Riverkeeper nature book club sparks discussions on water, environment: Sign up now for Sept. 27 meeting

The Nature Book Club was started by Carol Parenzan, the first Riverkeeper for the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association (MSRKA). 

Its purpose is to engage readers in discussions about issues and experiences related to clean water, nature, and the environment. This is intended to help them be more informed when talking with friends, family and neighbors about these topics.

The next meeting is Monday, Sept. 27, at the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association office at 112 Market Street, Sunbury, PA. Members will discuss the book "Escape to the Mountain: A Family’s Adventures in the Wilderness" by Marcia Bonta. All are welcome and you don't need to have read the book to participate.

Members suggest a wide range of books to read, and the members collectively winnow the list for each year.  (See below for two lists:  upcoming books to be discussed, and many of the ones already discussed.)  A member volunteers to lead the discussion for each book.  There are about 15 members, and usually 6-10 attend.
 
Our Nature Book Club meets at 7 pm on the last Monday of every-other month (January, March, May, July, September, November).  Meetings generally are at the MSRKA office (112 Market Street, Sunbury).  However pandemic considerations canceled meetings from March 2020 through March 2021.

Meetings resumed in May and July, 2021, at the lovely point of Shikellamy State Park where the Susquehanna River’s North Branch and West Branch meet.  September’s earlier darkness and potentially chilly weather will move us back to the MSRKA office; masks are welcome for those concerned about COVID-19 exposure.
 
MSRKA Board Member Ann Fisher is coordinating the Nature Book Club, and emphasizes that all are welcome, regardless of whether they have read that meeting’s book.  If you have questions, please contact her at <fishermsrka@gmail.com> or Riverkeeper John Zaktansky at <midsusriver@gmail.com>

​Next books to read:
 
Monday, Sept. 27, 2021:  Marcia Bonta, Escape to the Mountain: A Family’s Adventures in the Wilderness
 
Monday, Nov. 29, 2021:  John Shivik, Mousy Cats and Sheepish Coyotes
 
Monday, Jan. 31, 2022:  Kirk Wallace Johnson, The Feather Thief
 
Books discussed earlier:
Abbey, Edward: Down the River
Fletcher, Colin:  The Man Who Walked Through Time
Hawkins, Paul:  The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming (selected chapters)
Kimmerer, Robin:  Braiding Sweetgrass:  Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge             and the Teaching of Plants
Lose, Charles:  Vanishing Trout
McPhee, John:  The Founding Fish
Montgomery, Ben:  Grandma Gatewood’s Walk:  The Inspiring Story of the Woman           Who Saved the Appalachian Trail
Montgomery, Sy:  The Soul of an Octopus
Pollan, Michael:  The Botany of Desire: A Plant’s Eye View of the World
Stewart, Amy:  The Earth Moved: On the Remarkable Achievements of Earthworms
Stranahan. Susan Q.:  Susquehanna, River of Dreams