On Sunday, June 9, 2024, 10 graduates of the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association's HERYN (Helping Engage our River's Youth with Nature) kayaking and fishing program participated in the next-level Blue HERYN trip down Penns Creek.
The trip included a stop to explore macroinvertebrates and other creatures on the creek bed. Participants found a wide variety of species, including larval forms of mayflies, stoneflies and caddisflies as well as crayfish, hellgrammites, water pennies and more.
0 Comments
Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper intern advocates volunteering and restoration work to spark change6/5/2024 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.” Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper intern inspired by excitement of younger generation toward nature6/4/2024 A lifelong resident of Florida, Sarah Joy admits that central Pennsylvania’s mountains and general environment was one of several draws that lured her to studying ecology at Susquehanna University.
“Florida is so flat, you could stand on a stepstool and see the whole state,” Joy said. “Florida was a nice place to grow up, but I was never a fan of the tropical environment. I’m much more into the boreal forests and anything mountains.” One of three interns for the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association for the summer of 2024, Joy quickly learned to appreciate the unique differences in ecosystems between Florida and Pennsylvania. Popular HERYN kayaking/fishing program offering sessions July 24-25 at Hills Creek State Park6/4/2024 ** Please note that the two program days for this are currently full but we are still taking students on a wait list to use as openings become available.
The popularity of the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association's HERYN (Helping Engage our River's Youth with Nature) kayaking and fishing program days and recent development of a Northern Tier Regional Director position has led to a new Northern Tier HERYN program opportunity to be held July 24 and 25 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Each day will offer the same program to 20 different participants divided into two 10-person groups each day. The program will take place at the Sugarbush Pavilion of the Hills Creek State Park near Wellsboro. The program will contain intro to kayaking and fishing instruction as well as a Plants Hike and Stream Study. Participants should be between the ages of 10 and 15 and will be learning the fundamentals of kayaking and fishing, as well as gaining a sense of environmental stewardship through watershed conservation. Twelve youths paddle Penns Creek while engaging with the ecosystem in June 3 Blue HERYN program6/3/2024 Twelve graduates from the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association HERYN (Helping Engage our River's Youth with Nature) kayaking and fishing day programs paddled a stretch of Penns Creek on the Union/Snyder county border on Monday, June 3, 2024.
The Blue HERYN half-day sojourns on Penns Creek offers a next-level opportunity to connect young people with our aquatic ecosystem. It includes a stop halfway for the participants to hunt for macroinvertebrates and other life and consider how all levels of the creek habitat work together. Among the highlights on this trip were sightings of an osprey not far from the group swooping up from the water and a mink running along the bank with a small panfish in its mouth. Ten HERYN grads tackle Penns Creek, connect with ecosystem in first half-day youth sojourn of 20246/2/2024 Ten graduates of the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association's annual HERYN (Helping Engage our River's Youth with Nature) kayaking and fishing program participated in the next-level Blue HERYN half-day sojourn down Penns Creek on Sunday, June 2, 2024.
The journey started at a small campsite just west of the town of Penns Creek and wrapped up just over three hours later in the town of New Berlin. "It is great to see these kids embrace both kayaking and fishing and develop a deeper appreciation for our aquatic ecosystem," said Riverkeeper John Zaktansky. "They got to see everything from bald eagles to smallmouth bass they caught along the way and spent time studying macroinvertebrate life on the bottom of the creek and how it all interconnects. They picked up trash and left the waterway cleaner than they found it, plus we were able to continue relationships started at our original HERYN program and seeing the continuation of that effort leading to an improved collective excitement about protecting our aquatic resources is extremely rewarding." Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper intern inspired at a young age to encourage people to get outdoors5/28/2024 Theadora Duane was so inspired by trips to Ricketts Glen State Park and hiking the trails of the Montour Preserve and her grandfather’s property as a child with her father that the Bloomsburg native started her own environmental club as a third-grader.
“It was just me and my friends picking up trash at recess, but we thought we were so cool,” she said. “We thought we were saving the world.” From an early age, she assumed it was normal for everyone to similarly appreciate nature as she worked in environmental clubs, hiked and volunteered with different groups. Cyber Academy students learn about salamanders, macroinvertebrates on special Floating Classroom5/21/2024 The Commonwealth Cyber Academy held a special Floating Classroom aboard the Hiawatha Paddleboat near Williamsport on Tuesday, May 21, 2024, conducted by the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association.
The program acted as the kickoff for the group's summer Floating Classroom season, where people learn about river-related topics while cruising the West Branch of the Susquehanna River in the Hiawatha. Kathryn Allen led the lower-level presentation with an overview on salamanders, with a few live specimens on board. The upper-level session was led by Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper John Zaktansky, who offered an overview on macroinvertebrates as clean water indicators with a hands-on macro exploration opportunity and bug coloring activity sheet. Montour Preserve adds live eels, 24/7 underwater livestream in new display through partnership5/21/2024 ![]() From left, Riverkeeper John Zaktansky, Vernal School Program Supervisor Marissa Crames, Riverkeeper summer intern Theadora Duane, Montour Area Recreation Commission (MARC) Director Bob Stoudt, Susquehanna River Basin Commission Communications Director Stacey Hanrahan and MARC Assistant Director Julian Brehm check show off the new Eels in the Classroom display at the Montour Preserve. The Montour Preserve, located in Montour County, is the newest addition to the Susquehanna River Basin Commission's (SRBC) Eels in the Classroom initiative thanks to a collaboration with the Montour Area Recreation Commission (MARC), Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association (MSRKA) and Fessler IT Consulting all through the Vernal School Environmental Education Partnership.
“We’re thrilled to have the Vernal School partner with our Eels in the Classroom (EIC) program that has educated tens of thousands of students on the importance of the American Eel in our ecosystems” said SRBC Fisheries Biologist and EIC creator Aaron Henning. “The display at the preserve is an excellent way of spreading the word to both children and adults about the eel population restoration successes we are beginning to see throughout our basin.” The eels were delivered on Monday, May 20, and are in a 30-gallon tank in the hallway as you enter the educational center just outside the auditorium. The display includes three large educational panels that offer information about the historical and ecological impacts of the eel in our river basin and how the Eels in the Classroom program is helping to offer important awareness. Fossil program at Montour Preserve draws more than 100 people despite soggy weather conditions5/18/2024 On Saturday, May 18, 2024, Central PA Rock and Mineral Club President Andrew Rockhound and his wife, Cori Rockhound, offered an educational fossil program at the Montour Preserve to more than 100 people despite a steady rain most of the day leading up to the event.
It started at the educational center with an overview of the types of fossils that can be found at the Montour Preserve fossil pit and tips for finding them before everyone went to the fossil pit to hunt for fossils. Below are several dozen photos from the event. Videos and other content will be added as it becomes available. The program was offered under the Vernal School Environmental Education Partnership. Check out more program opportunities through the Vernal School here. Donations toward programs such as these and others can be made through this link. |
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
July 2024
Topics |