New program offers immersive river adventure for young people as a way to inspire aquatic appreciation

Youths from the Selinsgrove REC check out various insects, including hellgrammites, with instruction from Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association board member Doug Fessler during a new Riverwalk experience called OTTERS (Observational Tours To Explore River Systems) designed to experience the interconnectedness of our aquatic ecosystem.

Nearly 50 young people from the Selinsgrove REC enjoyed a morning exploration trip along the Susquehanna River below Sunbury as part of a new program offered by the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association. 

OTTERS (Observational Tours To Explore River Systems) is designed for middle and/or high school students as an immersive experience to see the river in a new way, searching for various species of all kinds and how they are interconnected with each other in the greater aquatic ecosystem.

"This is basically a guided riverside adventure where we equip kids with various tools to see the river on a whole new hands-on level," said Riverkeeper John Zaktansky. "We break them up into smaller teams and give each team an exploration bag with various tools and equipment and then encourage them to get wet and muddy and creatively explore the various elements of the river."

Each exploration bag includes an underwater camera for photos and video, net, laminated ID sheets for various common aquatic species, ice cube tray for sorting and viewing smaller creatures, binoculars, notepad and pencils for taking notes, magnet fishing kit, trash bags and gloves for picking up litter, plastic forceps for smaller specimens, magnifying glass and more. Each group also gets a fishing pole with hook, sinker and bobber and is encouraged to observe what sort of things they think fish eat along the river's banks and find their own live bait as they go.

"We took the children down to the river to expose them to the outdoors with doing so we were able to catch macroinvertebrates and talk about the importance of our waterways and our environment and how to be a good stewards of the environment," said association board member and program creator Doug Fessler. "They even cleaned up litter along the way and witnessed how important clean water is for creatures of all shapes and sizes, including humans."

While students in older grades went on the OTTERS Riverwalk experience, younger members of the Selinsgrove REC stayed with Susquehanna University interns Eric Belfanti and Peyton Johnson to explore one small cove of the river for a variety of creatures. 

"You never know what sort of experience a kid will have that sticks with them. Some of these young people may be the next generation of stewards for our river. Some may use the camera and develop a love of outdoor photography and videography. Others may walk away with a fascination with science or want to pursue fishing or some other river-related recreation," said Zaktansky. "Ultimately, for all of them, we hope we at least plant a seed of appreciation for our aquatic ecosystem and a desire to better protect the fragile synergy across each level of it."

Get involved ...

Know some young people who would like to participate in an OTTERS immersive riverwalk adventure? Fill out the following form and we will be in touch as time and river conditions allow.