Help support the work of the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association and show off that support by purchasing one of our newly designed T-shirts that come in one of three designs/colors.
Developed by student intern Morgan Thomas, you can choose between what we are calling our "river doodle" shirt on aqua blue, a hellbender on dark green and a trout on maroon. T-shirts cost $15 each (for those picked up at our office) or $20 for those that need to be mailed.
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Peacefulness.
As a teenager growing up in the late 80s and early 90s, with a full slate of responsibilities at home on the family farm and a growing list of activities in extracurricular ventures like Scouting and sports, there really isn’t a whole lot of time to be still. Until a weekend Scout canoe trip down Pine Creek. Longtime MSRKA board leader Kathy Snavely honored via new annual Environmental Advocate Award10/21/2022 Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association board vice-president Dr. Joseph Simons III (left) hands a plaque to association board president Kathleen Snavely (right) while board member Kelly Caudle observes during the association's Clean Water Celebration on Oct. 15, 2022, at the Campus Theatre in Lewisburg, PA. Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association (MSRKA) Board President Kathy Snavely was awarded the Kathleen K. Snavely Susquehanna River Environmental Advocate Award during the association's Clean Water Celebration on Oct. 15, 2022.
The award, which was developed to honor Snavely's numerous contributions to the association dating back to its 2015 founding, will be awarded annually to an individual or group that goes above and beyond in efforts to promote and protect the health and vibrancy of the Susquehanna River, its tributaries and its watershed. Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association summer intern Peyton Curley collects a water sample at Greevy Boat Launch along the West Branch of the Susquehanna River just below Williamsport in late June. The sample was part of a nationwide PFAS testing program with the Waterkeeper Aliance and Cyclopure. Elevated levels of certain PFAS compounds were found in the Williamsport area of the West Branch of the Susquehanna River as part of a groundbreaking new analysis of American waterways released today (Oct. 18, 2022). The study sounds the alarm on a PFAS pollution emergency via the report titled Invisible, Unbreakable, Unnatural: PFAS Contamination of U.S. Surface Waters.
PFAS are a group of manmade chemicals that all share some sort of fluorinated compound. These per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances are widely linked to serious public health and environmental impacts and more commonly called "forever chemicals." In late June, the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association collected an upstream sample from the deck of the Hiawatha Paddleboat at its dock just above the city and a downstream sample from the Greevy Boat Ramp as a part of a nationwide PFAS testing program conducted by the Waterkeeper Alliance and Cyclopure laboratories. Out of 114 waterways tested across the country, 83 percent were found to contain at least one type of PFAS compound. Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper named to City & State's Pennsylvania Nonprofit Power 100 list10/17/2022 Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper John Zaktansky was named to the City & State Magazine's 2022 Pennsylvania Nonprofit Power 100, a list developed to "recognize the nonprofit leaders serving the most vulnerable people in Pennsylvania," according to the magazine.
In its introduction to the piece, City & State lists numerous hurdles that nonprofits have needed to navigate over the past few years, adding: "The organizations featured in our 2022 Nonprofit Power 100 have triumphed in their efforts to provide everything from cash assistance to legal representation, food deliveries to waterways protection despite the constraint on fundraisers, reduced government funding and declining philanthropic support." Three-year-old Weston Horst, of Lancaster, peered with fascination through a bright green plastic ring holding a magnifying lens over a tiny macroinvertebrate bug.
About 50 yards downstream along the bank of Bull Run, several dozen people sat on stumps and rocks in the nature play area of Lewisburg's Kidsburg Park to hear presenters talk about the award-winning stream restoration and naturalization project. Meanwhile, between those two events, three Selinsgrove Cub Scouts (Liam Crames and William and Matthew Pugh) helped hide prizes in a large playground for a scavenger hunt that drew nearly 30 kids. A few hours later, a line of people walked Lewisburg's Campus Theatre's red carpet for an exclusive screening of the documentary "American River" with filmmaker Scott Morris and five regional river experts discussing the film and answering questions about major issues threatening our watershed. These were just some of the opportunities to learn more about our river, connect with groups that share a passion for our aquatic resources and discover how to get involved and make a difference via the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association's Clean Water Celebration on Oct. 15, 2022, in downtown Lewisburg. The Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association's Clean Water Celebration (sponsored by the 1994 Charles B. Degenstein Foundation) on Oct. 15 in Lewisburg, PA, will feature two distinct segments.
From 10 a.m. to noon in Hufnagle Park, there will be a free community focused set of programs including tables from different associations and agencies with hands-on activities for all ages along with two group presentations. Starting at 12:45 p.m. at the Campus Theatre, we will show the new documentary "American River" with filmmaker Scott Morris followed by a panel discussion that will review the film and issues that tie into what we are facing on the Susquehanna River. Cost for this portion of the day is $10 per ticket. Why should you carve out some time to attend this event with your family, church group, Scout troop, school class or just by yourself? Here are eight important reasons to participate: |
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
December 2024
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