Join us for a leisurely Sunset and Full Strawberry Moon Paddle on Banks Lake, our watery living room near Lakeland, Georgia.
When: Gather 7:30 PM, launch 8 PM, moonrise 9:25 PM, sunset 8:36 PM, end 10 PM, Wednesday, June 11, 2025
Put In: Banks Lake Boat Ramp, 307 Georgia 122, Lakeland, GA 31635, in Lanier County, on the Alapaha River Water Trail (ARWT).
![[Full Strawberry Moon Paddle, Banks Lake NWR, Alapaha River Water Trail, Wednesday, June 11, 2025]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2025-06-11--full-strawberry-moon-banks-lake/fbmany.jpg)
Full Strawberry Moon Paddle, Banks Lake NWR, Alapaha River Water Trail, Wednesday, June 11, 2025
Update 2025-05-14: Sugar Creek Sewage Bypass, Valdosta Utilities 2025-05-14.
We don’t know how clean Sugar Creek is this week, because Valdosta Utilities is now beyond the four weeks GA-EPD requires followup testing after a major spill.
The Withlacoochee River tested clean.
No new sewage spills have been reported in the past week in the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia or Florida.
The chance of rain predicted rises as the weekend goes on.
Until it rains, the rivers are all pretty low.
So go early before the rains, go downstream where there’s water, and happy paddling, swimming, fishing, and boating this weekend!
![[Clean Withlacoochee River, No sewage spills, Maybe rain soon 2025-05-08, Paddle early this weekend]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2025-05-08--wq/many.jpg)
Clean Withlacoochee River, No sewage spills, Maybe rain soon 2025-05-08, Paddle early this weekend
Or join us Monday evening for
Full Flower Moon Paddle, Banks Lake 2025-05-12.
https://wwals.net/?p=67005
For more WWALS outings and events, see: https://wwals.net/outings/
A new law causes much disturbance in collecting petitions for a Florida Right to Clean Water (RTCW).
Florida House Bill 1205 imposes numerous restrictions on gathering petitions to get a state constitutional amendment on the ballot, including substantial monetary and other penalties for not following this new law to the letter.
It was signed by the governor on May 2, 2025, so it is law now: Chapter No. 2025-21.
Here is guidance from the organizers of the RTCW campaign.
Florida Right to Clean Water
Official Guidance on HB 1205 as of 5/9/25:
(Updates will be posted on FloridaRightToCleanWaterorg/updates) Continue reading
Pending reservations, Paddle 9 miles upstream on the Suwannee River in the Okefenokee Swamp for primitive camping on Floyd’s Island. Paddle back the next day.
You must RSVP on meetup to get a spot (clicking Going on the facebook event does not count as an RSVP).
Meetup RSVP will become possible once we get a camping permit.
This is the farthest you can get from any road in Georgia, with very dark sky.
You can camp inside the century-old Hebard Cabin, or in your tent or hammock outside.
Yes, you will see gators, and probably other wildlife.
When: Gather 9 AM, launch 10 AM, end All Day, Saturday, November 1, 2025
Launch 9 AM, End 1 PM, Sunday, November 2, 2025
Put In: Stephen C. Foster State Park Ramp, 17515 GA-177, Fargo, GA 31631. From Fargo, travel south on US 441 to CR 177; turn left and travel to Stephen C. Foster State Park, in Charlton County.
![[Floyd's Island Campout, Okefenokee Swamp, Suwannee River, Saturday & Sunday, 1-2 Nov. 2025]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2025-11-01--floyds-island-okefenokee/fbmany.jpg)
Floyd’s Island Campout, Okefenokee Swamp, Suwannee River, Saturday & Sunday, 1-2 Nov. 2025
Ken Lowe tried paddling up from Miller Bridge and found these deadfalls, presumably blown down by Hurricane Helene.
![[Little River Deadfalls, upstream from Morven Road, towards Folsom Bridge, --Ken Lowe 2025-04-26]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2025-04-26--little-river-deadfalls/many.jpg)
Little River Deadfalls, upstream from Morven Road, towards Folsom Bridge, –Ken Lowe 2025-04-26
They start about 2/3 of a mile up, and the last one is about 1 1/4 mile up.
It’s only 3 1/4 miles all the way from the private Lawson Mill Pond Landing up to Folsom Bridge, so that’s more than a third of the way there. Most likely there are more deadfalls the rest of the way.
This is all west of Hahira, Georgia. The Little River here is the border between Brooks and Lowndes Counties, Georgia.
We’ll see about getting these deadfalls scheduled for a chainsaw cleanup. Continue reading
Etta Lee tried paddling the Alapaha River from Lakeland Boat Ramp to Naylor Boat Ramp, in Lanier County, Georgia, but things did not go as planned.
![[Deadfall just above The Rocks, Alapaha River @ 79.91 feet NAVD88, --Etta Lee, Sunday, May 4, 2025]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2025-05-04--deadfall-alapaha-the-rocks/many.jpg)
Deadfall just above The Rocks, Alapaha River @ 79.91 feet NAVD88, –Etta Lee, Sunday, May 4, 2025
She wrote, “I crashed on the rocks. There is a limb.in the middle that I caught. I am sorry that I added to litter with paddle and back pack 😥 All fine. I just should have had my paddle on a rope and backpack tied better.”
She provides warnings, Continue reading
It was a fun and educational day at the Second Annual Okefenokee Folk Festival.
Thanks to Chris “Turtleman” Adams for inviting us.
![[Okefenokee Folk Festival, Okefenokee Heritage Center, Waycross, GA, May 5, 2025]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2025-05-03--okefenokee-folk-festival-waycross-pictures/fbmany.jpg)
Okefenokee Folk Festival, Okefenokee Heritage Center, Waycross, GA, May 5, 2025
It was also Sue Clark Day, referring to the late Sue Clark, who “spearheaded the creation of Southern Forest World and the Okefenokee Heritage Center.”
Thanks to Shirley Kokidko and Gretchen Quarterman for helping at the WWALS booth.
And it was the monthly Waygreen Local Fare Market, run by Gretchen’s friend Connie McDaniel Oliver.
Thanks to Jolie Hoyle, Environmental Education Coordinator, Okefenokee Swamp Park, for lettting me pet the alligator, illustrating what not to do when paddling.
For more Continue reading
Join us to paddle by many springs and sinks in Madison and Hamilton Counties, Florida, on the Withlacoochee River, including first-magnitude Madison Blue Spring.
It’s not far, 5.39 river miles, but full of springs.
When: Gather 10 AM, launch 11 AM, moonrise 10:40 AM, sunset 8:34 PM, end 2 PM, Saturday, June 21, 2025
Put In: Florida Campsites Ramp, 2137 NW 47th St, Jasper, FL 32052, in Hamilton County, Florida.
![[Florida Campsites to Allen Ramp, Withlacoochee River 2025-06-21, Springs including Madison Blue]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2025-06-21--fl-campsites-allen-ramp-withlacoochee/fbmany.jpg)
Florida Campsites to Allen Ramp, Withlacoochee River 2025-06-21, Springs including Madison Blue
Update 2025-05-09: Clean Withlacoochee River 2025-05-08.
Sugar Creek was cleaner this week, but still at the one-time testing limit for E. coli at Gornto Road, and actually higher upstream at Baytree Road. Something is still not right near the old spill site, with no rain to affect it.
The Withlacoochee River and the Alapaha River were clean.
No new sewage spills have been reported in the past week in the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia or Florida.
No rain is predicted until Sunday, or maybe Saturday afternoon downstream.
So avoid Sugar Creek, and happy paddling, swimming, fishing, and boating this weekend!
Join us tomorrow on-land for
2nd Annual Okefenokee Folk Festival, Okefenokee Heritage Center, Waycross, GA 2025-05-03
https://wwals.net/?p=67535
For more WWALS outings and events, see: https://wwals.net/outings/
Valdosta Utilities got 640 cfu/100 mL E. coli for Tuesday at Baytree Road on Sugar Creek, above the the former sewage spill site, and below at Gornto Road, they got 410. Both are at or above the 410 one-time test limit. Continue reading
Yesterday the Florida State Senate voted 24 to 13 for CS/HB 1609 to proceed.
The day before yesterday they took the text of the old bills and inserted it into CS/HB 1609, which has the misleading title “Waste Management”.
Several amendments this morning may or may not have removed the offending verbiage.
Please contact your Florida state Representative and ask them to stop this pre-emption:
https://wwals.net/about/elected-officials/florida-house/
Plastic is one of the biggest pollution threats to our waterways. Continue reading
![[FL RTCW Guidance 2025-05-09]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2025-05-09--rtcw-fl/495599119_688193390526916_3823461891246808862_n.jpg)
![[Sugar Creek still dirty, Clean Withlacoochee River 2025-04-29, Clean Alapaha River 2025-05-01, Rain predicted for Sunday]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2025-05-01--wq/many.jpg)
![[CS/HB 1609]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2025-05-01--fl-plastics-ban-preemption/hb1609.jpg)