SHAMOKIN DAM - The Northumberland County Historical Society (NCHS) will host a Heritage Dinner with a focus on the Susquehanna Natural History project at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 11, at Tedd's on the Hill.
Duane A. Griffin, associate professor of geography at Bucknell University, will be the guest speaker and will present "Pigeons, Parakeets and the Natural History of the Susquehanna."
The Susquehanna Natural History project is an effort to write the natural history of the Susquehanna River watershed. It is part of the Bucknell Environmental Center's "Stories of the Susquehanna" series and Griffin is one of the authors.
Why such a history has never been written before will be addressed by Griffin.
Also, the fates of the passenger pigeon and the Carolina parakeet, two species driven to extinction by human actions in the 19th and early 20th centuries, tells that the Susquehanna's nature is no longer natural.
"Following this thread back through the human history of the region, Professor Griffin will show that this has been the case for the past 10,000 years and discuss the implications of this insight for the Susquehanna Natural History," the historical society reported in a press release.
The dinner is open to the public. Advance reservations are required. The fee is $30 for NCHS members and $35 for non-members. The menu for the evening will include a variety of foods indigenous to the Susquehanna River Valley region. To make reservations, call 286-4083 no later than Friday.