As cormorant numbers rebound in certain parts of region, updated data would help assess their impact9/30/2022  In this photo by Kelly Caudle, a cormorant swims across the water at Little Buffalo State Park. As someone who spends lots of time on the Susquehanna River as a professional fishing guide and owner of Southside Sports bait shop in Sunbury, Ken Maurer is increasingly concerned about the number of cormorants he sees regularly at the Adam T. Bower Memorial Dam below Sunbury.
“We have a flock of about a hundred that live at the fabridam,” he said. “They are here for at least eight months out of the year, and they eat a pound to a pound-and-a-half of fish each day per bird. That would add up to a staggering 24,000 pounds of fish eaten if 100 birds are here at least 240 days of the year.”
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Floating Classroom 2022 schedule wraps up with program focused on freshwater mussels on Sept. 279/27/2022  Sean Reese, of Bucknell University, lead a Floating Classroom program all about freshwater mussels on Sept. 27, 2022, with more than 50 people attending the cruise.
On the lower level of the Hiawatha Paddleboat, Sean discussed the importance of mussels in our waterways as a natural filtration process as well as some of the species' trends and threats they face. On the upper level, Riverkeeper John Zaktansky used a mussels and snails trivia program to discuss the various species, looking at concerns of invasives and other issues.  In this 2019 photo by Michael Kinney, a hellbender maneuvers along the bottom of a local creek. The following is a column by Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper John Zaktansky. You can contact him directly about this or other topics at [email protected]
In a climactic scene from the 2009 movie “To Save a Life,” a teenager challenges a sense of apathy within his youth group after the suicide of bullied friend by emphatically asking the group a question: “What’s the point of all of this if you are not going to let this change you?” The scene and specifically that question popped into my mind recently while walking into the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association office and glancing at a matted print celebrating the 2018 River of the Year recipient – the Loyalsock Creek.  Note: The following film review was written by Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper John Zaktansky ahead of a Clean Water Celebration in Lewisburg, PA, on Oct. 15 in which the film will be shown. Learn more about the event here.
Filmmaker Scott Morris wastes no time in creatively setting up the central conflict in his newest documentary, “American River.” Within the film’s first 45 seconds, a colorful opening scene of the calm, naturally beautiful upper reaches of the Passaic River shifts to black-and-white footage shot along the industrialized banks farther downstream in the city of Newark. Triggering that transition, accented by a notable shift in the mood of the musical underscore, is an onscreen quote from aquatic ecologist and author Mary Bruno – whose 2012 book “An American River: From Paradise to Superfund” inspired the 86-minute documentary. Water Education Day connects 240 Columbia County eighth-graders with aquatic resources, awareness9/16/2022  A total of 240 eighth-graders from schools such as Benton, Central Columbia, Bloomsburg and other Columbia County districts converged at Briar Creek Lake Park near Berwick for the county conservation district's annual Water Education Day on Wednesday, Sept. 14, 2022.
Under the theme "Good Water = Good Life," students rotated through stations on groundwater, surface water, fish ecology, general water quality, and even used art, poetry, and music to convey messages about water conservation.  More than 50 people participated in the Sept. 13, 2022, Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association Floating Classroom program aboard the Hiawatha Paddleboat in Williamsport.
The theme focused on flooding, how it impacts different levels of life and a look back at the historical flooding of Hurricane Agnes 50 years prior and how that event still impacts us today.  Dr. Joseph Simons III, also known as the Wild Trout Man, shares the story behind one of his favorite photos. Note: If you are interested in attending the Tuesday, Sept. 13, Floating Classroom about flooding impacts and a look back at Agnes 50 years later ... or the Sept. 27 Floating Classroom about freshwater mussels, click here to get your tickets now!
On a special Saturday edition of the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association's Floating Classroom program aboard the Hiawatha Paddleboat in Williamsport, Dr. Joseph Simons III (also known as the Wild Trout Man) and Michael Kinney shared information and tips about aquatic photography and videography.  Filmmaker Scott Morris’ new feature-length documentary “American River” chronicles both the beauty and heavy burdens carried by the Passaic River in northern New Jersey, but the film’s scope and impact is much wider.
“A goal of this project was to portray positive aspects of the river despite the environmental hurdles it faces and show those elements in a cinematic experience,” Morris said. “You realize as you watch it that this isn’t a film about some localized river, but really a story about all rivers.” The “American River” documentary will be the centerpiece of the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association’s Clean Water Celebration scheduled Oct. 15, 2022, at the Campus Theatre in Lewisburg as well as the adjacent Hufnagle Park. This celebration has family-friendly FREE morning activities and a modest ticket fee for the afternoon events.  Nearly 60 people participated in the August 16, 2022, Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association Floating Classroom aboard the Hiawatha Paddleboat near Williamsport.
Megan Schall, assistant professor of biology at Penn State-Hazleton, joined masters student Sydney Stark to provide an overview of invasive species in our greater watershed.  The Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association is offering a special Saturday Floating Classroom aboard the Hiawatha Paddleboat in Williamsport focused on aquatic photography and videography by two of the region's best behind the camera.
Dr. Joseph Simons, vice president of the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association and pioneer of the Wild Trout Man video series, will join photographer/videographer Michael Kinney in presentations about their work with tips on how to improve your own photography/videography of our outdoor resources. |
AuthorsRiverkeeper John Zaktansky is an award-winning journalist and avid promoter of the outdoors who loves camping, kayaking, fishing and hunting with the family. Archives
March 2025
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