Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Assoc. in 2024: A year of providing a voice for the vulnerable

A year ago, the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association kicked off 2024 with a poem. 

Our association's mission has always been to protect and promote the health and vibrancy of the Susquehanna River, its tributaries and the life that depends on our clean-water resources across an 11,000-square-mile watershed. How we do that comes in all different forms, flavors and frames.

This past year, the frame of choice ... to be a voice for the vulnerable. As we shared in the poem announcing that theme for this year, the vulnerable in our watershed come in many shapes and sizes. Eastern hellbenders, bald eagles, frog eggs, homeowners with flaming faucets near fracking wells, blotchy bass, people who could be victims of irresponsible industry and abandoned mine drainage impacts. 

As the poem goes on to ask:

​Who speaks for those with poisoned groundwater?
With unfiltered wastewater?
With impaired freshwater?
With no water at all?

​We do and we did ... numerous times in 2024. 

Like the fish rescue and research efforts of Nov. 27 on the new passageway around the Adam T. Bower Memorial Dam where we partnered with Susquehanna University to catch, catalog and release more than 600 fish from pools they were stranded in near the river. And, more recently, a Dec. 19 follow-up that returned more than 250 more fish to the Susquehanna. 

​And providing a voice to an anonymous citizen report of pollution in Union County that led to a full-fledged investigation and clean-up measures that protected nearby Penns Creek. 

We helped break news on Sept. 22 about a massive sewage leak near Selinsgrove and subsequent warnings on the river for boaters and other recreational users while monitoring the water and continuing to look at the bigger issue of failing infrastructure across the watershed.

We sparked the conversation on the dangers and inconsistencies posed by the Encina plastics processing plant more than a year ago, continued to question and put pressure on contacts within their organization and then when Encina suddenly backed out of its plan to build a massive plant along the Susquehanna River in Northumberland County, offered a column to navigate the emotional and political pollution Encina sparked in the region.

Board President Michael Kinney and his fiance, Missy Gray, paddled the 228 paddle-able miles of the West Branch of the Susquehanna River, bringing important awareness to key issues of the tributary and thanks to help from Fessler IT Consulting, gave a voice to more than 170 bird species along the West Branch.

We kicked off the Vernal School Environmental Education Partnership to help give a voice to those (especially the Montour Area Recreation Commission) who have been working hard and sacrificing to keep the Montour Preserve online and drastically boost environmental education in the region. Check out our extensive annual report of the Vernal School and consider a donation specifically to the Vernal School and Montour Preserve.

And, of course, we beat the drum for hellbender protection all year until, finally, the US Fish and Wildlife Service switched gears thanks to our legal efforts with numerous partners, sharing the many talented voices in our region who have a shared passion for the species and an investigative e-magazine with online petition to propose endangered status.

To help us amplify that voice, we hired regional directors in the West Branch and Northern Tier, we surpassed 100 podcasts about important river-based topics and we bolstered our massive number of online articles, blog posts and investigative reports, including the following: 

• February 21: Louisiana Waterthrush encounter offers reminder of how citizen science can help crucial species
• February 27: Our steams in winter: A look into the challenges and resilience of our waterways through the season
• March 7: Tiny invasive mud snails can cause huge impacts on aquatic ecosystem if we don't reduce the spread
• March 14: A rescue effort heading into the final hours of Raise the Region 2024 offers some clarity, renewed focus
• March 28: Legacy of a Headwater Hero: Dr. Pete Ryan and a case for environmental volunteerism
• April 1: Public urged to learn about marten, give educated feedback ahead of PGC April 13 reintroduction vote
• April 9: Groups across greater watershed gear up for litter cleanup efforts: Tips, dates and an artsy challenge!
• April 11: Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Assoc., Lycoming College Clean Water Institute receive grant to fund hellbender research equipment
• April 22: Headwater Hero: Bob Webber was 'ambassador' for natural resources, trail steward and storyteller
• April 24: 'Mending the Line' director on therapy of fly fishing, importance of protecting clean water resources
• April 30: Williamsport fish ladder not working due to broken gate blocking flow according to DCNR official
• May 15: Mine reclamation expert: 'We are at exciting precipice of really significant, positive change' after Tioga River project gets $68 million for treatment
• May 21: Montour Preserve adds live eels, 24/7 underwater livestream in new display through partnership
• May 21: Cyber Academy students learn about salamanders, macroinvertebrates on special Floating Classroom
• June 19: Column: Manmade dams and rock piles can cause major negative ripple effects in our waterways
• June 30: Column: Success outdoors not measured in fish caught or miles hiked, but in mindful immersion
• July 1: Students engage with Riverkeeper presentation on the hellbender during annual Envirocamp program
• July 2: New study shows key behavioral, physical impacts of increasing water temps on sculpin, headwaters
• July 11: Musser Gap Greenway connects people to nature while protecting water quality and habitat
• July 13: New West Branch HERYN expansion connects young people with kayaking, fishing & conservation
• July 30: Early data shows benefits of analog beaver dam effort in stream management at Susquehanna Univ.
• July 31: Twenty-nine students split across two days explore Wellsboro state park in HERYN expansion program
• August 3: Adaptive kayak launch added at Montour Preserve to help more people access Lake Chillisquaque
• August 9: Intern column: Pollinator trends can be indicators for water quality if we are paying attention
• August 11: Column: Internship offered a fresh perspective on environmentalism through outdoor exploration
• Sept. 20: Studies show positive impacts of Large Wood Addition projects on trout habitat, stream ecology
• Sept. 30: Podcast: Educator Cat Pugh talks riparian buffers, agroforestry and creative plantings that lead to artistic opportunities
• Oct. 1: Michael Kinney's 'Old River' film debut draws more than 150 people, positive comments & sparks action
• Oct. 24: Group wraps up $500k fix of year-old $3.3 million fish passageway with reinforced path; Williamsport fish ladder still hampered by gate issues
• Oct. 28: Wetlands like Old Crow offer vitally diverse habitat, tourism hotspots that deserve improved protection
• Oct. 29: Bats play important role in aquatic ecosystem, but white nose syndrome likely reshaping ripple effect
• Oct. 31: USGS PFAS study looks at which tissues the 'forever chemicals' build up in fish, plus land use & sources
• Nov. 27: New interactive GIS map plots more than 22,000 bird detections, 170 species from 24-day West Branch kayaking trip
• Dec. 4: DCNR botanist: Protecting habitat for rare wetland plants critical as certain populations struggle
• Dec. 11: More than 600 fish, including six eels and nearly 200 bass, discovered in small pools left in fish passage near Sunbury dam during rescue and study
• Dec. 11: Young mom writes children's book inspired by adventures with daughter along river, donating portion of online sales to local riverkeeper group
• Dec. 12: U.S. Fish and Wildlife proposes hellbender as endangered species after groups push for better protections
• Dec. 19: Podcast: Centre Co. fly-fishing guide talks about impacts of development on trout habitat and how groups like Trout Unlimited are helping

Beyond these and other blog posts, we also have numerous other ongoing situations and cases we are involved with right now that we aren't able to share publicly at this time. This includes dealing with a massive pollution case that become public early in 2025, helping an ailing Vietnam veteran and his wife deal with a decade-long legal case involving their local township and issues with runoff that are threatening headwaters to an exceptional value stream and wetland, amplified work on fracking concerns in communities that have been hit the hardest, additional sewage issues in towns along the river and much more.

And this doesn't include the growing number of environmental education opportunities like our HERYN (Helping Engage our River's Youth with Nature), Floating Classrooms, Riverwalks and much more that have impacted thousands over the past year-plus.

We have much planned for 2025, our association's 10th anniversary, and beyond. Help us reach these goals and protect more waterways with an online donation.

If you would like to join our efforts via volunteer opportunities or other hands-on projects, fill out our online survey.

Have questions, comments or suggestions? Contact Riverkeeper John Zaktansky at [email protected]