Category Archives: Blueway

A Great Day On The Withlacoochee 2016-06-04

What a gorgeous day. 19 boats, 22 paddlers and 2 dogs made the trip on the Withlacoochee River from Florida Campsites ramp to Suwannee River State Park. The water was so clear we could see all but the very deepest portions of the river bottom. Springs, shoals, rock formations, beautiful scenery and great company made this a day to remember.- cjm

The Pinetta gauge was at 6.8′ (53.3′ NAVD88).

See also pictures on facebook by Continue reading

Winners of the BIG Little River Paddle Race 2016-05-21

Here are the winners of the Fourth Annual BIG Little River Paddle Race held Saturday May 21, 2016 at Reed Bingham State Park. Ready Including four time winner… see below.

On a fine Saturday morning, 34 people paddled, 18 male and 16 female, 19 in kayaks and 15 in canoes.

At this event to benefit Friends of Reed Bingham Park (FORB) and WWALS Watershed Coalition (WWALS), WWALS board member Bret Wagenhorst officiated as usual, this time assisted in handing out prizes by WWALS PR Committee member Amy Wiegenstein. Other board members of FORB and WWALS were present

Overall winner: Continue reading

Video of Chris Beckham radio show about BIG Little River Paddle Race 2016-05-21

You are invited this Saturday morning to Reed Bingham State Park (between Adel and Moultrie) for a morning of sun, fun, cypress, turtles, and don’t pet the alligator at the fourth annual BIG Little River Paddle Race. You can register online (follow the link) or at the site (also follow the link for details). And Phil Hubbard’s special offer is still open: he will pay for two free registrations. If interested, send email wwalswatershed@gmail.com; first two received win.

Lots of prizes in numerous categories, including $100 for first prize. Plus Phil Hubbard also made and we have available the WWALS Fallers Plaque, which you may win if you inadvertently fall into the water. Thanks again to Bret Wagenhorst of Tifton for organizing the paddle race.

Here’s video of me talking about that on Chris Beckhams’s radio show, WVGA 105.9 FM the morning of May 16th: Continue reading

BIG Little River Paddle Race on Chris Beckham drive-time radio WVGA 105.9 FM 8:00 AM 2016-05-16

Update 2016-05-19: video of the radio interview, and don’t forget the paddle race is this Saturday!

Everybody listens to the radio in the car on the way to work, and Monday morning 8:00 AM I’ll be talking about the BIG Little River Paddle Race: community, water, trees, birds, fish, sunshine, and fun! $50 cash prize for first place, plus awards in numerous categories, or just paddle leisurely. It’s the fourth annual at Reed Bingham State Park, between Adel and Moultrie, on the border of Cook and Colquitt Counties, only 40 minutes from Valdosta. The Paddle Race is weekend after next, Saturday, May 21st, and you can sign up online or at the event. Before that, a radio show to talk about the paddle race.

When: 8:00AM Monday May 16th 2016

Where: 105.9 FM WVGA, Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia

What: Continue reading

Nankin to Madison Highway, Withlacoochee River, 2016-07-09

Shoals, creeks, and help us find MacIntyre Spring on the Brooks County side of the Withlacoochee River just before Florida.

When: 8AM Saturday July 9th 2016
facebook event.

Put in: Nankin Boat Ramp, 6899 Clyattville-Nankin Rd, Valdosta, GA 31601, 30.675192, -83.394143.

Take out: Madison Highway Boat Ramp, Madison Highway at the Florida State Line in Lowndes County, Georgia, 30.635933, -83.311103.

Duration: 9.1 miles, about 5 hours.

Shuttle: Continue reading

Alapaha River Boat Ramp

These are the maps Lowndes County Engineer Mike Fletcher presented at the Naylor Town Hall 2016-04-14. Roads and parking lot Bret Huntley asked him to send them, and he did.

These have more detail than Continue reading

Fixed: Access to GA 133 Little River Boat Ramp

Julie Bowland reports:

Boatramp Joy of joys! The humongous mud hole in the access road to the boat ramp off 133 across from the prison has finally been filled! And a sign calling it a park…could WWALS brochures be far behind?

This is the Little River Boat Ramp on the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail (WLRWT).

George Page, Executive Director of the Valdosta-Lowndes Parks & Rec Authority (VLPRA), told me it seems like a year or more ago that he had found funds to fix that access, and now I guess it’s happening.

It’s always been a park, listed under VLPRA as Continue reading

Map of American Rivers by Nelson Minar

Here’s a map of all rivers in the U.S. by Nelson Minar. Lower 48 U.S. It actually covers the lower 48 states and is pretty impressive at that scale. Plus you can zoom in.

Gulf and south Atlantic

Here you can see rivers running to the Gulf start all the way up Continue reading

Earth Day 2016, at VSU, on the Alapaha River, and worldwide

Noon to 3PM today, WWALS will be on the VSU front lawn with VSU Front Lawn Students Against Violating the Environment (S.A.V.E.), celebrating Earth Day, recommending along with Waterkeeper Alliance: Keep it in the Ground, especially fracking for pipelines including Sabal Trail, and congratulating Lowndes County on progress on the new Naylor Boatramp and Valdosta on finally almost just about pretty soon finishing its fixes to stop spilling sewage into our rivers.

Tomorrow at 8AM, come paddle with WWALS from Hotchkiss Road in Lanier County to Mayday in Echols County, past the new park and boat ramp Lowndes County is building just north of US 84. Next month at Reed Bingham State Park between Adel and Moultrie, GA, it’s the BIG Little River Paddle Race, registration 8-9AM Saturday May 21, 2016. And in June come paddle on the Withlacoochee River from Florida Campsites Ramp to Suwannee River State Park, Saturday June 4, 2016. Before then we hope to invite everybody downstream from Valdosta’s sewage spills to attend the end-of-May signing ceremony for the new Valdosta force main and uphill Withlacoochee Wastewater Treatment Plant!

If you fall in on one of these outings, you could win Continue reading

WRWT Pamphlet

Update 2018-04-19: Map includes Tifton.

Cover, Sides This pamphlet for the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail is easy to print (PDF), fold, and hand out until we get a fancier brochure printed up. We already have a substantial contribution towards that from the Valdosta-Lowndes Tourism Authority. Who will be next?

I think the WLRWT logo by logo contest winner Eboni Patterson makes the cover look especially nice.

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

You can join this fun and work by becoming a WWALS member today!

Continue reading