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LIFE IN THE LOWER SUSQUEHANNA RIVER WATERSHED

A Natural History of Conewago Falls—The Waters of Three Mile Island

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Hawkwatcher’s Helper: Identifying Bald Eagles and other Diurnal Raptors
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Riverside Firemen’s Retreat (www.fireattackstrategy.com)

Posted on May 7, 2026May 6, 2026 by L. L. Coble

Common Dandelions Are as Good as Gold

American Goldfinches Feeding on Common Dandelion Seeds — Please tell us you’re not putting herbicides and other toxic chemicals on the dandelions and other antioxidant and anti-inflammatory plants in your lawn and garden,…

American Goldfinches Feeding on Common Dandelion Seeds — …because even if you don’t have sense enough to eat them, many native species of animals do.

CategoriesAmerican Goldfinch, Common Dandelion, HerbicidesTagsEating Invasive Species

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Plastics are not only an unsightly environmental nightmare, they put all of us in danger in the event of a fire. It doesn't matter whether you're a firefighter, an E.M.S. provider, a police officer, a municipal planner, or just a citizen concerned for the safety of one's self and family, you need to know the hazards and what to do about them. Don't wait; click this image to visit our Riverside Firemen's Retreat page and get informed.

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2017 Autumn Migration Count (16)
2018 Autumn Migration Count (1)
Bird Feeding (47)
Birds on Radar (19)
Disasters: The Big Three (2)
Eating Invasive Species (7)
Fish Surveys (1)
Forty Years Ago in the Lower Rio Grande Valley (13)
In the Doghouse (6)
Photo of the Day (197)
Planting for Wildlife (89)
Ponds/Pools (51)
Prescribed Fire (15)
Stream Temperature (3)
TMI Unit 2 Accident (8)
Uncle Tyler Dyer (16)
Voyage of the S. S. Haldeman (2)

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In the current…

Common Dandelions Are as Good as Gold May 7, 2026
Photo of the Day May 6, 2026
New Floodplain and Stream Restoration Projects 4U2C May 4, 2026
Preventing Roof Water from Becoming Storm Runoff April 25, 2026
The Water Cycle April 22, 2026

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Archives

THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM:

WARNING: BIG FOOTPRINT ALERT!

The lower Susquehanna valley's native wildlife and plant communities continue to be decimated by the expanding range of the planet's most invasive species: BIG FOOTPRINT (Homo sapiens macrovestigiorum). These are merciless, destructive beasts. KEEP YOUR DISTANCE!

Where does your water originate? Who and what gets impacted when we waste and/or pollute it? Click this image for a PDF version of a detailed diagram of the water cycle developed by the United States Geological Survey.

Click this image for current NOAA/National Weather Service river stage readings and forecasts.

Hierarchical Index

Animals (Animalia)
Astronomy
Autumn Meadowhawk
Bacteria
- Spirochaetes (Spirochaetota)
  - Spirochaetes (Spirochaetia)
    - Spirochetes (Spirochaetales)
      - Spirochetes (Borreliaceae)
        
        Borrelia burgdorferi
Birds on Radar
Bittersweets (Celastrales)
Climate
Early Naturalists
Extinct Species
Fungus (Fungi)
- Sac Fungi (Ascomycota)
  - Class: Sordariomycetes
    - Order: Ophiostomatales
      - Pathogenic Tree Fungi (Ophiostomataceae)
        
        Ophiostoma himal-ulmi
        
        Ophiostoma novo-ulmi
        
        Ophiostoma ulmi
Geology
- Erosion
  - Floodplains
- Gettysburg Basin
  - Gettysburg Formation
    - Triassic redbeds
  - York Haven Diabase
    - Conewago Falls
      - Pothole Rocks
Habitats
Hawk Watches
Landmarks
Non-native/Introduced Species
- Invasive Species
Physiographic Provinces
Plants (Plantae)
- Conifers (Pinopsida)
  - Cypresses (Cupressales)
    - Cypresses (Cupressaceae)
  - Extant Conifers (Pinales)
    - Pines (Pinaceae)
- Flowering Plants (Angiosperms)
Pollution and Stream Impairment
Prions
- Prions in Humans
- Prions in Non-humans
Stream Rehabilitation
Tributaries
Uncategorized

Alphabetical Index

Why are those ducklings in the storm drain?…and so on.

Today, the fate of wildlife diversity, both locally and globally, is largely determined by the actions of sprawling masses of humans. If the conservation/preservation mindset of the public at large fails to broaden beyond lawn care, outdoor recreation, pet-keeping, and the hysteria of cute animal rescue, then at-risk species will have no real chance of long-term survival.

What does all that mean? It means you can stop feeding ducks now. It’s a good start.

Hand-fed waterfowl like these Mallards (polygamous form) quickly domesticate and lose their instinct to migrate. They soon become accustomed to human activity and begin wandering fearlessly into traffic where they are hazards not only to themselves, but to people too. Their incessant foraging within a small range pollutes water, degrades fisheries, and obliterates aquatic food chains, often extirpating entire populations of native plants and animals from local streams and wetlands. The irony of it all: duck feeding damages vital resting and breeding habitats needed by migrating waterfowl, the truly wild ducks and geese. So if you really love ducks, don't feed them. See how easy that is?

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