 The Emert family, of Winfield, look for macroinvertebrates on a net they pulled from Chillisquaque Creek below Lake Chillisquaque at the Montour Preserve during a Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper program in 2022. One sunny yet blustery early spring day I remember hiking with my Scout troop from a public camping site along a trail toward the Montour Preserve.
A few spring flowers had attempted to push through the late-winter undergrowth, skunk cabbage did its best to break up the dull grays and dead-leaf browns, but really there was little to catch our attention until we stumbled across a small dip in the ground filled with water that was literally vibrating with life. Vernal pools, we learned later that day from naturalist Jon Beam, are unique because compared to the cold, unforgiving environment around them, they are shallow enough to be warmed by the sun above streaming down through a canopy that has yet to gain its leaves. Vernal pools lack natural predators and they offer plenty of leaf litter for shelter and camouflage.
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Education partnership, county tax readjustment will allow MARC to keep managing Montour Preserve10/24/2023  In conjunction with numerous local and statewide partners committed to assisting with environmental education, the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association (MSRKA) has formed an Environmental Education Partnership it is calling a “Vernal School” as a way to support the Montour Area Recreation Commission’s (MARC) work at the Montour Preserve.
The Partnership, backed by a $300,000 grant by the 1994 Charles B. Degenstein Foundation, will offer enhanced nature and STEM programming year-round to all ages and skill levels and is one of two new lifelines for MARC, which earlier this summer announced it may need to file a one-year notice at the preserve due to lack of financial resources.  More than 500 combined people attended nine Floating Classrooms aboard the Hiawatha Paddleboat in Williamsport on the West Branch of the Susquehanna River with the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association in 2023.
The programs began with a cruise on June 13 focused on the rocks and geology of the river basin. It included a presentation by Central PA Rocks and Mineral Club President Andrew “Rockhound” Eppig on various types of rocks you can find in the watershed and another by Brittany Martin on the history of the river’s geology and how it has impacted the Susquehanna’s flow. “I had the best classroom to teach geology to on this beautiful day,” said Martin afterward on her Facebook page. “Andrew Rockhound and I taught geology of the Susquehanna River to an amazing group of people of all ages on the Hiawatha Paddlewheel Riverboat in Williamsport, PA!! So much fun!!!!!”  Sixty people joined the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association on Oct. 3, 2023, for its final Floating Classroom program of the season for an overview of Raptors of the River.
The lower level presentation was led by regional Department of Environmental Protection's Megan Lehman as she discussed the Peregrine Falcon and its nest at the agency's Harrisburg headquarters and how the species as a whole has bounced back from near extinction due to DDT poisoning. State's DEP hosting Environmental Justice meetings this week to seek public feedback on new policy10/9/2023  The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection is kicking off a series of meetings beginning this week to gather input from the public on the interim environmental justice policy adopted by the agency on Sept. 16.
The series of meetings are set to begin on Wednesday evening with the first one being a virtual-only event. The 27-page policy outlines DEP’s approach to connecting with Pennsylvanians living in environmental justice communities — those disproportionately affected by factors such as poor air quality, old housing and infrastructure, and limited transportation — and explains how the agency will handle environmental compliance and enforcement efforts in these areas. |
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
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