Our Mission:
To Promote the Health of the Fishing Creek Watershed
To Promote the Health of the Fishing Creek Watershed
****UPCOMING EVENTS****
WETLAND PLANTS OF RICKETTS GLEN - with Dr. George Chamuris (see info below) - February 13, 2023 - 7 PM
****All events will be held in the Lower Level Conference Room in the Ag Services Building at 702 Sawmill Road, Bloomsburg PA 17815 unless noted otherwise****
WETLAND PLANTS OF RICKETTS GLEN - with Dr. George Chamuris (see info below) - February 13, 2023 - 7 PM
****All events will be held in the Lower Level Conference Room in the Ag Services Building at 702 Sawmill Road, Bloomsburg PA 17815 unless noted otherwise****
Dr. George Chamuris returns to FCWAwith Wetland Plants of Ricketts Glen
For the first program of this new year, FCWA has invited Dr. George Chamuris to share his new presentation, “Wetland Plants of Ricketts Glen.” A Bloomsburg University Professor Emeritus, Dr. Chamuris has presented other popular programs for us on the plants of Ricketts Glen and the trees of Kocher Park.
In this program, at 7 pm on Monday, February 13th, he will show us the most common wetland plants in Ricketts Glen and review the importance of healthy wetlands and bogs. Dr. Chamuris’ beautiful photographs will prepare us to visit the glen in warmer weather to enjoy these plants as we hike the glen trails.
Please join us in-person in the large meeting room of the Ag Services Building, 702 Sawmill Road, Bloomsburg. Or to register for the program via Zoom, please call the Columbia County Conservation District at 570-317-9456 before 3 pm on February 13th to receive the link.
We hope you can join us!
For the first program of this new year, FCWA has invited Dr. George Chamuris to share his new presentation, “Wetland Plants of Ricketts Glen.” A Bloomsburg University Professor Emeritus, Dr. Chamuris has presented other popular programs for us on the plants of Ricketts Glen and the trees of Kocher Park.
In this program, at 7 pm on Monday, February 13th, he will show us the most common wetland plants in Ricketts Glen and review the importance of healthy wetlands and bogs. Dr. Chamuris’ beautiful photographs will prepare us to visit the glen in warmer weather to enjoy these plants as we hike the glen trails.
Please join us in-person in the large meeting room of the Ag Services Building, 702 Sawmill Road, Bloomsburg. Or to register for the program via Zoom, please call the Columbia County Conservation District at 570-317-9456 before 3 pm on February 13th to receive the link.
We hope you can join us!
2022 Letter to FCWA Members
Thank you for your support this year!
Thank you for your support this year!
Dear Members and Friends of Fishing Creek Watershed Association,
The year 2022 has zoomed past, so it's time to look back on the projects and programs we hosted during the year. Our speaker in January was Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper John Zaktansky. John presented a program on two invaders-the Snakehead and the Rusty Crayfish that threaten our native water species. He balanced that worrisome news with good news about projects to nurture the native Hellbender. Good environmental news is always welcome!
In February, the month of love, we took a break from the worry of invasives and enjoyed an evening of literary expression called "Love of Nature". Our guests included local poets, actors. artists and naturalists, who read poems and prose about the beauty and importance of the natural world. March's guest, Penn State Extension Master Gardener Mary Jo Gibson, brought our attention to another nasty invader, the Spotted l.anternfly. Her presentation dispelled myths and offered management techniques to help us eradicate this pest.
Erick Lewis from the local chapter of Trout Unlimited presented in April in time for the opening of trout season. We learned about the foods trout love to eat and gained insight into when and where to find the largest and best fed trout, but did not get the location of his favorite fishing spot! On a lovely May evening, Ornithologist Doug Gross, who leads very popular bird walks at Ricketts Glen, guided us on a bird walk at Kocher Park. The park is home to many diverse species and thanks to Doug we had many sightings.
In July, Justin Ulanoski, owner of Native Creations Landscape Services, explained how his company is transforming the fields at Kocher Park that had been overrun by Japanese Knotweed and thistle into a colorful, pollinator-friendly wildflower meadow. July 30th saw the first annual Susquehanna Valley Watershed Festival, hosted by all four watershed groups in Columbia County. The festival was held in Catawissa at Cara Park. Plans are underway for the 2023 festival, which will be held on July 29th, 2023 at Briar Creek Lake Park near Berwick. We'll send more information as it becomes available.
DCNR Service Forester, Jake Bausinger, led us past the meadow-in-progress at Kocher Park in August as we enjoyed Tree ID for Beginners. Just as with the diverse bird species, the park offers a rich variety of trees and shrubs, many of which are labeled to make identification easy. Be sure to bring your tree guide with you next time you visit. To celebrate Indigenous People's Day on October 10th, we invited Archaeologist Dr. DeeAnne Wymer from the Susquehanna River Archaeology Center. Dr. Wymer gave us background on the Native Peoples who lived in this area and showed us the artifacts her group is uncovering at their active dig near Sayre, PA. This program drew a full house, so we hope to arrange another visit soon for Dr. Wymer to present more of the discoveries she has made.
Finally in November, BU professors Drs. Jennifer and Chris Whisner demonstrated that "Geology (still) Rocks!". Those attending learned about rocks and earth-forms and did hands--on layering, folding and faulting of the earth using playdough. We'll all look at hills and valleys with new insight.
Please join us in our mission to be good stewards of the Fishing Creek Watershed. We are a volunteer, non-profit association, so we welcome you to renew your membership, attend our programs and volunteer in whatever ways you can. If you are not yet a member, you can join by filling out the form under the "Membership" tab on our homepage. We send program notices by email, so be sure we have your best one on file!
We wish you a safe and healthy new year!
Sincerely,
Jen Whisner, Susan Webster and Linda Dietrichson, FCWA Board Members
The year 2022 has zoomed past, so it's time to look back on the projects and programs we hosted during the year. Our speaker in January was Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper John Zaktansky. John presented a program on two invaders-the Snakehead and the Rusty Crayfish that threaten our native water species. He balanced that worrisome news with good news about projects to nurture the native Hellbender. Good environmental news is always welcome!
In February, the month of love, we took a break from the worry of invasives and enjoyed an evening of literary expression called "Love of Nature". Our guests included local poets, actors. artists and naturalists, who read poems and prose about the beauty and importance of the natural world. March's guest, Penn State Extension Master Gardener Mary Jo Gibson, brought our attention to another nasty invader, the Spotted l.anternfly. Her presentation dispelled myths and offered management techniques to help us eradicate this pest.
Erick Lewis from the local chapter of Trout Unlimited presented in April in time for the opening of trout season. We learned about the foods trout love to eat and gained insight into when and where to find the largest and best fed trout, but did not get the location of his favorite fishing spot! On a lovely May evening, Ornithologist Doug Gross, who leads very popular bird walks at Ricketts Glen, guided us on a bird walk at Kocher Park. The park is home to many diverse species and thanks to Doug we had many sightings.
In July, Justin Ulanoski, owner of Native Creations Landscape Services, explained how his company is transforming the fields at Kocher Park that had been overrun by Japanese Knotweed and thistle into a colorful, pollinator-friendly wildflower meadow. July 30th saw the first annual Susquehanna Valley Watershed Festival, hosted by all four watershed groups in Columbia County. The festival was held in Catawissa at Cara Park. Plans are underway for the 2023 festival, which will be held on July 29th, 2023 at Briar Creek Lake Park near Berwick. We'll send more information as it becomes available.
DCNR Service Forester, Jake Bausinger, led us past the meadow-in-progress at Kocher Park in August as we enjoyed Tree ID for Beginners. Just as with the diverse bird species, the park offers a rich variety of trees and shrubs, many of which are labeled to make identification easy. Be sure to bring your tree guide with you next time you visit. To celebrate Indigenous People's Day on October 10th, we invited Archaeologist Dr. DeeAnne Wymer from the Susquehanna River Archaeology Center. Dr. Wymer gave us background on the Native Peoples who lived in this area and showed us the artifacts her group is uncovering at their active dig near Sayre, PA. This program drew a full house, so we hope to arrange another visit soon for Dr. Wymer to present more of the discoveries she has made.
Finally in November, BU professors Drs. Jennifer and Chris Whisner demonstrated that "Geology (still) Rocks!". Those attending learned about rocks and earth-forms and did hands--on layering, folding and faulting of the earth using playdough. We'll all look at hills and valleys with new insight.
Please join us in our mission to be good stewards of the Fishing Creek Watershed. We are a volunteer, non-profit association, so we welcome you to renew your membership, attend our programs and volunteer in whatever ways you can. If you are not yet a member, you can join by filling out the form under the "Membership" tab on our homepage. We send program notices by email, so be sure we have your best one on file!
We wish you a safe and healthy new year!
Sincerely,
Jen Whisner, Susan Webster and Linda Dietrichson, FCWA Board Members
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