invited a guest, Dr. Kanoh. (K)He is going to talk about nature at Takayasu in Yao city, and about how to protect the environment. 　　　　　
K: Hello. I'm Yoshihiko Kanoh. I'm studying the Japanese Rose Bitterling that lives at Takayasu area in Yao city, Osaka, Japan.
A: You talked about its special life style last time.
K: Yes. Do you remember the story?The Japanese Rose Bitterling spawns into the mussel.

In spring, the male forms a territory around the mussel. The female spawns its eggs into the mussel. The eggs develop in the mussel and the young swim out of the mussel after three weeks.
K: But this Japanese Rose Bitterling is dying out. This is an endangered fish.There are two main reasons for it: First, it is eaten by imported fish such as Blue Gill and Black Bass, they eat all the local small fish.Second is water pollution of ponds and rivers.

A: Ponds and rivers are polluted by people living there, aren't they?

	K: Yes. In order to protect the Rose Bitterling, we have to protect the water environment in which the fishes live. K: The forest is very important and
	precious for the Rose Bitterling.The Rose bitterling is safely protected by the forest of Takayasu. A: Will you explain it more detail? K: OK. Water goes in cycles. Water evaporates from the sea into the sky as moisture. Water condenses into cloud and then falls down as rain. Rain drops to the ground, where fallen leaves and and twigs make up a bed of litter. This bed of litter is a very important path to underground systems. Some rainwater filters into the soil and flows out to streams, to rivers
and into ponds. This fresh stream cleans the water in the ponds. Conserving the forest will naturally ensure a clean water source. A: Will you explain about activities in Takayasu area? K: In 1998 we set up a Green Boy Scout group. The members are students from
	Naka & Kita Takayasu Elementary School and Takayasu Junior High School.We created posters to protect the Japanese Rose Bitterling, which said "Don't release Black Bass," and "Don't take any small life out of this pond" and set them up at ponds. We then dug an artificial pond, where we set up a water circulation system.Every year the Green Boy Scout

group enjoys working on projects that help to save the forest. They cut trees or grasses in the forest, and then make swings or jungle gyms using them. They burn the wood and make charcoal. Using the charcoal, they make smoked pork, which is very tasty!
A: These are very interesting activities to protect life that is dying out and to conserve the environment. We really hope that our land will be clean and safe for us and for every living thing.

Thank you very much for your nice talk.