Monthly Archives: September 2019

Full house at Cook County Comp. Plan Workshop 2019-09-16

Cook County had the most people I’ve ever seen at one of these meetings in any county! SGRC’s Elizabeth Backe corroborated my remark, noting I had recently been to the Charlton County meeting.

[Cook County and its four cities]
Cook County and its four cities

The next meeting will be 3 PM, Monday, October 7, 2019, at the Cook County Commissioners Conference Room, 1200 S Hutchinson Ave., Adel, GA.

The purpose of the first meeting was: “we will review the community vision, goals, issues, and opportunities — for the county and all four cities (Adel, Lenox, Cecil, and Sparks).” All four cities were at the meeting, and each of them spoke at various times. Also unlike most other such meetings in other counties, nobody was sitting up front; everybody was in the audience.

Here is marked up document from the first Workshop: Word, PDF.

As usual, I suggested adding more about rivers and water trails. This additional Opportunity on page 2 I think was my suggestion: Continue reading →

WWALS at Brooks County Skillet Festival 2019-10-19

Get some fresh-fried food at the Skillet Festival, and come by the WWALS booth, in Quitman, Georgia, this Saturday. Yes, we will have the raffle kayak. And what will NextEra be up to this year?

When: 9AM-3:30 PM, Saturday, October 19, 2019

Where: Brooks County Courthouse, 100 Screven Street, Quitman, Georgia 31643

What: Brooks County Skillet Festival, quilts, cooking, vegetable market, fashion, dogs, clogging, skillet toss, race, and parade

Volunteer: You can help at the WWALS booth. Sign up on this form or send us email.

Event: facebook

Busy all day, WWALS booth
WWALS at the Skillet Festival in 2018.

Continue reading →

Pictures: Brooks County Skillet Festival 2018-10-20

At the 2018 Skillet Festival in Quitman, Brooks County, Georgia, the froggy toss game was quite popular.

Froggy toss was very popular, WWALS booth

We had a fine time at the WWALS booth. Continue reading →

Rivers Alive Cleanup, Lakeland and Pafford’s Landing, Alapaha River 2019-10-12

Rivers Alive clean up at Lakeland Boat Ramp and Pafford’s Landing on the Alapaha River near Lakeland, Georgia, on the Alapaha River Water Trail.

When: Gather 10:00 AM, Saturday, October 12, 2019

Put In: Lakeland Boat Ramp, head east from Lakeland on GA 122, turn right at the Lakeland Boat Ramp sign, immediately turn left along the side of the highway, to the boat ramp at the Alapaha River.

GPS: 31.045456, -83.047068

Take Out: Pafford’s Landing. Take GA 122 east from Lakeland, turn at the sign, go into the woods, to the west side (right bank) of the Alapaha River, in Lanier County, Georgia.

Bring: Cleanup materials will be provided, but if you’ve got a trash picker, bring it along.
No need for a boat, but you can bring one if you want to. It’s only a quarter mile from Lakeland Boat Ramp to Pafford’s Landing, but you may find some trash if you paddle that.

Free: This outing is free to everyone! We recommend you support the work of WWALS by becoming a WWALS member today!

Event: facebook, meetup

Turnoff in sight, Eastbound

Continue reading →

WWALS at Hahira Honeybee Festival 2019-10-04-05

Join us at the 38th Annual Hahira Honeybee Festival, at the WWALS booth about water quality testing, water trails, paddle outings, holding polluters accountable, all to make sure that water in our area is swimmable, fishable, drinkable. Come help us spread the water word.

When: 10AM-6PM, Friday, October 4, 2019
9AM-6PM, Saturday, October 5, 2019

Where: West Main Street, Hahira, Georgia

Theme: “Teachers, changing our world one child at a time!”

Volunteer: You can help at the WWALS booth. Sign up on this form or send us email.

Event: facebook

Families, Gretchen making rain, Enviroscape
Photo: John S. Quarterman, of Gretchen Quarterman making rain on the Enviroscape for a family, Honeybee 2018. Thanks for the donation of the EnviroScape, Savannah Barry and Nature Coast Biological Station.

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

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

Banks Lake Full Hunter’s Moon Paddle 2019-10-13

Join us for a Full Moon paddle and star gazing at Banks Lake National Wildlife Refuge. This is a leisurely paddle around the refuge that lies in the Grand Bay–Banks Lake ecosystem, in the Alapaha River Water Trail (ARWT).

When: Gather 5:45 PM, launch 6:15 PM, Sunday, October 13, 2019

Put In: Banks Lake Boat Ramp, 307 Georgia 122, Lakeland, GA 31635.

GPS: 31.035097, -83.097045

Take Out: Banks Lake Boat Ramp

Bring: the usual personal flotation device, boat paddles, food, drinking water, warm clothes, and first aid kit.
Also trash pickers and trash bags: every WWALS outing is also a cleanup.
And a light! It’s going to be dark.

Free: This outing is free to WWALS members, and $10 (ten dollars) for non-members. We recommend you support the work of WWALS by becoming a WWALS member today!

Event: facebook, meetup

[Yellow]
Yellow Sunset
Photo: John S. Quarterman, sun setting at Banks Lake, July 16, 2019.

Continue reading →

Kayak Raffle Perception Swifty Angler 2019-12-07

Update 2019-12-09: And the winner is…

Kayak raffle tickets available!

[Kayak Raffle Drawing December 7, 2019]
Kayak Raffle Drawing December 7, 2019
PDF

Tickets: Get tickets anytime, online, or at a WWALS festival booth.
Suggested Donation $5.00 for one ticket; $20.00 for five tickets

Kayak Raffle Tickets

Drawing: December 7, 2019; you do not have to be present to win.

What: Perception Swifty Deluxe 95 Angler Sit Inside Kayak, $399.99 value

Why: Support WWALS Advocacy and projects, including water quality testing, water trails, and outings.
And you could always use another kayak.

Thanks: Eileen Box, for donating the kayak!

[Raffle kayak with Gretchen, Cindy, Amy, and Yellow and Brown Dog]
Raffle kayak with Gretchen, Cindy, Amy, and Yellow and Brown Dog

Yes, the wheels also come with the kayak.

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

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

TTM groundwater withdrawal and use permit application to GA-EPD 2019-07-24

At 4.32 million gallons per day (mgd) monthly average, Twin Pines proposes to withdraw more Floridan Aquifer water than almost anything in the surrounding six southeast Georgia counties: 4.32 times the City of Folkston, and almost four times the notorious Nestlé withdrawal request for Ginnie Springs on the Santa Fe River in Florida. You can still comment to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers about the TPM mining application. Or to GA-EPD about this water withdrawal permit.

[4.32 mgd, 1.44 mgd from each of three wells]
4.32 mgd, 1.44 mgd from each of three wells

The only things bigger nearby are the City of St. Marys (6 mgd) and the Rayonier paper mill at Jesup (74 mgd).

For comparison, Kingsland 4, Waycross-Ware County Industrial Park 3.4, Waycross 3.16, Jesup 3, Kings Bay Submarine Base 2.9 + 1 for irrigation, Satilla Regional Water and Sewer Authority 2.2, Folkston 1.0. Even Chemours in Wayne County only wants 0.605 and Southern Ionics only 0.504 in Charlton County and another 0.504 in Pierce County.

All the permitted withdrawals in Charlton County add up to less than half what TPM wants for its titanium mine near the Okefenokee Swamp: Continue reading →

Tycor Farms Solamerica Solar Farm in Alapaha River Basin

Solamerica Energy is building another solar farm in the Alapaha River Basin, leasing from Tycor Farms LLC, 6530 GA 376, Lake Park, Georgia, 31636.

[Alapaha River Water Trail Map]
Map: John S. Quarterman, from WWALS Alapaha River Water Trail Map.

There seem to be wetlands on the east side of the property, leading to Enoch Creek, then into the Alapahoochee River, into the Alapaha, the Suwannee, and on to the Gulf. However, the likely wetlands seem to be along the eastern edge of the cleared area, so one can guess Continue reading →

WWALS booth at Berrien County Harvest Festival 2019-09-28

The third year we’ll be there, and the tenth year of the festival, in downtown Nashville, Georgia, between the Alapaha and Withlacoochee Rivers. Yes, we will be raffling a kayak, and talking about outings and advocacy, plus water trails, including the Alapaha River Water Trail and the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail.

Plus volunteer opportunities, and we are seeking interns!

Gretchen Quarterman observes, Booth
Gretchen Quarterman observes, last year, 2018.

When: 9AM to 3PM, Saturday, September 28, 2019

Where: Downtown Square and Farmer’s Market, 101 North Davis Street, Nashville GA 31639

What: “The festival will include food vendors, arts & crafts, contests, antique tractor parade, art show and entertainment throughout the day. The Farmer’s Market will host the Australian Animal Exhibit with multiple Australian animals.”

Event: facebook

Come on down to Nashville, Georgia!

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

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