Tag Archives: Blueway

Lowndes County Litter Crew, JLH Beach, Folsom Bridge Landing, Little River @ GA 122 2023-08-23

I caught the Lowndes County Litter Crew on site, at Folsom Bridge Landing, on the Little River west of Hahira on GA 122, on the WWALS Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail.

[Lowndes County Litter Crew and beach deadfalls, Folsom Bridge Landing, Little River @ GA 122]
Lowndes County Litter Crew and beach deadfalls, Folsom Bridge Landing, Little River @ GA 122

Earlier this year they won a Georgia statewide award. They pick up weekly at all the public river access points in Lowndes County, also on the Alapaha River Water Trail (ARWT). I thanked the litter crew for doing that.

And I thank Lowndes County Public Works for their longstanding agreement with WWALS that they will pick up bagged trash we leave at boat ramps after cleanups.

The Litter Crew was using their RV down towards the river. 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 →

Banks Lake Full Sturgeon Moon Paddle, 2023-08-01

Join us for the first leisurely Sunset and Full Moon Paddle of August, 2023, led by first-time outings leader Meredith Crosby.

There will probably be bats, but we don’t guarantee those, and sometimes we can’t see the moon, either. But usually everybody enjoys floating about on the lake on a summer evening.

Don’t pet the gators, and they won’t bother you.

When: Gather 7:30 PM, launch 8 PM, moonrise 8:56 PM, sunset 8:27 PM, end 10 PM, Tuesday, August 1, 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

[Right this way, gator, sunset, boats in the dusk, 2020-06-05]
Right this way, gator, sunset, boats in the dusk 2020-06-05

Continue reading →

Banks Lake Full Buck Moon Paddle, 2023-07-03

Join us for the first leisurely Sunset and Full Moon Paddle of summer 2023. With bats!

When: Gather 7:40 PM, launch 8:10 PM, moonrise 9:26 PM, sunset 8:40 PM, end 10:30 PM, Monday, July 3, 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, Moonrise, 2019-07-16]
Sunset, Moonrise, 2019-07-16

Continue reading →

Water quality sampling, Franklinville Road, Withlacoochee River 2023-06-25

Update 2023-06-26: Withlacoochee River and Sugar Creek OK Sunday 2023-06-25.

Here are two WWALS water quality testers at one of their usual spots, sampling on an unusual day.

[Cindy and David Vedas water quality testing, Tyler Bridge, Franklinville Road, Withlacoochee River 2023-06-25]
Cindy and David Vedas water quality testing, Tyler Bridge, Franklinville Road, Withlacoochee River 2023-06-25

Cindy and David Vedas could not sample most of their locations on the usual day of Thursday. So they followed up today (Sunday). Their results will be available tomorrow.

Here’s a WWALS YoutTube playlist:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKwQ5xfKf-Qx0_SfMo0jAGttJXZnjLqSm

For much more about the WWALS volunteer water quality testing program, see:
https://wwals.net/issues/testing/ Continue reading →

Water trail sign fixing, Franklinville Road, Withlacoochee River 2023-06-25

Update 2023-06-25: Water quality sampling, Franklinville Road, Withlacoochee River 2023-06-25.

Somebody stole one of the water trail signs, and pushed the signpost off from vertical. So we fixed it.

[Before, fixing, after: WLRWT signs, Franklinville Landing, Withlacoochee River 2023-06-25]
Before, fixing, after: WLRWT signs, Franklinville Landing, Withlacoochee River 2023-06-25

This is at Franklinville Landing, on the Withlacoochee River at Franklinville Road, near the location of the old Lowndes County seat of Franklinville. It looked like somebody backed into the signpost, after somebody stole the bottom sign. That’s the one about this location, Franklinville Landing: what you can see upstream and downstream, how far, etc.

Back in 2019, when the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GA-DNR) provided WWALS a generous educational grant through the Recreational Trails Program (RTP), we ordered duplicates of some signs. Franklinville happened to be one of them, so the duplicate now replaces the stolen sign. Continue reading →

Pictures: WWALS on The Rocks between Lakeland and Hotchkiss, Alapaha River 2015-07-11

Update 2023-06-24: Work in progress at Lakeland Boat Ramp 2023-06-20.

A good trip for experienced adult paddlers: deadfalls to paddle around or climb over, the famous rapids, The Rocks, plenty of sandy beaches for lunching or swimming beside, a mysterious platform that may be the remains of a very narrow bridge, all in a fine summer day on the Alapaha River, July 11, 2015.

[Collage, Lakeland to Naylor 08:30:00, 31.0458222, -83.0433889]
Collage, Lakeland to Naylor 08:30:00, 31.0458222, -83.0433889

It took us seven hours to paddle the fourteen river miles from Lakeland Boat Ramp, on GA 122 east of Lakeland, to Hotchkiss Road Landing. We were all experienced paddlers with plenty of supplies, especially water.

If you are a family with small children, please do not try this: it’s too far. There have been cases of such families calling 911 and having to be rescued.

A much more reasonable family paddle is Lakeland to Burnt Church Landing. That’s about two miles, and can be done in an hour. Or make it a leisurely paddle and still it should be doable.

FYI, Paffords Landing, just downstream from Lakeland Boat Ramp, is closed for the forseeable future. This is because too many people left trash and shot up things.

All these distances are in the WWALS web page for the Continue reading →