Tali MacArthur, the program manager for the Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC) and Pa. Organization of Watersheds and Rivers (POWR), is committed to helping watershed groups throughout state find the resources -- especially volunteers -- they need to continue their essential work.

"These are the waterways that are right in our backyard. These are the waterways where kids love to peel off their socks and shoes and jump in to explore. These are the places we can kayak and canoe and stand-up paddleboard and fish and hike along. This is a resource that is yours -- and it’s yours to protect," she shared in our most recent podcast. "Without all of us paying attention and getting involved and asking what we can do for these resources, they’re not going to be there for those sort of activities.​"

Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission Communications Director Mike Parker shares some background about growing up on the shores of the Susquehanna near Sunbury, the inside scoop on the challenging decision behind an unexpected trout opener, how the agency is attempting to handle a COVID-induced increase in fishing and boating this summer, how the increase in incoming fees will be put to use and the potential of a fishing license increase in the future. 

​​Looking closer at “20 dead carp and suckers” along the banks of the Frankstown Branch of the Juniata River on Friday, Aug. 28, John Coxey couldn’t get past the unexpected odor.

“It was like that grease used at amusement parks, only much more pungent,” he said.

​A pitted cork fishing rod handle clutched tightly in my small 8-year-old left hand, I carefully grasped a length of  line from above the open-faced reel with the first two fingers of my right, just as Dad had shown me countless times before.

That touch was the key to his trout-fishing success, he had told me. You feel every bump and snag the worm-laced line and split-shot sinker makes across the bottom of the creek's limestone-littered bed.

Emily Sliski is the center director for the Wesley Forest Camp along the Penns Creek near Weikert. Her passion for the outdoors started at a young age, and she strives to share that experience with the young people who visit Wesley Forest.

Through partnerships with local schools and other programs, Sliski has analyzed numerous water samples from the Penns Creek and conducted fish shock studies with students. She talks about her observations over the past six years of work, and a few personal stories of how young people have been transformed through the outdoor experience.

It's hard to imagine, but hunting season is only a few weeks away. 

With goose season starting in September and game season following closely behind, it’s never too late to help your hunting companion get ready for a few months of what he/she is born to do. ​

​On Aug. 6, Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper John Zaktansky submitted a letter of recommendation to the Susquehanna River Basin Commission (SRBC) concerning permit requests the organization was reviewing from a Clinton County slaughterhouse, Nicholas Meats, which would allow the business to greatly expand operations.

The Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association was chosen as one of 14 programs within 10 Pennsylvania counties to receive a combined $160,000 in grant money from the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission's R3 Grant Program, designed to recruit, retain or reactivate anglers.

John "Toast" Oast, founder of fishyaker.com, spends countless hours on the Susquehanna River and its tributaries fishing for all kinds of species from his kayak and sharing his adventures via YouTube videos that have garnered more than 5 million views since 2006.

The Bloomsburg resident talks about how he got into this labor of love, what trends he has seen within our aquatic ecosystem and the highly personal stories behind his passion for the use of life jackets while boating the river.