California History for Kids by Katy S. Duffield

The majority of my research was done online. What did your research look like when writing Crossings? The animal lover in me felt that young animal lovers would enjoy learning about these crossings, too.

or in the world? So, I began researching and was amazed to find that there are-for creatures of all shapes and sizes-and I immediately knew I wanted to write about them. I was excited to learn that these novel and ingenious underpasses might help save these beautiful animals.Īnd the panther underpasses got me thinking: are there any other wildlife crossings in the U.S. I also knew that they were dying at an alarming rate because they were being hit by cars as they crossed busy roads. I found that fascinating! I knew the panthers were endangered and that development encroaching on their habitat was a problem. When I lived in Florida, I ran across an online newspaper article about underpasses that had been built in the state to help endangered Florida panthers safely cross beneath busy highways. When was the first time you encountered the subject of wildlife crossings? As an adult, I’ve enjoyed watching and photographing animals-including the birds, deer, coyote, and foxes that occasionally visit our backyard. I feel a deep connection with them and never want them to be mistreated. I picked up and checked out every insect I could find, threw tennis-ball-filled socks in the air to attract bats, waded in streams, felt tadpoles wriggle in my palms, caught crawdads with a paperclip, a string, and some bacon, was mesmerized by the lights of fireflies, and the sounds of whippoorwills and bob whites.Īlong with my love for nature, my love for animals has always been strong.

As a girl, I stayed outside as much as possible and was always interested in nature and animals. Have you always been interested in environmentalism? What caused your interest?įor as long as I can remember, I’ve been an “outdoors” person. While we were only able to use a portion of Kevin's Interview with Katy in the article, we have included the entire conversation below: Her message on conservation and safety (which extends animals and people alike), is one we strongly support.

In the article, Kevin interviewed Katy Duffield, Children's Author of Crossings, which explores the how wildlife crossings are designed and engineered to keep animals safe. Clark Dietz's Kevin Hetrick, PE, was recently featured in Civil + Structural Engineer magazine.

California History for Kids by Katy S. Duffield