Photos in this collage were all from our 2022 HERYN program days.
The Susquehanna River Basin Commission will be helping sponsor the 2023 HERYN Program Days. However, we could use some more sponsorship for meals for participants and volunteers. This could be a restaurant donating a meal or a business donating money we use to purchase meals. If you are interested, please contact Riverkeeper John Zaktansky at midsusriver@gmail.com
The Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association's HERYN (Helping Engage our River's Youth with Nature) program days connect young people (ages 9-14) with kayaking/fishing skills instruction in kayaking and fishing, teaching the fundamentals while building confidence and sparking a vested interest in our outdoor resources with the next generation of stewards.
Kayaking instruction begins in a swimming pool where students learn how to properly fit a life jacket, experience what it is like to manuever in water with a life jacket, how to properly use a paddle, how to safely board a kayak and how to handle a potential kayak flip. Instruction then continues at the lake with paddling and maneuvering skills instruction and eventually competitions in which students have to use the skills they've learned earlier in the day.
Fishing instruction starts with an equipment overview, introduction and practice with the Palomar knot, rigging tips, casting instruction, practice and competition (distance and accuracy), learning how to bait a hook, land a fish, handle a fish and safely release it back to a waterway. There is also a session on how to clean and cook panfish. Last year, over the six program days, our participants caught more than 800 fish (bass, bluegills, other panfish).
Each program day ends with an Enviroscape presentation and group discussion about watersheds, pollution and ways to better protect our aquatic resources. Afterward, we give out awards, some cool items and graduating certificates.
Our primary 2023 HERYN Program Days will be held June 22, 23, 24, 26, 27 and 28 at the Central PA Wesleyan Campground in New Columbia, PA (Union County). Early registration for this event, which is free and open to young people ages 9-14, can be completed here:
Kayaking instruction begins in a swimming pool where students learn how to properly fit a life jacket, experience what it is like to manuever in water with a life jacket, how to properly use a paddle, how to safely board a kayak and how to handle a potential kayak flip. Instruction then continues at the lake with paddling and maneuvering skills instruction and eventually competitions in which students have to use the skills they've learned earlier in the day.
Fishing instruction starts with an equipment overview, introduction and practice with the Palomar knot, rigging tips, casting instruction, practice and competition (distance and accuracy), learning how to bait a hook, land a fish, handle a fish and safely release it back to a waterway. There is also a session on how to clean and cook panfish. Last year, over the six program days, our participants caught more than 800 fish (bass, bluegills, other panfish).
Each program day ends with an Enviroscape presentation and group discussion about watersheds, pollution and ways to better protect our aquatic resources. Afterward, we give out awards, some cool items and graduating certificates.
Our primary 2023 HERYN Program Days will be held June 22, 23, 24, 26, 27 and 28 at the Central PA Wesleyan Campground in New Columbia, PA (Union County). Early registration for this event, which is free and open to young people ages 9-14, can be completed here:
Looking back to our 2021 and 2022 program days:
Want to check out info from our previous HERYN days? You'll find tons of resources at these links:
- Check out our review post from the 2022 HERYN Program Days, with more than 1,200 photos and videos as well as links to news coverage from the event.
- Read Riverkeeper John Zaktansky's assessment column of the 2022 HERYN Program Days.
- Check out the full review post with photos, videos and news coverage of our 2021 HERYN Program Days.
- Read Riverkeeper John Zaktansky's column review of the 2021 HERYN Program Days, our first ones offered!
In 2021, 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 2020 R3 Grant Program, designed to recruit, retain or reactivate anglers.
The association used these funds to help jumpstart the HERYN (Helping Engage our River's Youth with Nature) Program (pronounced "heron"), designed to connect young people with outdoor experiences through hands-on fishing and kayaking instruction in a fun yet safe environment.
"Our goal is to develop a vested interest in our river-based resources for the next generation of environmental stewards," said Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association Executive Director John Zaktansky. "I remember the sense of independence I felt when I first started catching fish on my own, and the therapeutic aspect of conquering the fears of first learning to kayak. We want to provide those experiences for other young people who may not have the opportunity to otherwise."
The association used these funds to help jumpstart the HERYN (Helping Engage our River's Youth with Nature) Program (pronounced "heron"), designed to connect young people with outdoor experiences through hands-on fishing and kayaking instruction in a fun yet safe environment.
"Our goal is to develop a vested interest in our river-based resources for the next generation of environmental stewards," said Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association Executive Director John Zaktansky. "I remember the sense of independence I felt when I first started catching fish on my own, and the therapeutic aspect of conquering the fears of first learning to kayak. We want to provide those experiences for other young people who may not have the opportunity to otherwise."
DONATE NOW TO THE HERYN PROGRAM ...
Do you want to donate toward some of the equipment or other resources necessary to make sure the HERYN Program is successful and sustainable? Use the following form: