Bay readers 'adopt' woodchuck

Amy LeMonds, left, accepts a donation from Susan Ballard and the Friends of the Bay Village Library.

The resident woodchuck of Lake Erie Nature & Science Center wasn’t too cooperative when Susan Ballard stopped by for a photograph. He really should have been more appreciative as, thanks to her hard work and that of over 2,513 local readers, his care and feeding will be sponsored for 2.5 years.

Ballard, children’s librarian at the Bay Village Branch Library, led the readers in a challenge to log 18,000 hours of reading this summer. If they did, she told them, the Friends of the Bay Village Library would adopt the woodchuck and support its care. Not only did residents meet that goal, they surpassed it by 610 hours.

While the camera-shy woodchuck preferred to stay in his comfy burrow, the Center's Director of Wildlife, Amy LeMonds, was happy to step in and accept the donation on his behalf. “We’re so thankful to the Bay Village students and residents, Susan and the Friends of Bay Village Library. Donations like these make it possible to maintain our resident wildlife programs,” said LeMonds.

This marks the seventh year the organizations have paired up and both hope to continue doing so moving forward.