​​Paddling around a group of islands in the North Branch of the Susquehanna River below Shickshinny three Novembers ago, Scranton native Roger Swingle’s fishing pole became tangled in a tree.

“I reached behind me to untangle the pole, and I lost my balance,” he said, plunging into 42-degree river water he estimates was about 15 feet deep.

“It was not a good experience. I had never dealt with that before, and I immediately panicked,” he said. “My kayak was upside down and the water and coldness was wicking through the layers of clothing I was wearing. At that moment, I was extremely scared.”

​​As a young Benjamin Hayes scaled the final ranks toward his Eagle Scout award, Hurricane Agnes moved through the Valley in 1972, leaving behind historic flooding that inspired Hayes into a lifelong passion for river-based resources.
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“For my Eagle Scout project following Agnes in 1972, I was fortunate enough to get involved in a stream restoration project,” he said in a recent Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper podcast interview. “That flood blew out so many streams in the area and historic mill dams failed. Streams changed their look overnight, and that really piqued my interest.”

​Benjamin Hayes, the program director for Bucknell's Watershed Sciences & Engineering Program, talks about the current health of the Susquehanna River along with details about the upcoming 15th Annual River Symposium.

​WPGM/WBGM News Director Matthew James interviews Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association executive director John Zaktansky for a show that aired Oct. 18 on the mission of the organization, upcoming programs and other topics.

​Steve Kurian and his family operate the business Wild for Salmon out of Bloomsburg, making regular trips to the Alaskan wilds for fresh salmon to sell in our watershed. He talks about the importance of clean water and eating fresh fish.

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. 

​Renowned watershed educator, historian and musician Van Wagner talks about lessons learned with students via a unique "Eels in the Classroom" program, why eels used to play such a vital role in the region's waterways and what happened along the way.

Marc Yaggi, the executive director for the international Waterkeeper Alliance, was raised on the banks of the Loyalsock Creek within the Middle Susquehanna Watershed.

In this week's podcast episode, he shares his story from playing in local waterways to overseeing a global movement to confront pollution and take back our water-based resources. He shares the background of the Waterkeeper Alliance movement and why it is so important to get involved at the local level.

How low is the water table within our river and extended network of tributaries?

"The water is about as low as I ever have seen it," said Ken Maurer, owner of Southside Bait and Tackle in Sunbury and longtime river fishing guide. "The boating is limited -- I cracked a well on my boat this year for only the second time in 16 years. Navigating with a jet boat is even really difficult right now. A lot of people wrecked their boats this year."

It can be hard to explain the sensation felt in the pit of one's stomach while standing on the somewhat slick, muddy ledge overlooking the 94-foot drop-off of the Ganoga waterfall found along the Ricketts Glen State Park's popular Falls Trail.

No guard rail. No safety net. Just a potential eight-plus-story plunge into an unforgiving rock-strewn chasm carved by Ganoga Glen not far before it empties into the Kitchen Creek.

Ricketts Glen State Park offers an unforgettable hiking experience on trails that run along 22 named waterfalls of various heights -- a scene that becomes even more breathtaking in the midst of the fall foliage season.