Tag Archives: Blueway

WWALS Cleanup at Sheboggy Boat Ramp, US 82, Alapaha River 2018-09-09

Update 2024-04-20: Better picture format, links, and signature.

Gretchen took some pictures at the cleanup at Sheboggy. Others took pictures of the upstream paddle; probably we’ll post some of them later.

A dynamic group

Continue reading →

Naylor Boat Ramp status @ LCC 2018-09-10

The Naylor Boat Ramp should finally be complete within a few weeks, said Project Manager Chad McLeod at Monday’s Lowndes County Commission Work Session. It will be interesting to see what paddlers report back from that site after yesterday’s paddle starting there as part of the Alapaha Quest to paddle in segments the entire Alapaha River Water Trail.

Status of Naylor Boat Ramp by Chad McLeod in LAKE video @ LCC 2018-09-10

What Chad McLeod said Monday morning, 10 September 2018, transcribed from Continue reading →

Suwannee Riverkeeper on Steve Nichols radio 105.9FM WVGA 2018-09-13

Thursday morning Suwannee Riverkeeper will be on the “top rated morning talk show in south Georgia” with Steve Nichols, talking about paddle outings, water trails, paddle races, and the Sabal Trail pipeline federal eminent domain jury trials going on right now in Valdosta.

When: 8:30AM, Thursday, September 13, 2018,

Where: The Morning Drive with Steve Nichols, 105.9FM WVGA
Live streamed on the show’s facebook page

Event: facebook, meetup

What:

Three federal eminent domain Sabal Trail jury trials start in Valdosta that started today (Monday September 10) Sabal Trail lost the last one a couple of months ago, and lost another one in Florida a couple of months before that.
Alapaha River Water Trail (ARWT):
- Sunday we did a cleanup at Sheboggy Boat Ramp in Berrien County and a paddle upstream on the Alapaha River.
- Next Saturday, September 15, we’re paddling another leg of the Alapaha Quest.
WWALS is doing water quality testing training 1PM Sunday Sept. 16, 2018. This is part of the water quality testing program we are starting.
Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail (WLRWT):
- In the spring we have the BIG Little River Paddle Race at Reed Bingham State Park, which next year will be April 27, 2019.
- Plus we’re starting a fall paddle race, WWALS Boomerang, from Langdale Park down to newly-rediscovered Sugar Creek Landing (near the Y on Gornto Road) and back up.
- And, just decided Sunday, Paddle Georgia will be bringing 300 of our closest friends to paddle from Troupville Boat Ramp on the Little River all the way down the Withlacoochee and Suwannee Rivers to Mayo, Florida, for five days starting June 14, 2019.

Guest: Suwannee Riverkeeper® John S. Quarterman

Host: Valdosta Today bills The Morning Drive with Steve Nichols as:

The top rated morning talk show in south Georgia, Steve Nichols offers both sides of every story from Berrien County to the Beltway, and everywhere in between.

Should be fun. Do tune in.

More: For more WWALS outings and events as they are posted, see the WWALS calendar or the WWALS outings and events web page. 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!

Sheboggy Boat Ramp 2018-08-11

Thanks to GDOT, the stolen Sheboggy signs have been replaced. Remember, we’ll sell you one for $25.

Meanwhile, come on down to Sheboggy 1PM today for a cleanup and upstream paddle.

Context, Left sign

Continue reading →

Updates from Trails Committee Meeting 2018-08-19

Here’s an update on the draft brochures for both WWALS Water Trails, after the recent meeting of the WWALS Water Trails Committee. We could still use more pictures.

Please email pictures to wwalswatershed@gmail.com. Please say who took each picture, when, where, and of what. High resolution, please.

If you want to join the WWALS Trails Committee to help continue organizing this work, actually editing the documents shown below, you must be a WWALS member and apply.

What

The Trails Committee is working on brochures for Continue reading →

Brochures: Trails Committee Meeting 2018-08-19

After only four years, we’re almost finished with both WWALS Water Trails! You can help get them done.

The new Chair of the WWALS Trails Committee, Dan Phillips, has called a meeting to work on one of the final steps: designing printed brochures. Anyone can attend, and anyone can send in pictures or suggestions.

Please email pictures to wwalswatershed@gmail.com. Please say who took each picture, when, where, and of what. High resolution, please.

When: 2:30-5PM, Sunday, 19 August 2018

Where: Community Hall 2,
South Georgia Regional Library,
2906 Julia Dr, Valdosta, GA 31602

By phone: Dial-in Number: (641) 715-3580
Meeting ID: 855-676

Event: facebook, meetup

If you want to join the WWALS Trails Committee to help continue organizing this work, actually editing the documents shown below, you must be Continue reading →

BMAP petition letters including from a Florida state springs expert

Unlike FDEP’s BMAP plans, “When a new building code is final in Florida, [Rusty] Payton [CEO, Florida Home Builders Association] said, “there’s always six months between the final rule and the date the rule takes effect.” Because of his organization’s petition for more time to file a protest, none of Florida’s new Basin Management Action Plans (BMAPs) have gone into effect yet, which gives spring and river advocates (and FDEP) more time to try to fix them.

Dinah Voyles Pulver, Daily Commercial, 30 July 2018, Groups protest new Florida springs action plans,

A sweeping effort to adopt action plans to improve water quality in 13 springs systems across the state is on hold after a dozen groups and individuals asked to intervene with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, including one of the department’s own springs experts.

Thomas Greenhalgh, a hydrogeologist with the department’s Florida Geological Survey, is one of two people who asked for an administrative hearing on one of the 13 “basin management action plans” signed by Noah Valenstein in late June.

Thomas Greenhalgh suiting up before releasing dye into the Dead River of the Alapaha River to go into the Dead River Sink, 2016-06-22, Picture by John S. Quarterman for WWALS.

“There are many claims and statements in the BMAP that I believe are inaccurate and unsubstantiated,” wrote Greenhalgh in seeking a state hearing on the plan for the Suwannee River, where he owns property.

He’s not alone.

In addition Continue reading →

Banks Lake Sunset Paddle 2018-07-27

Venus gleamed through the fires of sunset as the full moon and Mars hid behind clouds.

The sound of frogs brought out swoops of bats, as a dozen or two paddlers braved the placid flat waters of Banks Lake Friday evening in the least strenuous yet one of the most enjoyable of all WWALS outings. As one new participant remarked, it’s one thing to see it from the road, but out on the water the size, the lucidity, and the sunset are startling while calming.

Bret Wagenhorst, who brought a crew of new people from Tifton and paddled out with them first, reports: “Got to see: ospreys and nest, eastern kingbirds, egrets, ibises, bats, gators and hear Continue reading →

Withlacoochee River near Troupville 2018-07-21

Got some deadfalls in the Withlacoochee River at Troupville, Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia, on the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail (WLRWT), found once again by intrepid WWALS explorer Aaron Sirmons. Here are some pictures and a Google map.

Troupville, the old county seat of Lowndes County, Georgia, was mostly west of the Withlacoochee River over to the Little River and down to its confluence, although as you can see in this map Troupville Cemetery was to the east of the Withlacoochee River.

Withlacoochee River at GA 133 in the WWALS map of the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail (WLRWT)
This is a still image from the interactive Google map.

WWALS did a cleanup recently down to the Confluence, by permissionon private land that is for sale. All about the history of Troupville. You could start at Troupville Boat Ramp and paddle a week downstream on the Withlacoochee and Suwannee Rivers, even in June.

Beavers?, 2018:07:14 10:02:45, 30.8491566, -83.3404211

Trash, River

Start of cutoff, Oxbow cutoff

Narrow, Oxbow cutoff

Deer stand, Oxbow cutoff

Deer stand, 2018:07:14 10:11:39, 30.8472271, -83.3428214

Reflections, Oxbow cutoff

Wider, Oxbow cutoff

Deadfall ready to block entire river, Oxbow cutoff

Side deadfall, 2018:07:14 10:17:13, 30.8461670, -83.3430003

End of cutoff, 2018:07:14 10:18:11, 30.8467601, -83.3425382

Trees, Downstream

Trees, 2018:07:14 10:41:51, 30.8479584, -83.3408428

Power line, 2018:07:14 10:52:08, 30.8499246, -83.3400640

Submerged deadfall, 2018:07:14 11:14:34, 30.8519610, -83.3391584

-jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

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

Google Map

Follow this link for the interactive google map, or it’s also embedded below. This map also includes the deadfall upstream from I-75 of Aaron’s other report.

Pictures of all the BLRPR paddlers 2018-04-28

You’ve seen who won the eleven awards. Now here are the rest of the paddlers in the 6th Annual BIG Little River Paddle Race, from more counties, states, and watersheds than ever before. Also more Solo Female Kayaks than Solo Male Kayaks, and several whole families of paddlers.

Finish

Statistics: 2018 BIG Little River Paddle Race

43 Boats
37 kayaks
6 canoes

49 Paddlers
29 male
20 female Continue reading →

WWALS Watershed Coalition (WWALS) is Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

A healthy watershed with clean, swimmable, fishable, drinkable water.