A group of people, some of whom live on the lower reaches of the Yoshino River in Tokushima, is contributing money to local government bodies responsible for the Minekita area in Japan where the river's source is located, to help preserve mountain forests in the district. The Group to Foster the Source of the Yoshino River, headed by Tadao Sasao, is doing this in the belief that the purity of the river water can be maintained only if the mountain forests are in good condition. Destruction of the mountain forests might cause soil erosion, which would mean mud flowing down the river. To prevent this, the members of a group studying the history of the Yoshino River formed the new organization in August 1994, along with other Tokushima residents.