When someone mentions the term ENVIRONMENT, people think of a beautiful scene such as a stream flowing, a rain forest canopy, blooming flowers and howling monkeys. You might not think of your neighborhood as part of the environment. 
Environment is the relationship that connects us with the world we live in.
We, the students of ACOHOF Family Farm School+ are searching the Mairin River in Tatum for mussels, tadpoles and mud fish which were once abundant in the river and are now in danger of disappearing completely. 
We want to know why.
Water samples from different parts of the river are collected and degree of contamination tested.
Could the problem be the persistent use of synthetic chemicalpesticides along the banks of the river?
Or could fertilizer from nearby farms, be causing algae in the river to grow rapidly and use up the oxygen in the water that the mussels need to use?
Or could it be that the small dam built in the river is disrupting reproduction?
We are also taking action to improve our environment by cleaning up gutters.
By making our own compost, we will reduce the amount of waste to the landfill and create an excellent natural fertilizer.
Our work is an introduction to a new field of study, ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE. The study of how humans interact with their surroundings.

An important foundation to environmental science is ECOLOGY –how living things interact with each other. E.g. relationship between bees and the plants they pollinate.
In this concept, environmental problems like RESOURCE DEPLETION, AGRICULTURE – the cultivation of crops and rearing of animals.
POLLUTION in the air,  water or soils, that adversely affect the humans or other organisms.
And Loss of BIODIVERSITY ,
Will future.
Our efforts have been highly praised and widely recognized. Yet we hope for a more meaningful reward – the protection of nature.