Floating classroom on Hiawatha covered Native American artifacts
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Fifty people participated in the Artifacts and Logging History Floating Classroom aboard the Hiawatha Paddleboat near Williamsport on Aug. 8.
Kim Mattern, an advocational archeologist and curator of the Snyder County Museum, presented on the lower level about Native American artifacts and culture along the Susquehanna River basin.
Chuck Luppert shared on the upper level some interesting facts and history of logging in the Williamsport area, referencing some family stories as his grandparents were part of that culture until they moved to Tennessee.
There are five more Floating Classroom programs planned this summer and early fall. The next is Aug. 22 and will focus on bird calls and technology that will lead to new ways to monitor waterways via birds. In September, there are three including one on parasites inside our freshwater fish, eels and trout and how they handle drought issues. Finally, a new Floating Classroom was recently added for Oct. 3 on birds of prey, with a presentation from our regional DEP on peregrine falcons as well as a discussion on beaks and talons and how they differ between species and jobs and a hands-on craft.
A podcast conversation with Kim Mattern about Native American artifacts found along the river and other tributaries in the greater watershed can be viewed on the Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association website.
The Middle Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association serves an 11,000-square-mile watershed of the Susquehanna River, including Sullivan, Lycoming, Clinton, Union and Northumberland counties. Read more at www.middlesusquehannariverkeeper.org.