Susquehanna Scout

Take a deep dive into the 2026 Chesapeake Bay Report Card: Overall, the Chesapeake Bay scored its highest grade ever in 40 years’ worth of data, with a C+. There’s a lot of good news within the report, including a B for the West Branch of the Susquehanna River and a B for the Middle Susquehanna. But there are also some concerning grades, including a C for the Juniata River and a D+ for the Lower Susquehanna – a region that includes Harrisburg, York, and Lancaster. Our guests are Dr. Heath Kelsey and Alexandra Fries, both of the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science, which issues the report. We talk about the science behind each watershed’s grade, and what we can do to continue improving (with lots of tips regarding road salt!). And we talk about why the health of the Susquehanna is vital to the health of the bay as its largest tributary. The Susquehanna Scout, hosted by journalist Karen Hendricks, is a weekly podcast by WITF that explores the Susquehanna River and its ripple effects across Pennsylvania and beyond.

The nonprofit ALLARM is powered by volunteers who regularly monitor and take readings of waterways in the Susquehanna River watershed. Joey Knouse, ALLARM’s volunteer and outreach coordinator, explains how the organization has evolved since its founding in 1986. Based at Dickinson College in Carlisle, Cumberland County, ALLARM now stands for the Alliance for Aquatic Resource Monitoring. But it began as the Alliance for Acid Rain Monitoring. Anna Horn, ALLARM’s water quality technician, explains what types of measurements and readings volunteers typically take, as part of Stream Teams, and how the data is tied into the larger network of the Chesapeake Monitoring Cooperative. Many watershed associations and nonprofits rely on the data, from the Lower and Middle Susquehanna Riverkeepers to the recently-joined Big Spring Watershed Association in Cumberland County. We also touch on fun topics like macroinvertebrates, as well as Joey’s tattoo depicting a map of one of the Susquehanna’s tributaries. Listeners can also learn how they too can participate in this citizen science project. In today’s Final Four: Will Smeltzer of Lemoyne explains how the Susquehanna is intertwined with his life, how he camped on a Susquehanna River island, and how he’s gotten into the habit of picking up trash everywhere he goes. The Susquehanna Scout, hosted by journalist Karen Hendricks, is a weekly podcast by WITF that explores the Susquehanna River and its ripple effects across Pennsylvania and beyond.

Major NPS initiative to hold its 2027 annual meeting in Harrisburg

Hear the story of Rob Evans, a lifelong artist based in York County with a passion for the Susquehanna River. He began collecting works of art depicting the Susquehanna River several years ago, and it’s grown to the point that he helped found the nonprofit Friends of the Susquehanna River Art Collection. He explains how this collection of river-inspired art serves as a microcosm of American history. Additionally, it establishes the Susquehanna River as a key influence in the founding of the first authentic school of American art, the Hudson River School. The Friends organization continues to grow: They’re acquiring a gallery space in Columbia, Lancaster County, that will serve as a permanent home for part of the collection. And the Friends are appointing Rob Evans’ daughter and artist Quinn Evans as the organization’s first executive director. Meantime, part of the collection is also housed in the renovated farmhouse galleries at the Historic Hellam Nature Preserve owned by the Lancaster Conservancy. And in today's Final Four: Cassie Farrelly of Hershey shares her memories of the Lock Haven Labor Day Regatta which takes place on the West Branch of the Susquehanna River. She also discusses her favorite spot on the Susquehanna, the lookout at Hyner Mountain, and some of the recreational activities that are common there. The Susquehanna Scout, hosted by journalist Karen Hendricks, is a weekly podcast by WITF that explores the Susquehanna River and its ripple effects across Pennsylvania and beyond.

What are the lessons learned from the nation’s worst nuclear disaster along the Susquehanna?