Jul 23, 2008 8:00 pm US/Pacific
Teacher Inspires Students to Save Local Creek
Jefferson Award Winner: Tom Furrer
Petaluma (CBS 5) ―
When Casa Grande High School teacher Tom Furrer walks along Petaluma's Adobe Creek, he can get emotional. He thinks of his wildlife biology students over the last quarter century who've resurrected the creek and saved an endangered fish by running the only high school-based fully- licensed fish hatchery in the U.S.
"What they've done is very meaningful to them and to the fish," Tom says tearfully. "It's given them a feeling, 'I've done something good.'"
The program to restore Adobe Creek and its fish population began in 1983. Tom had just lectured his class on saving endangered species.
"I had a student raise his hand one day and say, 'No disrespect, Mr. Furrer, but what you're telling me is absolutely stupid,'" Tom recalls. "His final comment as he was walking out the door was, 'We're doomed. There's nothing we can do.'"
As Tom searched for a way to give his students hope, he walked across the street from campus toward Adobe Creek. It used to be a major drinking water source, but had to come to look like a garbage dump.
Neighbor Charlie Malnati inspired him to save the steelhead trout.
Tom explains, "(Charlie) said, 'When I was a kid, they used to be here. Now they're almost gone.' Oh, there's my answer!"
The answer: bring Adobe Creek back to life.
Tom and his wildlife biology class started cleaning up the 7-mile-long creek every day. His students, calling themselves the United Anglers of Casa Grande High School, have planted more than twelve hundred trees. They built their own state-of-the-art fish hatchery with half a million dollars they raised through cake sales.
The students, who are credited with saving the endangered steelhead, are now using the hatchery to help chinook salmon.
"I think it's wonderful. I think it's wonderful," says Charlie.
The 20 students in Tom's class don't mind the hard work. When it's time to capture the fish from the creek, they're often out 'til two in the morning, even over the Christmas holiday.
"You're all so tired, especially when it's cold and late at night," says Casa Grande senior Katie Robbins. "But you're so happy."
They artificially propagate the fish, raise them in pens, release them into the Bay, and start all over again.
"They're on their hands and knees saying, 'Come to Mama, remember us?'" says Tom. "And the fish are motoring past them and they're all crying, 'It worked! It really worked!'"
Alumni like Dan Hubacher says Tom's taught him a life lesson.
"If you want something bad enough, you can achieve things you'd never imagine was possible," Dan says proudly.
So, for inspiring high school students to restore Adobe Creek and revive its fish population, this week's Jefferson Award in the Bay Area goes to Tom Furrer.
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