Dana Rene Bowler / Star staff "Every single one of them can make a difference every day," Goodall said of students, during an assembly Tuesday at Hueneme High School about her new program called Roots & Shoots.

Working on humanitarian, animal rights and environmental causes can seem like a daunting task for anyone.

For primatologist Jane Goodall, however, making a change for the better starts with one person: yourself.

That's the message Goodall tried to impart to hundreds of Hueneme High School students who listened to the environmentalist during an assembly Tuesday morning in the Oxnard school's gym.

"Every single one of them can make a difference every day," Goodall said of the students. "It's very difficult to think like that. We say, Think globally, act locally' if you start rolling up your sleeves and act locally it makes a difference. Everybody matters."

Goodall, 74, spoke about her experiences as a researcher living with chimpanzees in Tanzania and how her mother served as her role model and inspiration.

Goodall also spoke about a program called Roots & Shoots, which she started 17 years ago with Tanzanian youth. Today, Roots & Shoots has thousands of groups in about 100 countries, including 10 chapters in Ventura County. Goodall, who lives in England, came to Oxnard as part of a tour promoting Roots & Shoots.

The goal of Roots & Shoots is to foster respect for all living things and empower young people to take on projects involving the environment, animals and humanitarian efforts.

Goodall also recognized Hueneme High student Erica Fernandez, one of six recipients of the Brower Youth Award, which recognizes youth leaders who have contributed to environmental issues.

Fernandez was among the local activists who rallied against BHP Billiton's proposal to build a liquefied natural gas facility off the Oxnard coast.

Goodall also recognized Bryan Lairmore, a sophomore at Foothill Technology High School in Ventura, a member of the local Roots & Shoots group and a youth spokesman for the national "Rebirth the Earth" tree-planting campaign, which also raises money to establish tree nurseries in Tanzania.

Lairmore said he was thrilled to meet one of his role models.

"She started as a poor English girl and was able to take on everything that she did," he said. "It makes me feel I can make a difference if I just work hard."

Fernandez and Lairmore will attend the Roots & Shoots summit that begins Saturday in Florida and meet student activists from across the world.

"You never get to talk to someone like that who actually makes changes around the world, and I was a very excited to meet her," Fernandez said of Goodall.

After her speech, Goodall was mobbed by students and adults waiting to get autographs and take pictures with her.

"It's amazing the kind of attention I get for doing something like this," Goodall said as she left Hueneme High and rushed into a vehicle.

Goodall's next stop was the Halaco toxic site near wetlands surrounding Ormond Beach.

Fernandez, members of the Central Coast Alliance United for a Sustainable Economy and other local activists took Goodall for a brief look at the old metals recycling plant that has been deemed a Super Fund site by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Goodall listened to local environmentalists talk about the toxic dangers caused by the abandoned smelting plant and 28-acre mountain of waste that sits there.

"This provides us with the opportunity to see ourselves in Dr. Jane Goodall," said César Hernandez, community organizing director for the Central Coast Alliance.

"She has accomplished so much, and this shows any one of us who are willing to make a difference in our community can do it and apply it locally."

On the Net:

http://www.rootsandshoots.org