Students and staff at Gyoya Elementary School, near the Sado Japanese Crested Ibis Conservation Center, used to be involved in efforts to breed toki, and the school is still keen on helping get the birds back into the wild. The students have gained a greater awareness of environmental issues during classroom study and activities organized by the children's association.

In early September, after the summer holidays, students in grades 5 and 6 walk to the rice fields, buckets and nets in hand. Before the holidays, water was let into a field they have permission to use, in order to provide a habitat for various forms of life. Now the kids are going to build up ridges to keep the water from escaping, and to see what kinds of creatures—future food for toki—have established their habitat there, and in what quantities. They also took part in research organized by the Ministry of the Environment.

One student tells me, "We are working with nature to develop feeding grounds all over the place for toki, preparing for the time they return to the wild." And another: "I hope one day there'll be so many of them they will spread to all of the other islands in Japan."

These children are proud of their community, and have learned the importance of environmental conservation.