This boat's for the birds

A contingent of birders braved the mighty Susquehanna on a bucket boat this morning to check the progress of the falcon nestlings under the Veterans Memorial Bridge. 

The two immature falcons, called eyasses, are 20 days old – too young to fly. The researchers banded the two young females and returned them to the nest where it’s hoped they’ll stay for another 20 days, when they’ll be ready to fly.

 The bucket boat was provided by Harcon Corporation from Paradise, PA.

 After the mission, the boat was loaded onto a specially-outfitted rig . . . 

and taken away.

History lives on at Mount Bethel Cemetery

Mount Bethel Cemetery, established in 1730, holds over ten thousand former Columbia citizens. 
Superintendent Ron Mable led a tour of the cemetery grounds, as part of May’s Fourth Friday celebration.

 The cemetery is the oldest burial ground in continual use in the Columbia area.

More than 600 servicemen from nine wars, dating from the Revolutionary War, are buried here.

 Grave markers of various shapes, sizes, and eras stand here.

The cemetery predates the formal creation of the borough by Samuel Wright in 1788.

Potters Field holds 23 black Union soldiers from the Civil War era.

“The mission statement of Mt. Bethel Cemetery is to maintain, preserve, and enhance, for the benefit of the general public, the cottage, grounds, and memorials located within the boundaries of these hallowed grounds; to foster the appreciation and respect for those who are interred within, to maintain permanent records of those whose earthly remains have been entrusted to us, and to provide a community resource for historic, educational, and cultural activities.”