On Aug. 19, 2020, as the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association searched for new ways to engage and educate people across an 11,000-square-mile watershed while mindfully navigating through the uncertainties of a pandemic, we published our first podcast conversation. Dr. David Lieb, an aquatic biologist with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, chatted with Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper John Zaktansky about the invasive rusty crayfish and its impact on the greater Susquehanna River Basin. In the year since, we have produced 47 episodes with a combined runtime of 704 minutes (11.7 hours) chatting with a wide variety of people who share a passion for our river-based resources. Educators, business owners, biologists, camp directors, environmental nonprofit executives, politicians, researchers, technology and social media influencers, water specialists, a SCUBA instructor, a falconer, a naturalist, a veterinarian, a boat captain and even a few musicians and watershed volunteers.
The subjects of these podcast episodes have varied in age, too. From a teenager who has made a name for herself in the kayaking and fishing realms to college interns and individuals in their 60s, 70s and 80s. Despite their backgrounds, these individuals all have a common love for our natural resources and illustrate that really anyone can step up and make a difference in their own communities and social circles. One of the best aspects of our podcast episodes is that you can hear the passion in each of their voices as they share their stories, and that passion can be contagious. The podcast effort has sparked quite a ripple effect for the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association, as well. Numerous new contacts and potential volunteers have connected with our association via this project. Three of the people interviewed for podcast episodes have gone on to join our Board of Directors, others have become key volunteers for programs such as our HERYN (Helping Engage our River's Youth with Nature) and Floating Classroom educational programs. Others will be key partners in upcoming projects and initiatives. One year and 47 episodes into this effort, and the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Podcast series isn't going anywhere. We have more episodes in production that will be coming out in the coming weeks. You can keep up with the sessions on our MSRKA Podcast page, where each episode is available before you can find it anywhere else. We also syndicate episodes out to a variety of popular podcast channels, including Spotify, Amazon Music/Audible, the Android App, Deezer, Gaana, the Libsyn Classic Feed, Radio Public and Player.fm. Looking for a specific episode? Here are links to individual blog posts for each of the 47 episodes to date:
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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
February 2025
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