​Approximately 5,500 miles of Pennsylvania waterways are impacted by abandoned mine drainage issues, according to the Eastern Pennsylvania Coalition of Abandoned Mine Reclamation (EPCAMR).

Yet, only a small percentage of them offer the immediate bounce-back potential of the 41.8-mile Catawissa Creek, which flows from underground mine tunnels in the tip of Carbon County through Schuylkill and Columbia counties before entering the North Branch of the Susquehanna River in Catawissa.

“The stream itself may be the perfect example of sand and gravel, cobble and boulders – an ideal habitat for fish, microorganisms, benthic macroinvertebrates and all the thing that make up the food web that support the fish that so many people go after,” said Ed Wytovich, president of the Catawissa Creek Restoration Association (CCRA). “It is a drop-dead gorgeous watershed.”

With the holiday season in full swing, and people looking for the best gift ideas for the people on their shopping lists, the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association offers four unique items you can't find anywhere else.

The past year has been a busy one for the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association.

From a March 2 announcement of a massive settlement agreement concerning pollution concerns in Montour County to expanded environmental education programming that included seven Floating Classrooms aboard the Hiawatha Paddleboat and the introduction of our new HERYN (Helping Engage our River's Youth with Nature) Program, each milestone we met would not have been possible without the support of so many throughout the 11,000-square-mile watershed we serve.

The Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association will host a Nature Book Club discussion of "The Feather Thief" by Kirk Wallace Johnson starting at 7 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 29 at the association's office located at 112 Market Street, Sunbury.

The Nature Book Club, which me every other month, features discussions on a wide range of nature-based books selected by those who attend the meetings regularly and mediated by specific individuals connected to the group. 

"Sentinels of the Susquehanna: Volume 1," a 285-page paperback book featuring more than 50 stories from the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association is now on sale.

The collection covers a wide variety of issues facing the middle Susquehanna River watershed and stories about people who passionately promote and protect the river's many resources.

​Approached by the Elk County Conservation District to design one of several storm drain murals to engage and educate people about stormwater pollution, artist Mickayla Poland brainstormed images that would create an immediate impact.

“I thought about why there have been so many efforts to clean up these waterways, why it is so important and why people love it so much,” she said. “So my mural in Ridgway has a kayaker or a canoer – depending on how you view the image. There is a hellbender, which is a very vulnerable species to pollution and there’s a brown trout, along with some greenery and stones.
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“I combined all these elements as inspiration to show what could be affected if you would dump something down the drain and how it goes directly into our waterways.”

​Katie Caputo grew up connected to the river thanks to the mentorship of her father and the rest of he family. Those early experiences helped spark the concept behind her Williamsport-based Roambler.com initiative.

In the most recent episode of the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Podcast, she talks about the site's ability to connect people with suitable mentors for a wide variety of outdoor activities, hoping to spark a vested interest in our natural resources.