Tag Archives: Columbia County FL

ACT acquired 429 Santa Fe River acres by Sawdust Spring Preserve 2025-11-10

A big win.

[429 acres acquired, Santa Fe River 2025-11-10, Sawdust Spring Preserve, Alachua Conservation Trust]
429 acres acquired, Santa Fe River 2025-11-10, Sawdust Spring Preserve, Alachua Conservation Trust

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 10, 2025
Alachua Conservation Trust
Sophie Szymula, Communications Coordinator
(352) 373-1078
info @ AlachuaConservationTrust.org

Community-Supported Conservation Victory Along the Santa Fe River

Gainesville, Florida — Following an influx of regional support, a local land trust has acquired 429 acres of land along the Santa Fe River, increasing protection for North Central Florida’s local springs and surrounding upland and bottomland habitats. Alachua Conservation Trust (ACT) purchased the Columbia County property with funding from private donors, the River Branch Foundation, the 1923 Fund, and the Nature Conservancy. Over a hundred individual donors contributed $82,000 in April 2025 during the Amazing Give towards the acquisition, along with over a hundred other donors who answered ACT through direct mail and online appeals.

The new acquisition directly surrounds ACT’s existing 139-acre Sawdust Spring Preserve, which is Continue reading →

Turner Bridge, Suwannee River –Ken Sulak 2025-07-01

Update 2025-07-11: Pictures: Turner Bridge to Cone Bridge Paddle, Suwannee River 2025-07-05.

Ken Sulak sent this in preparation for Turner Bridge to Cone Bridge Paddle, Suwannee River, 2025-07-05.
https://wwals.net/?p=67557

[Turner Bridge, Suwannee River --Ken Sulak 2025-07-01, History and what bridge artifacts reveal or conceal]
Turner Bridge, Suwannee River –Ken Sulak 2025-07-01, History and what bridge artifacts reveal or conceal

Over to Ken:

Looking back at the history of Turner Bridge, and what bridge artifacts reveal or conceal. Continue reading →

Video: How Humans Affect the Aquifer, a WWALS Webinar by Dennis Price, 2025-06-19

Update 2025-07-25: SRWMD & SJRWMD aquifer recharge project update @ SRWMD 2025-07-08.

Dennis Price, P.G., of Hamilton County, Florida, asked, “Are we just a water tower for Jacksonville?”

He showed us “the history of surface and ground water in the flatwoods in south Georgia and north Florida in the Suwannee River Basin. Historic water levels and how we have changed these levels. Changes beginning with forestry then farming, and population growth. Ideas for correcting the problems.”

[How Humans Affect the Aquifer, WWALS Webinar by Dennis Price, Are we just a water tower for Jacksonville? 2025-06-19]
How Humans Affect the Aquifer, WWALS Webinar by Dennis Price, Are we just a water tower for Jacksonville? 2025-06-19

This applies to the Floridan Aquifer proper and the other aquifers above it, all below the Suwannee, Alapaha, and Withlacoochee Rivers, the Okefenokee Swamp, and their tributaries.

Here is the WWALS video of this WWALS Webinar:
https://youtu.be/o4s1jPN0EVI

Some still images are appended.

Thanks to WWALS Board Member Janet Martin for organizing this webinar and for introducing Dennis.

Thanks to everyone who attended.

See the announcement of this webinar for Dennis’ resume and other background.
https://wwals.net/?p=67740

See also: Continue reading →

How Humans Affect the Aquifer, a WWALS Webinar, by Dennis J. Price, P.G., 2025-06-19

Dennis Price, P.G., of Hamilton County, Florida, says, “I plan on going through the history of surface and ground water in the flatwoods in south Georgia and north Florida in the Suwannee River Basin. Historic water levels and how we have changed these levels. Changes beginning with forestry then farming, and population growth. Ideas for correcting the problems.”

This applies to the Floridan Aquifer proper and the other aquifers above it, all below the Suwannee, Alapaha, and Withlacoochee Rivers, the Okefenokee Swamp, and their tributaries.

When: 12-1 PM, Thursday, June 19, 2025

Put In: Register to join with zoom:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/FdxNg0QeSB-ngQLGUaIWKw
WWALS Board Member Janet Martin will give a brief introduction.
Questions and answers will be at the end.

[How Humans Affect the Aquifer, a WWALS Webinar 2025-06-19, in north Florida and south Georgia, by Dennis J. Price P.G.]
How Humans Affect the Aquifer, a WWALS Webinar 2025-06-19

Continue reading →

Pictures: Big Shoals St Pk to Suwannee Wayside, Suwannee River 2025-05-31

The Suwannee River was deep enough that walking your boat in the side of the river required pulling it up along the bank half of the distance, so wasn’t much better than just portaging all the way.

Except for getting back down that rocky portage put-in.

[Big Shoals SP Launch to Suwannee Wayside, Suwannee River, May 31, 2025]
Big Shoals SP Launch to Suwannee Wayside, Suwannee River, May 31, 2025

Amy was already on the beach below Big Shoals, because she shot the shoals in her Cypress Dagger. So did Mike Hurley in his liquidlogic, designed for whitewater.

The other 15 paddlers portaged one way or another, which was the original plan.

We had lunch on the beach, while Dennis Price told us about the geology of the area. Thanks to Dennis for leading this paddle. Continue reading →