This is part 2 of the Langdale Park Chainsaw Cleanup of Sunday, March 29, 2026.
Part 1 was downstream.
Here we go upstream, with Brianna Schawalder of Trails4Valdosta in her canoe, helping pull limbs aside and photographing, and Russell Hassenstab of Kona Ice paddling the Suwannee Riverkeeper Old Town Canoe, while Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman chainsaws.
Here are some video snippets.
Thanks to Continue reading
Update 2026-04-26: Pictures: Langdale Park Chainsaw Cleanup, Upstream, Withlacoochee River 2026-03-29.
Brianna Schawalder of Trails4Valdosta and Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman did some sawing from the Suwannee Riverkeeper Old Town Canoe, but most of the work downstream from Langdale Park Boat Ramp on the Withlacoochee River was done by Austin Roark and his equipment and crew from Roark’s Land Clearing and Restoration.
They removed the snaggly tree just downstream from the boat ramp that was making fishing and paddling difficult. And a tree a bit farther down that stuck so far across it was eroding the right bank.
Cindy Vedas come to staff a WWALS table at the boat ramp.
Phil Hubbard couldn’t come because he had the flu.
Here are a few video snippets:
https://www.facebook.com/reel/931293323150513/
https://www.instagram.com/p/DXjp9PFCLct/
After we went upstream and back (stay tuned for that report), whole families were fishing where those trees had been.
So that looks like success.
Thanks to all, and to Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks and Recreation Authority (VLPRA) for their cooperation.
Continue readingThe Withlacoochee River water level was too low for our original plan to launch the WWALS jonboat from Troupville Boat Ramp, around the Little River Confluence and up the Withlacoochee River.
So we put a WWALS canoe in at the railroad trestle downstream from Sugar Creek, and paddled downstream.
The goal was the same: to remove deadfalls and debris to permit passage of canoes, kayaks, and jon boats.
See: WWALS Chainsaw Cleanups clear passage, leaving habitat 2026-03-23.
![[Pictures: Chainsaw cleanup, Withlacoochee River, Downstream from Sugar Creek, 2026-03-21]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2026-03-21--chainsaw-cleanup-withlacoochee-river-pictures/fbmany.jpg)
Pictures: Chainsaw cleanup, Withlacoochee River, Downstream from Sugar Creek, 2026-03-21
Next: join us tomorrow, 9 AM, Sunday, March 29, 2026, at Langdale Park Boat Ramp. We will paddle upstream and down with chainsaws, and Trails4Valdosta will walk along the riverbank.
Here are some video clips from March 21:
We aim to clear a wide and deep enough passage for canoes, kayaks, and jon boats. Sometimes we will clear more if it’s obviously going to just fall back into the passage, or if it will be a problem at a different water level. But we remove only what we must.
We leave most of the rest as habitat for fish, turtles, otters, birds, and other wildlife. Shade, eddies, pools, and general variation in river flow result; all good for wildlife. You may notice that experienced fishers often cast near woody debris for this reason.
![[WWALS Chainsaw Cleanups clear passage, leaving habitat, 2026-03-23]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2026-03-23--chainsaw-river-passage/many.jpg)
WWALS Chainsaw Cleanups clear passage, leaving habitat, 2026-03-23
As a reminder, to join WWALS on any river outing you must listen to the safety lecture and sign the insurance waiver. Every person in a boat, no matter their age or size or experience, must wear a Personal Flotation Device (PFD).
Here are more than 50 examples of WWALS chainsaw cleanups:
https://wwals.net/outings/chainsaw-cleanups/
You can see plenty of habitat beyond where TJ is sawing in this picture. Continue reading
Update 2026-04-26: Pictures: Langdale Park Chainsaw Cleanup, Upstream, Withlacoochee River 2026-03-29.
Update 2026-04-25: Pictures: Downstream chainsawing, Langdale Park Boat Ramp 2026-03-29.
Update 2026-03-23: WWALS Chainsaw Cleanups clear passage, leaving habitat 2026-03-23.
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]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2026-03-29--langdale-park-chainsaw-cleanup-withlacoochee-river/fbmany.jpg)
Langdale Park Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River, with Trails4Valdosta
Thanks to Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks and Recreation Authority (VLPRA) for support for all this. Continue reading
Update 2026-03-21: The water level is now too low for the jon boat. Still meet at Troupville Boat Ramp to decide on the actual put in with a WWALS canoe and any kayaks or canoes you bring.
Launching the WWALS jonboat from the Troupville Ramp, around the Little River Confluence and up the Withlacoochee River, we will remove deadfalls and debris to permit passage as far upstream as we are able within an approximate 6 hour time frame. Volunteers do not have to use a chainsaw if not experianced. Help with debris and trash removal as well as photos and videos assistance are always welcome. Bring your kayak and join this adventure.
When: Gather 9 AM, launch 9:30 AM, end 3:30 PM, Saturday, March 21, 2026
Put In: Troupville Boat Ramp, 19664 Valdosta Hwy, Valdosta, GA 31602. I-75 exit 18, west on GA 133 (St. Augustine Road) away from the Valdosta Mall, at the traffic light for Val Tech Road, turn left down to the boat ramp, in Lowndes County.
![[Chainsaw cleanup, Withlacoochee River, Upstream from Troupville, 9 AM, 2026-03-21]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2026-03-21--chainsaw-cleanup-withlacoochee-river/fbmany.jpg)
Chainsaw cleanup, Withlacoochee River, Upstream from Troupville, 9 AM, 2026-03-21
Join us for an on-land cleanup along One Mile Branch downstream from Valdosta State University, and Azalea City Trail, in Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia.
When: Gather 9 AM, launch 9 AM, end 11 AM, Saturday, March 28, 2026
Put In: Wainwright Drive between Baytree Drive and Brookhaven Drive, and maybe also downstream, in Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia.
GPS: 30.84287, -83.30113
![[One Mile Branch, Azalea City Trail, Valdosta, GA, Cleanup 2026-03-28]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2026-03-28--cleanup-one-mile-branch-azalea-trail/fbmany.jpg)
One Mile Branch, Azalea City Trail, Valdosta, GA, Cleanup 2026-03-28
Join us on the radio, talk921.com, at 8 AM tomorrow morning, Thursday, March 5, 2026, to hear about the Mayor and Chairmans Paddle by Suwannee Riverkeeper this Saturday.
Here’s a facebook event to remind you:
https://www.facebook.com/events/2273100159762397/
Thanks to Joe Brownlee and Georgia Power for the generous grant that makes this paddle free for everyone. Thanks to Paul Deloach and The Langdale Company for river access. Thanks to Paul Batts and Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks and Recreation Authority for shuttle vans. Thanks to Steve Miller for his 4-wheeler for the takeout. And thanks to Phil Hubbard for leading this paddle.
Valdosta Mayor Scott James Matheson and Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman may also talk about other current topics such as: Continue reading
Here is what Merrillee Malwitz-Jipson sent me:
Overview: Lower Santa Fe River Trash Clean-Up, March 8th, 9 am to 2 pm, After Party 2 pm – 6 pm at Rum 138 in Fort White, Florida
30 miles, 6 hours, 300+ participants
![[Lower Santa Fe Cleanup by Rum 138, 30 Miles, One River, One Day 2026-03-08]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2026-03-08--rum-138-santa-fe-cleanup/fbmany.jpg)
Lower Santa Fe Cleanup by Rum 138, 30 Miles, One River, One Day 2026-03-08
Due to historic low river levels and clear water, the sight of omnipresent human garbage was becoming an eyesore on the Santa Fe River and the Ichetucknee Spring run. Within the 30 miles stretch of its flow to the Suwannee River, local residents began quietly organizing community clean-ups separately. Merrillee Malwitz-Jipson, a riparian property owner and a paddling outfitting business owner, recognized a wider need to assist the Santa Fe and Ichetucknee communities to remove trash on the river, in the river, and along the shoreline of the Santa Fe River. 30 miles were in need of a clean sweep, beginning at Mile Marker 30 at RiverRise Preserve State Park (Columbia County, Florida) downstream to Mile Marker 1 at Butler Landing (Gilchrist County, Florida) on the Santa Fe River near the Suwannee River. There are eight Teams organized from public access boat ramps that each represent a few miles to several miles of area to remove human discarded trash.
As the Santa Fe River is extremely low due to drought stages and the trash is obvious. We are expecting upwards of 300 participants Continue reading
We continued chainsawing downstream on the Withlacoochee River, starting at the train trestle.
Phil Hubbard and Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman cut passage for kayaks, canoes, and jon boats through hurricane deadfalls. We got through a bunch of deadfalls, past the other train trestle beside the river, before paddling back up.
Valdosta Mayor Scott James Matheson came to see us off, wearing a tie, on his way to a day of funerals.
![[Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River, Sugar Creek downstream, 2026-02-21]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2026-02-28--chainsaw-cleanup-withlacoochee-river-pictures/fbmany.jpg)
Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River, Sugar Creek downstream, 2026-02-21
Here is some video:
https://www.facebook.com/reel/1458995909184651/
https://www.instagram.com/p/DVZGwxMiPky/
We are preparing for the Mayor andd Chairmans Paddle by Suwannee Riverkeeper, Saturday, March 7, 2026.
We used several of our own chainsaws, and the Husqvarna 460 Rancher 24-inch chainsaw bought with a generous grant to WWALS from Wild Green Future.
We will continue chainsaw cleanups later.
There are many pictures below.
For more WWALS outings and events as they are posted, see the WWALS outings web page, https://wwals.net/outings/. Continue reading
![[Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River, Upstream from Langdale Park BR, Towards US 41 Bridge, Sunday, March 29, 2026]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2026-03-29--langdale-park-chainsaw-pictures/many.jpg)
![[Pictures: Downstream chainsawing, Langdale Park Boat Ramp 2026-03-29, Roark Land Clearing and Restoration, Trail4Valdosta, WWALS]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2026-03-29--langdale-park-chainsaw-pictures-downstream/many.jpg)
![[Radio: talk921.com, 8 AM, Thursday, March 5, 2026, Mayor and Chairmans Paddle by Suwannee Riverkeeper]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2026-03-05--radio-mayor-chairman-paddle/fbmany.jpg)