Update 2022-10-31: Pictures: Alapaha, Dead Rivers, Sink 2022-10-02.
Expedition leader Dennis Price reported on access for this morning’s Sunday: Paddle Sasser Landing to Jennings Bluff, Hike to Dead River Sink, Alapaha River, 2022-10-02.
Getting to Sasser Landing to deposit boats is still simple. From Jennings, Continue reading
Good news! Valdosta Engineering has added a net to the home-made Valdosta City trash trap in the Lee Street detention pond on One Mile Branch, upstream of Ashley Street, Drexel Park, VSU, Sugar Creek, and the Withlacoochee River.
Bobby McKenzie opened an issue in Valdosta’s Click ‘n’ Fix smartphone app on September 11, 2022. Valdosta officials closeed it twice, but he persisted, reminding them that a year ago in July 2021, at the invitation of WWALS, trash trap company Osprey met with WWALS and Valdosta Stormwater Manager Angela Bray and then-City Engineer Pat Collins, presenting their Litter Gitter, which has a net in addition to a boom. Bobby also sketched the idea on an image of the current Lee St. trap.
Apparently current City Engineer Benjamin O’Dowd got the picture, because yesterday Bobby sent a picture of that trash trap with a net on top of it.
Valdosta so far has not said in the Click ‘n’ Fix thread that they have done that, but I’m going ahead and announcing this good news.
Thank you, City Engineer Benjamin O’Dowd, for the net on Valdosta’s Lee Street detention pond trash trap!
And thanks to Bobby McKenzie for his persistence.
Yes, I know Continue reading
A dozen people, neighbors and new-found friends, paddled in the coral dusk to see bats fly and the Full Harvest Moon rise through clouds, at Banks Lake National Wildlife Refuge, our mini-Okefenokee west of Lakeland, Georgia.
![[Banners, boats, sunset, bats, moonrise, shore]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2022-09-10--full-harvest-moon-banks-lake-pictures/many.jpg)
Banners, boats, sunset, bats, moonrise, shore
Thanks to Elizabeth Brunner for leading this outing, and most of the other Full Moon paddles this summer. If you want to help organize WWALS outings, you can apply to join the Outings Committee.
The WWALS Water Quality Testing Committee was well-represented, with Elizabeth and Michael and Jacob Bachrach. Continue reading
New route: Roline Boat Ramp to Hunter Creek Launch, Suwannee River, Hamilton County, Florida. Join us for this sunny five-hour paddle on the world-famous Suwannee River, led by Practicing Geologist Dennis Price.
Dennis has moved us upstream, due to our previous put-in being closed due to high water. The new route goes by the lally column remains of Turner Bridge.
![[Roline to Hunter Creek, Suwannee River]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2022-09-17--roline-hunter-creek-suwannee/many.jpg)
Roline to Hunter Creek, Suwannee River
Maybe the most remote section of the Suwannee River, from the GA-FL line to Roline and Turner Bridge: here are pictures of the second day of the WWALS March 5-6, 2022, riverbank camping outing.
![[Decamping, GA-FL line, Roline, Turner Bridge]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2022-03-06--roline-turner-bridge-suwannee-river/many.jpg)
Decamping, GA-FL line, Roline, Turner Bridge
As usual, expedition leader Shirley Kokidko was worried before we were even on the water. Many thanks for leading this one, Shirley. Continue reading
Update 2022-09-20: Pictures: Banks Lake Full Harvest Moon 2022-09-10.
Leisurely Sunset and Full Moon Paddle. It’s a Saturday, and it should be cooler, so join us on our watery living room.
When: Gather 6:45 PM, launch 7:15 PM, moonrise 8:17 PM, sunset 7:44 PM, end 9 PM, Saturday, September 10, 2022
Put In: Banks Lake Boat Ramp, 307 Georgia 122, Lakeland, GA 31635, in Lanier County, on the Alapaha River Water Trail (ARWT).
Update 2022-09-06: Pictures: State Line to Turner Bridge, Suwannee River 2022-03-06.
The Georgia Environmental Protection Division wants evidence of intentional full-immersion swimming to redesignate river segments from Fishing to Recreational for tighter pollution limits. OK, here are some movies. Plus grandmas in a tree.
![[Movie: Full immersion swimming, 16:30:59, 30.6006764, -82.6839565 (161M)]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2022-03-05--fargo-downstream-suwannee-river/20220305_163101.jpg)
Movie: Full immersion swimming, 16:30:59, (161M)
30.6006764, -82.6839565
Here is a WWALS video playlist.
Intentional swimming, Suwannee River, Echols County, GA 2022-03-05
30.6006764, -82.6839565
Videos by John S. Quarterman for WWALS Watershed Coalition, Inc.
For more swimming, see the still pictures from the same stretch of the river.
For context, see the WWALS map of the Suwannee River Wilderness Trail. While the SRWT formally runs from White Springs, Florida, to the Gulf, WWALS maps the entire Suwannee River.
For more WWALS outings, see:
https://wwals.net/outings/
-jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®
You can join this fun and work by becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations/
Update 2022-09-01: Videos: Intentional swimming, Suwannee River, Echols County, GA, 2022-03-05.
Swimming, tree climbing, lunching, and paddling on the first day of a Suwannee River camping trip.
Thanks to Shirley Kokidko for organizing, and to the landowners for permission to camp. Continue reading
Hahira, GA, August 25, 2022 — WWALS and Georgia Power gathered at the Little River to discuss “a great partnership that works for everybody here” with Georgia Power again providing a grant for WWALS water quality testing.
“We want to say a giant thank-you to Georgia Power for funding our program,” said WWALS Executive Director Gretchen Quarterman. ”Our water quality program helps us to have clean water, so that when people come to use the river they know when it’s safe to swim or fish or go in their boats.”
“I want to thank y’all for what you do to keep our rivers clean, and make people aware of our wonderful natural resources,” said Joe Brownlee, Southwest Director, Georgia Power. “And help take care of those natural resources. It’s a great partnership that works for everybody here. We’re proud to be a part of it.”
“It’s really just Continue reading
Yesterday I went down to Sullivan Launch to see off three intrepid explorers led by Ken Sulak.
![[Three to go exploring from Sullivan Launch, 12:20:57, 30.5960286, -83.2599267]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2022-08-14--sulak-sullivan/20220814_122057.jpg)
Three to go exploring from Sullivan Launch, 12:20:57, 30.5960286, -83.2599267
They were seeking signs of old bridges and ferries. Don’t know if they found those, but Ken says they found around 8 shoals.
The Pinetta Gauge (which is right there at Sullivan Launch) read about 55.3′ NAVD88 or 8.7′ yesterday noon. The current WWALS lowest boatable recommendation is 52.5′ NAVD88. Maybe we should raise that.
I also drove across CR 150 into the SRWMD Sulilvan Tract and found park table and bench with trash can where the SRWMD map says. Continue reading
![[Signs to Alapaha River]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2022-10-02--sasser-jennings-dead-alapaha/many.jpg)
![[Before and after]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2022-09-28--valdosta-trash-trap-net/many.jpg)
![[Sunset and moonrise, 2020-10-01]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2022-09-10--banks-lake-full-harvest-moon/sunsetmoonrise.jpg)
![[Paddling, Swimming, Camping]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2022-03-05--fargo-downstream-suwannee-river/many.jpg)
![[WWALS E.D. Gretchen Quarterman, Georgia Power SW Director Joe Brownlee, Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman, Georgia Power SREAM Don Hutchinson]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2022-08-12--gapower-wq-grant/still.jpg)