On March 16, 2017, the Hitachi Construction Machinery (HCM) Environmental Protection Classroom was held at the Urahoro Elementary School in Urahoro-cho, Tokachi-gun, Hokkaido, which is where the HCM Urahoro Test Site is located.

This is the third year HCM conducted the classroom, which has become a part of the school’s sixth grade science curriculum. The theme of the program is “living creatures and the environment.” With the cooperation of the Tokachi chapter of the Wild Bird Society of Japan, an NPO, and the Urahoro Town Museum, the class teaches children about the local natural environment, including how to interact with the environment and what types of wild birds and plants can be seen around Urahoro.

During their field work, the children went bird watching. They observed a number of different precious wild birds up close, including the greater white-fronted goose (Anser albifrons), the snow goose (Chen caerulescens), the red-crowned or Japanese crane (Grus japonensis), and the white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla).

The class was a good opportunity for us to work with the children to think about the environment, through valuable observations that could only be carried out in Urahoro. HCM plans to continue to convey the importance and value of protecting the environment.