Tag Archives: Georgia

Staten Road to Langdale Park, Withlacoochee River, 2018-03-03

A leisurely five mile paddle in about two and a half hours through a surprisingly wild section of the Withlacoochee River, much of it actually inside Valdosta, the biggest city in the Suwannee River Basin, on the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail (WLRWT).

When: 9 AM, Saturday, March 3, 2018

Put In: Staten Road Landing, 4556 Staten Road, Valdosta, GA 31605, Lowndes County, GA. 7.1 miles north of downtown Valdosta. Beware: it’s a long rough dirt road access, then a scramble down the riverbank.

GPS: 30.9328, -83.28227

Take Out: Langdale Park Boat Ramp, 3781 N. Valdosta Rd., Valdosta, GA 31602, Lowndes County, GA.

Free: This outing is Free! And we recommend you support the work of WWALS by becoming a WWALS member today!

Event: facebook, meetup

VALORGIS, Route
Map: VALORGIS. White is Valdosta inside grey city limits, yellow is recharge zones for the Floridan Aquifer, green is Langdale Park.

We start in Lowndes County, cross over the county’s expanded sewer and water lines at Bay Branch (those lines head for Stafford-Wright Road). Then the City of Valdosta is on our left briefly before back to county both sides, and Sermons Branch (is that its real name?). Into a Floridan Aquifer recharge zone, passing on our right the Shadrick Sink, notorious for Continue reading →

Sheboggy to GA 135, Alapaha Quest 2018-01-27

Update 2018-01-19: Rescheduled again, due to low water, to become a hike to the Dead River Sink, still on January 27, 2018.

Rescheduled to late January due to cold weather and low water: a long expert paddle to start the Alapaha Quest! Along the way we will pass Rowetown Church and the Willacoochee River Confluence as we paddle down the wild and exotic Alapaha River in the south Georgia winter. There will probably be many deadfalls, and unless the water is quite high, we probably will have to drag over or around them, so bring a rope for your boat.

When: 9AM Saturday, January 27, 2018

Put In: Sheboggy Landing at US 82, east of Alapaha, Berrien County, Georgia.

GPS: 31.386278, -83.191611

Take Out: GA 135 Atkinson near Willacoochee, GA in Atkinson County.

Price: This outing is free to all WWALS members, and $10 per vessel for non-members. We recommend you support the work of WWALS by becoming a WWALS member today!

Event: facebook meetup

Approaching the ramp
Photo by Bret Wagenhorst 2017-06-03, of improved Sheboggy Landing. Thanks to Berrien County Commission for funding the new concrete and road smoothing, and thanks to Ben Warren, Berrien County Roads Superintendent, for doing the work.

Bring: a rope for dragging your boat over deadfalls, cold weather gear, including clothes that will stay warm if wet, and a change of dry clothes in a waterproof container. That’s in addition to the usual personal flotation device, boat paddles, food, drinking water, warm clothes, and first aid kit. Also trash pickers and trash bags: every WWALS outing is also a cleanup. The new outing date is after deer hunting season, so that’s a relief. Hunting will still be on for small game. That’s much less of a worry, but it wouldn’t hurt to wear hunting orange if you’ve got it.

Shuttle Distance: Continue reading →

Banks Lake Drained 2017-12-28

Every few years Banks Lake gets drained is an effort to stymie unwanted aquatic vegetation.

Way back, From GA 122

About the usual problem species, Georgia Invasive Species Task Force says:

Hydrilla verticillata forms dense mats at the surface of the water. The dense mats can Continue reading →

Mosquito spray Naled: worse than Dicamba

Apparently Suwannee County, Florida, sprayed for mosquitos in October, as reported by some WWALS members who got sick from that. Probably what was sprayed was the usual Naled such as is used in Miami and elsewhere, but there is some confusion as to what Naled is. It’s not Dicamba: it’s worse.

aerial mosquito spraying
An Air Force Reserve aircrew performing a mosquito control aerial spray mission in North Dakota back in 2011 Photo by U.S. Air Force/Tech. Sgt. Johnny Saldivar

WWALS Science Committee Chair Tom Potter, Ph.D., writes:

See Pesticide Properties Database (EU). Best general data source on pesticides. As indicated below exposure to humans (e.g. getting is sprayed) is a primary concern. Likely to produce headaches and nausea. To be clear Naled is not dicamba. They are very different. Dicamba is much less toxic (acute) to humans.

“Naled is mainly used for Continue reading →

Cleanup and outing, Nankin, Mcintyre and Arnold Springs, Mozell Spells, Withlacoochee River 2017-10-14

Update 2025-10-13: replaced by a post in better image format.

Tires and trash cleaned up at Nankin Boat Ramp, swimming and diver tales at McIntyre Spring, a creek, karst, shoals, and rapids, into Florida and back to Georgia all downstream, Valdosta Railway Trestle, Madison County Four Freedoms Trail, and exotic invasive Japanese Climbing Fern, all on a fall day on the Withlacoochee River with WWALS Watershed Coalition, Suwannee Riverkeeper. Thanks to all who came to paddle from as far as two hours from Gainesville, Florida and four hours from Pine Mountain, Georgia.

A free diver, 12:47:33,, McIntyre Spring

The Quitman (US 84) Gauge was at about 2.6′ (86′ NAVD88).

Here are some pictures.

This post is just the first part; more pictures will follow are posted with diving and landowners at Arnold Springs, Old Clyattville Road Bridge Horn Bridge, and Mozell Spells (State Line Ramp). and a Google Map, and a few videos are still to come.

These are some of our many favorite spots on the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail.

Watch wwals.net for more outings are they are announced, or the WWALS outings and events web page. We have outings at least once a month.

Banner and fourteen picker-uppers, 09:55:21,, Georgia Adopt-A-Stream Cleanup 30.6749200, -83.3939200

Continue reading →

Kayak delivery to raffle winner

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Gainesville, Florida, December 23, 2017 — Suwannee Riverkeeper met Chris Newton of Holly Hill, Florida, half way to Daytona Beach to deliver the kayak he won in a WWALS raffle. Back in October at Suwannee Hulaween, Chris got one raffle ticket, and that was the winning ticket. When the Riverkeeper called him, he wanted to know if someone had found his keys. When he heard what he was getting, “No way!” he said. But we found a way to get him the Trio-11 kayak generously donated by Malibu Kayaks.

For me?

For me?, Palmettos

Yes, Chris Newton of Holly Hill, Florida, yours was the winning raffle ticket we drew December 10, 2017 at Georgia’s Stephen C. Foster State Park in the Okefenokee Swamp.

Chris didn’t answer when we called from the top of the Suwannee River.

When Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman met Chris and his crew halfway to Daytona Beach, in Gainesville, Florida, to deliver the kayak, they were still recounting the second call when Chris did answer. Continue reading →

Hagan Bridge Landing, Withlacoochee River, GA 122 2017-11-26

Pretty low at Hagan Bridge, the start of the WWALS outing down the Withlacoochee River to Franklinville, February 2, 2018.

Hagan Bridge, River bank

I took these pictures Saturday a week ago, November 26, 2017, when the Skipper Bridge gauge read Continue reading →

Third Regional Plan Update: SGRC in Tifton 2017-12-07

If you haven’t been to one, here’s another chance to get your input into the SGRC regional comprehensive plan.

When: 10AM to 12:30 PM, Thursday, December 7, 2017

Where: Tifton-Tift County Chamber of Commerce,
100 Central Avenue, Tifton, GA 31793

What: 3rd Regional Plan Update Workshop

Specific Areas, Threatened regionally important resources
Page 19, SGRC Regional Plan Update Workbook

The notes in red look familiar.

Reminder received yesterday: Continue reading →

Mt Zion United Methodist Church Spring, Clyattville, GA

Aaron Sirmons sent these pictures. He was tipped off by Guy Bryant.

Spring reflection, Clyattville, GA

Apparently the church used to use the spring for baptisms. Continue reading →

Langdale Park open 2017-11-01

Back open after many months with much improved internal roads, and no sandbar across the boat ramp! Thank you, Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks and Recreation Authority (VLPRA). Downstream five miles on the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail hang a right at the Little River Confluence and about a third of a mile upstream you’ll come to Troupville Landing.

No sand bar, 11:13:35,, Boat Ramp

There are still a few deadfalls. Next upstream Continue reading →