River Rocks Are the Building Blocks

Over the last year and a half, I’ve had the pleasure of being on the board of the Lower Susquehanna Riverkeeper Association (LSRA) with a group of like-minded, water-loving volunteers. The experience is everything I want in a volunteer organization: mission and project-driven, hands-on, and hyper-focused on preserving and protecting the Susquehanna River. Both the board and staff give freely of their time and talent, advocating for a river that has no voice of its own, monitoring for pollutants and existential threats, teaching the next generation of environmental stewards, hosting events that engage the community and elevate its understanding of what’s at stake and why it’s essential to have Water Watchdogs like LSRA keeping an eye out, and, when all else fails, diving into litigation, even if it takes years to come to fruition.

Recently, LSRA, along with our partners at Waterkeeper Chesapeake secured a historic 50-year agreement to address many environmental issues associated with the Conowingo Dam in Maryland. Water quality and resiliency projects, trash and debris removal, wildlife passage, freshwater mussel restoration, and dredging are all part of the agreement, concessions that would not have been given without LSRA’s determined presence at the table. As a result of this agreement, LSRA will have the laboring oar on monitoring many of these projects for the length of the permit. That takes staff and money.

Yet our own legacy is far from certain. Money is tight, the economy difficult. Grant donations are drying up and non-profits are scaling back just when those affected by the current economy are suffering most. Sometimes it seems like everyone’s hand is out — probably because it is.

So what do we do to keep our organization alive and vibrant and advocating for the river?

Well, this, I suppose: appeal to the people we serve, our community.

To that end, I respectfully ask you, will you donate to our River Rocks campaign today?

The photos above tell a tiny bit of our story. If you would like to learn more about the incredible work LSRA is doing, visit our website, and if you are so moved, please donate today.

River rocks are the building blocks of a healthy river.

Be our rock.

Unknown's avatar

About Pam Lazos

writer, blogger, environmentally hopeful
This entry was posted in Uncategorized and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

16 Responses to River Rocks Are the Building Blocks

  1. da-AL's avatar da-AL says:

    what a perfect way to celebrate the holidays! wishing you and yours a peaceful relaxing season

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Resa's avatar Resa says:

    Love that you keep at this important cause, Pam!

    HAPPY THANKSGIVING

    to you and yours!

    Liked by 2 people

  3. A powerful message about the Riverkeeper’s important and inspiring work, Pam. Wishing you all of the best in these times. 💜

    Liked by 2 people

  4. Linda Schaub's avatar Linda Schaub says:

    Retirement suits you Pam – a chance to continue to advocate for our environment and work alongside others with the same mindset.

    Liked by 1 person

  5. Wishing you all well with your campaign! There’s lots to do; and, it can certainly be overwhelming to get the support. I’m glad you are able to be a part of this.

    Liked by 2 people

  6. Praying you can keep fighting the good fight to protect the precious creation of our wild places! xxxxxxxxx

    Liked by 2 people

  7. lampmagician's avatar lampmagician says:

    Undoubtedly, you and your fellow supporters do an excellent job, my dear Pam. I wish there were as many brave people in Iran, a country that was once a beautiful land full of rivers and seas but has now become a desert due to poor management by a terrible regime. 💖👏🤗

    Liked by 2 people

  8. I always enjoy your river posts.

    Liked by 2 people

Leave a reply to da-AL Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.