PAGE 6 JUNE 2, 1978
Learning at HeHe Outdoor School
“Is that a tree or a shrub?” asks Extension Agent Clint Jacks on a recent 4-H sponsored resource
tour. Among other things, the fourth-graders learned the difference between trees, bushes, forbs and
grasses.
In the words of about 30
fourth graders from Warm
Springs Elementary, “Bitter
brush tastes ugly!” The kids
found this out May 23 on a 4H-
Sponsored resource tour to HeHe
Butte.
Extension Agent Clint Jacks,
who led the plant class, wanted
to get two concepts across to the
kids. The first was to get them to.
understand that there is variety
of j>lant-li(e on the reservation.
There are trees, shrubs, forbs
and grasses.
The second thing the stu
dents learned was that not all
grasses, shrubs, trees' and forbs
are the same. You need to look
closely, smell, and sometimes
even taste to detect differences.
Forester Bill Williams en
couraged the kids to study the
differences in bark appearance
“Is this an annual grass or a perennial?” The kids learned that
Bulbous Blue Grass is important because it competes with the less
as well as scent when deter desirable cheat grass.
mining tree types. And he ac
quainted them with the differ
ences between pine and fir
cones.
A number of the kids showed
remarkable ability in identifying
a variety of plants and trees,
and they proved to be good
listeners, too.
There was also a short visit
to the Warm Springs Fish Hatch
ery and a tour conducted by
hatchery manager Gary White.
TEXT & PHOTOS
BY SANDY RANGILA
Check-lists in hand, Phillip Florendo and June Smith listen to
hear if their answers match the correct ones in the plant
identification quiz.
“You can tell a lot by just smelling the needles and bark,”
explained forester Bill Williams on a tree identification tour at HeHe
Butte.
Forester Bill Williams showed the kids a simple way to measure the circumference of a tree, and
from that measurement, how to gauge the height of the tree.