Susquehanna Scout

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.  

Chesapeake Gateways is a fairly new National Park Service initiative – and if you’re a Central Pa. resident, you might not even know you technically live within its region! Today we talk about tourism, the importance of the Chesapeake Bay watershed including the Susquehanna River, and the power of collectively marketing places within the watershed under the NPS umbrella. Joining us today are Brent Everitt, assistant superintendent for the NPS’s Chesapeake Gateways, and Jason Meckes, experience development director for Visit Hershey & Harrisburg. Our guests explain why Chesapeake Gateways is bringing their annual meeting to Harrisburg in 2027 – and throughout our conversation, listeners may glean some staycation inspiration right in their backyard. On today’s Final Four: We have an update to a previous podcast about Three Mile Island’s reopening. 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.  

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.  

One of the most well-known landmarks associated with the Susquehanna River is the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Middletown, Pa. It’s the site of what’s considered the worst commercial nuclear accident in U.S. history, when a partial nuclear meltdown of the Unit 2 reactor happened in March of 1979. David Allard not only explains where he was in March of 1979, but he helps us make sense of the lessons learned in the wake of TMI, including response and recovery efforts, heightened nuclear safety concerns, the psychological impact on the general public, nuclear industry regulations, and improved communication. He also talks about continued challenges facing the nuclear industry today, including radioactive waste management. Allard is a medical health physicist with more than 45 years of experience in radiation protection. A nationally and internationally-recognized expert, Allard retired after 24 years as director of the Bureau of Radiation Protection with the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.  TMI’s Unit 1 went offline in 2019. But in 2024, Constellation Energy announced a plan to bring Three Mile Island’s Unit 1 back online, rebranded as the Crane Clean Energy Center, to ramp up for increasing electricity needs.  Allard explains why he has no concerns over the restart of Unit 1, and he invites the public to the next meeting (Sept. 30, 2026) of the TMI Unit 2 Community Advisory Panel which he currently serves as chairperson. In the Final Four: Tom Comrey of Susquehanna Township explains how fishing along the Susquehanna brings him peace, especially when his teenaged son joins him. 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.

Lancaster-based genealogist, historian and researcher Eric Schubert guides us through a fascinating story weaving together Pennsylvania history, early industries such as lumber, and Susquehanna River towns that sprung up as a result. Against this backdrop, many community leaders’ careers were made – and that included a fascinating figure named Barr Spangler. Spangler, 1822 – 1922, was a prominent resident of a river town, Marietta, Lancaster County, who ran a dry goods store and became the oldest-serving bank president of his time – and quite possibly in American history. Schubert, of ES Genealogy, explains how listeners can begin similar research and genealogy projects of their own. And he explains why he believes there are many additional stories such as Barr Spangler’s waiting to be discovered along the Susquehanna. Schubert’s Master’s thesis from Millersville University of Pennsylvania, “Barr Spangler (1822–1922) and the Prohibition Party of Pennsylvania,” was recognized by the Pennsylvania Historical Association. And in today's Final Four: Cassie Farrelly of Hershey shares her memories of growing up along the Susquehanna River in Lock Haven and how the Susquehanna compares to other rivers she's seen in her world travels.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.