Newtown High School sophomore Puma Marx has earned support from the nonprofit organization Ecology Project International (EPI) that will fund illustrating a children’s book.

Puma plans to illustrate the next book in her mother’s Wonder World Kids book series — as her mom happens to be author Dori Marx.

As announced by EPI, it is a field science and conservation organization that partners scientists with local and international students and educators in ecologically critical environments in Costa Rica, the Galapagos, Belize, Baja Mexico, and Yellowstone. Since 2009, EPI has awarded funds to individual students in five countries to fund student conservation projects.

Prizes are awarded for projects that best demonstrate the potential to positively affect an important conservation issue. Applicants are required to prepare a budget, submit a proposal, and identify mentors. Awardees provide regular progress reports back to EPI.

Puma explained in a recent phone interview that she wants to illustrate a children’s book about Yellowstone to highlight keystone species, specifically wolves.

“This particular book will be focused around the wolves and their role as a keystone species in Yellowstone,” Puma wrote in her application. “It will also explore the general Yellowstone environment, including how the different species throughout the park interact with each other and how the environment has remained so successful.

“With this knowledge,” Puma continued, “I hope that children will grow up to take environmental actions for these animals, or realize how vital they are and not support laws that would bring them unnecessary harm. Through influencing the minds of the youth, however small or large that number may be, one can influence the future on a much broader scale than an individual action ever could.”

According to EPI, this year’s Alumni Leadership Award funds will support production, promotion, and distribution of the book.

Puma said she first heard about EPI when looking for a summer program in conservation, as she is already thinking about conservation as a possible career field. Her mother then discovered a nine-day summer camp in Montana. Through the program, Puma said she stayed in the area to learn about conservation, bison, and the Yellowstone environment in general.

It was a fun and educational experience. She came home with photos, drawings, and knowledge of issues “people don’t really think about.”

When she was younger, Puma said she loved reading books about keystone species, or a species or organism that helps define an entire ecosystem, according to National Geographic. The wolves at Yellowstone are a keystone species.

“I always found that so fascinating,” Puma said.

Puma said her mother’s Wonder World Kids book series is geared to elementary and middle school-aged students, and the books look at environmental problems in a mystery format.

Marx has used a different illustrator for each book in the series, and the illustrator always lives or comes from the area the books are focused in.

“I’ve been wanting to illustrate a book for a long time,” said Puma. “I love art, and I’ve decided to illustrate this book with her.

Thanks to EPI’s $500 award, Puma said she will be supported in funding multiple aspects of the project.

“It will be a really cool collaboration experience,” said Puma, adding that she loves that she will feel like she is having a direct influence on helping others learn about the wolves at Yellowstone.

In a recent phone conversation, Marx said she hopes to see the next Wonder World Kids book — the sixth in the series — published for the start of next year by Noreaster Times LLC of Sandy Hook.

Marx said she is “really lucky” she can work with Puma on the next book.

“I’m just really grateful for EPI for sponsoring and giving her this grant, and to be able to also go out into the community and promote Yellowstone and the importance of the ecology of this national park,” said Marx.

For more information on EPI’s programs see its website at ecologyproject.org/alumni-programs. For more information about the Wonder World Kids book series see the website wonderworldkids.com.

Education Editor Eliza Hallabeck can be reached at eliza@thebee.com.