Category Archives: Outing

Protect the Withlacoochee River from the Sabal Trail Pipeline –Chris Mericle at the Hamilton County Commission

Chris Mericle, local host for the September WWALS Outing, spoke to the Hamilton County Commission last Tuesday about the same section of the Withlacoochee River, where the Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline is proposed to cross. You can come float past it yourself Sunday 21 September, and see many local springs, sinkholes and shoals that need to be protected from that pipeline, continuing on to where the pipeline would cross the Suwannee River.

Joyce Marie Taylor wrote for the Suwannee Democrat 25 August 2014, Hamilton fights back against Sabal Trail pipeline, Continue reading →

WWALS and Satilla Riverkeeper in Perry, GA

Us south Georgia watershed groups have to stick together!

Pictured are Satilla Riverkeeper Ashby Nix, WWALS Watershed Coalition: President John S. Quarterman, Treasurer Gretchen Quarterman, Ambassador Dave Hetzel, in Perry, Georgia, 21 August 2014.

Thanks to workshop presenter Loren Moore Continue reading →

Alapaha River @ US 84: endpoint of Sunday’s WWALS Outing 24 August 2014

Chris Graham took this picture a week ago of the Alapaha River at US 84, where tomorrow’s WWALS Outing will end up. Come join us on this gem of a blackwater rural river! We’re boating the central area of the in-progress Alapaha River Trail, tomorrow afternoon, Sunday, August 24st 2014.

Meet up at 1:30 at Hotchkiss Crossing on the Lanier County side.

We will drop the boats off, drive the end point at US 84, on a public right of way, where the road is gravel.

Get on water at 2:00.

We will pass by the location for the new Lowndes County boat ramp and public access point. This is a relatively short paddle, about 1.27 miles, but it could take as long as 2 hours if the water level stays low.

This event is FREE! All we ask is that Continue reading →

Springs, shoals, and pipeline: Withlacoochee and Suwannee Rivers 21 Sep 2014

Update 5 September 2014: Join us on the rivers even if you’re not yet a member, and many things have happened in the past few weeks: see new post.

Update 25 August 2014: Chris Mericle, our local host for this outing, spoke to the Hamilton County Commission Tuesday 19 August 2014 about what he’s trying to protect from the pipeline.

Paddle past springs, shoals, sinkholes, and where Sabal Trail proposes a fracked methane pipeline to cross the Withlacoochee and Suwannee Rivers in Florida: the WWALS September Outing. Spend five Sunday hours on about ten miles of two of our fabulous southern blackwater rivers.

Meet 10AM Sunday September 21st at the CR 143 Ramp at mile 8 on the Withlacoochee River, 30.449111, -83.221352 or 30° 26′ 56.796″ N 83° 13′ 16.8666″ W. Take out at Anderson Spring, just past I-10, 30° 21′ 10.6806″ N 83° 11′ 21.7314″ S

This event is FREE! All we ask is that you are a current member of WWALS Watershed Coalition. If not, its easy to join online today at /donations/. Continue reading →

WWALS July 19 outing @ Banks lake

20140717-120814-43694626.jpgWWALS is having an outing on July 19 @ Banks lake. So be there by 8:30am because we are putting in @ 9:00am. This is a beautiful scenic lake so don’t miss out. The location is @ 307 West Highway 122 Lakeland, Georgia 31635.

This event is FREE! All we ask is that you are a current member of WWALS Watershed Coalition. If not, its easy to join online today at /donations/.

Facebook event.

WWALS July 19 outing.

Update 2014-07-17: River water too low. Outing instead at 8:30AM Saturday 19 July 2014 at Banks Lake.

We should be @ Gaskins Environment Education Center By noon so we can put in @ 12:30 on the Alapaha River upstream and back paddle. Time on water: 2 hr. Tour the center before or after paddle. The Gaskins Forest Education Center is location @ 3359 Moore Sawmill Rd, Alapaha, GA 31622. Alternate if water too low: Banks lake at Ga. hwy 122.

Alapaha Water Trail GRN Grant to WWALS

Context:

Grant documents:

Blueway Trails in South Georgia?

In the Lanier County Advocate today:

300x860 Blueways clipping, in Blueway Trails in South Georgia?, by Christopher Lee Graham, for WWALS.net, 25 June 2014 Blue Trails are marked routes that take visitors along rivers, lakes, canals and coastlines. Water trails not only require suitable access points and take-outs for exits but also provide place ashore to camp and picnic and points of interest for canoeists, paddle boarders, boaters, kayakers and rafts. Some trails maybe suitable for float tubing. Blueways are typically developed by the state, county or local municipalities to encourage recreation, ecological education and preservation of wildlife resources.

As a Naylor resident I urge the surrounding county residents to contact their local commissioner and demand all public access to the Alapaha river to be tie into the #Regional_ Water_ Trails_System.

Here are some of the benefits Continue reading →