Category Archives: Cleanup

Franklinville Cleanup, Withlacoochee River, 2025-08-16

Update 2025-08-25: Pictures: Franklinville Cleanup, Withlacoochee River 2025-08-16.

Update 2025-08-15: Clean river water at Franklinville, Dirty Sugar Creek & Withlacoochee River @ US 84, 2025-08-13, Clean Alapaha River & Withlacoochee River, Upstream & Downstream 2025-08-13.

Clean up trash in the Withlacoochee River from Franklinville Landing in hardwood floodplain for about a mile downstream, past Cat Creek.

This is mostly a walking cleanup.

If you want to bring a kayak or canoe, those could also be useful, although you’re probably going to be dragging them a bit.

We have the enthusiastic support of the landowner.

[Franklinville Cleanup, Withlacoochee River 2025-08-16, A mile of river frontage, Hardwood floodplain]
Franklinville Cleanup, Withlacoochee River 2025-08-16, A mile of river frontage, Hardwood floodplain

Per our usual arrangement, Lowndes County Public Works will come get the trash after we bag it and set it on the public road right of way. We will also visit the nearby monument to Franklinville, which was the county seat of Lowndes County before Valdosta and before Troupville.

When: 9 AM, Saturday, August 16, 2025

Put In: Franklinville Landing, 6560 Franklinville Road, Hahira, GA 31632, in Lowndes County. From Skipper Bridge Road, go east on Franklinville Road to Tyler Bridge, which is closed.

GPS: 30.981249, -83.268027 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

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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

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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

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Plastic bag bans keep trash out of rivers and the sea –a study in Science 2025-06-19

Plastic bag bans work, finds a study published in Science this month. And not by a little bit: “a 25 to 47% decrease in plastic bags as a share of total items collected relative to areas without policies” and a “30 to 37% reduction in the presence of entangled animals in areas with plastic bag policies”. The study says even partial bans help, and the effect increases with more bans.

[Plastic bag bans keep trash out of rivers and the sea --a study in Science, June 19, 2025]
Plastic bag bans keep trash out of rivers and the sea –a study in Science, June 19, 2025

Cleanups alone do not solve the trash problem: trash just keeps coming back. Trash traps help keep it out of creeks and rivers, but have to be continually cleaned out. Banning use of the trash goes a long way towards fixing the problem, as this recent study shows.

Local governments in Georgia and even in Florida can ban or regulate such packaging. Continue reading →

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

Update 2025-07-16: Pictures: Chainsaw upstream from Troupville, Withlacoochee River 2025-07-12.

Join us to get the deadfalls revealed by lower water levels. Yes, we’re still cleaning up after Hurricane Helene.

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.

When: Gather 9 AM, launch 10 AM, end 3:30 PM, Saturday, July 12, 2025

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.

GPS: 30.851842, -83.346536

[Chainsaw upstream from Troupville, Withlacoochee River 2025-07-12, Get deadfalls revealed by lower water levels]
Chainsaw upstream from Troupville, Withlacoochee River 2025-07-12, Get deadfalls revealed by lower water levels

Continue reading →

Running 9.9 hp outboard 2025-06-25

Thanks, Phil Hubbard, for fixing the Mercury 9.9 hp outboard that we usually use with the WWALS jon boat on chainsaw cleanups.
https://wwals.net/outings/chainsaw-cleanups/

We’re working up a chainsaw cleanup probably on Saturday, July 12, in case you want to come along. Stay tuned at:
https://wwals.net/outings

[Phil Hubard fixed the 9.9 hp Mercury outboard 2025-06-25, Also running: the 25 hp Yamaha outboard]
Phil Hubard fixed the 9.9 hp Mercury outboard 2025-06-25, Also running: the 25 hp Yamaha outboard

Thanks to Wild Green Future for the generous grant that bought both outboards, as well as an 86lb thrust trolling motor, two LiFeO2 batteries, and some related materials.

After testing for fuel flow in several locations, Phil disassembled the fuel pump and reassembled it and it works fine now. Continue reading →

Okapilco Creek 2025-03-22

Downstream from Spook Bridge on the Withlacoochee River, Phil Hubbard and I took a side trip up Okapilco Creek.

[Okapilco Creek 2025-03-22, Withlacoochee River, Piscola Creek, Patrick Creek]
Okapilco Creek 2025-03-22, Withlacoochee River, Piscola Creek, Patrick Creek

We passed Piscola Creek and Patrick Creek.

We went up Okapilco Creek about a mile. Then we encountered a deadfall across the creek. We could have sawed it in a few minutes. But our main mission was checking passage on the Withlacoochee River, so we turned back.

There was very little trash in Okapilco Creek. We collected some of it.

Phil Royce had declined to follow us up the creek, so we caught up with him down near Knights Ferry Boat Ramp. Stay tuned for that.

Thanks to Wild Green Future for the generous grant that paid for Continue reading →