Category Archives: Trash

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 →

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 →

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 →

Help stop the stealth Florida plastics ban preemption bill 2025-05-01

Yesterday the Florida State Senate voted 24 to 13 for CS/HB 1609 to proceed.

The day before yesterday they took the text of the old bills and inserted it into CS/HB 1609, which has the misleading title “Waste Management”.

Several amendments this morning may or may not have removed the offending verbiage.

Please contact your Florida state Representative and ask them to stop this pre-emption:
https://wwals.net/about/elected-officials/florida-house/

[CS/HB 1609]
CS/HB 1609

Plastic is one of the biggest pollution threats to our waterways. Continue reading →

Pictures: Another Clean up One Mile Branch at Azalea City Trail, Valdosta, GA 2025-04-26

We got quite a bit of trash off of Wainwright Drive, One Mile Branch, and the Azalea City Trail, including near the old trash dump across Hurricane-Helene-damaged fence.

[Clean up One Mile Branch, at Azalea City Trail, Wainwright Drive, Valdosta, GA, April 26, 2025]
Clean up One Mile Branch, at Azalea City Trail, Wainwright Drive, Valdosta, GA, April 26, 2025

The land beyond One Mile Branch left bank, Azalea City Trail, and the fence is owned by University System of GA Board of Regents.

There were children playing in One Mile Branch, including right below the manholes that have repeatedly leaked massive amounts of raw sewage.

One Mile Branch runs into Sugar Creek into the Withlacoochee River.

Thanks to Sara Squires Jones and Scotti Jay for organizing this cleanup.

For more Continue reading →

Bad Florida Boating Bill 2025-04-22

Florida Senate Bill 1388/ House Bill 1001 entitled “Vessels” if passed, could undermine vital safety and environmental protections for boaters and Florida’s waterways.

You can use this handy Waterkeepers Florida form to ask your Florida statehouse members to vote NO on this bill:
https://waterkeepersflorida.good.do/SB1388_2025/SB1388FP/

Or contact your statehouse members some other way (telephone, in-person, etc.):

This bill will be before the Florida Senate Fiscal Policy Committee when it meets at 11 AM, Tuesday, April 22, 2025.

[Bad Boating Bill]

Fecal bacteria is one of the leading causes of pollution in Florida waters. One way that the state combats this issue is by Continue reading →

Pictures: Withlacoochee Upstream from Troupville 2025-04-09

Update 2025-04-15: Pictures: Last Mile, Withlacoochee River 2025-04-13.

Update 2025-04-14: Videos.

Yesterday Phil Hubbard and I found and dealt with two big new deadfalls on the Withlacoochee River near the Little River Confluence.

[Two new Deadfalls, Withlacoochee Upstream from Troupville Boat Ramp, April 9, 2025]
Two new Deadfalls, Withlacoochee Upstream from Troupville Boat Ramp, April 9, 2025

Phil also tried to match my record for getting a saw stuck in a river. But we retrieved the WWALS 24-inch Husqvarna chainsaw, minus its bar and chain cover. That does not match me leaving my similar saw in the Suwannee River for six months, so Phil has to try harder.

Videos:

And we picked up some trash from a few trashjams, including Phil got a baby leg.

The original plan for yesterday afternoon was to go down the Withlacoochee River, plant a sign at the midpoint (Withlacoochee River Hunt Club private boat ramp, courtesy of The Langdale Company), and motor back up.

Since there is some doubt as to which route the Mayor and Chairman’s Paddle will take on April 19.
https://wwals.net/?p=67242

That route will depend on water levels, any contamination in Sugar Creek or the rivers, and whether we can get the rest of the deadfalls out of the Withlacoochee River near Sugar Creek. Yesterday we decided to head up the Withlacoochee River instead. Good thing we did, what with those new deadfalls.

Sunset soon meant we did not get up to the last mile of deadfalls below Sugar Creek. That is scheduled for this Sunday, April 12 13.
https://wwals.net/?p=67422 Continue reading →

Clean Withlacoochee and Alapaha Rivers 2025-03-26

Update 2025-04-01: Clean Little & Withlacoochee Rivers, Filthy Sugar Creek 2025-04-01.

It’s a good weekend for boating, paddling, fishing, or swimming.

Water quality results are good.

No sewage spills have been reported in the past week.

No rain is predicted until Sunday, probably in the afternoon.

Avoid the water still too high at Fargo on the Suwannee River and at the Ichetucknee and Santa Fe Rivers near their Confluence.

Other than that, happy rivers to you!

Join us next weekend for Rescheduled: Ichetucknee to Santa Fe Rivers 2025-04-05.
https://wwals.net/?p=66991

Or come help prevent privatization of Florida State Parks one of the many Florida State Parks Love Fests at the Suwannee or Santa Fe Rivers:
https://wwals.net/?p=67329

For these and other WWALS outings and events, see: https://wwals.net/outings/

[Clean Withlacoochee, and Alapaha Rivers 2025-03-26, No sewage spills reported, No rain until Sunday]
Clean Withlacoochee, and Alapaha Rivers 2025-03-26, No sewage spills reported, No rain until Sunday

Continue reading →

Pictures: Clean up One Mile Branch at Azalea City Trail, Wainwright Drive, Valdosta GA 2025-01-25

Update 2025-03-08: Another Clean up One Mile Branch at Azalea City Trail, Valdosta, GA 2025-03-16.

Thanks to the four Alpha Phi Alpha of VSU.

[Cleanup, One Mile Branch, Azalea City Trail 2025-01-25, Wainwright Drive, Alpha Phi Alpha, VSU]
Cleanup, One Mile Branch, Azalea City Trail 2025-01-25, Wainwright Drive, Alpha Phi Alpha, VSU

Thanks to Scotti Jay Jones and Sara Squires Jones for organizing this cleanup near the notorious Wainwright Drive manhole on One Mile Branch, along the Azalea City Trail in Valdosta, Georgia.

Donovan Henderson of Alpha Phi Alpha found the Zacadoo’s cup. Continue reading →

Mayor and Chairman’s Paddle: Langdale Park to Troupville, Withlacoochee River 2025-03-15

Update 2025-03-10: Rescheduled due to low water to March 22, Chairman and Mayor’s Paddle: Troupville to Spook Bridge, Withlacoochee River 2025-03-22.

Join us for a leisurely paddle on the Withlacoochee River: three miles to Sugar Creek with early takeout, and another four miles to Troupville Boat Ramp, around all the river frontage of the land recently purchased by Lowndes County for Troupville River Camp and Nature Park.

Paddle with Valdosta Mayor Scott James Matheson and Lowndes County Chairman Bill Slaughter. Shuttle vans provided by Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks and Recreation Authority (VLPRA). Thanks to a generous grant from Georgia Power, this outing is free for everyone.

Boats: Bring your own if you have it.
VSU CORE Outdoors will bring some boats for free.
To reserve a boat, please use this eventbrite ticket:
https://www.eventbrite.com/myevent?eid=1272573675119

When: Gather 8 AM, launch 10 AM, end 4 PM, Saturday, March 15, 2025

Put In: Langdale Park Boat Ramp, 3781 N. Valdosta Rd., Valdosta, GA 31602.

GPS: 30.88747, -83.32395

[Mayor and Chairmans Paddle, Langdale Park to Troupville 2025-03-15, Early Takeout Sugar Creek, Withlacoochee and Little Rivers]
Mayor and Chairmans Paddle, Langdale Park to Troupville 2025-03-15, Early Takeout Sugar Creek, Withlacoochee and Little Rivers

Safety: Be on time. If you miss the safety briefing, you cannot paddle with us.
Each person in a boat, no matter how young or old, must wear a PFD. Continue reading →