Nona Schrader was born and raised in Lander, where she developed her love of the Wind River Mountains. Spending time in Sinks Canyon and the mountains was a key part of her childhood. After completing her B.A. and M.A. in English at the University of Wyoming, Nona moved to Wisconsin to teach. Nona returned to Lander in retirement to continue writing her Aqua novel series.

Nona’s experiences growing up in Lander fostered her love of our planet and compelled her to write. Her deep connection to Sinks Canyon prompted her to use the canyon as the key setting for her novel series. Serving on the Sinks Canyon Wild Board is another way to inspire others to protect our most precious natural resource: water.