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Posted by desiree on January 11, 2003 at 21:50:19:
January 10, 2003
4-H'ers love their cold-blooded pets
By Audrey Wong
FAIRFIELD - Desert or "Des" is very close to his owner, Kathryn DeRose. When Kathryn is riding her scooter, Des perches on top her head. The teenager has smuggled Des into a theater under her coat. At night Des nuzzles in the crook of her neck.
Des, a thorny bearded dragon lizard nearly a foot long, is also Kathryn's 4-H project. Kathryn, 13, and her 15-year-old brother, Thaddeus DeRose, are collaborating on a countywide reptile and amphibian project for the club. The Fairfield duo belong to one of two reptile and amphibian 4-H groups in the county.
Both groups cater to young people with cold-blooded pets or those considering getting them. The projects are some of the new topics 4-H is covering to meet the needs of its membership, said Valerie Williams of Solano County 4-H. Many perceive 4-H as an rural, agriculture-based organization, she said.
"It is a barrier," Williams said. "People think you have to have an animal or live in the country to be involved."
But the club, which has 430 members countywide, allows children and teenagers to choose their own projects. Members can pursue subjects as diverse as computers to cooking and create a project that will later be judged. Each project can involve a small group and adult leader. With animals, members could focus on livestock or pets such as dogs.
Kathryn prefers reptiles and amphibians because she is allergic to fur. She and Thaddeus started their project last year and drew two people. Thaddeus is the team leader and Kathryn helps out, brother and sister said. One of the other members owns a bearded dragon and the other is planning to get one. The newest reptilian addition is Thaddeus' emerald-green water dragon lizard Sir Buzza or "Buzz."
"They take turns leading the group," said Helene DeRose, the siblings' mother and adult group leader. "They encourage members to write reports on animals they're interested in."
For example, one meeting focused on chameleons and the next one will focus on snakes, Kathryn said. The group will also have a photo shoot of their critters and take a field trip to a local pet store.
Vacaville resident Nicole Stevenson, 14, initiated her reptile and amphibian project to recruit more boys into 4-H. She managed to attract a pair of brothers who own a leopard gecko as well as six other girls, including her 9-year-old sister, Jennifer Stevenson.
"We want to get a lot more boys," Nicole said. "Boys think it's a lot of things for girls such as sewing. Boys see 4-H as arts and crafts which they think is for girls."
The teenager owns two ball pythons, Eowyn and Faramir, a turtle, a horny toad and two salamanders. She is an aspiring paleontologist who believes dinosaurs are more closely related to reptiles than birds. Nicole shares her knowledge of the scaly and web-footed with the group.
"We cover a lot of information," Nicole said. "We talk about how to carry reptiles, their basic needs, which animals are dangerous, how to catch them, feeding them and the different breeds."
Next year, Nicole wants to start a movie project to generate more interest in 4-H. By carrying Des in public, Kathryn has convinced eight people to purchase bearded dragons and hopes to acquire a bigger pet someday.
"I want to get a big iguana," she said. "I want it to grow really big and take it on walks."
Audrey Wong can be reached at awong@dailyrepublic.net.
