Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper

  • About Us
    • Meet
    • Board of Directors
    • Advisory Council
  • Donate
  • Blog
  • Podcasts
  • Report a concern
  • Songs 2023
  • HERYN PROGRAM
  • Partners
  • Nature Book Club
  • Gift Shop
  • Watershed Opportunities
  • Floating Classroom
  • Hellbenders
  • Survey
  • Vernal Pools
  • Sentinels
  • Kayaking/Fishing Resources
  • Video Lessons
  • Photos 2020
  • Other Events
    • Sunrise Sunset Susquehanna
    • Bridges Over Troubled Water
    • Dumplings At Dusk
  • Issues
    • Signed Support Letters
  • Engage
    • News Alerts
    • Songs 2021
    • Song Project
    • Photo/poetry contest
  • 2018 PA River of the Year
  • 10 Fun Facts
  • For Children
  • Prison Project
  • Contact Us
  • Crossword Puzzle
  • Songs 2022
  • About Us
    • Meet
    • Board of Directors
    • Advisory Council
  • Donate
  • Blog
  • Podcasts
  • Report a concern
  • Songs 2023
  • HERYN PROGRAM
  • Partners
  • Nature Book Club
  • Gift Shop
  • Watershed Opportunities
  • Floating Classroom
  • Hellbenders
  • Survey
  • Vernal Pools
  • Sentinels
  • Kayaking/Fishing Resources
  • Video Lessons
  • Photos 2020
  • Other Events
    • Sunrise Sunset Susquehanna
    • Bridges Over Troubled Water
    • Dumplings At Dusk
  • Issues
    • Signed Support Letters
  • Engage
    • News Alerts
    • Songs 2021
    • Song Project
    • Photo/poetry contest
  • 2018 PA River of the Year
  • 10 Fun Facts
  • For Children
  • Prison Project
  • Contact Us
  • Crossword Puzzle
  • Songs 2022

Riverkeeper Reflections

Photos offer reminder of lessons learned while exploring nature

10/23/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
An excited expression on my daughter's face framed by her Barbie fishing rod, trailing red-and-white bobber and pink ballcap tagged with one of my old fishing licenses popped from a pile of photos we sorted through earlier this week.

The image came from a long-ago trout fishing expedition along the Little Shamokin Creek near Augustaville as she showed off her casting skills just before landing a small rainbow trout. 
 The picture was moved into a growing folder used recently for a small gathering celebrating Paige's 16th birthday.

There is an image of her navigating the Penns Creek with her brother in an inflatable kayak -- barely old enough to look over the side.

Also, a photo of her firing a pink BB gun. And a picture of her proudly holding up a large trout next to her Pappy -- a shot made even more poignant after his death eight years ago. There are images of horseback rides, campfire smores, snuggles with her favorite bird dog and numerous other outdoor milestones that have marked the time over the past 16 years.

Sixteen is one of those ages that elicit a certain amount of nostalgia, especially as priorities change. Playtime is replaced with searching for a job, obtaining a learners permit and other tasks that require quite a bit more responsibility, maturity and morality.

​All three of those qualities can be learned via outdoor adventures like the ones scattered through Paige's photo collage. Confidence built through repetition and practice in an unstable kayak or from the saddle of what may seem like an unpredictable horse. Responsibility and ethics developed through real-world problem solving when deciding when to take the safest shot while hunting or preparing for a rustic camping experience. Independence fostered through an appreciation of our natural resources and education how to survive on the bare essentials regardless of what life may throw at you.

Reflecting on 16 years of being a parent, there certainly have been numerous mistakes, hard lessons learned and desires for a few do-overs. However, none of them come from our outdoor adventures and the trial-and-error, processing and trying-again routine of exploring the natural resources within our greater Susquehanna Valley. Camping and kayaking. Hiking and hunting. Fishing and foraging. 

These are the sort of activities we are excited share with young people throughout the watershed via our upcoming HERYN (Helping Engage our River's Youth with Nature) program. We still are looking for a few additional sponsors, volunteers and a few more pieces of equipment to pull together the series of program days we have in store starting this spring. For more information, click here.

In the meantime, take your kids for a hike, spend some time fishing or just splashing around in a nearby creek (when the water is warm enough) and make sure to take a bunch of photos along the way. You never know what sort of memories you will capture, or what photos you'll want to pull out at your family's next milestone moment.

Send a message -- and share a few of your favorite photos -- with Riverkeeper John Zaktansky by clicking here.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    John Zaktansky is an award-winning journalist and avid promoter of the outdoors who loves camping, kayaking, fishing and hunting with the family.

    Archives

    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020

    Topics

    All

    RSS Feed

Your Pollution Hotline Number:
​570-768-6300

SUPPORT OUR WORK

BY BECOMING A SUSQUEHANNA NEIGHBOR TODAY.
​FROM CLEAN WATER FLOW THRIVING COMMUNITIES.

Middle Susquehanna RIVERKEEPER® is a member of WATERKEEPER® ALLIANCE. RIVERKEEPER is a registered trademark and service mark of Riverkeeper, Inc.
and is licensed for use herein. WATERKEEPER is a registered trademark and service mark of Waterkeeper® Alliance, Inc. and is licensed for use herein.