Category Archives: Uncategorized

Protect Florida State Parks: Strengthen SB 80 2025-02-13

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 →

Vote today for clean water 2024-11-07

You can help elect people who will support clean water.

Today is Election Day, 7 AM to 7 PM, 2024-10-07. In Florida and Georgia, Vote for clean water.

-jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

You can help with clean, swimmable, fishable, drinkable, water in the 10,000-square-mile Suwannee River Basin in Florida and Georgia by becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations/

Plus pet waiver: WWALS Event Sign In and Waiver 2022-06-28

Sometimes paddlers bring dogs. To be sure the WWALS insurance covers such pets, we have added a dog waiver form.

WWALS Pet Sign In and Waiver
PDF

I attest that my dog can swim, or will wear an approppriate sized animal personal flotation device. My dog is up to date on vaccinations. My dog will be on a leash at all times when not on the water (either on my boat or swimming). My dog is not known to have bitten any person or other animal and has not been deemed a dangerous dog.

Quite a few people pay the $10 non-member outing fee in cash at outings, and others pay at outings to become WWALS members, so there’s a Paid Today column on the Event Sign In and Waiver. Continue reading →

Level Cancellation: Hal Adams Bridge to Hardenbergh Boat Ramp, Suwannee River, 2021-09-18

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!

WWALS Watershed Coalition Is Suwannee Riverkeeper

WWALS Vision: A healthy watershed with clean, swimmable, fishable, drinkable water.

Help Suwannee Riverkeeper save the Okefenokee Swamp: you can object to a titanium strip mine proposed far too near the Swamp.

Fourth Annual Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest: Send in your song now! Or come to the Finals in August in Valdosta and hear new songs about our rivers, springs, swamps, and sinks.

Need swimming, diving, tubing, water skiing, or rapids pictures and locations: to help reclassify our rivers in Georgia as Recreational for tighter restrictions on contamination.

WWALS Mission: WWALS Watershed Coalition (WWALS), established June 2012, is Continue reading →

All Waterkeepers of Florida: jurisdictions 2020-02-07

All the Waterkeepers of Florida, on one map. Green is parts of Florida with no Waterkeepers. All the other colored areas are territories of one of the members of Waterkeepers Florida.

Jurisdictions-wkfl

Thanks to Jen Lomberk, Vice-Chair, Waterkeepers Florida.

Same jurisdictions with names of the Waterkeepers: Continue reading →

Rivers Alive Cleanup, Lakeland and Pafford’s Landing, Alapaha River 2019-10-12

Rivers Alive clean up at Lakeland Boat Ramp and Pafford’s Landing on the Alapaha River near Lakeland, Georgia, on the Alapaha River Water Trail.

When: Gather 10:00 AM, Saturday, October 12, 2019

Put In: Lakeland Boat Ramp, head east from Lakeland on GA 122, turn right at the Lakeland Boat Ramp sign, immediately turn left along the side of the highway, to the boat ramp at the Alapaha River.

GPS: 31.045456, -83.047068

Take Out: Pafford’s Landing. Take GA 122 east from Lakeland, turn at the sign, go into the woods, to the west side (right bank) of the Alapaha River, in Lanier County, Georgia.

Bring: Cleanup materials will be provided, but if you’ve got a trash picker, bring it along.
No need for a boat, but you can bring one if you want to. It’s only a quarter mile from Lakeland Boat Ramp to Pafford’s Landing, but you may find some trash if you paddle that.

Free: This outing is free to everyone! We recommend you support the work of WWALS by becoming a WWALS member today!

Event: facebook, meetup

Continue reading →

Pictures: Troupville to Spook Bridge, Withlacoochee River 2019-02-03

WWALS paddled from Troupville Boat Ramp to Spook Bridge (thanks to The Langdale Company for access to take out there) on February 3, 2019. That’s the path planned for Paddle Georgia Day 1, coming up two weeks from now.

Catching up, 11:08:10, 30.8503500, -83.3485500