Our WWALS Watersheds

Update 2016-03-03: Please see Streamer on the Suwannee, Withlacoochee, and Alapaha.

WWALS Watersheds Here in our WWALS watersheds in south central Georgia, instead of a single big river like the Flint or Altamaha, our many small blackwater streams meander through cypress swamps and remnants of longleaf pine forests. Tannin from oak roots produces the tea color that is one of many attractive features of our streams.

Maybe you, like me, have trouble keeping track of the watersheds of the Willacoochee, Withlacoochee, Alapaha and Little River Systems. U.S. EPA has much useful information about every U.S. watershed. On the right is a map I got EPA’s My WATERS Mapper to make by clicking on a point near Valdosta (a point just north of Tifton also works) that was close to all three WWALS watersheds known to that Graphical Information System (GIS):

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WWALS at Reed Bingham State Park 2012-10-22

WWALS had a brief canoe and kayak outing at Reed Bingham State Park Sunday, led by Bret Wagenhorst. Heading out, and some coppices of native trees.

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Big Little Water: Camera 1 Videos on the Withlacoochee by Tom Baird

Here are videos of Tom Baird’s talk for WWALS hosted at VSU by Blazer Gardens, about the Y-shaped Withlacoochee, or Suwannee, or Swithlacoochee, from the dry Paleo-Indian era 14,000 or more years ago through atlatls in the woodland period and Troupville queen city through the Ellaville log boom to current-day over-pumping of the aquifer.

Here’s a playlist.

Big Little Water by Tom Baird 2012-09-11

Update 2012-09-13: Pictures from Camera 1.

Tonight at VSU Student Union:

Big Little Water – a survey of the history, geology and archaeology of the Withlacoochee River, with replica artifacts people can handle, and slides.

“I’ll also get into some of the current threats to the river and maybe we can get into a good discussion and Q&A.”
Website event and facebook event.

WWALS Seminar September 22nd

Neill Herring, Veteran Conservation Lobbyist at the Georgia General Assembly, on the political economy of water conservation in Georgia.

Jesslyn Shields of Georgia River Network on River Protection Success Stories in Georgia

And a variety of other Presentations and Potluck Lunch, Discussions and Arboretum Walk. Join us for an interesting day and meet the Officers and Board of Directors to see how you can make a difference in our Watersheds in South Georgia. We are a Non-profit group who are interested in clean water and leaving a better planet for our kids and grand-kids.

Register here.
Update 6 September 2012: better JPEG rendering of flyer.

Adopt-A-Stream water quality testing training with WWALS 2012-08-25

Students getting water from creek for Adopt-A-Stream water quality testing training.

Students getting water from creek for Adopt-A-Stream water quality testing training.

Angela Bray of the Southern Georgia Regional Commission (SGRC), assisted by Richard Battenn of SGRC and Al Browning, taught an Adopt-A-Stream water quality testing workshop Saturday 25 August 2012 in Valdosta.

Here’s a video playlist.

A few highlights:

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