Riverkeeper note: The following overview blogpost and podcast interview with Cat Pugh was conducted by West Branch Regional Director Andrew Bechdel. You can contact him directly at [email protected]

​​As a Pennsylvania native who was born and raised in rural Bradford County, Cat Pugh has been surrounded by forests her entire life. But it wasn’t until she was an undergrad at Kutztown University when she took a botany course and learned about the field of ethnobotany, or “the study of the relationship between people and plants,” as she describes it.

Pugh subsequently filled her class schedule with plant classes, spent more time exploring plant communities outside, and cemented her love for the forests of the Appalachian Mountains by hiking the Appalachian Trail in 2017.

After a couple years off, Pugh came back to school in 2019 to work in Dr. Eric Burkhart’s ethnobotany lab at Penn State University and obtained her master’s degree in forest resources studying ramps. It was here that Pugh began dedicating her life to connecting people with the plant communities she loves so much. 

Nearly 60 people learned about various turtle species and specifically about issues related to the wood turtle during the Sept. 24, 2024, Floating Classroom aboard the Hiawatha Paddleboat in Williamsport. 

The cruise, hosted by the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association, featured PA Fish and Boat Commission herpetologist Kathy Gipe, who has done numerous studies on the plight of the wood turtle and its connection to water quality. She presented on the lower level about how the species is impacted by water pollution, what habitats it needs for survival and how people can help monitor and report sightings of the species while helping improve habitat along riparian buffers.

On the upper level, PA Fish and Boat Commission's Jarren Uplinger brought numerous live species of turtles to share with people, giving facts and information on how to properly identify them, important features and habits and other details.

​Riverkeeper note: This is an update on the ongoing story related to a sewage spill below the town of Selinsgrove in Snyder County reported on Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. You can see the original story here and the first follow-up which reported a temporary fix of the pipe here.

In an update story posted by The Daily Item newspaper earlier today (Sept. 24, 2024), Northcentral PA Department of Environmental Protection spokesperson Megan Lehman admitted that additional sewage could be spilled on Wednesday when the new long-term replacement pipe is installed south of Selinsgrove.

That installation on Wednesday will also impact travel in the area according to a press release from PennDOT:

"On Wednesday, September 25, 2024, between the hours of 7:30 AM and 3:00 PM, the Route 11 southbound exit ramp to Route 35 will be closed while the contractor for Eastern Snyder County Regional Authority will be working along Route 35. A detour using Route 11 southbound to Aqueduct Road, Route 11 northbound, to Route 35 will be in place while work is being performed. Motorists should be alert, slow down, and expect delays in travel."

Riverkeeper note: This is an update on an ongoing situation that began on Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, when a main sewage line ruptured near the East Snyder Sewage Treatment Plant south of Selinsgrove. See the original story here.

​As of 9:30 a.m. on Monday, Sept. 30, 2024, the Snyder County Emergency Management Agency is reporting that a temporary sleeve was installed overnight on a ruptured sewage line that had been spewing raw sewage into the Penns Creek/Susquehanna River watershed since earlier in the day on Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024. 

The Facebook update also indicated that a pipe should arrive later Monday that would be used for necessary long-term repairs at the site. 

Riverkeeper note: The following is updated information from the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association as it continues to follow a large sewage line rupture. Check back for more updates as they are available. Have questions, comments or information to share with our Riverkeeper? Send them to [email protected]

A large 20-inch sewage line rupture near the East Snyder County Sewage Treatment Facility on the south end of Selinsgrove, PA, in Snyder County, is spilling raw sewage into the Penns Creek, lower Middle Creek and then flowing into the Susquehanna River just above the Hoover Island boat launch area.

The rupture was found early Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, and as of 3 p.m., authorities are still unsure when the pipe - which moves an average of two million gallons of sewage a day from communities including Selinsgrove, Shamokin Dam and Penn Township - will be repaired.

"All residents of Shamokin Dam Borough, Monroe Township, Penn Township, and Selinsgrove Borough are requested to limit use until repairs can be made. There is no estimated time of repair at this time," according to a press release from the Snyder County Emergency Management Authority. "Ways to limit use would be to not run the dishwasher until it is full, only do laundry if you have to, limit time in shower, etc.  This does not mean that you can’t use the toilet."

Numerous families enjoyed a special cruise aboard the Hiawatha Paddleboat on Sept. 10, 2024, for one of the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association's Floating Classroom sessions.

On the upper level, PA Fish and Boat Commission's southcentral educator Mindy Musser shared a casting game that included a fish identification exercise. 

Meanwhile, Riverkeeper John Zaktansky presented on the lower level about numerous unique species of fish and their adaptations. Among them, the Chesapeake logperch, a species of interest in the lower Susquehanna watershed that has been impacted by pollution and sedimentation issues.

The Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association is participating in the Boscov's Friends Helping Friends Fundraising event on Oct. 22, 2024, which runs from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. both in-store and online. 

The fundraiser involves obtaining a shopping pass from the Riverkeeper Association for a $5 donation between now and the Oct. 22 event. The shopping pass can then be used for up to 25 percent off your shopping at Boscov's on Oct. 22. 

Riverkeeper's note: The following is the introductory column by Riverkeeper John Zaktansky from the new e-magazine shared above or at this link. We also share below that the main stories from the same publication, interviews with Peter Petokas, Matt Kaunert and Mizuki Takahashi in blog form. We have included audio players for podcast conversations with Petokas and Kaunert. You can check out the new online petition to help push for protections for hellbenders by clicking here.

There is a huge amount of therapy for me, at least, on super stressful days – when it feels like the whole world is falling apart and the sky is falling with work projects and other major situations – to lay down in bed at night and zero in my thoughts and prayers of thankfulness on a smaller scope of what is going right at home.

That even when all else is spiraling out of control, at least my immediate family and things within my two-acre corner of the world are OK, safe and secure. 

I had that feeling, briefly, for the Eastern hellbender as I helped Dr. Peter Petokas this past July.