Recently, Lancaster Clean Water Partners and Lancaster County Community Foundation announced the awarding of more than $100,000 in grants to support the quality of water in Lancaster County, PA. RiverStewards Collaborative was one of the fortunate organizations to receive funds from this grant program. We will work with an Amish liaison, Lancaster Farmland Trust, and […]
Why This is Not an Easy Issue to Overcome Just like most environmental problems, Harrisburg’s Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) system cannot be resolved simply. While many organizations in the region are doing their best to tackle this issue, as are entities representing the 860 other CSO communities across the country, the biggest obstacle in their […]
Harrisburg’s Combined Sewer Overflow System and its Consequences Nearly 60% of Harrisburg’s wastewater and stormwater control is through a combined sewer overflow (CSO) system, which is one of the oldest forms of sewer systems in the country. CSOs combine rainwater and wastewater during significant rain events, before treating it and releasing it into a nearby […]
“Every time I take a class on this trip, one person falls in the river.” That was the line our Environmental Advocacy Writing professor, Dr. Justin Mando, said before our class went on the annual kayaking trip. As we drove to Shanks Mare Outfitters… As we picked our kayak partner… As I put my backpack […]
Brook Lenker grew-up exploring Pennsylvania’s waters, and has spent his career educating, protecting, and advocating for the state’s natural resources. His many titles have included Manager of Education and Outreach for the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) and Executive Director of FracTracker Alliance. Now, upon the May release of his debut novel, […]
What is One Water? The One Water concept was developed by the Water Research Foundation – a nonprofit, educational organization that funds, manages, and publishes research on the technology, operation, and management of drinking water, wastewater, reuse, and stormwater systems – to “manage water resources holistically and sustainably. One Water is an integrated planning and […]
An Interview with John Arway (Part 2) Today, the biggest threat is no longer the simpler point source discharges, but the subtler yet abundant non-point sources, according to John Arway, former executive director of the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. Non-Point Sources Are a Greater Challenge “For large watersheds like the Susquehanna, we’re dealing with […]
An Interview with John Arway (Part 1) “I often say there are only two seasons in Pennsylvania: hunting season and fishing season,” John Arway says with a laugh. “That keeps me occupied almost all year round.” Arway, who retired in November 2018, spent 38 years with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, the last 10 […]
Photo above: Dr.Justin Mando instills his passion for the outdoors into his Environmental Advocacy Writing class at Millersville University – part of RiverStewards’ “Susquehanna Storytelling” initiative. While environmental issues – whether they are as regional as the health and stability of local waterways or as large as the global climate – affect all life, their […]
Photo Above: The Zimmerman Center is one of two locations Susquehanna Heritage operates along the river as centers for education and outreach. It also acts as headquarters for Susquehanna Heritage. The Susquehanna River is part of a complex ecosystem, and, much like the river, the individuals, groups, and organizations who work to promote and protect the […]
Photo above: John Quigley, Director of Harrisburg University’s Center for Environment, Energy and Economy discusses what a shared database might look like. Government agencies, nonprofits, academics and others use data in their day-to-day work. Whether analyzing the levels of nitrate and phosphorus in a water sample, tracking sediment loads over time, or gauging the economic […]
In the past, someone with leftover medications had few choices for disposal. Flush it and harm water quality? Throw it in the trash and affect the environment that way? Wait a year until someone has a drug take-back program? There has to be a better way! That’s what the Susquehanna Heartland Coalition and Geisinger Health […]
“The Treasure of the Susquehanna” was developed by Millersville University student Gabrielle Redcay, with guidance from her professor Justin Mando, as part of the RiverStewards initiatives, Susquehanna Stories. The film discusses the importance of the river and what actions citizens can take to help protect it. Featured in the film are Josh Hill of Shenk’s […]
For the fourth time in six years, the state is attempting to adopt a new plan for governing the discharge of polluting industrial wastewater at the Brunner Island power plant, as well as cooling water that has been blamed for fish kills. The York County power plant’s discharge permit expired in 2011 and the plant has been […]
In extreme northwestern Lancaster County, when the Susquehanna River recedes, as it has now, careful exploring on foot reveals an otherworldly canvas where geology meets art. Here, at the Conewago Falls near Falmouth, Conoy Township, just below Three Mile Island, molten rock, ruptured glacial lakes and thousands of years of erosion have left behind a […]
Certainly we should all be worried about the root causes of disease and intersex problems that have beset the Susquehanna River’s most revered game fish, the smallmouth bass. But don’t be such a worrywart that you don’t go fishing and miss what has suddenly become the river’s best bronzeback fishing on record. At least in […]
Swayed by the concerns of many Pennsylvania anglers, the state’s fishery managers decided Tuesday not to lift a springtime ban on smallmouth bass fishing in the middle and lower Susquehanna and lower Juniata rivers. The eight-member Fish & Boat Commission voted unanimously to extend the spawning season catch ban for at least another year, requesting more evidence […]
There’s something about water that draws people to it. Whether the benefits are emotional or economical, there’s no denying the appeal of rivers, lakes and streams — three features that make Central Pennsylvania an attractive place to live, work or visit. The Susquehanna River is the most prominent water feature in the region. At 444 […]
At Millersville University’s new faculty orientation, I mentioned to an older gentleman who served as our tour guide that I had been fishing the Susquehanna almost daily since moving to Lancaster County from Pittsburgh. The man assumed I meant from a boat, but when I told him I’d been wading the river he replied with […]