Category Archives: Chainsaw Cleanup

Pictures: Chainsaw from Troupville up the Withlacoochee River towards Sugar Creek 2025-04-18

Phil Royce, from Live Oak, Florida, and I chainsawed up the Withlacoochee River towards Sugar Creek Friday, but there were too many deadfalls for one day.

This is why the final reroute of the Mayor and Chairmans Paddle for the next day.

When Phil Hubbard and I chainsawed this same stretch the preceding Sunday, the Withlacoochee River was several feet higher, at about 122.8 feet NAVD88 on the Valdosta (US 41) Gauge.
https://wwals.net/?p=67446

The deadfalls Phil Royce and I encountered Friday at 119.5 feet NAVD88 were not visible that Sunday.

We got several big deadfalls, including one infested with vines and small limbs. The Husqvarna 24-inch chainsaw proved useful. WWALS bought it with a grant from Wild Green Future, which also paid for the 9.9 hp outboard motor, the 86lb-thrust trolling motor, and two LiFeO2 batteries.

At some later date, it will be possible to get the rest of these deadfalls.

[Chainsawing from Troupville up the Withlacoochee River 2025-04-18, towards Sugar Creek, too many for one day]
Chainsawing from Troupville up the Withlacoochee River 2025-04-18, towards Sugar Creek, too many for one day

And don’t worry, we’re leaving plenty of habitat for turtles, fish, and other wildlife. We are only clearing passage, not the whole riverbed. Continue reading →

Pictures: Franklinville Cleanup, Withlacoochee River, 2025-08-16

We found surprisingly little trash at the Withlacoochee River below Franklinville Road, but plenty of yellowjackets and deadfalls. Also, Cat Creek stinks like sewage.

[Franklinville Cleanup, Withlacoochee River 2025-08-16, Yellow Jackets and Chainsaws, Deadfalls, and Cat Creek Stinks]
Franklinville Cleanup, Withlacoochee River 2025-08-16, Yellow Jackets and Chainsaws, Deadfalls, and Cat Creek Stinks

Thanks to Cindy Vedas for organizing this expedition, and for bringing lunch.

Thanks to landowner Robbie McMillan for access, including mowing a path down to the Withlacoochee River at the Hahira-Moody AFB power line, for swimming, and for chainsawing.

I actually did most of the chainsawing this time, from my kayak, but there are no pictures of that.

Early on, I was chainsawing an opening in the brush towards Tyler Bridge, when something started stinging me. I backed off, but they followed me: Southern Yellowjackets, Vespula squamosa. Continue reading →

Pictures: Longer chainsaw from Langdale Park, Withlacoochee River, 2025-08-03

We chainsawed 1.32 miles down the Withlacoochee River from Langdale Park Boat Ramp to the bottom edge of the park, which is exactly 1/2 the way to Sugar Creek.

We’ll probably need a visa to exit the park through that massive deadfall.

In addition to numerous other deadfalls, we saw three wasp nests and Three Mile Branch.

[Wasps and Deadfalls, Longer chainsaw 2025-08-03, Langdale Park, Withlacoochee River]
Wasps and Deadfalls, Longer chainsaw 2025-08-03, Langdale Park, Withlacoochee River

Thanks to Phil Hubbard for organizing this chainsaw cleanup and for doing most of the chainsawing.

There’s even rare accidental proof that I chainsawed. And yes, I did have another sharper chain.

We are still clearing passage through deadfalls (trees across the river) from Hurricane Helene and that fell down afterwards. We will be back in a few weeks. Continue reading →

Pictures: More Chainsaw Cleanup, Langdale Park, Withlacoochee River 2025-07-31

We went back to where we stopped the previous trip, and got the deadfalls about a 1/3 of a mile down the Withlacoochee River from Langdale Park Boat Ramp. Yes, we’re still clearing passage through deadfalls (trees across the river) from Hurricane Helene.

[Pictures: More Chainsaw Cleanup, Langdale Park 2025-07-31, Withlacoochee River, Very hot that day]
Pictures: More Chainsaw Cleanup, Langdale Park 2025-07-31, Withlacoochee River, Very hot that day

We used the Old Town Camper canoe donated to WWALS by Bob and Sue Raffaele.

This may be the fewest pictures I’ve ever posted from an outing, because it’s hard to photograph while paddling or chainsawing.

We went back again that Sunday, August 3; stay tuned for a report. Continue reading →

Longer chainsaw from Langdale Park, Withlacoochee River, 2025-08-03

Update 2025-08-14: Pictures: Longer chainsaw from Langdale Park, Withlacoochee River 2025-08-03.

Join us to paddle downstream from Langdale Park Boat Ramp to clear passage through whatever we encounter on the Withlacoochee River. Yes, we are still clearing passage through deadfalls (trees across the river) from Hurricane Helene.

This Sunday chainsaw cleanup is longer and starts earlier than the one Thursday.
https://wwals.net/?p=68051

The Withlacoochee River is very low, so we will be taking a canoe, and you can too, or a kayak.

Nobody has to saw. You can come pick up trash, photograph, or just float along.

When: Gather 9 AM, launch 9:30 AM, end 3:30 PM, Sunday, August 3, 2025

Put In: Langdale Park Boat Ramp, 3781 N. Valdosta Rd., Valdosta, GA 31602, downstream from the North Valdosta Road (US 41) Bridge, in Lowndes County.

GPS: 30.88747, -83.32395

[Longer chainsaw, Langdale Park, Withlacoochee River, 9 AM, Saturday, August 2, 2025]
Longer chainsaw, Langdale Park, Withlacoochee River, 9 AM, Saturday, August 2, 2025

Continue reading →

More chainsaw from Langdale Park, Withlacoochee River, 2025-07-31

Update 2025-08-04: Pictures: More Chainsaw Cleanup, Langdale Park, Withlacoochee River 2025-07-31.

Update 2025-07-29: If you can’t come Thursday afternoon, join us Sunday morning, Longer chainsaw from Langdale Park, Withlacoochee River 2025-08-03.

Join us to float down about a 1/3 of a mile to a cluster of 4 trees where we stopped last trip, still clearing passage through deadfalls (trees across the river) from Hurricane Helene.

The Withlacoochee River is very low, so we will be taking a canoe, and you can too, or a kayak.

Nobody has to saw. You can come pick up trash, photograph, or just float along.

This will be a very brief paddle. We’ll be back Saturday for more. You can join us then, too.

When: Gather 4:30 PM, launch 5 PM, end 7 PM, Thursday, July 31, 2025

Put In: Langdale Park Boat Ramp, 3781 N. Valdosta Rd., Valdosta, GA 31602, downstream from the North Valdosta Road (US 41) Bridge, in Lowndes County.

GPS: 30.88747, -83.32395

[More chainsaw from Langdale Park, Withlacoochee River 2025-07-31, Canoes or kayaks, Saw, photograph, or pick up trash]
More chainsaw from Langdale Park, Withlacoochee River 2025-07-31, Canoes or kayaks, Saw, photograph, or pick up trash

Continue reading →

Pictures: Langdale Park Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River 2025-07-22

Update 2025-07-28: More chainsaw from Langdale Park, Withlacoochee River 2025-07-31.

Started in 100F heat index, finished in a rainstorm, but Phil Hubbard and I got passage cleared through three big deadfalls and a little one, and started on another.

More of these chainsaw cleanups. Join us next time!

[Langdale Park Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River 2025-07-22, 100F heat index, thunderstorm, Still got several deadfalls]
Langdale Park Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River 2025-07-22, 100F heat index, thunderstorm, Still got several deadfalls

The Withlacoochee River was too low to even get the WWALS jon boat in the water at Langdale Park Boat Ramp, where we rerouted to be upstream of the continued high E. coli in Sugar Creek.

Either outboard would have been of little use, anyway.

So we used one of the Suwannee Riverkeeper fleet of canoes. Thanks to Bob and Sue Raffaele, who donated the Old Town Camper canoe to WWALS 2021-05-29. And thanks to Dr. Dennis Marks for linking us up.

As the rain started to fall, Phil asked, how many miles did we get? Well, about a third of a mile. But we got more deadfalls cleared in that stretch than anybody else did.

While I was the one taking videos and Phil did indeed to most of the chainsaw work, I also chainsawed with two different saws.

Don’t worry: we left plenty of deadfalls for habitat. We cut passage, not everything out of the river.

We collected a bit of trash. Anybody who wants to collect more in this stretch can now get through to do so. And they can come along next chainsaw cleanup and pick up trash then.

Thanks to Wild Green Future for the grant that paid not only for the two outboard motors that we did not use this time, but also for the 86lb-thrust trolling motor and the LiFePO4 batteries that we did use to get back up the river quickly in the thunder and lightning. No pictures of that; we were busy trying to get to port. Continue reading →

Come to the WWALS River Revue and WWALS Paddles, 2025-07-08 –Suwannee Riverkeeper to LCC 2025-07-08

I invited the County Commissioners and staff of the most populous county in the Suwannee River Basin, Lowndes County, Georgia, to the 2026 Mayor and Chairmans Paddle and to a chainsaw cleanup preparing for it, as well as to the WWALS River Revue and Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest, both coming up September 6, 2025.

[Come to the WWALS River Revue, Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest, and WWALS Paddles, Suwannee Riverkeeper to LCC 2025-07-08]
Come to the WWALS River Revue, Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest, and WWALS Paddles, Suwannee Riverkeeper to LCC 2025-07-08

First I congratulated them on the discussion during a rezoning Public Hearing earlier in that same meeting two weeks ago. See the video by Lowndes Area Knowledge Exchange (LAKE).
http://www.l-a-k-e.org/blog/?p=25109

I had been prepared to leap up and defend the Withlacoochee River from this rezoning just west of it, but between the citizens who spoke against,the speaker for, and the Commissioners and staff, they covered it. As I mentioned, I don’t necessarily completely agree with the decision, but it was a very civil discussion. Continue reading →

Reroute: Chainsaw again upstream from Troupville towards Sugar Creek from Langdale Park, Withlacoochee River 2025-07-22

Update 2025-07-23: Pictures: Langdale Park Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River 2025-07-22.

Update 2025-07-22: Due to very low water levels we will be using kayaks or canoes. Due to very high E. coli in Sugar Creek, we are rerouting to start upstream on the Withlacoochee River at Langdale Park.

Join us as we try again to get the deadfalls revealed by lower water levels.

You do not have to saw. You can pick up trash, take pictures, or just paddle.

You can also walk along the right (west) bank of the Withlacoochee River much of the way.

If the water level is too low for boating, we will all be walking.

If it’s high enough, we’ll be using the 25 hp Yamaha outboard bought with a generous grant from Wild Green Future.

When: Gather 9 AM, launch 10 AM, end 3:30 PM, Tuesday, July 22, 2025

Put In: Troupville Boat Ramp Langdale Park Boat Ramp,

GPS: 30.88747, -83.32395

[Chainsaw again from Langdale Park 2025-07-22, downstream, Withlacoochee River]
Chainsaw again from Langdale Park 2025-07-22, downstream, Withlacoochee River

Continue reading →

Pictures: Chainsaw upstream from Troupville, Withlacoochee River, 2025-07-12

Well, we sawed a path through the first deadfall, a tenth of a mile up the Withlacoochee River.

[Chainsaw upstream from Troupville Boat Ramp, Withlacoochee River, Saturday, July 12, 2025]
Chainsaw upstream from Troupville Boat Ramp, Withlacoochee River, Saturday, July 12, 2025

Then the 9.9 hp Mercury outboard, which we thought was fixed, was back to its old tricks: stops while idling, won’t keep going in gear, if you do cajole it to run fast, as soon as it idles, it stops again.

We used both the trolling motors with the LiFePO4 batteries to get back up the Little River to Troupville Boat Ramp.

After further tinkering with the 9.9 hp outboard, we resolved to put the 25 hp Mercury outboard on the WWALS jon boat. We did that, and we put a prop guard on it. No pictures of all that; sorry.

The 9.9 hp outboard is at Winsel’s Boats to see if he can fix it.

Thanks to Wild Green Future for the generous grant that bought both outboard motors, the 86lb-thrust trolling motor, and the two batteries, as well as the Husqvarna Rancher 460 24-inch chainsaw, as well as some other equipment.

Part of the deal was we would put a sticker on the boat: Four Good Caws. It’s a pun. Continue reading →