The facebook livestream didn’t happen, but here’s YouTube video of yesterday’s Waterkeepers Florida Toast to Earth Day. Most of the fourteen Waterkeepers of Florida spoke.

And you can still pick up trash for Earth Day and post pictures or videos with hashtag #SuwanneeCleanup, as some WWALS members already did.

The Suwannee Riverkeeper segment is at 6:35.

Intro

I was at the Withlacoochee River at State Line Boat Ramp, 6461 Madison Hwy, Valdosta, GA 31601. You can’t see in the video, but only a few minutes before, the place was hopping with activity: a guy on a very loud four-wheeler, people in SUVs with beers, two trailers pulling out boats, the former police chief of Live Oak, Florida, and a group of young people hiking back from down the river. All declined to get on the boat ramp to be in the video. They were mostly staying apart from other groups.

Caution signs

We put up these Caution signs because fecal bacteria keep coming down the river from Georgia to my left, under the bridge, to Florida to my right, sometimes as far as the Suwannee River, and in one recent occasion as far as the Gulf.

Water trails

The good news is that because of much recent testing by WWALS and cities, counties, and agencies in both states, we now have a much better idea of when this river is clean and when it is not.

State Line Boat Ramp in Suwannee River Basin
in the WWALS map of all public boat launches and boat ramps in the Suwannee River Basin.

When it is clean, we recommend you use our water trails; see the signs on the other signpost.

Trash: #SuwanneeCleanup

And while you’re on the river, please pick up some trash, and post pictures or videos with hashtag #SuwanneeCleanup.

End

Here are some #SuwanneeCleanup examples that same day by

• Gretchen Quarterman in Lowndes County on a road. Roads are in watersheds, so that counts.

  
  Gretchen Quarterman’s #suwanneeCleanup

  Why am I picking up trash on the road? Because other people don’t care, but I do. It’s #EarthDay. #SuwanneeCleanup I’d rather be taking photos of plants and birds. Corona was on a fire ant bed so it got to stay there. The drainage ditch behind me goes to a run that eventually goes to Cat Creek and then to the Withlacoochee. This trash, in a big rain, could make it to the river. Gross. Won’t your please consider supporting the WWALS Watershed Coalition on this #EarthDay?
  https://www.gagives.org/organization/Wwals-Watershed-Coalition

• Randy Madison on the Suwannee River in Columbia and Hamilton Counties, Florida, and Clinch County, Georgia:

  

  M&I did our Earth Day duties and litterplucked the Deep Creek Trail head in the Osceola NF, Cone bridge Boat Launch, Cypress Creek launch, Turner Bridge Launch and Roline boat launch all on the Suwannee. Got about 150lbs mostly cans, bottles and stuff I don’t want to mention. Had lunch in the shade in Fargo Ga.

Here is the entire YouTube video:

Thanks especially to Kayla Hauge of Miami Waterkeeper and K.C. Schulberg of Calusa Waterkeeper for making this happen.

And thanks to all who videoed:

• Welcome by St. Johns Riverkeeper (Lisa Rinaman, WKFL Chair)
• Calusa Waterkeeper (KC Schulberg)
• Collier County Waterkeeper (Harrison Langley)
• Indian Riverkeeper (Mike Conner)
• Lake Worth Waterkeeper (Reinaldo Diaz)
• Matanzas Waterkeeper (Jen Lomberk)
• Miami Waterkeeper (Kelly Cox)
• St. Marys Riverkeeper (Anna Laws)
• Suncoast Waterkeeper (Justin Bloom)
• Suwannee Riverkeeper (John S. Quarterman)
• Apalachicola Riverkeeper (Georgia Ackerman, who also introduced the band)
• One specially pre-recorded song from members of the FLATHEAD STRING BAND.

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

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

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