Fishing Creek Sportsman Group Donates $5K To Save Our Susquehanna Campaign

The Fishing Creek Sportsman Association has donated $5,000 to the Fish and Boat Commission’s “S.O.S. – Save Our Susquehanna” campaign, pushing total contributions from concerned anglers to more than $28,000.

“I can’t thank Clair Harvey and the members enough for their contribution,” said PFBC Executive Director John Arway, who joined Commissioner Eric Hussar at the group’s cooperative hatchery in Benton, Columbia County, on Nov. 6 to accept the donation. “This is the largest donation to date and marks a big step toward our goal of raising $50,000 for projects to help save the river.”

Through early November, concerned citizens have raised $28,151 for the S.O.S. campaign, including a $1,000 donation from the Enola Sportsmen’s Association in Cumberland County and more than $14,600 from sales of S.O.S. buttons.

“The ‘Save Our Susquehanna’ message is resonating with anglers, with sportsmen’s clubs and with others who care about the river,” Arway added. “The time to act is now, before it’s too late. These two sportsmen’s groups have acted, and I encourage sportsmen’s groups across the state to discuss the issue with their members.”

The PFBC launched its campaign to save the river on June 2 by announcing that a portion of license sales and proceeds from a $10 S.O.S. button would be dedicated to funding water and soil conservation projects along the Susquehanna River, whose young smallmouth bass population has been plagued over the last decade by illness and elevated mortality rates.

To kick off the campaign, the PFBC pledged $50,000 in matching funds.  For more information, visit the “S.O.S. – Save Our Susquehanna” Campaign webpage.