An old Civil War law in the way of paddling, motoring, fishing, and swimming, on WKUB radio from Blackshear, Pierce County, Georgia, starting at 1:10 in the audio:
https://wwals.net/pictures/2024-10-10–wkub-navigable/2000-thurs-am-news.mp3

A meeting of the Georgia House Navigable Streams Committee scheduled for Friday in Nahunta has been postponed due to the anticipated effects from Hurricane Milton.

It was set to take place at Strickland’s Lodge on the Satilla River in Nahunta.

Georgia House Navigable Streams Committee Postponed 2024-10-10 — Suwannee Riverkeeper on WKUB radio

That committee is currently taking public comment on the legislative efforts to name sections of some of the state’s 64 streams and rivers as navigable and open to the public for boating, fishing, and hunting.

Right now an old Civil War law prohibits a lot of that from happening.

Suwannee Riverkeeper John Quarterman, who was eager to see changes in the present laws, says that postponing the meeting was the right thing to do.

jsq: …which is all sensible, I think. I had thought of asking them, could you, at least, delay this? Because I’ve been asking county commission members and city council members, and naturally they’ve been telling me they’re kind of busy with still doing cleanup, and so this is a good thing, I think.

The group plans to reschedule the meeting to next month with a date yet to be determined. And we’ll hear back from John with his ideas about the matter at that time.

With your southeast Georgia news, I’m Wade Scott. Have a good day.

Thanks to Brian Blount for recording that interview, and to Wade Scott for announcing it.

If you want to continue to be able to paddle or motor on your favorite stream, you may want to show up and speak, or send written input to your state representative.

You can ask them for a 21st-century update to the 1863 Georgia navigability law.

Also, at the bottom of the agenda for the postponed meeting:

*NOTE: Public comment can always be submitted and distributed to committee members. Please contact Nicole Chappelle at nicole.chappelle @ house.ga.gov or Brock Perry at brock.perry@ house.ga.gov if you want to be notified of future meetings.

Two of the Committee members are in the Suwannee River Basin:

• 176, James Burchett, R – Waycross, 404-656-5105, Suite 1318, james.burchett@house.ga.gov, southwest Coffee, Atkinson, Lanier, and northeast Lowndes Counties
• 174, John Corbett, R – Lake Park, (404) 656-5105, john.corbett@house.ga.gov, Charlton, Brantley, south half of Ware, Clinch, Echols, east third of Lowndes Counties.

For other Georgia House members in the Suwannee River Basin, see:
https://wwals.net/about/elected-officials/georgia-house/

To find your legislator you can type in your ZIP code here:
http://openstates.org/find_your_legislator/

What Georgia needs is an updated 21st-century definition of navigable that matches what people actually use the rivers for these days, such as paddling, motoring, fishing, and swimming.

Meanwhile, we are working on making navigable some of the more dubious stretchesn listed in Rep. Burchett’s bill, such as Okapilco Creek up to US 84 and the Little River upstream from Red Roberts Landing. This requires multiple chainsaws and multiple expeditions.

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

You can help with clean, swimmable, fishable, drinkable, water in the 10,000-square-mile Suwannee River Basin in Florida and Georgia by becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations/

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