Monthly Archives: October 2016

Sabal Trail planting exotic invasive grasses

Landowners can ask for something else.

Right now in Mitchell and Colquitt County, Georgia, Troy Construction is heading south, covering up the pipe they planted with seed, which according to Sabal Trail’s documents is bermuda grass and bahia grass, both of which are exotic invasive species in Georgia. According to Sabal Trail’s documents, “Alternative seed mixes specifically requested by the landowner or required by agencies may be used.”

Now I’m told by at least one Georgia agency that both those grasses can be killed off with Roundup if they spread. But is that really what we want in and near our waterways and wetlands? And why should neighboring landowners have to fight exotic invasive species brought in by an invading pipeline?

So if you’re a landowner or Continue reading →

WMA check-in hunt does not count towards Georgia bag limit

A hunter asked about bag limits at the new Alapaha River Wildlife Management Area (WMA) on the Alapaha River in Irwin County betweeen Tifton and Ocilla. It depends on whether you sign in or you check in.

The answer is not in the approved hunting season dates for the Alapaha WMA, found in other Alapaha WMA information. That’s because it’s in the general July 2016-June 2017 hunting regulations for Georgia. On page 34, note the phrase at the end of “Check-In Hunt” that I’ve emphasized below: Continue reading →

Sabal Trail requests variance to Colquitt County, GA creek 2016-10-17

Monday Sabal Trail asked FERC to add a contractor yard in Colquitt County, and to change routing under a small stream. No rush: Sabal Trail wants approval by tomorrow, Thursday, October 20th 2016. Presumably because they’re racing hell-for-leather to meet their May 2017 in-service drop-dead date, after which (according to FPL’s RFP) they could forfeit a $200 million bond or lose the contract.

Here, courtesy of Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE), are Sabal Trail’s October 17th 2016 maps of that stream, plus Sabal Trail’s April 2016 maps of where it wants to cross the stream it flows into, Hog Creek and that stream’s downstream Okapilco Creek.

We’ve already seen where Sabal Trail is drilling under the Withlacoochee River between Valdosta and Quitman, Georgia and under the Suwannee River in Suwannee River State Park. Plus there’s an encampment of water protectors in Suwannee County.

Contractor Yard CY3-6

Continue reading →

Okefenokee Suwannee River Outing @ Fargo, GA 2016-12-10

Update 2017-02-05 Pictures.

You can join WWALS for a fall Saturday paddle on the Suwannee River in the Okefenokee swamp. Bring a boat, PFD, and paddle, or you can rent those at the park.

When: 10AM Saturday December 10th 2016

Where: Georgia’s Stephen C. Foster State Park near Fargo, GA

What: Paddle from Billy’s Lake down through the River Narrows to the Suwannee River Sill.

Distance: About 7 miles in about 4 hours Continue reading →

Suwannee-Satilla and GA coastal river water councils in Dublin, GA 2016-11-17

Next month, once again the upper Suwannee that drains into the Gulf gets pulled into a meeting with coastal Georgia Water Planning Councils. This is the meeting that got delayed by hurricane.

GA DNR, Bulletin, 18 October 2016,

Joint Regional Water Planning Council Meeting NEW DATE: November 17, 2016

Georgia Department of Natural Resources sent this bulletin at 10/18/2016 09:18 AM EDT
NOTICE:
JOINT REGIONAL WATER PLANNING COUNCIL MEETING
Announcement Date: October 18, 2016
TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS AND PARTIES:
A Joint Council Meeting will be held for the Altamaha, Coastal Georgia, Middle Ocmulgee, Savannah-Upper Ogeechee, Suwannee-Satilla and Upper Oconee Regional Water Planning Councils at the following date, time, and location:
Continue reading →

Deserter Lake in Alapaha Wildlife Management Area

Update 2016-10-20: WMA check-in hunt does not count towards Georgia bag limit.

WWALS member Patrick Kunes took this video of Deserter Lake in Irwin County on the Alapaha River in the new Alapaha River Wildlife Management Area (WMA) on the Alapaha River betweeen Tifton and Ocilla. You can hear him talking about turkeys he saw, and you can see the lake on the river. He mentions deadfalls, which are a common feature on the upper Alapaha River. The river itself is not really boatable up that far much of the year, but lakes like this one often still have water. Many such lakes do not have public access, but Deserter Lake does now. This lake is upstream from the formal start of the Alapaha River Water Trail (ARWT), but we’ve included it in the online material about the ARWT because Deserter Lake is in the new Alapaha WMA.

Patrick wrote about this video: Continue reading →

Encampment against Sabal Trail in Suwannee County, FL

According to Gregory Payne, Sabal Trail only recently put up those No Trespassing signs on their easement, after Gregory moved in with a peaceful nonviolent encampment with permission from the landowner. While trying to stop the pipeline, the campers are making sure Sabal Trail does not block the landowner’s access. This is not a WWALS event or activity, but it is happening in WWALS watersheds, so I went to report on it yesterday, Sunday October 16th 2016.

Gregory Payne says Continue reading →

WWALS at Suwannee River Roots Revival 2016-10-15

Music and advocacy on the banks of the iconic Suwannee River!

WWALS outings, rivers, Valdosta wastewater, agricultural runoff, and the issue half the people wanted to talk about was the Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline: nobody wants it.

Thanks to Leeann Drabenstott Culbreath for the great picture of WWALS Treasurer Gretchen Quarterman and Ambassador Dave Hetzel, who engages everybody who walks past. Thanks to WWALS member Bret Huntley for camping overnight last night and setting up this morning. Gretchen took the other pictures of Dave and Bret. WWALS president John S. Quarterman took the one of the Shook Twins on the Amphitheater Stage in Spirit of Suwannee Music Park at Suwannee River Roots Revival on the banks of the Suwannee River.

Come on down to these upcoming WWALS events and outings: Continue reading →

Withlacoochee River at Camp Tygart 2016-10-15

Bring a rope for your boat on the Withlacoochee Trickle in Berrien County, GA at Camp Tygart.

-jsq

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

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