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Volunteers from LMC are bringing wildlife lessons and learning experiences to classrooms up and down the Little Miami State and National Scenic River. This is a core mission of LMC, to educate and increase awareness of the gift of nature right outside their door all along the Little Miami Watershed.
One such volunteer – Bill Schroeder, a longtime advocate for the great outdoors - has been busy working with students, sharing knowledge of how the Little Miami State and National Scenic River is an ecosystem that is shared and protected for the public good.
Examples of these programs include time spent outdoors in and around the Little Miami , as well as classroom experiences centered on aquatic life within the river.
“Smallmouth Sonny of Bass Island Bar – Meet the Author,” Storybook Sessions
Smallmouth Sonny has been busy over the past years, visiting schools along the Little Miami State and National Scenic River, helping young students learn about wildlife, habitats, and ecosystems that make it a great place to live for them and for us.
Recently, two second grade classes at Tecumseh Elementary School in Xenia, Ohio hosted a Meet the Author event at their school. They first enjoyed a 9-minute video of the storybook, SMALLMOUTH SONNY OF BASS ISLAND BAR, with music and color illustrations. Then, the kids participated in a half-hour interactive discussion with author, Bill Schroeder, their teachers, and an Ohio Division of Wildlife Officer, sharing information and a lively discussion about the book using illustrations, and characters, representing the ecosystems of the Little Miami River.
About the Book – Smallmouth Sonny of Bass Island Bar, by Bill Schroeder
The Little Miami Conservancy published the children’s storybook book in 2016, and has now printed more than ten thousand copies, about 7,500 of which have been distributed to school age children in schools in the Little Miami River watershed.
Significance of Smallmouth Sonny at Tecumseh Elementary School
Tecumseh Elementary School is particularly home territory for Smallmouth Sonny as the school has a special place in his fishy heart. Tecumseh Elementary is named for its location near the Little Miami River after a famous Native American leader and warrior of the Shawnee tribe, Tecumseh. This well-known Native American leader and historical figure is believed to have lived in the area between 1764 and 1771. Tecumseh was raised and trained to become a leader, skilled hunter and warrior. Perhaps ancestors of Smallmouth Sonny swam by Tecumseh in his adventures along the Little Miami.
About Bill Schroeder
Retired attorney and conservation advocate. Bill served 18 years as a park commissioner on the Warren County Park Board, working to procure, develop, and expand park properties in Warren County. He is a passionate kayaker, fly fisherman, and teacher of the ecosystems, habitats, and water quality of the Little Miami State and Scenic River, and the author of the children's story, Smallmouth Sonny of Bass Island Bar.