Tag Archives: Florida

Statenville to Sasser Landing on the Alapaha River, WWALS Outing, 2015-02-15

Expert Paddle on the Alapaha River Sunday, February,15th 12:00pm. facebook event

Update 2015-03-06: Summary and pictures.

Launch site: Statenville boat ramp on HWY 94 just west of Statenville, GA, 30°42’15.3″N 83°01’57.9″W 30.704260, -83.032750.
Take out:Alapahoochee boat ramp (Sasser Landing) HWY 150 a few miles east of Jennings, FL, 30°36’02.6″N 83°04’23.7″W 30.600710, -83.073260.


Picture by Michael Rivera,
used with permission.

We will meet at launch site at noon, unload boats and shuttle vehicles to the take out (25 miles Round trip), on the water by 1:00.

This event is FREE! All we ask is that Continue reading →

High school student logo contest for Alapaha River Water Trail by WWALS in Suwannee Democrat

Update 2015-03-10: Prizes to high school logo contest winners Saturday at Alapaha River Water Trail Conference.

Florida noticed the ARWT logo contest.

Joyce Marie Taylor, Jasper News, 19 January 2015, HamCo: High school student logo contest for Alapaha River Water Trail by WWALS,

HCHS [Hamilton County High School] invited to participate

Valdosta, Ga.— Willacoochee, Withlacoochee, Alapaha, Little River System (WWALS) is excited to announce a contest among high school students in Echols, Lanier, Lowndes, Berrien, Atkinson, and Tift Counties in Georgia, and Hamilton County, Fla. to design a logo for the Alapaha River Water Trail. The logo will be used on the Water Trail website, on promotional brochures, and on information at access points along the river that will be posted on kiosks.

Our judges for the contest include:

The rest is verbatim from The WWALS press release of 14 January 2015.

-jsq

Bill Gates in Suwannee County, FL

300x231 Location: Stagecoach Road, US 90, and I-10, in Bill Gates in Suwannee County, FL, by John S. Quarterman, for WWALS.net, 4 January 2015 Lakeland Sands LLC has bought 341.26 acres for Bill Gates in Suwannee County, Florida, about six miles from the Suwannee River.

All seven parcels adjoin, and are located on or near the corner of 44th Street and 167th Road:

600x540 Seven parcels, in Bill Gates in Suwannee County, FL, by John S. Quarterman, for WWALS.net, 4 January 2015

Here’s a list from the Suwannee County Property Appraiser. Interestingly, one of those parcels shows Continue reading →

Grimmway of Bakersfield, CA in Madison County, FL

Bill Gates isn’t the only west coast investor buying up north Florida farmland.

300x383 Grimmway-marked, in A Bakersfield, CA Carrot Corp., by John S. Quarterman, for WWALS.net, 4 January 2014 Grimmway Enterprises, Inc. of Bakersfield, CA bought 1358.44 acres in Madison County, FL, all on 18 April 2014, on both sides of SE Farm Road between Lee and the Withlacoochee River. Grimmway’s website says they grow carrots. It doesn’t say whether they have any financial relationship with Continue reading →

28 Bill Gates parcels in Madison County, FL

More than 1,000 acres through September 2014, in parcels already adding up to more than 250 acres, or in contiguous or nearby parcels that can be combined, all bought by Lakeland Sands LLC.

300x152 2335.52 acres of timberland, in Lakeland Sands in Hamilton County, FL, by John S. Quarterman, for WWALS.net, 4 January 2015 On SE Farm Road and FL 63, between Madison and Lee, 30.423520, -83.353757, parcels 01-1S-09-0843-000-000 (374 acres), 06-1S-10-1192-000-000 (568.35 acres), 05-1S-10-1187-000-000 (363.161 acres), 07-1S-10-1197-000-000 (316.13 acres), 08-1S-10-1199-000-000 (259 acres) 12-1S-09-0892-001-000 (67.27 acres) 12-1S-09-0893-000-000 (224.68 acres), and 11-1S-09-0884-000-000 (162.93 acres), for 2335.52 acres total in just those eight parcels. All eight marked as timberland: we’ll see how long that lasts. Plus 12-1S-09-0892-002-0A2 (39.12 acres) of pastureland in between. These parcels surround a couple of City of Madison parcels Continue reading →

Old Bridge over Alapahoochee River

Nice to look at, but not for driving. Chris Mericle reports:

300x225 River and bridge, in Old Bridge over the Alapahoochee River, by Chris Mericle, for WWALS.net, 3 January 2015 Here are some photos of an old bridge across the Alapahoochee River that Deanna and I came across while out exploring the other day.

Driving or even walking across this bridge probably shouldn’t be recommended. Continue reading →

Anti-fracking ordinance on agenda, Columbia County, FL 2015-01-15

We all drink out of the same Floridan Aquifer, and the Santa Fe River, like WWALS’ Withlacoochee River, is a tributary of the Suwannee River. Fracking in north Florida could affect our drinking water, and if it were allowed there, next frackers would try to cross the state line, just like the Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline already is. So everyone who can, please support OSFR. -jsq

Our Santa Fe River Action Alert 31 December 2014, Important Meeting, Please Attend, County Commissioners, Lake City On Jan. 15, 2015,

OSFR as an organization will be on the agenda of the Columbia County Board of County Commissioners at the Jan. 15 meeting, requesting that the commission enact an ordinance which bans all forms of fracking in Columbia County.

Please plan to attend this important meeting, either Continue reading →

Landowner on Withlacoochee River in Hamilton County FL moves to intervene against Sabal Trail –Chris Mericle

Drilling under the Withlacoochee River could have catastrophic effects, a landowner near the Withlacoochee River in Hamilton County, Florida reminds us. Chris Mericle is also a WWALS board member.

Intervenor is a resident of Hamilton County, Florida and lives near the Proposed Sabal Trail Route where it crosses the Withlacoochee River. As such, I am concerned about the adverse and potentially catastrophic effects that the construction and operation of a 36” diameter gas pipeline will have on Fresh Water Resources including Springs and the Floridan Aquifer.

Here’s how you or your organization can file a motion to intervene.

Filed with FERC 22 December 2014 as Accession Number: 20141222-5037, “Motion to Intervene of Christopher J Mericle under CP15-17, et. al.” Continue reading →