With Brianna Schawalder of Trails4Valdosta, meet at Langdale Park Boat Ramp @ 9 AM. We will remove deadfalls and debris to permit passage as far upstream on the Withlacoochee River as we are able within an approximate 6 hour time frame. Volunteers do not have to use a chainsaw if not experienced. Help with debris and trash removal as well as photos and videos assistance are always welcome. Bring your kayak and join this adventure.

You do not have to boat. You can walk along the left (east) bank of the river in Langdale Park. As Brianna Schawalder says, let’s make 2026 the Year of Outdoor Recreation in Lowndes County.

When: Gather 9 AM, launch 9:30 AM, end 4 PM, Sunday, March 29, 2026

Put In: Langdale Park Boat Ramp, 3781 N. Valdosta Rd., Valdosta, GA 31602, on Hyta Mederer Drive.

GPS: 30.88747, -83.32395

Langdale Park Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River, with Trails4Valdosta

Thanks to Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks and Recreation Authority (VLPRA) for support for all this.

Take Out: Langdale Park Boat Ramp

Boats: We will be using the WWALS jon boat with the 9.9hp outboard and the 24-inch Husqvarna Rancher chainsaw paid for by a grant from Wild Green Future, plus other saws, electric and gas.
If you have a jon boat with outboard and can bring it, please do.
Kayaks and canoes are welcome to paddle along.
Or just walk along the left (east) bank of the Withlacoochee River in Langdale Park.

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.
Please follow Leave No Trace principles by packing out all trash, avoiding damage to vegetation, and respecting wildlife.
If you have a chainsaw and know how to use it, bring it along.
Or a sawzall or handsaw, which is especially good for small underwater limbs.
But you do not have to saw: you can pick up trash, or photograph, or just paddle along.
Please follow Leave No Trace principles by packing out all trash, avoiding damage to vegetation, and respecting wildlife.

Safety: Be on time. If you miss the safety briefing, you cannot paddle with us.
Each person in a boat, no matter how young or old, must wear a PFD.

Free: This outing is free to everyone, because it is a cleanup!

We recommend you support the work of WWALS by becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations

Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/974983161525128/
meetup

Duration: 6 hours

Paddle: 2 miles, 5.5 hours.

Shuttle: None.

Gauge: Valdosta at US 41 (North Valdosta Road), USGS 02317755.
Highest safe 12.7 feet, 123′ NAVD. Lowest boatable 5.7 feet, 116′ NAVD.

Host: Phil Hubbard

We worked upstream some back on August 25, 2024.

Movie: We made a gap in the first upstream deadfall, but just above it is an even bigger one, 2024-08-25, 11:16:31, (37M) –jsq for WWALS 30.8905793, -83.3213432

But our primary goal that day was downstream, so we did not continue past the first big upstream deadfall.

Contact: John S. Quarterman

This was with the 9.9 hp outboard. This time we may use the 25 hp outboard. Both were bought with a generous grant from Wild Green Future.

Suwannee Riverkeeper jon boat attempting to pull debris, 2024-08-25, 10:40:53, –Phil Royce for WWALS 30.8903800, -83.3212900

Or, if the water is too low for outboards, we’ll be using canoes and kayaks. But we’ll still be using the Husqvarna 24-inch chainsaw, also bought with that Wild Green Future grant.

Backup: in case of bad weather or high or low water is: Reschedule

As Brianna Schawalder says, let’s make 2026 the Year of Outdoor Recreation in Lowndes County.

Interview: trails4valdosta, Brianna Schawalder, Langdale Park, 2026-02-16

More: For more WWALS outings and events as they are posted, see the WWALS outings web page, https://wwals.net/outings/. WWALS members also get an upcoming list in the Tannin Times newsletter.

 -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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