■Participation in the Kushiro Wetland Nature Restoration Council

In November, 2003, the Kushiro Wetland Nature Restoration Council was established, as part of projects to rehabilitate and restore the Kushiro Wetland, where a decrease in a dimension and a sort of ecological change has become recently significant according with the expansion of economic activities in the Kushiro River basin. Its establishment was based on the Law for the promotion of Nature Restoration enforced in 2003, and it consists of local residents, NPOs, NGOs, local authorities, related governmental agencies, and experts, etc. The KIWC decided to participate in the council as an organization.

■International Child Artwork Exhibition for the Conservation of Ramsar Sites

The "International Child Artwork Exhibition for the Conservation of Ramsar Sites" was held from November 14, 2003 to February 24, 2004, rotating the venue among six municipalities (Kushiro City, Kushiro Town, Shibecha Town, Akkeshi Town, Hamanaka Town, Tsurui Village), which constitute the KIWC. At a public facility in each of those municipalities, approximately 130 pieces in total were shown to the public. They were collected from artwork produced by children in elementary schools and junior high schools in the Kushiro region with a theme of "wetlands". In response to the invitation for flat screen artwork regardless of genre, a wide variety of fine works such as paintings, posters, photographs, and essays were received.
In addition, the calligraphic works and paintings produced by children in China, Korea and Lithuania, which were donated from foreign organizations involved in wetland conservation.
The Artwork produced by Chinese and Korean children was once exhibited in the event on Asian Wetlands Week Celebration: "Children & Wetlands", held at the Yatsu-higata Nature Observation Center in Narashino City in January ,2003. It was hosted by the Ransar Center Japan and Narashino City of Chiba Prefecture. They were produced by the children who live in Qiqihar, Heilongjiang, which has a representative habitat of Red-crowned crane in China, and the children living around the Woopo wetlands in Korea which is designated as a Ramsar site.
The artwork donated from Lithuania were produced by students of schools located in the Labanoras Regional Park in East Lithuania. They drew pictures of Common cranes, which inhabit their country. There paintings were given to KIWC through Ms. Egle Grineviciene, who works in the Ministry of Environment in Lithuania. She participated in the JICA training program, conducted by KIWC in 2003, in order to learn how to conserve cranes.
Not only local people but also tourists in and out of Hokkaido visited the exhibition and were gazing with a wide variety of artwork. In each venue, many of visitors wrote their impression in an impression notebook, such as "I'm impressed by their excellent works." And "I'm touched.".
This traveling exhibition, which was held aiming at encouraging children in the Kushiro region to develop an interest in wetlands by applying for the exhibition, showed the attraction of wetlands to many visitors as well as children.

■Dispatch of a KIWC Specialist to Bhutan

On December 16-25, 2003, a KIWC specialist visited the Phobjikha Wetlands in Bhutan for a research on conservation of the wetland and black-necked cranes which inhabit the site. This was conducted as a preliminary survey for the project of JICA Technical Cooperation at the Grassroots Level (Community Empowerment Program).
As a result of the research, two officials from the Royal Society for Protection of Nature in Bhutan participated in the training course entitled "Management of Black-necked Cranes Information Center in Phobjikha", conducted by the KIWC.
The Royal Society for the Protection of Nature is an NGO which mainly promotes the conservation activities of the Phobjikha Wetlands.

■Eco-tour in Winter

"Ecotour in winter" for local people was held on January 24, 2004. Fourteen participants including infants and children observed animal footprints and trees from the window of the steam train, which starts from JR Kushiro Station. In the Hosooka Visitor's Lounge, Mr. Yanagi, a teacher at Kushiro Seien High School, showed participants an experiment making snow crystals in a plastic bottle. Participants enjoyed learning about nature in wetlands, which they could observe only in winter.

■Dispatch of KIWC Specialists to Malaysia

On February 2-15, 2004, the KIWC specialists were dispatched to Sabah in Malaysia in order to co-operate the program for Malaysia Bornean Biodiversity and Ecosystems Conservation conducted by JICA. They visited natural parks in the area including the Crocker Range National Park, and offered advice on plans for exhibition in facilities such as a visitor center and park maintenance.