For years, there has been talk of a second Alapaha River boat Ramp in Echols County, maybe at Mayday on Howell Road.

The agenda for next Tuesday’s GA-DNR board meeting got my hopes up.

E. Land Committee
b) Approval to enter into an agreement with Echols County to lease the 2.2± acres, Echols County Boat Ramp

DNR Board, Statenville Boat Ramp

I called the Echols County Commission office. They have a new County Administrator, Laura Levesque.

She told me she is from Echols County, back after a long career in the Navy, which involved quite a bit of administration. Apparently she is also President of Echols Support Services, Inc., which has an office in Valdosta.

Echols County Administrator Laura Levesque says there is no new boat ramp, but periodically the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GA-DNR) renews a lease for the county to do work at Statenville Boat Ramp. That’s a GA-DNR boat ramp on GA 94 just west of Statenville.

Statenville Boat Ramp on the WWALS map of the Alapaha River Water Trail.

On the phone we discussed that while the access road to Statenville Boat Ramp is on the state highway right of way, the boat ramp itself is on private property. I looked it up. The Echols County Tax Assessors website says the owner is Rayonier Forest Resources LP.

Echols County Tax Assessors, Parcel ID 028 001.

Interestingly, one of GA-DNR’s 19 board members is Miki Thomaston, “Manager of Technical Marketing at Rayonier Advanced Materials.”

GA-DNR Board member Miki Thomaston

Statenville Boat Ramp, 09:32:20, 2019-07-06 30.7044533, -83.0326463

In any case, if you want to attend the GA-DNR board meeting:

The next meeting of the Georgia Board of Natural Resources will be held at 9:00 a.m., on Tuesday, September 28, 2021, at Red Top Mountain State Park—Visitor Center—50 Lodge Road, SE, Acworth, GA 30102.

Due to safe distancing guidelines relating to the Covid-19 outbreak, members of the public are encouraged to access the meeting by teleconference.

Join Zoom Meeting

https://zoom.us/j/94095392367?pwd=ZFE5VEFTY0ljRnpPMzkvK3VrSU83QT09

Meeting ID: 940 9539 2367

Passcode: 800982

Dial +1 929 205 6099 US

Meeting ID: 940 9539 2367

Passcode: 800982

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

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