Column: Buffalo Creek watershed advocate David Staebler will be missed; donations encouraged

Riverkeeper note: The following column was written by Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper John Zaktansky. You can contact him via email at [email protected]

When I started my role as Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper back in early 2020, one of the first people from the community to reach out and offer support and help me learn the ropes was David Staebler, who I quickly associated (to me, at least) as the face of the Buffalo Creek Watershed Alliance. 

Obviously, there are many important people behind that vital association, but David just had a special place in my heart. He would always make it a point to walk up to me at shows and events with a smile and genuinely ask how it was going. For most people, that question is a formality -- for him, it was obvious he actually wanted to know how things were and chat some about various waterway topics and issues. 

So, earlier today when I saw the email that David had passed away on New Years Day, it hit a little harder than most news I receive in my inbox.

His obituary is in both The Daily Item and The Standard-Journal, and a reminder that I was not as attentive to him and his background as he was to me. There was so much I didn't know about him that I wish, in hindsight, I had taken the time to do.

For example, I should have known this, but he helped co-discover the Staebler-Wronski effect on amorphous silicon ... specifically it relates to light-induced energy changes related to solar cells and LCD displays. There's even a Wikipedia page devoted to the Staebler-Wronski effect.

And, in addition to kayaking and running (two things I knew he enjoyed), he also was into hang-gliding. 

What I did know about David was his longstanding dedication to improving waterways and nature in general. He dedicated lots of his time to the Buffalo Creek Watershed Alliance as well as the Merrill Linn Conservancy and also volunteered with our association, illustrated in the image shared above when he spoke at our Clean Water Celebration in Lewisburg a couple autumns ago. 

I know I will miss getting to see him at events, one of the highlights of knowing there is a friendly face in a crowd of mostly strangers.  I will miss him giving me a hard time (jokingly) whenever I would inadvertently swap out "Alliance" for "Association" when I would refer to the Buffalo Creek Watershed group. 

Ultimately, his passing, for me, will be a reminder to be a better listener -- to intentionally ask others how they are doing, and then commit to that request by genuinely listening and getting to know them and their peaks and valleys better. 

Those who would like to pay respects to David and his family are encouraged to make a donation to the Buffalo Creek Watershed Alliance. We would highly recommend anyone who knew David to consider such a donation. 

Back in April of 2022, David agreed to chat via our Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Podcast for an episode on the Buffalo Creek Watershed Alliance's 20th anniversary. You can re-listen to that episode here: