Roland Smith, author and zoologist, spoke at Western to encourage reading and awareness of environmental issues. The St. Joseph Area Literacy Coalition, in partnership with the International Reading Association, was responsible for bringing him to this region.
Smith, winner of the Missouri Mark Twain Award, has written over 20 books. While many of them cater to children, the adult audience is also a target goal of his. He shared his animal experiences, which inspired his books, with over 50 people on campus.
“Write about what is important to you,” Smith said. “Stories are powerful. You influence what other people think.”
One topic that is important to him is oil spills. He participated in wildlife rescue after the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill and wrote about it in the book “Sea Otter Rescue.”
Sea otters were one of the most affected species, and his team saved 300 of the 400 they caught. His team would wash the oil off the animals’ fur and keep the sea otters in holding
pens until the water was safe for their return. He credited the survival of the young to the mothers. The mother cleaned the sea otter pups off before taking care of themselves.
Smith was involved in saving red wolves from extinction. At one point, there were only 17 known red wolves in the wild. The animals were put into captivity for their own protection and for breeding purposes. This became the first time in history that a carnivore on the brick of extinction in the wild has been released successfully back into the wild. “Journey of the Red Wolf” was motivated by this experience.
He has personally traveled to many of the locations he has written about in order to study the area. He has traveled to many parts of the world, including Alaska and Kenya.
“I don’t write one word of my book down until I finish my research,” Smith said.
Several of his books took years to reach completion. For example, “The Captain’s Dog” took him five years. This fictional book chronicles the life of Lewis and Clark’s dog. He joked about the story’s point of view.
“It’s written in first canine,” Smith said.
Elaine Hirter, member of the Literacy Coalition, recommended Smith after seeing him at a Warrensburg, Mo., reading festival.
“I thought the kids would be moving a lot and wiggling in the gymnasium,” Hirter said. “But they didn’t. They were very interested in what he had to say. He got them excited about reading and writing. He was not only entertaining, but he had a good message.”
Glenda Haley, member of the International Reading Association, echoed her delight in his presentation.
“He had an incredible repertoire with parents, teachers, and students,” Haley said. “He did a good job at encouraging everyone to love reading.”
Deborah Ellsworth is pleased with her organization’s decision to bring Smith into the local area.
“The St. Joseph Area Literacy Coalition is pleased to bring in an author of the caliber of Roland Smith, who meets with hundreds of school children every year,” Ellsworth said. “It’s a tradition we hope to continue.”
Smith plans to release a follow-up to his book “Cryptid Hunter” in 2008.
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