2026 LEEF Conference Wakulla Wild

Have you ever heard of a children’s book that features an endangered snail kite as its main character? At our Everglades-focused, South Florida nature center, neither had we – and we needed one! – so we decided to create our own. Join us to learn from our center’s experience writing and illustrating *Sam the Snail Kite and the Secret of the Everglades* as a springboard for creative, place-based literacy programming and community outreach. We will share tips and cautionary tales about writing your own book, as well as techniques for using children’s picture books to engage young readers in the natural world at your site.