Tag Archives: bats

Pictures: Banks Lake Full Buck Moon Paddle 2024-07-21

A dozen people were ready to paddle on a leisurely Sunset and Full Moon Paddle, probably with bats, on Banks Lake, just west of Lakeland, Georgia.

[Banks Lake Full Buck Moon, Paddle didn't 2024-07-21, A dozen people, No paddles or PFDs]
Banks Lake Full Buck Moon, Paddle didn’t 2024-07-21, A dozen people, No paddles or PFDs

A few people brought their own paddles and PFDs, and they paddled anyway.

But there was a mixup with getting the paddles and PFDs from Lanier County.

Kimberly Godden Tanner, the outing leader, did not have those, so the WWALS paddle did not happen.

We will investigate a better way.

And thanks again to Lanier County for providing free rental of the kayaks and canoes and the paddles and PFDs.

Thanks to Kim for trying, and better luck next lunar month.

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 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

Banks Lake Full Buck Moon Paddle 2024-07-21

Join us for a leisurely Sunset and Full Moon Paddle, probably with bats.

When: Gather 7:30 PM, launch 8 PM, moonrise 9:17 PM, sunset 8:34 PM, end 10 PM, Sunday, July 21, 2024

Put In: Banks Lake Boat Ramp, 307 Georgia 122, Lakeland, GA 31635, in Lanier County, on the Alapaha River Water Trail (ARWT).

GPS: 31.034824, -83.096725

[Banks Lake Full Buck Moon Paddle 2024-07-21, West of Lakeland, GA, Probably with bats]
Banks Lake Full Buck Moon Paddle 2024-07-21, West of Lakeland, GA, Probably with bats

Continue reading →

Pictures: Banks Lake Full Pink Moon Paddle 2024-04-23

The bats were flying on a fine calm clear spring night as the sun set and the Full Pink Moon rose over Banks Lake, just west of Lakeland, Georgia, Tuesday, April 23, 2024.

[Banks Lake Full Pink Moon, Paddle 2024-04-23, Thanks, Shirley Kokidko, and the bats]
Banks Lake Full Pink Moon, Paddle 2024-04-23, Thanks, Shirley Kokidko, and the bats

Here are some video highlights:
https://youtu.be/f4Tra_fSZDo?si=5o7e87acCR9Xf7KH

And as a facebook video:
https://www.facebook.com/Wwalswatershed/videos/396221352796424

Thanks to Shirley Kokidko for leading this expedition, and to Chris “Turtleman” Adams for paddling, along with everyone else.

Thanks to Lanier County for the free boat rental.

Join us this Friday for the WWALS Banks Lake Full Strawberry Moon Paddle 2024-06-21.

For more Continue reading →

Pictures: Banks Lake morning paddle 2023-09-04

Update 2025-08-24: Pictures: Black Moon morning paddle, Banks Lake 2025-08-23

A dozen people paddled four miles around Banks Lake on Labor Day morning. We saw three trees with bats, and the old one with no bats.

[Flyers, bat tree, etc. @ Banks Lake morning paddle 2023-09-04]
Flyers, bat tree, etc. @ Banks Lake morning paddle 2023-09-04

I forgot the banners, so people are holding up flyers for the WWALS River Revue. Continue reading →

Cancelled: Banks Lake Full Blue Moon Paddle 2023-08-30

Due to Hurricane Idalia heading straight for the Suwannee River Basin, Shirley Kokidko has cancelled tomorrow’s evening paddle on Banks Lake.

She wrote, “Even if the rain stops Wed. evening, gusty winds at the lake could be unsafe for paddlers, especially after dark. The full moon will not be visible with the cloud cover, bats aren’t active during rainy weather either.”

[Cancelled: Banks Lake Full Blue Moon Paddle 2023-08-30]
Cancelled: Banks Lake Full Blue Moon Paddle 2023-08-30

Join us next month for the Banks Lake Full Harvest Moon Paddle 2023-09-29.

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 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

Banks Lake Full Harvest Moon Paddle 2023-09-29

Join us for a leisurely Sunset and Full Moon Paddle. There may be bats.

When: Gather 6:20 PM, launch 6:50 PM, moonrise 7:43 PM, sunset 7:21 PM, end 8:45 PM, Friday, September 29, 2023

Put In: Banks Lake Boat Ramp, 307 Georgia 122, Lakeland, GA 31635, in Lanier County, on the Alapaha River Water Trail (ARWT).

GPS: 31.034824, -83.096725

[Banks Lake Boat Ramp, sunset, moonrise 2022-09-10]
Banks Lake Boat Ramp, sunset, moonrise 2022-09-10

Continue reading →

Banks Lake Full Sturgeon Moon Paddle in Lanier County Advocate 2023-08-01

Thanks to “friendly, bubbly” Meredith Crosby for leading this outing, to Rebecca Galardo for reporting on it, to Tony Galardo for taking her out in the Lanier EMA boat to do that, thanks to James Barnes, Lanier County Code Enforcement, for unlocking the boats, and thanks to Lanier County for letting WWALS rent the boats to paddlers for free.

[WWALS Banks Lake Full Sturgeon Moon Paddle in Lanier County Advocate]
WWALS Banks Lake Full Sturgeon Moon Paddle in Lanier County Advocate

Plus of course thanks to everyone who paddled on the Banks Lake Full Sturgeon Moon Paddle, 2023-08-01. The next full moon paddle is at the end of August: Banks Lake Full Blue Supermoon Paddle 2023-08-30.

For more WWALS outings, see:
https://wwals.net/outings

Rebecca Galardo, Lanier County Advocate, Banks Lake paddling event held August 1, Continue reading →

Banks Lake Full Blue Supermoon Paddle 2023-08-30

Update 2023-08-29: Cancelled: Banks Lake Full Blue Moon Paddle 2023-08-30.

Join us for a leisurely Sunset and Full Moon Paddle.

This will be the only blue moon of 2023 (second full moon of a month), and is expected to be the biggest and brightest supermoon this year. It will be the third supermoon of this year, “when the moon’s orbit is closest to Earth at the same time the moon is full.”. According to NPR, this will be the only blue supermoon of 2023, and there won’t be another until 2032.

There may still be bats.

When: Gather 7 PM, launch 7:30 PM, moonrise 8:08 PM, sunset 7:58 PM, end 9 PM, Wednesday, August 30, 2023

Put In: Banks Lake Boat Ramp, 307 Georgia 122, Lakeland, GA 31635, in Lanier County, on the Alapaha River Water Trail (ARWT).

GPS: 31.034824, -83.096725

[Sunset 2023-03-07, Moonrise 2018-12-22; Full Blue Moon Paddle, Banks Lake, Lakeland, GA 2023-08-30]
Sunset 2023-03-07, Moonrise 2018-12-22;
Full Blue Moon Paddle, Banks Lake, Lakeland, GA 2023-08-30

Continue reading →

Pictures: Banks Lake Full Strawberry Moon –jsq 2023-06-03

Update June 15, 2024: Banks Lake Full Strawberry Moon Paddle 2024-06-21.

Thunder and lightning made quite a display to the south, but never came over Banks Lake, while we paddled out to see the sun set, the bats fly, and the moon rise over the cypress trees.

Plus we saw Mars and Venus.

[Banner, boats, storm, bats, Venus, Mars]
Banner, boats, storm, bats, Venus, Mars

Thanks to Gee Edwards for leading this Banks Lake Full Strawberry Moon paddle for WWALS, Saturday, June 3, 2023. Thanks to everyone who paddled, and to Banks Lake Outdoors and the Lanier County Commission for providing boats.

There are more pictures below.

See also facebook photosets by Continue reading →

Budget and Bats: Suwannee River Visitor Center

Regarding when and why the Suwannee River Visitor Center closed, I went to an authoritative source, Bryan Gray, Manager, Stephen Foster State Park (SFSP).

[Ramp (south) end, Suwannee River Visitor Center, 08:25:45, 30.6823112, -82.5600485]
Ramp (south) end, Suwannee River Visitor Center, 08:25:45, https://www.google.com/maps/@30.6823112,-82.5600485,17z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x0

He says it started with budgeting after the recession. Georgia State Parks had to operate more like businesses.

He started at SFSP in 2011, and the Visitor Center closed not long after that.

They tried to operate it in different capacities, such as Continue reading →