Rena Ann Peck’s band apparently had other gigs and did not accompany her from Atlanta. Fortunately she was helped out by Saylor Dollar, another Finalist in the Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest. Rena had never had a fiddle on her song before.

Rena is an ecologist & Executive Director of Georgia Rivers.

Rena Ann Peck, Atlanta, GA, 2025-09-06, with Saylor Dollar, Tallahassee, FL, American Folk Revival song, Okefenokee, Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest

She says her song is a “Rally cry for the fight to save the Okefenokee’s from mining.”

As you know, the coal miners from Alabama were bought out from their property southeast of the Okefenokee Swamp. But there is much more to do to protect the rest of the Swamp.
https://wwals.net/?p=67829

Here is Rena Ann Peck of Atlanta, Georgia, singing her song, backed by Saylor Dollar of Tallahassee, Florida:
https://youtu.be/AN1H1usl_s4
https://www.facebook.com/Wwalswatershed/videos/794528220213885 Continue reading →

Update 2025-06-13: Clean Withlacoochee River and Sugar Creek 2025-06-12.

This afternoon I sampled water at four Sugar Creek locations: Baytree Road, the Norfolk Southern RailRoad, Gornto Road, and the WaterGoat.

Here’s a WWALS video:
https://youtu.be/rWVpBjeaUu4

Then I pipetted sample water onto PetriFilms, and put those in an incubator.

After 24 hours at 95F, I’ll count the blue bacteria colonies with bubbles, and compute the colony forming units (cfu)/100 mL of E. coli.

Sampling Sugar Creek, Baytree, Railroad, Gornto, WaterGoat, Upstream from Withlacoochee River, June 12, 2025

Along with results from other WWALS testers and from Valdosta Utilities (who presumably sampled the Withlacoochee River Wednesday at GA 133 and US 84), WWALS will publish the usual weekly water quality report Friday afternoon or evening.

Plus bonus snippet with the WWALS water quality testing trainer, Gretchen Quarterman.

If you want to get trained to be a water quality tester, go to wwals.net, and in the menu select issues, then testing. Then pick “get trained”:
https://wwals.net/issues/testing/#signup Continue reading →

Registered Florida voters, please sign the Right to Clean Water (RTCW) petition and send it to your Election Supervisor by the end of June.

Here is the petition to get the RTCW constitutional amendment referendum on the ballot:
https://www.floridarighttocleanwater.org/_files/ugd/d9c45c_8210360ac2c740a586a2717c4f64ec3f.pdf

Ignore the address on the petition. Send it to your county Supervisor of Elections (or hand it to them):
https://dos.fl.gov/elections/contacts/supervisor-of-elections/

And get your friends and relatives to do the same.

RTCW Today

Why? According to the organizers of the Florida RTCW initiative: Continue reading →

Public outcry stopped the park privatization plans last year, when Florida Parks will held eight public tellings about building golf courses, hotels, or pickleball courts in nine public parks.

Now there’s a bill in the Florida legislature, but it needs to be stronger.

Please tell Florida legislators to strengthen SB 80 and HB 209.
https://waterkeepersflorida.good.do/SB80_2025/SB80_Sponsors/

Protect Florida State Parks, Tell Legislators to Strengthen FL SB 80/HB 209

Urge them to: Continue reading →

Expedition leader Bobby McKenzie says, “The levels have been dropping but are still moving at rate that would only allow experienced paddlers on the water. Further discussion on this has led that it be best to cancel this paddle.”

Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman concurred, saying, “People will enjoy it more anyway at some later date when the river is low enough for the springs to be visible. We will post it as a new event when it looks like levels may favor us.”

Outing Cancelled

For the original route, see the original announcement, but we’re not doing it this time.

More: For more WWALS outings and events as they are posted, see the WWALS outings web page, https://wwals.net/outings/. WWALS members also get an upcoming list in the Tannin Times newsletter.

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

You can join this fun and work by becoming a WWALS member today!