Pictures and video, Suwannee River Outing and Protest 2017-01-14

By water, land, and air hundreds gathered Saturday to protect the Suwannee River from the invading Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline. 23 people signed in at the WWALS paddle on the Suwannee River. You’ll see more pictures from others later, including from the Southwings flight for WWALS, and from the protest by others on land. Meanwhile, here are a few pictures, a few videos, a google map, plus people stuck outside Suwannee River State Park as reporters drove in, and a few pictures of red pipe going into the ground in Hamilton County, plus 15 state trooper cars. All the news stories I’ve seen thus far are also linked in, plus pictures of the two TV reporters arriving.

Thanks to the 23 paddlers, 5 from Georgia (1 from Hahira, 1 from Valdosta, 1 from Warner Robins, 2 from Pine Mountain) and 18 from Florida (2 from Jacksonville, 1 from Tallahassee, 2 from White Springs, 1 from Live Oak, 4 from Fort White, 4 from Alachua, 2 from Gainesville, 2 from Micanopy). That’s a range of more than 300 miles, along most of the Sabal Trail pipeline path and elsewhere. Thanks to Amy Wiegenstein for staying at the CR 141 Ramp, collecting waivers, and watching the boats and vehicles. Thanks to all the WWALS members who came, some new, and to those paddlers who may become members soon. And thanks to Our Santa Fe River, with their crew from Fort White and beyond.

Heading downstream, Suwannee River, 30.4091667, -83.1563889

FWS and water protectors at Sabal Trail crossing, Suwannee River, 30.4087793, -83.1554114

Suwannee County (left) bank, Suwannee River, Sabal Trail crossing, 30.4068650, -83.1559890

Water protectors downstream, Suwannee River, Sabal Trail crossing, 30.4067260, -83.1565080

Tree knocked down by Sabal Trail, Hamilton County (right) bank, Suwannee River, 30.4073100, -83.1565580

Here is a WWALS video playlist:

Suwannee Riverkeeper Air Force, 30.4131688, -83.1586719

Stuck outside Suwannee River State Park, 30.3787760, -83.1659828

Desiree Carver, Valdosta Daily Times, 13 January 2014, Hundreds protest pipeline: Sabal Trail demonstration peaceful,

LIVE OAK, Fla. — For the first time in its history, Suwannee River State Park closed due to overcrowded conditions due to the large turnout for a Sabal Trail pipeline protest Saturday, according to Park Manager Craig Liney.

Park officials allowed 95 cars in before shutting its gates. Cars could then park on the highway and protesters could either walk or be shuttled in.

Hundreds of protestors gathered, many with signs and musical instruments, to protest the pipeline project….

The pipeline will pass through Clyattville.

The pipeline path crosses both the Withlacoochee River in Lowndes County and the Santa Fe River in North Florida. According to a press release from Andrea Grover of Spectra Energy, the pipeline is 85 percent complete.

See my op-ed in the VDT last Sunday.

FWC, Laura Dailey, Dylan Hansen, SRSP closed gate, 30.3788114, -83.1657346

Mo4ch News, 14 January 2017, Hundreds protest gas pipeline in Florida over health & environment risks (VIDEO),

Another protester, Laura Dailey, came from South Dakota, where she had been fighting the Dakota Access Pipeline. She told local television channel WCTV that she didn’t want history to repeat itself in Florida.

“The same thing that is happening there is happening here: ground waters will be poisoned, the economy will eventually turn down,” Dailey said.

WTXL, Mike Roth, 30.3788298, -83.1658956

WTXL, 14 January 2014, Thousands Gather to Protest Sabal Trail Pipeline,

Protesters are concerned about the environmental ramifications of the pipeline’s installation hiking miles along the Suwannee River in a mass demonstration of civil disobedience.

Floridians are asking Senator Bill Nelson and other lawmakers to get involved in an attempt to halt the pipeline’s construction. Today’s civil disobedience echoes recent demonstrations that have taken place in at least five cities in the sunshine state.

WCTV, Erika Fernandez, 30.3788609, -83.1657808

WCTV Erika Fernandez, 14 January 2017, Hundreds protest construction of Sabal Trail Pipeline in Suwannee,

LIVE OAK, Fla. (WCTV) — Hundreds of people gathered at the Suwannee River State Park on Saturday to protest the construction of the Sabal Trail Pipeline. That natural gas pipeline is being built along a 500 mile stretch from central Alabama, across southwest Georgia, and down into central Florida.

With every step and every chant, “Water Protectors” are determined to make a change.

“We have one chance to save this, there are no do overs when your aquifer collapses. There are no do overs when your water gets poisoned. There is only the right thing to do and right now the right thing to do is to stop this pipeline,” says protester, Laura Dailey.

Dailey is from South Dakota and she’s passionate about the fight over the Dakota Access Pipeline. She says she doesn’t want history to repeat itself here.

“The same thing that is happening there is happening here: ground waters will be poisoned, the economy will eventually turn down,” Dailey says.

Sabal Trail pipe going into the ground, 30.3841030, -83.1753430

Cindy Swirko, Gainesville.com, 14 January 2017, Saturday’s Sabal Trail rally draws a few hundred protesters,

The trail will be dug under the Suwannee River just west of Suwannee River State Park. Some marchers drove to the protest site where the pipeline crosses a dirt road while others came on trails through the park.

Also at the site, on both sides of the road, were command posts for law enforcement agencies—the Florida Highway on one side and the Suwannee County Sheriff’s Office, EMS and other agencies on the other side.

That reporter is quite confused. Really, “the trail”? Spectra Energy of Houston, Texas’s Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline, 36 inches in diameter on a 100-foot right of way, drilling under Suwannee River State Park and the Suwannee River, is not a hiking trail. And there were at least fifteen Florida Highway Patrol vehicles at the Hamilton County drill site, in addition to those in Suwannee County, plus in Hamilton County there were Hamilton County Sheriff vehicles.