Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper intern advocates volunteering and restoration work to spark change

​Recently, Jay Schofield had the opportunity to volunteer for a unique restoration project at Susquehanna University – building manmade beaver dams.

“We wanted to restore water levels along a fast-moving creek on campus. We cut down invasive trees and built them into dam structures,” Schofield said. “There are no real beavers (involved in this project) – we call ourselves the beavers.”

The project is designed to slow the creek down and reduce sediment loss.

“The project actually effects a very big area. It is just one stream, and there is all this work, but it is so worth it to see the sediment stay where it is supposed to and to observe which of the dams hold up and even from the ones that don’t, learning and figuring out the impact we can have,” Schofield said. “I love creative problem solving and in projects like this, if is much more rewarding than you might think to get involved and be a part of.”

Schofield admitted that the project also reinforced the power of volunteering.
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“At first I just got involved and volunteered four hours to build these dams, and now here I am and it has become a big part of what I am passionate about,” the Susquehanna University junior said.

“You don’t realize how much you can get out of volunteering beyond just the service until you do the work.”

Schofield is one of three Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association interns for the 2024 summer season, and within the first couple days on the job, was able to help with a Lycoming College project of building manmade hellbender nests at the college’s Loyalsock Creek field station.

Check out the full interview with Jay Schofield in the most recent episode of the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper podcast:

“I thought it was really cool because even if I am not in the environment, I know I am doing something for them,” Schofield said. “It is rewarding to know that someday we may look in there and see a hellbender or its eggs in there. Knowing that potentially you gave a home to another living thing is really cool.”

Schofield is also passionate about raising awareness and sparking new conversation about big topics related to our environment.

“Once I get talking about a subject I am very passionate about, I get pretty good at speaking out about it.  It is why I do tours of the (Susquehanna University) Freshwater Research Institute on campus because I am really passionate about a lot of the projects going on there,” Schofield said. “I find that when I get excited about something, others around me tend to get really excited, too.”

Schofield’s passion for the outdoors began at a young age.

“Mine was one of the last generations to actively go outside. My mom would put me outdoors and I’d play with the neighbors. I had a big fascination with bugs growing up, especially at summer camp where I’d collect them. I had a friend with a bug book and we’d identify them,” Schofield said. “I love walking around the forest, I love being outside. It is just so peaceful and all the things around me there fascinate me.”

Middle school science classes and an AP Environmental Sciences class in the 10th grade helped further Schofield’s desire to pursue this line of work after high school graduation, choosing a college that is known for its environmental programming.

“I went on Google and looked up ‘universities with good environmental science programs’ and found Susquehanna that way,” Schofield said. “They accepted me almost instantly. They obviously wanted me and I wanted to be in that sort of environment. I fell in love with it. I love my college. I know a lot of people aren’t as lucky in knowing what they want to do, but I have been fortunate to really flourish in college.”

Beyond college graduation, Schofield hope to pursue ecosystem management or restoration work.

“I really like the idea of getting my hands dirty, doing tests, doing tagging, doing reintroduction of different species. I like the fact that it is almost a puzzle you have to figure out. Along the way, you might hit some bumps in the road that requires more creative thinking, and I’ve always been a problem solver. I’m open to it all – I just really want to be outside.”

A big part of that work includes education, according to the Chalfont, PA, native, who admits that environmental education is the main reason for choosing the path that has led to this moment.

“A lot of the problems with our environment, I think, stem from ignorance or from people not appreciating things to the fullest,” Schofield said. “Teaching people to love things like bugs and microorganisms and also teaching people how important forests are – how important waterways are – and giving them a deeper appreciation of the world they live in can inspire them to get involved and to tell their friends and others. Environmental education is a critical part of the process.”

Within the first couple days of the summer internship, Schofield was helping run a pond study station during a field trip with more than 150 third-graders.

“I liked working with the kids – seeing them get excited. They asked so many questions and I was more than happy to explain it to them,” Schofield said. “This is day they’ll remember, catching frogs and looking at bugs. It is something they may take with them the rest of their lives.”

Outside of environmental work, Schofield loves to read and draw.

“I do physical and digital drawings, and I dabble in animation which is really hard. I like crafting and building things. If I could sculpt more I would, but not everyone has resources to sculpt in their house.”

One thing that does tie everyone together, though, is the environment we live in, a message Schofield hopes to help amplify during the internship this summer.

“I don’t think everyone realizes how closely connected everything is – how we impact the environmental and how it impacts us,” Schofield said. “This is the world we live on – it is essentially one big living thing and we are all parts on it.”

Which is why it is important to each do our small part to help the whole.

“Get involved in things like recycling. At times it can feel very overwhelming because you see everyone throwing out plastic and all these companies doing things, but then you think about how that one plastic bottle will last so long in the environment, so recycling it can make a difference,” Schofield said. “It is like the story of the guy on the beach throwing sea stars back when another man comes up and asks why he is doing that – it will never make a dent and the sea stars on the beach will all die. But it is better to do something instead of nothing – it means everything to those who do survive.”
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It all begins with talking about the issues, Schofield stressed: “Of course, doing is better than talking, but talking is the first step toward people actually doing things like reducing their waste, reusing and recycling.”

You can contact Jay Schofield via email by clicking here.

Check out bios of the other Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association interns for 2024: Sarah Joy and Theadora Duane.