On December 12, as a part of its nature conservation efforts, Canon implemented the midstream phase of its Tama River Project.

This midstream phase was the third part of the project to observe and survey nature and clean-up the environment of the Tama River area. It continued the work of the upstream phase, implemented in Hamura City, Tokyo, in May, and the downstream phase, cleaning up the Daishihashi mud flats in Tokyo's Ota Ward in July.

Twenty-two employees and their family members took part on this day. A water quality survey conducted in the Izumi-Tamagawa vicinity of Komae City, was followed by bird-watching and the observation of aquatic life in the same area. Thereafter, there was fossil-hunting in Tamagawa-Kaseki.

The participants gathered at Izumi-Tamagawa Station, and then walked to the area surrounding Komae Mizube-no-Gakko, the Komae fun school by the waterside. There they tested the quality of the water of the midstream region of the Tama River using a reagent. In addition, an expert from a related non-profit organization provided explanations as they observed the various species of wild birds that gathered at the waterside, such as cormorants and blue herons, and learned the tricks to identifying them correctly.

In the afternoon, they engaged in fossil-hunting first-hand, using a hammer to extract shells in Tamagawa-Kaseki, an area attracting attention because the complete fossilized remains of large aquatic mammals, such the dugong, have been discovered there. Breaking apart the rocks, one fossilized shell after another was unearthed, as the participants forgot about the time and enjoyed gathering fossils.

Comments received from the participants on their impressions of the activities included "as I go hiking in the mountains several times a year, I thought I was already familiar with nature; however, an event like today's broadened my horizons and gave me a fresh view of nature" and "this was a priceless experience, enabling me to learn how great the variety of wild bird species is and how to distinguish them."