Riverkeeper reflections |
Fourteen participants engage with numerous areas of June 20, 2026, HERYN day, including cooking6/29/2026  Among the various lessons and programs offered during a typical HERYN (Helping Engage our River's Youth with Nature) program day, one of the most popular is the fish cleaning and cooking demonstration.
"We offer this as an option for any participants who want to learn how to take a fish they caught, safely get a filet or two off it and cook it in a way that they'll enjoy," said Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper John Zaktansky. "We don't require this part because not everyone is into that, but it does provide a nice full-circle element to go from the basics of knot tying and casting all the way to providing a meal for your family from what you catch. Plus, it is cool to see how many kids who are squeamish at first wind up begging for more cooked fish to try afterward." During the Saturday, June 20, 2026, HERYN program, 10-year-old Max Machesic, of Lewisburg, was among those who enjoyed that part of the program especially.
0 Comments
Fourteen participants for June 19, 2026, HERYN savor activities such as yakball, fishing and more!6/29/2026  If 14-year-old Zach Hoagland, of Elysburg, had his way, yakball would be added as an Olympic sport.
The activity, one of the final competitions on the kayaking side of instruction during the annual HERYN (Helping Engage our River's Youth with Nature) combines the concepts of soccer and kayaking into one competitive sport. "I really liked yakball - I'd like to teach my friends to play this, too," he said. "I had done a lot of fishing before coming to this camp, but definitely leave with a desire to use my kayak a lot more."  Fourteen young people kicked off the first HERYN (Helping Engage our River's Youth with Nature) kayaking and fishing day camp programs at the Central PA Wesleyan Campground near New Columbia by picking up new skills in each activity and also considering a variety of tips to keep our waterways clean.
"Don't throw trash in the woods," suggested 8-year-old Joseph Knauss, of Winfield, adding in his exit survey that the one thing he learned that he can teach others were "reeling techniques." Three dozen veterans connect with volunteers and nature while sharing their stories via annual event6/22/2026  The Orangeville Manor offers more than a place to stay for veterans who have fallen on hard times since their service for our country.
“The manor saved my life,” said U.S. Army veteran Dominick Fils in an interview for the Daily Item’s coverage of a recent fishing, food and fun gathering for veterans hosted by the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association. “They’ve done great things for me. I quit drinking, I haven’t had a drink in 20 years. I wouldn’t be here without them.” But that work requires partnerships, support and awareness, which is what inspired Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association board treasurer Walt Bingaman to offer a fishing and picnic experience for the veterans a year ago. “I volunteered out there a while ago, serving food, and it was obvious there was a need not only for the veterans to get out and reconnect with nature, but also for the manor to make new connections and get the resources it needs to do such important work,” he said.  As with each program provided by the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association, an effort to talk about waterway concerns and make some sort of impact is a key focus.
The June 8, 2026, Blue HERYN (Helping Engage our River's Youth with Nature) kayaking and fishing half-day sojourn down Penns Creek included a massive haul of litter being picked up -- mainly in the form of tires. A bunch of discarded tires were found along the entire six-mile paddle, but participants made an extra effort to pull them from the creek as the journey neared its end. There was an especially large number of tires stuck into the creek bed just above the town of New Berlin. Participants dove in to grab what they could for the final leg of the trip.  At the introductory HERYN (Helping Engage our River's Youth with Nature) kayaking and fishing program days, participants learn the fundamentals of each main activity separately. However, graduates of that course are invited back for special Blue HERYN half-day trips down a six-mile section of Penns Creek in which both kayaking and fishing are enjoyed simultaneously.
That was definitely the case during the June 5, 2026, Blue HERYN session as the fish were biting much more actively. Participants and staff hooked into numerous smallmouth bass and fallfish, along with exploring macroinvertebrates such as crayfish and mayfly larva. Eight HERYN graduates kick off half-day sojourns down Penns Creek for early-June Blue HERYN6/9/2026  The annual Blue HERYN (Helping Engage our River's Youth with Nature) half-day trips down Penns Creek kicked off on June 1, 2026, with eight former HERYN graduates learning to kayak and fish together while navigating a moving waterway with potential new hazards.
The group stopped to explore the aquatic ecosystem more thoroughly with nets and other tools, focusing on macroinvertebrates, amphibians and other species.  A new 287-page paperback book titled "Stream Studies: Research, Stories and Lessons from the Susquehanna River for Students of All Ages" has officially been published and is available for purchase from the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association.
The book includes a compilation of pollution and issue-based topics related to the Susquehanna River, with local research and impacts highlighted throughout. The 39-chapter collection of more than 60 stories includes review questions at the end of each story, numerous experiments that students (and families) can do to better understand issues related to the river and more.  Numerous concerns shared with the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association (MSRKA) concerning an unknown barge-like structure in the West Branch of the Susquehanna River near Williamsport (between Arch and Maynard streets) led to feelers to various agencies in the region.
The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) authorized a permit for geotechnical investigation on April 27, for a future utility line that will cross under the river, according to agency spokesperson Megan Lehman.  Results to an online survey developed by the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association focused on finding trends and answers for potentially declining muskrat numbers across the state continue to highlight some of the same patterns seen by biologists.
The survey is still active and more feedback from trappers and other outdoor enthusiasts is encouraged. So far, 91 percent of those surveyed indicated that water quality in the areas they spend time outdoors has either stayed the same or noticeably improved over the past decade. However, during the same time, 82 percent of those surveyed indicated either a population about the same or declining – 27 percent of all who were surveyed suggested they’ve noticed a drastic decline in the species over the past 10 years. “What’s so interesting (and I’ve only made it through the first half) is that there’s a huge variety of reasons mentioned for decline, and not a single one that keeps coming up over and over,” said Pennsylvania Game Commission biologist and mammals specialist Thomas Keller. “This is obviously reflective of what we currently know (which is practically nothing) about the decline), but have many of the same thoughts.” |
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
August 2026
Topics |
RSS Feed
