Everybody listens to the radio in the car on the way to work, and Friday morning 8:30 AM I’ll be talking about paddling this Saturday morning 10AM on the Little River from GA 122 between Hahira and Barney to Lawson Millpond Road; it’s a nice brief 2.5 hour paddle along the Brooks-Lowndes County river border: you can do it!

When: 7:30AM Friday January 15^th 2016

Where: 105.9 FM WVGA, Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia

What: John S. Quarterman, president of WWALS Watershed Coalition, Inc., on Chris Beckham drive-time radio show

How: Listen on the air, or through many online services such as Streema.

I’ll also take video and post it, like I did before. Here is the video.

Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail (WLRWT)

This Friday is also the deadline for college students to submit entries to the for the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail.

logo contest
Painting of Little River confluence with Withlacoochee River by Julie Bowland, who is the organizer of the WLRWT Logo Contest.

The winners will be announced at VSU Saturday afternoon, February 27^th in the WLRWT Workshop, which will also feature the visual beauty of all WWALS’ rivers in an art exhibit and silent auction, the geology on display by Dennis Price, and the remains of past people and cultures still visible along the river by Tom Baird.

March 20th, you can paddle with WWALS into Valdosta on the Withlacoochee River, from Staten Road bridge to Langdale Park. The Withlacoochee is “[i]ntimate, shaded in its northern reaches) mysterious in its beauty”, as Suzanne Welander called it, and along this stretch it also has houses, sinkholes, shoals, several creeks running into it, and a busy highway bridge shortly before Lowndes County’s largest park.

Thanks to the Valdosta-Lowndes Tourism Authority for their recent contribution of $500 towards signs and brochures for the WLRWT! Your organization can also help WWALS build the economic and quality of life benefits of this water trail.

Alapaha River Water Trail (ARWT)

We haven’t forgotten the Alapaha River, with its exotic A+ scenery. You can paddle all day with WWALS Saturday February 20^th from GA 135 in Atkinson County to Berrien Beach in Berrien County. Or not quite as long from Hotchkiss Road in Lanier County to Mayday in Echols County, past where Lowndes County just negotiated purchase of land for a boat ramp north of US 84.

These outings continue the WWALS series of paddles exploring the Alapaha River Water Trail (ARWT), with a few more stretches still to go downstream. Also in the Alapaha River watershed and on the ARWT is our recent hike in Grand Bay, a mini-Okefenokee right here in Lowndes County, only fifteen minutes from Valdosta.

We’re reprinting the ARWT brochure, since we already distributed the 5,000 copies of the first printing. And we’re negotiating with GDOT about placing signs at access points. You or your organization can help WWALS build the ARWT by contributing time or money, as V-L Tourism, Hamilton County TDC, and others have already done.

Meanwhile in Florida

Speaking of hikes, also this Saturday morning, just across the state line at Suwannee River State Park between Jasper and Live Oak, the Suwannee-St Johns Group of the Florida Sierra Club is organizing a hike to the Suwannee River after an organizational meeting against the invading Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline; many WWALS members will be there, along with people from other organizations.

Many of our outings late last year were in Florida, as was the hearing in Jasper for WWALS v Sabal Trail & FDEP, and several recent Suwannee County Commission meetings.

We’ll be back on the Suwannee River with boats soon, don’t you worry, exploring and patrolling our upper Suwannee River territory.

Also this Friday evening (Jan 15), there’s a film screening in St Mary’s, GA about that other invading pipeline, Kinder Morgan’s proposed Palmetto petroleum products pipeline across the Georgia coast to Jacksonville, with many of the same environmental and eminent domain issues.

Watch the WWALS blog, facebook page, or twitter, and newsletter for still more outings and events, or check the WWALS calendar.

On the radio Friday I’ll also try to mention Valdosta’s ongoing wastewater improvements (and questions still to be answered), as well as Valdosta’s solar panels and LED streetlights. Plus what is Bill Gates up to with his recent purchases of thousands of acres of farmland in five counties around here? If you want to help with this work or any of the other dozen WWALS goals, we’re always looking for more committee members or board members.

-jsq

You can join this fun and work by becoming a WWALS member today!

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