Tickets added to Floating Classroom sessions on paddleboat, 'Raptors on the River' class joins 2021 lineup

I wasn't sure what to expect as I pulled into the parking lot aside an illuminated Hiawatha Paddleboat framed by an otherwise pitch-black background one would expect at 4 a.m. in the morning.

Invited to join a special WNEP TV "Live with Leckey" sunrise broadcoast to help promote the Memorial Day weekend kickoff of the Hiawatha's summer schedule -- and our upcoming Floating Classroom sessions -- I quickly met up with longtime boat captain Mike Strunk, Hiawatha jack-of-all-trade Kim Cillo, Leckey, his cameraman and a few others promoting various themed floats.

Being outdoors during a sunrise never grows old for me -- things start out silent and black and still, but quickly change as light emerges from the eastern horizon. Experiencing it on the Hiawatha did not disappoint.

A symphony of bird calls serenaded us as we cruised the West Branch of the Susquehanna River, a variety of fish broke the surface of the water in different spots to snatch some breakfast, geese chaperoned young goslings along the shoreline, a bald eagle monitored it all from its perch high atop a river-side maple.

​As the camera panned my way and Ryan Leckey asked me about why people should join our Floating Classrooms this summer, I wanted to simply point at the surroundings. No words were really necessary -- the sights and the sounds said it all.

Ryan Leckey and a variety of Hiawatha staff and promotional partners enjoyed a beautiful sunrise cruise on May 28.

​We want kids and their families to fall in love with our river-based resources, for an experience that sparks a lifelong passion and vested interest in the next generation of stewards. Where better to engage that interest than via environmentally focused classes while paddle-boating along the river? 

This summer, there are six opportunities to do so, starting with a float focused on macroinvertebrates on Tuesday, July 6, from 10-11 a.m. Representatives of the Alliance of Aquatic Resource Monitoring (ALLARM) out of Dickinson College will provide an overview session on common "macros" from throughout our watershed. Other sessions include an overview of snake species along with some uplifting songs from local musician KJ Reimensnyder-Wagner on Aug. 3, an overview of common fish species with naturalist Jon Beam on Aug. 10, a look at important river-based history via John Moore and Van Wagner on Aug. 17 and an overview of amphibians with a focus on the hellbender on Sept. 7.

Unfortunately, a previously scheduled session on microplastics set for Sept. 21 had to be changed. We are now offering a "Raptors on the River" program by local falconer Mike Dupuy instead on that date.

Thanks to changes in restrictions surrounding the coronavirus pandemic, we are able to increase our ticket availability for each float, meaning sessions that were previously sold out now have a limited number of tickets.

For more information and to register/purchase your tickets, visit www.middlesusquehannariverkeeper.org/floating-classroom.html

The Hiawatha is proof that not every classroom has four walls. Some, thankfully, come equipped with a bright red paddle wheel, and gorgeous perspective of the Susquehanna River.