Update 2025-04-28: Videos: Mayor and Chairmans Paddle 2025-04-19.

It went well, the Mayor and Chairman’s Paddle on the Withlacoochee River.

WWALS is an advocacy organization, and the best way to get people to care about rivers and creeks is to get them out there on the water. So it’s great that 36 people signed in and paddled with Valdosta Mayor Scott James Matheson and Lowndes County Commission Chairman Bill Slaughter. Young and old, they all seemed to enjoy it.

Later we will post video of the remarks by those two elected officials, as well as WWALS Board Member Gee Edwards as expedition leader, and me as Suwannee Riverkeeper, plus some videos along the river.

Mayor and Chairmans Paddle, Langdale Park, Withlacoochee River, Sugar Creek 2025-04-19

36 is less than the 42 last year, but not bad considering all the reschedulings and route changes.

Only three paddlers fell in, they all got back in their boats, and nobody was hurt. One cell phone took a dip, but Emily Arnold retrieved it, and it still works. Yay Emily!

Update 2025-04-21: Emily says, “I didn’t find the phone!! The lowndes EMS lady did! Can’t take credit for that one lol”.

According to Fire Chief Billy Young, Lieutenant Tommy Crump lost his phone, and Sargeant Krissy Sanders kept diving until she found it. Chief Young says the phone still works today. He says they really enjoyed it and will be joining us on more paddles.

Movie: Lowndes County Fire Rescue portages, 12:23:04, (25M) 30.8646489, -83.3157057

Thanks to Lowndes County Public Works for grading the road to the put-in, Langdale Park Boat Ramp. Thanks to Lowndes County Fire Rescue for paddling in their new kayaks. Valdosta City Manager Richard Hardy said he had a new kayak, but he also had a bad back and did not paddle.

Thanks to Paul Batts and Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks and Recreation Authority (VLPRA) for the shuttle vans.

Thanks to Steve Miller and son for bringing a golf cart to the take-out at Sugar Creek. They and WWALS President Sara Squires Jones held the fort at Sugar Creek while the rest of us were paddling.

Thanks to Gretchen Quarterman for signing everyone in and hosting the start of the paddle, including videoing the speakers.

Special thanks to Phil Hubbard for 8 chainsaw cleanups on the Withlacoochee River since Hurricane Helene. Most recently including all the way up to Langdale Park and back down to Troupville the Sunday before this paddle.

Thanks to Phil Royce for another chainsaw cleanup Friday, in which we sawed several new deadfalls, but we discovered there was not time to get all the deadfalls revealed between Sugar Creek and Troupville with water 3 feet lower than the previous chainsawing. That’s why the final last-minute route change to Langdale to Sugar Creek. Continue reading →