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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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Posted on June 23, 2024June 23, 2024 by L. L. Coble

It’s Been a Stinkin’ Hot Week

Turkey Vulture and Road-killed Woodchuck — …but the stench would have been a lot worse without our friendly neighborhood scavengers around to clean up our mess. Turkey Vultures thrive in scorching temperatures, riding thermal updrafts to patrol the countryside for roadkill victims like this unfortunate Woodchuck.

CategoriesTurkey Vulture, Woodchuck

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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)
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Forty Years Ago in the Lower Rio Grande Valley (13)
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In the current…

They Go Together Like Corned Beef and Cabbage March 17, 2025
Bald Eagles in March March 16, 2025
Photo of the Day March 15, 2025
Spring Golden Eagle Migration March 12, 2025
Winter Survival: Generalists and Specialists February 26, 2025

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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!

Hierarchical Index

Animals (Animalia)
Astronomy
Bacteria
- Spirochaetes (Spirochaetota)
  - Spirochaetes (Spirochaetia)
    - Spirochetes (Spirochaetales)
      - Spirochetes (Borreliaceae)
        
        Borrelia burgdorferi
Birds on Radar
Climate
Early Naturalists
- Beck (Dr. Herbert H.)
- Linnaean Society of Lancaster City and County
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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