BOSTON GLOBE (Massachusetts) ; A lesson in conservation (Tim Wacker)

BOSTON GLOBE (Massachusetts) 08 June 06 A lesson in conservation (Tim Wacker)
North Andover: It was a tall order for any teacher, let alone a visitor to the class.
But Chris Bowe had a secret weapon: live turtles.
As the turtles were passed from desk to desk, the students handled the creatures with varying levels of enthusiasm. But all were clearly interested in why Bowe had brought them.
``If you looked around the class, the kids were all into it," Bowe said afterward. ``It's very important for students to have that physical contact."
It's very important for the turtles, too. Bowe has been the point man in a state-funded pilot program to help teach children more about turtles, some of which are becoming quite rare around these parts.
He has been visiting Rene Russell's environmental science classes at North Andover High School to teach students how to protect turtles and maybe even inspire a teenager or two to pursue a career in conservation.
``That's why I think this program is so important," Russell said. ``The kids make a connection that this is a serious problem. They understand that without protection we're going to lose many of these species of turtles that we have. And because it's a local issue, they can better understand the complexity of the issue."
Bowe had to do his homework before he headed into Russell's classroom. Bowe, who lives in North Andover, put together a mini-curriculum of sorts with the help of Mark Grgurovic, a graduate of North Andover High. Both men have a passion for rare turtles they want to pass on to the students.
Bowe is licensed by the state to handle and rehabilitate rare turtles, like the Blanding's, which is on the state's threatened species list. Grgurovic has a contract with the state to map that turtle's distribution throughout Eastern Massachusetts, where the numbers are dwindling fast.
Grgurovic felt what he was learning about turtles would fit well in a classroom, so he applied to the state's Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program for some help.
``They had money to go toward turtle conservation, and they wanted to do education," Grgurovic said. ``I put together the grant proposal, and luckily, they said it sounded great."
There was money enough for 20 presentations, and Bowe sought out Russell, who embraced the idea. He has visited her advanced placement environmental science classes in grades 9-12 this past semester.
The younger students are taught about the different types of turtles and where they can be found. The older students are learning more about the dangers to the turtles' habitats and the importance of protecting them , Bowe said.
``I would say that older students tend to be more engaged," he said. ``They understood the material very well. They asked good questions. The younger classes were more simplified, . . . but they all understood the importance of protecting turtle habitats."
One assignment involved sending the seniors out after school to find turtles. Aspiring photographer Kim Day, 18, reported back that she'd found what she suspects was a snapping turtle after picking her way through the brambles at a pond in North Andover. Now, she thinks she might be studying something more than photography in college next fall.
``I got, like, 2 feet from the turtle; it was so much fun," she said. ``This class has inspired me to do more in environmental conservation. It's made me want to learn more about turtles and the problems that they face."
That's the sort of reaction Grgurovic and Bowe are hoping for. The two men spent the past few months putting together a curriculum, including field guides and instruction pamphlets that now can be taken to other schools if the state chooses to fund it.
That will be up to Lori Erb, a turtle biologist with the state's endangered species program, which is trying to protect rare turtles, especially the Blanding's.
Erb said she liked what she saw of the curriculum Grgurovic and Bowe assembled and hopes to sit in on one of the classes. This is a program the state would like to expand at least to the areas where the Blanding's turtles are, in hopes that this species doesn't disappear in Massachusetts.
``If this works out, we could extend it to areas where other turtles are threatened," Erb said. ``We're looking for ways to get information out about all our rare turtle species in Massachusetts, and education is extremely important."
It's also fun. As the turtles made the rounds of students, Russell's classroom sounded more like a clubhouse. It was clear that most of the students would rather hold a live turtle than open a book, Bowe said, and if they're still learning, why not the latter?
``We want to get them interested in turtle conservation at an early age," he said. ``Then they will take that with them the rest of their lives. Something they can take with them when they become voters." http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/06/08/a_lesson_in_conservation/