Young people, adult leaders sought for new Sea Scout program starting soon in Middle Susquehanna region

Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper John Zaktansky (at left) is excited to share outdoor adventures with young people through the region via a new Sea Scout initiative kicking off soon locally.

​Peacefulness. 

As a teenager growing up in the late 80s and early 90s, with a full slate of responsibilities at home on the family farm and a growing list of activities in extracurricular ventures like Scouting and sports, there really isn’t a whole lot of time to be still.

Until a weekend Scout canoe trip down Pine Creek. 

My nerves kicked in as I first stepped into the canoe. The water seemed swift and I wasn’t sure what I was doing outside of a quick overview before we left shore. 

It didn’t help that my paddling partner was even less prepared than me. He forgot his sunscreen and developed quite a bad burn halfway down the first leg of the trip. Any time a branch or something else would graze his sun-scorched skin, he’d yell out in pain. ​

Riverkeeper John Zaktansky (left) and Steve Smith (right) are shown in the early 1990s from a junior leadership course they offered via the Boy Scouts of America.

​Also, while trying to step into the canoe, he stepped on the Ziploc baggie with his sandwich and a yogurt he had packed for lunch. The yogurt cup cracked and pink strawberry-banana Yoplait oozed over his peanut butter and jelly.

Yet despite these and a few sporadic other distractions, I found myself completely mesmerized by the surroundings through which we paddled. The banks were carpeted with rich green plant life broken up here and there by brightly colored blooms that attracted an assortment of butterflies and other winged creatures. Deer quietly drank from the side of the creek as we paddled by, seemingly undisturbed despite our proximity. Schools of fish darted below us while kingfishers, red-winged blackbirds and an occasional eagle criss-crossed above.

I had been on waterways in our region before, but this was the first time I remembered being fully engaged by nature – each of my senses piqued by the surroundings in a way that brought a whole new level of appreciation and respect.

Throughout my teenage years, Scouting provided ample additional opportunities to engage with our natural resources in ways I never would have otherwise. Through merit badge classes, numerous field trips and hands-on service projects, I learned about ecology and conservation in ways I never could in the traditional school classroom. 

On the trail to Eagle Scout and beyond, including several stints serving on what was then called Brownsea Junior Leader Training camp staffs, I developed confidence in myself, new friendships (a few that remain yet today) and a desire to protect our natural resources that played an important part in accepting the role as Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper in early 2020.

Recently, thanks to overlapping connections with the local Scouting movement and our HERYN (Helping Engage our River’s Youth with Nature) kayaking and fishing day programs, an opportunity came up for the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association to serve as the charter organization for a local Sea Scout program.

Sea Scouts is a longstanding initiative under the larger Boy Scouts of America umbrella in the same vein as the Venturing program. It is a co-ed youth-led and adult-mentored experience that includes valuable certifications in SCUBA, boating safety, lifesaving, and CPR, as well as advancement in rank from Apprentice to Quartermaster.

The opportunity here seemed too good to pass up … a coming-together of a riverkeeper association with a branch of Scouting that is focused exclusively on boating and our aquatic resources. I am thankful that Scouting's Seven Bridges District Chair and Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Board member Marissa Crames helped orchestrate the connection and the opportunity to collaborate in this way.

It would be great to give young people today the same sort of engagement with our aquatic resources that I so greatly appreciated during my Scouting days, and this Sea Scout experience should be a great way to achieve that experience.

We are at the place where we are actively seeking potential new Sea Scouts (ages 14-20) and adult leadership.

​If you are interested in learning more, please contact Steve Smith (who I served along side as a teenager on junior leadership training programs in the early 1990s), who will serve as the unit’s Skipper (similar to a troop Scoutmaster) via email by clicking here. 

Or, feel free to contact Sean Dresang, another key player in organizing this program by clicking here.

For Scouting questions or needs in Northumberland, Snyder and Union counties contact Marissa Crames at [email protected]

You can contact me (Riverkeeper John Zaktansky) at [email protected]

A few mythbusters about the Sea Scout program, for those who may be curious: