Category Archives: River

Springs flow under the Suwannee River next to the Withlacoochee River (Falmouth Dye Trace)

The Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline route went through this area, and the new route is only slightly to the north. There are springs all over this area. The same karst limestone underlies the Withlacoochee River in Georgia, where the river already leaks into the aquifer north of Valdosta. A pipeline anywhere in the karst limestone containing the Floridan Aquifer is a very bad idea. Profit for Sabal Trail, FPL, or Spectra Energy is no excuse for risking our drinking water.

SRWMD PR 4 December 2014, Falmouth dye trace reveals unknown connectivity,

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

LIVE OAK, FL, December 4, 2014 — The District and Florida Geological Survey introduced dye into Falmouth Spring On September 4th, in hopes of learning which other springs were connected to the known Falmouth Cathedral Cave System. Two days after the dye was release the dye appeared in two springs previously not known to be connected, Ellaville and Suwannacoochee.

Continue reading →

Statenville to Sasser Landing on the Alapaha River, WWALS Outing, 2015-02-15

Expert Paddle on the Alapaha River Sunday, February,15th 12:00pm. facebook event

Update 2015-03-06: Summary and pictures.

Launch site: Statenville boat ramp on HWY 94 just west of Statenville, GA, 30°42’15.3″N 83°01’57.9″W 30.704260, -83.032750.
Take out:Alapahoochee boat ramp (Sasser Landing) HWY 150 a few miles east of Jennings, FL, 30°36’02.6″N 83°04’23.7″W 30.600710, -83.073260.


Picture by Michael Rivera,
used with permission.

We will meet at launch site at noon, unload boats and shuttle vehicles to the take out (25 miles Round trip), on the water by 1:00.

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

High school student logo contest for Alapaha River Water Trail by WWALS in Suwannee Democrat

Update 2015-03-10: Prizes to high school logo contest winners Saturday at Alapaha River Water Trail Conference.

Florida noticed the ARWT logo contest.

Joyce Marie Taylor, Jasper News, 19 January 2015, HamCo: High school student logo contest for Alapaha River Water Trail by WWALS,

HCHS [Hamilton County High School] invited to participate

Valdosta, Ga.— Willacoochee, Withlacoochee, Alapaha, Little River System (WWALS) is excited to announce a contest among high school students in Echols, Lanier, Lowndes, Berrien, Atkinson, and Tift Counties in Georgia, and Hamilton County, Fla. to design a logo for the Alapaha River Water Trail. The logo will be used on the Water Trail website, on promotional brochures, and on information at access points along the river that will be posted on kiosks.

Our judges for the contest include:

The rest is verbatim from The WWALS press release of 14 January 2015.

-jsq

Outing summary, Expert paddle on the Alapaha River from US 82 @ WWALS 2015-01-17

Outings Committee Chair Bret Wagenhorst sent this report. See also pictures and videos. -jsq

300x225 Movie: Go right (1.4M), in Alapaha deadfalls, by John S. Quarterman, for WWALS.net, 17 January 2015 Participants: Heather Braswell, Jack Hartley, Chris and Deanna Mericle, John Quarterman, Bret Wagenhorst

Put in: public boat ramp on east side of Hwy 82 bridge, east of Town of Alapaha.

Take out: private land near Rowe Town Church cemetery (permission obtained thru Heather)

Distance on River: Continue reading →

Pictures and Videos: Alapaha River Deadfalls, Outing from US82 south @ WWALS 2015-01-17

The Expert paddle on the Alapaha River from US 82, 300x169 Markers, in Alapaha deadfalls, by John S. Quarterman, for WWALS.net, 17 January 2015 found the water level just right and encountered no obstacles it couldn’t float over in the 17 January 2015 WWALS Outing. Paddlers were Heather Brasell, Jack Hartley, Chris and Deanna Mericle, John S. Quarterman, and Bret Wagenhorst. For more information, see the report by outing organizer Bret Wagenhorst. Here are some pictures and videos taken by John S. Quarterman.

Here’s a video playlist, followed by some still pictures: Continue reading →

Bill Gates in Suwannee County, FL

300x231 Location: Stagecoach Road, US 90, and I-10, in Bill Gates in Suwannee County, FL, by John S. Quarterman, for WWALS.net, 4 January 2015 Lakeland Sands LLC has bought 341.26 acres for Bill Gates in Suwannee County, Florida, about six miles from the Suwannee River.

All seven parcels adjoin, and are located on or near the corner of 44th Street and 167th Road:

600x540 Seven parcels, in Bill Gates in Suwannee County, FL, by John S. Quarterman, for WWALS.net, 4 January 2015

Here’s a list from the Suwannee County Property Appraiser. Interestingly, one of those parcels shows Continue reading →

Expert paddle on the Alapaha River from US 82: WWALS Outing 2015-01-17

Help check the Alapaha River for deadfalls! Expert paddlers wanted; inquire within.

Update 2015-01-17: Some pictures and videos by John S. Quarterman and an outing summary by Bret Wagenhorst.

300x225 Pointing, in Alapaha River upstream from near Willacoochee, GA, by Gretchen Quarterman, for WWALS.net, 19 January 2013 Meet at the Alapaha River boat ramp at the Hwy 82 bridge just east of the town of Alapaha at 09:30 AM. Boats and gear will be unloaded and some vehicles will be driven to the take out near the Gaskins Forestry Education Center south of Alapaha to allow the shuttle. One vehicle will then bring the drivers back to the put in and the trip will hopefully get started down river at about 10:00-10:15. Facebook event.

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/. You do not have to be a member to come on this outing. If you like the experience, we recommend that you join to support the efforts of WWALS.

The trip may take 4 hours, but it may shorter or longer depending Continue reading →

Grimmway of Bakersfield, CA in Madison County, FL

Bill Gates isn’t the only west coast investor buying up north Florida farmland.

300x383 Grimmway-marked, in A Bakersfield, CA Carrot Corp., by John S. Quarterman, for WWALS.net, 4 January 2014 Grimmway Enterprises, Inc. of Bakersfield, CA bought 1358.44 acres in Madison County, FL, all on 18 April 2014, on both sides of SE Farm Road between Lee and the Withlacoochee River. Grimmway’s website says they grow carrots. It doesn’t say whether they have any financial relationship with Continue reading →

28 Bill Gates parcels in Madison County, FL

More than 1,000 acres through September 2014, in parcels already adding up to more than 250 acres, or in contiguous or nearby parcels that can be combined, all bought by Lakeland Sands LLC.

300x152 2335.52 acres of timberland, in Lakeland Sands in Hamilton County, FL, by John S. Quarterman, for WWALS.net, 4 January 2015 On SE Farm Road and FL 63, between Madison and Lee, 30.423520, -83.353757, parcels 01-1S-09-0843-000-000 (374 acres), 06-1S-10-1192-000-000 (568.35 acres), 05-1S-10-1187-000-000 (363.161 acres), 07-1S-10-1197-000-000 (316.13 acres), 08-1S-10-1199-000-000 (259 acres) 12-1S-09-0892-001-000 (67.27 acres) 12-1S-09-0893-000-000 (224.68 acres), and 11-1S-09-0884-000-000 (162.93 acres), for 2335.52 acres total in just those eight parcels. All eight marked as timberland: we’ll see how long that lasts. Plus 12-1S-09-0892-002-0A2 (39.12 acres) of pastureland in between. These parcels surround a couple of City of Madison parcels Continue reading →