SCHOOL VISIT: Saving Our Sturgeon
This event is a youth-visit only. Presented in partnership with the Wisconsin Science Festival.
Participating youth attendees will join Rebecca Hogue Wojahn, author of the new book Saving Our Sturgeon: Protecting Wisconsin's Ancient Fish, as she recounts a conservation success story about one remarkable (and plenty peculiar) species of fish and shows young readers how they, too, can help protect these incredible creatures. Saving Our Sturgeon explores the natural history of lake sturgeon in Wisconsin and the factors that threatened their survival, and details how government agencies, conservationists, Native nations, and citizen groups worked together to protect the species. They will then join Anne Moser and Titus Seilheimer of University of Wisconsin Sea Grant for an interactive exploration of lake sturgeon anatomy, evolution, and behavior.
For millennia, sturgeon swam the waterways of Wisconsin. Before the 1800s, an estimated eleven million sturgeon lived in Lake Michigan alone. But in the early 1900s, the lake sturgeon was near extinction. In Saving Our Sturgeon: Protecting Wisconsin’s Ancient Fish, author Rebecca Hogue Wojahn tells the remarkable story of lake sturgeon in Wisconsin, the conservation efforts to save the species, and what is being done to keep the population healthy and thriving today. Geared for readers ages eleven and up, Saving Our Sturgeon explores the natural history of the lake sturgeon and the factors that threatened its survival, from overharvesting to the building of dams that prevented sturgeon from reaching spawning areas. The book also explains how government agencies, conservationists, Native nations, and citizen groups worked together to save the sturgeon pop lation in Wisconsin.
A great resource for classroom use, Saving Our Sturgeon contains maps, photos, and diagrams, plus a glossary of terms, a timeline of events, a Who’s Who list of individuals and groups featured in the book, and a bibliography that highlights kid-friendly sources for further learning. Saving Our Sturgeon celebrates the conservation success story about one remarkable (and plenty peculiar) species of fish and shows young readers how they, too, can help protect these incredible creatures.
All attendees will receive free copies of the book, courtesy of the Wisconsin Book Festival.
Rebecca Hogue Wojahn
Rebecca Hogue Wojahn (also known as W.H. Beck) is the author of middle grade novels, nonfiction picture books, regional biographies, and educational series. Despite writing across genres and age levels, her books all celebrate the natural world with a dose of mystery and pinch of humor. They have been honored by state and regional awards, the National Science Teachers Association, Junior Library Guild selection, and Bank Street Best Books of the Year. When not writing, she teaches in a high school library in Wisconsin.
Titus Seilheimer
Titus Seilheimer is fisheries specialist for UW Sea Grant and works with coastal communities and stakeholders on fisheries and other aquatic issues. He has conducted ecological research on Great Lakes coastal wetlands and watersheds, as well as streams and springs of the Great Plains. Titus enjoys tackling applied aquatic issues and helping stakeholders to identify and solve Great Lakes problems.
Anne Moser
Anne Moser is librarian and education coordinator for Wisconsin Sea Grant at UW-Madison and specializes in bringing Great Lakes literacy to the youngest learners. She coordinates professional learning experiences for formal and non-formal educators and has led several projects in support of Wisconsin Sea Grant’s goal of intersecting the arts, sciences, and humanities to achieve a science-informed society.