Tag Archives: education

One Mile Branch Cleanup, Valdosta, GA 2017-11-11

Update 2017-10-29: Meet at VSU CORE.

A first for WWALS: an urban cleanup! One Mile Branch runs right through the heart of the biggest city in the Suwannee River Basin (Valdosta) and through the biggest educational institution in the Basin (Valdosta State University). It has some trash, and you can help WWALS come get it!

When: 10AM, Saturday, November 11, 2017

Where: One Mile Branch, through the heart of Valdosta and VSU.

Meet: VSU CORE, 1300 Sustella Ave., Valdosta, GA 31698
(This is a WWALS event; we’re just meeting in CORE’s parking lot.)

Event: facebook, meetup.

Map: Brookdale Drive and VSU parking lot
Map: Brookdale Drive and VSU parking lot

Hosts: Scotti Jay and Dan Phillips

Contact: Continue reading →

WWALS at VSU Learning in Retirement 2017-08-31

Come ask Gretchen questions this Thursday morning, 10-11AM, at VSU’s Continuing Education building in midtown Valdosta.

When: 10AM to 11AM, Thursday, August 31, 2017

Where: VSU Continuing Education
903 N Patterson St, Valdosta, Georgia 31698

Event: facebook

Gretchen Quarterman, Executive Director, WWALS Watershed Coalition
Gretchen Quarterman speaking at a WWALS public meeting at VSU last spring

WWALS will be offering an interactive lecture at Valdosta State Learning in Retirement Fall Session. We will talk about the watershed of the Suwannee Basin, the Floridan Aquifer, current challenges, and how together we can make sure our water is swimmable, fishable, and drinkable.

Continue reading →

WWALS Seeking Interns

WWALS Watershed Coalition is seeking student interns to work in a variety of areas. If you care about water, boating, swimming, fishing, or clean drinking water, you can apply now to be considered for one of our internship positions. Hours are flexible and there are several areas of concentration available. Hours for internship can be done over one or two semesters and are coordinated with your faculty for college credit.

Seeking Interns
Picture by Gretchen Quarterman for WWALS, at The Happening, VSU, 2017-08-24.

If you want to apply, please fill out this form.

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

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

WWALS at The Happening at VSU 2017-08-24

A fine time on a hot sunny day on VSU’s front lawn at The Happening yesterday. Thanks to Scotti Jay and Sara Squires for helping!

Traffic at the WWALS booth

Traffic at the WWALS booth
Picture by John S. Quarterman for WWALS.

Gretchen talking to students

Continue reading →

WWALS at VSU Happening Information Festival 2017-08-24

Tomorrow, with a few tens of thousands of our closest student friends, on the front lawn of Valdosta State University, it’s The Happening:

When: 12PM to 4PM, Thursday, August 24, 2017

Where: Front lawn, VSU, 1500 N Patterson St., Valdosta, Georgia 31698

Event: facebook, meetup

WWALS booth: Gretchen and a student

What: According to VSU, The HAPPENING 2017: CELEBRATING 26 YEARS!, Continue reading →

Videos: Coal Ash meeting in Valdosta @ WWALS 2017-03-01

The Georgia legislature did nothing but appoint a study committee, but you can see why they should do more, in these WWALS videos of the coal ash meeting in Valdosta that was organized by Rev. Deacon Leeann Culbreath of Georgia Interfaith Power & Light (GIPL). Thanks to Rev. Floyd Rose for the venue at Academy of Excellence on Lee Street.

The Valdosta Daily Times covered this meeting, but did not mention the local landfill, which was a major topic of my presentation, as you can see in my slides. The Mayor of Valdosta disclaims any control over that landfill and the Lowndes County Commission expressed no interest. Nevermind both city and county governments have Continue reading →

Videos: Walk for Water, Speak for Springs, Dunnellon, FL 2017-01-28

See also some previous pictures of Walk for Water & Speak for the Springs, which was organized by Our Santa Fe River (OSFR), Sabal Trail Resistance, and Dylan Hansen.

Below are links to each of the WWALS videos (including the earlier android phone videos), with a few notes, followed by a video playlist. Continue reading →

Aerials: Sabal Trail half mile from Dunnellon High School

Sabal Trail runs half a mile from Dunnellon High School and Elementary School, and even closer to a golf club to the north. In 2009 Florida Gas Transmission (FGT) blew up a much smaller 18-inch pipeline, flying a 104-foot piece of 18-inch pipe through the air, shutting down both I-95 and the Florida Turnpike, and fortunately missing a high school. You can help stop this $3.2 billion boondoggle and get on with solar power now for the Sunshine State.

Dunnellon High School and Sabal Trail half a mile away

And to the north, it’s even closer to Julliette Falls Golf Club and Community. Continue reading →

VA529 responds to WWALS request to divest from Spectra Energy

It seems to miss one of the main points, but thanks to Mary G. Morris, CEO, VA529, for a thoughtful reply to the WWALS request to divest from Spectra Energy.

ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) It seems to me that investing in a highly risky pipeline company such as Spectra Energy would be “contrary to [VA529’s] overall investment goals and mission”, at least if those goals include reliable investments for college, and not stranded investments.

It might be worth looking into the Parnassus Core Equity Fund she mentions. Perhaps college savers who want reliable investments would want to consider moving their investments there.

Suwannee Riverkeeper may continue correspondence with VA529.

Meanwhile, VA529 has a handy VA529 contact form or you can call or write: Continue reading →

College mutual fund VA529 owns Sabal Trail stranded assets

Update 2016-12-08: Letter sent to VA529 board: PDF.

Do the parents and grandparents who bought Virginia529 funds as safe investments for future college know VA529 is the biggest mutual fund investor in risky investments Spectra Energy of Sabal Trail and Enbridge of the Dakota Access Pipeline? Maybe you’d like to point that out to Mary G. Morris, the Chief Executive Officer of Virginia529 College Savings Plan, the biggest mutual fund investor in both Spectra Energy and in Enbridge, which is buying Spectra.

Sabal Trail through Suwannee River State Park

There’s a handy VA529 contact form or you can call or write: Continue reading →