Clusters of fireflies on an early summer evening are a beautiful sight that can delight people of all ages. Fifth graders at Higashi-jo Elementary School in Matsushiro, Nagano City, are no exception, and they looked forward to seeing the fireflies in their neighborhood each year.

They thought they were privileged to see so many fireflies but were surprised to learn from elderly residents that there used to be many more around in the past--so many in fact that the insects would often wander into people's houses. The students decided, therefore, to begin observing the fireflies and to try to help them grow.

They presented their findings at a junior environment conference in Nagano--the host city of the 1998 Olympic Winter Games opening on February 7--in November 1997. They were among four elementary schools from Nagano that described their efforts to protect the natural environment at the conference.

The students noticed that the number of fireflies peaked in late June for around 10 days and learned that the insects live for only about one week after maturing.

They succeeded in collecting more than 100 eggs and helping them hatch. When they went to a local stream to release the larvae, though, they realized that the concrete-embanked stream was full of litter. They thought that the fireflies might die if released in such an environment and decided to clean it up first.

The schoolchildren will continue making local streams more hospitable for fireflies in 1998 by participating in clean-up projects.

"Nature is really important because it supports so many living things," one student commented after participating in the project.

"Nagano still has plenty of nature," another said, "and I hope that it won't be damaged--not even for the Olympics. I want to continue doing what I can to protect all living things."


Photos: The Higashi-jo students worked hard to clean up the creek for fireflies (Higashi-jo Elementary School).