Author: Tim Palmer

Publisher: Penn State University Press

Published: 1980

Total Pages: 248

ISBN-13:

An introduction to Pennsylvania's usable streams--45,000 miles of them--this book is designed to stimulate interest, enjoyment, and concern. Together with pleasurable reading, information is provided for the active or prospective canoeist, kayaker, boater, or rafter; the hiker or camper; the nature or history buff; the angler or conservationist. Each chapter features the author's experience on a major stream in one of the Keystone State's three great river basins: the Susquehanna, the Ohio, and the Delaware--with notes on the peripheral Genesee, Lake Erie, and Potomac watersheds. Coverage is given of all significant streams, focusing on particular recreational features, historical events, or environmental issues. A section at the back of the book gives practical suggestions for riverine recreation: where to go, what to expect there, and how to keep safe and comfortable. Topics covered are: places for canoeing, boating, and rafting; fishing sites; hiking trails; camping places; and tips for safety, health, and comfort. The entire book is illustrated with maps and photographs, including a section in color. The general introduction to Rivers of Pennsylvania presents a geographical and geological overview, and a concluding chapter summarizes unsolved problems and challenges. The future of Pennsylvania rivers is shown to require responsible stewardship: a balancing of equally legitimate goals in the domains of industrial, agricultural, and residential development; health and recreation; and conservation not only of the streams themselves but also of their ecologically related fauna and flora.