WADSWORTH: It doesn't matter to Cara Powell whether there are 30, 300 or 3,000 in attendance Wednesday morning at the South Hearing Room of the Statehouse in Columbus.

Cara is a young woman on a mission to have an impact on the future of her world.

The sixth-grader from Wadsworth's Central Intermediate School is determined to let a group of state legislators know just how important protecting Ohio's wetlands is to future generations.

She will be one of four members of the school's Roots & Shoots program, affiliated with the Jane Goodall Institute, who will testify Wednesday morning in favor of Senate Bill 240. The measure proposes adoption of the spotted salamander as the official amphibian of Ohio.

''I love talking in front of people and I am determined to promote protecting the wetlands in Ohio,'' Cara said. ''It's a great opportunity to help save something I truly believe in and I'm not about to be shy about it.''

Fellow sixth-graders and Roots & Shoots members Melanie DeVaughn, Tayah Turocy and Vincent Teuscher might not be quite as verbal as Cara, but they are equally committed to the cause.

And they're all headed to Columbus with group leader Leah Crocker, a fifth-grade science teacher, Wednesday morning for the one-day adventure.

''Even though talking in
front of a big group might be a little nerve-racking, it will be worth it to let everyone know how important this bill is,'' Melanie said. ''The spotted salamanders are real cute, but the real important thing is that we have to keep them alive to help protect the environment.''

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Timothy Grendell, R-Chesterland, is scheduled for one of six hearings Wednesday.

Crocker, a Cuyahoga Falls graduate in her fourth year teaching at Central, has been involved with the Jane Goodall Institute since 2000, when she was an undergraduate majoring in ecology at Ohio State. She now is the volunteer coordinator for Ohio for the international organization committed to protecting the environment.

Crocker started the Roots & Shoots program at the school three years ago with 15 students. It has since grown to 65.

''It's gotten so popular, and unfortunately I could not take all the students who applied this year,'' Crocker said.

Paula Canterbury, who is in her fifth year as the school's principal, said the youngsters are ''the perfect age group (for a cause) with their strong sense of right and wrong.''

Crocker became aware of the campaign for the amphibian when she ran into Irene McMullen, coordinator of the six-person Wetlands Education Team based in Chesterland, in March at a meeting at Case Western Reserve University.

She brought the project back to her group at Central, which has since sent out ''about 360 postcards to state and local government officials'' to gather support for the measure.

Grendell, the bill's sponsor, invited members of the group to testify.

''This is a great opportunity for the younger kids to be heard,'' Crocker said.

''I think kids this age have a sincere desire to help and make a difference in the world, particularly in regard to the environment — that's a hot topic right now.''
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