First time we were a dignitary in the parade at the 40th Annual Hahira Honeybee Festival.
Here’s a video Gretchen took:
Continue readingFirst time we were a dignitary in the parade at the 40th Annual Hahira Honeybee Festival.
Here’s a video Gretchen took:
Continue readingWWALS Member Bobby McKenzie saw the Lowndes County Little Control truck in the wild, at Nankin Boat Ramp on the Withlacoochee River.
Gotta give mad props to Lowndes County, GA for the Litter Control crew!
The boat ramps in Lowndes have been surprisingly clean lately! I ran across these folks today while out testing water. If you’ve been paying attention to the trash we’ve been cleaning up out of the rivers and trashed local spots in other counties…this is a much appreciated sight!
These boat ramps have been notoriously trashed in the past. Glad to see Lowndes stepping up!
Lowndes County Litter Control at Nankin Boat Ramp. Photo: Bobby McKenzie, who was an intern for WWALS at the time.
You can help, too, at the big river and creek cleanup this Saturday, October 9, 2021, with WWALS sites downstream from Troupville Boat Ramp on the Little River and on Sugar Creek at the Salty Snapper just upstream from the Withlacoochee River. Continue reading
Update 2021-11-05: Rain reschedule: Hike to Dead River Sink, Alapaha River, Jennings Bluff Launch, 2021-11-07.
New date: November 6, 2021. October was overbooked, so we have again, for the last time we hope, rescheduled the Hike to the Dead River Sink.
Join us for an approximately three-mile hike down the Dead River to the Dead River Sink, where the Alapaha River goes underground much of the year. We will be led by Practicing Geologist Dennis J. Price of Hamilton County, Florida. He will explain the geology, and how unusual this place is: there’s nothing like it in Florida (or Georgia).
This is a hike: no boat is needed.
Karst limestone cracks by the Alapaha River, Dead River, Sink, Dennis J. Price
When: Gather 9:00 AM, launch 9:15 AM, end 12:15 PM, Saturday, November 6, 2021
Put In: Jennings Bluff Launch. From Jennings, Hamilton County, FL, travel south on US 41 to NW 25 Lane; turn left; travel east to NW 82 Court and the entrance into the Suwannee River Water Management District’s Jennings Bluff tract; turn left and follow road to canoe launch.
GPS:
30.567183, -83.038911
You’re aiming for the Jennings Bluff Tract entrance.
Jennings Bluff Tract sign, 11:42:18, 30.5670965, -83.0388653
Take Out: Jennings Bluff Launch
Bring: drinking water, snacks, and first aid kit. Also trash pickers and trash bags: every WWALS outing is also a cleanup.
Free: This outing is free to WWALS members, and $10 (ten dollars) for non-members.
You can pay the $10 at the outing, or online:
https://wwals.net//outings
We recommend you support the work of WWALS by
becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations/#join
Event: facebook, meetup Continue reading
Update 2021-08-11: New date: November 6, 2021. October was overbooked, so we have again, for the last time we hope, rescheduled the Hike to the Dead River Sink.
The Alapaha River is still too high to see the geological marvels that Practicing Geologist Dennis J. Price wants to show us. So we’re rescheduling again, this time to October. The first available date is Saturday, October 2, 2021, but please check back, because there’s no way of knowing what the water levels or the hurricane situation will be in October.
Join us for an approximately three-mile hike down the Dead River to the Dead River Sink, where the Alapaha River goes underground much of the year. We will be led by Practicing Geologist Dennis J. Price of Hamilton County, Florida. He will explain the geology, and how unusual this place is: there’s nothing like it in Florida (or Georgia).
This is a hike: no boat is needed.
Karst limestone cracks by the Alapaha River, Dead River, Sink, Dennis J. Price
When: Gather 9:00 AM, launch 9:15 AM, end 12:15 PM, Saturday, October 2 [TBD], 2021
Put In: Jennings Bluff Launch. From Jennings, Hamilton County, FL, travel south on US 41 to NW 25 Lane; turn left; travel east to NW 82 Court and the entrance into the Suwannee River Water Management District’s Jennings Bluff tract; turn left and follow road to canoe launch.
GPS:
30.567183, -83.038911
You’re aiming for the Jennings Bluff Tract entrance.
Jennings Bluff Tract sign, 11:42:18, 30.5670965, -83.0388653
Take Out: Jennings Bluff Launch
Bring: drinking water, snacks, and first aid kit. Also trash pickers and trash bags: every WWALS outing is also a cleanup.
Free: This outing is free to WWALS members, and $10 (ten dollars) for non-members.
You can pay the $10 at the outing, or online:
https://wwals.net//outings
We recommend you support the work of WWALS by
becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations/#join
Event: facebook, meetup Continue reading
It’s surprisingly lovely, Sugar Creek. It has a great beach, stretches where birds are far louder than traffic, some shoals (thanks to a Valdosta sewer main), and it’s wider in spots than the Alapahoochee River,
It’s a shame it’s always gotten trash and sewage.
Here’s what we’re doing, and how you can help with that and the rest of what needs to be done.
Beautiful Sugar Creek, but trashed
Meanwhile, Austin, Texas, is turning its urban Waller Creek into Waterloo Greenway of linked parks and trails down to the Colorado River. Continue reading
And the winner in yesterday’s tower of trash was….
Zacados!
We haven’t decided what the winner’s prize is yet.
Bobby McKenzie and Russell McBride staged one of their almost-weekly cleanups at the Sugar Creek logjam below the Salty Snapper on Gornto Road in Valdosta, and netted (literally) this tower of trash. Continue reading
Update 2021-07-29: Again rescheduled: Hike to Dead River Sink, Alapaha River, Jennings Bluff Launch, 2021-10-TBD.
Rescheduled, to this new date of the last Saturday in July!
Join us for an approximately three-mile hike down the Dead River to the Dead River Sink, where the Alapaha River goes underground much of the year. We will be led by Practicing Geologist Dennis J. Price of Hamilton County, Florida. He will explain the geology, and how unusual this place is: there’s nothing like it in Florida (or Georgia).
This is a hike: no boat is needed.
Karst limestone cracks by the Alapaha River, Dead River, Sink, Dennis J. Price
When: Gather 9:00 AM, launch 9:15 AM, end 12:15 PM, Saturday, July 10, 2021
Put In: Jennings Bluff Launch. From Jennings, Hamilton County, FL, travel south on US 41 to NW 25 Lane; turn left; travel east to NW 82 Court and the entrance into the Suwannee River Water Management District’s Jennings Bluff tract; turn left and follow road to canoe launch.
GPS:
30.567183, -83.038911
You’re aiming for the Jennings Bluff Tract entrance.
Jennings Bluff Tract sign, 11:42:18, 30.5670965, -83.0388653
Take Out: Jennings Bluff Launch
Bring: drinking water, snacks, and first aid kit. Also trash pickers and trash bags: every WWALS outing is also a cleanup.
Free: This outing is free to WWALS members, and $10 (ten dollars) for non-members.
You can pay the $10 at the outing, or online:
https://wwals.net//outings
We recommend you support the work of WWALS by
becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations/#join
Event: facebook, meetup Continue reading
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (PDF)
Another Generous Water Quality Testing Grant from Georgia Power to WWALS
Valdosta, GA, June 23, 2021 — “It’s really exciting to receive another generous grant from Georgia Power to help us continue with as well as increase our testing base,” said WWALS Testing Committee Chair Suzy Hall. “This is huge towards helping to keep tabs on the water health for this watershed.”
WWALS E.D. Gretchen Quarterman receives the envelope from Mary Beth and Elizabeth Brownlee via Hazel, Elleanor and Lindsey Williams; back: Suzy and Abbie Hall, at Naylor Beach on the Alapaha River in Naylor Boat Ramp Park, Lowndes County, Georgia. More pictures here:
https://wwals.net/pictures/gretchen/2021-06-21–wwals-naylor-ga-power/
“The Georgia Power Foundation is committed to environmental stewardship and supports efforts focused on improving waterways, lakes and streams across Georgia,” said Georgia Power Southwest Director Joe Brownlee, “We’ve learned that we can do more when we work together with local organizations where we serve, so we felt that supporting the WWALS efforts to perform quality testing in our local watershed fit perfectly with our goals. I think it goes without saying that we all want clean water to drink, bathe, and occasionally even play in. At Georgia Power, we have an employee volunteer organization called the ‘Citizens of Georgia Power’; one of the projects that they chose to work on this year was a clean-up on the Alapaha River landing in Lakeland. So when WWALS reached out and said they had a clean-up in Naylor it seemed like a great project, and thanks to the testing kits we knew the water was clean, which allowed our treasures (our children) to play a little while we cleaned up.”
“Clean water is a benefit to everyone,” said WWALS Executive Director Gretchen Quarterman. “The grant presentation by Elizabeth Brownlee was non-traditional, but most exceptional. The envelope got a little wet as it passed through little hands and got dropped in the water, however, the result was excellent. Funding for a second year for the WWALS water quality testing program is greatly appreciated. Thank you, Georgia Power!”
“We are thrilled that, Continue reading
Update 2021-07-12: Pictures, including Fannie in a boat with a paddle in the rain.
Update 2021-06-17: We’ll actually have the boats at Reed Bingham State Park West Boat Ramp, so go through the park entrance, across the dam, in Colquitt County, Georgia. Macedonia Community Foundation has rented the beach or swimming pavilion, which is on the lake at the west end of the dam.
WWALS will be joining the Macedonia Community Foundation at Reed Bingham State Park on Saturday, June 19, 2021, to help people from Brooks, Cook, and Tift Counties, Georgia, and beyond to celebrate Juneteenth.
Fannie Marie Gibbs, Reed Bingham State Park Lake, WWALS canoes
Our contribution will be to supply boats and boating assistance for those who want to paddle out on Reed Bingham State Park Lake. For children whose parents do not want to paddle with them, we will have some adults ready to assist, as we did in June 2019 at the Cook County Centennial in the same location. All paddlers with WWALS will need to sign the WWALS event waiver so you will be covered by WWALS insurance; we will have copies of that form there.
We’ll also have the WWALS booth at the pavillion with information about water trails, water quality testing, and advocacy.
When: Noon to 5 PM, Saturday, June 19, 2021
Put In: Reed Bingham State Park East Boat Ramp, 542 Reed Bingham Rd, Adel, GA 31620. Take I-75 Exit 39, turn west on GA 37, right on Evergreen Church Road (CR 99), left on Reed Bingham SP Road (CR 221), in Cook County, Georgia.
GPS: 31.16253, -83.54123
Free: This outing is free.
We recommend you support the work of WWALS by
becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations/#join
Event: facebook, meetup. Continue reading
Update 2021-07-07: Rescheduled to the last Saturday in July, July 31, 2021.
Join us for an approximately three-mile hike down the Dead River to the Dead River Sink, where the Alapaha River goes underground much of the year. We will be led by Practicing Geologist Dennis J. Price of Hamilton County, Florida. He will explain the geology, and how unusual this place is: there’s nothing like it in Florida (or Georgia).
This is a hike: no boat is needed.
Karst limestone cracks by the Alapaha River, Dead River, Sink, Dennis J. Price
When: Gather 9:00 AM, launch 9:15 AM, end 12:15 PM, Saturday, July 10, 2021
Put In: Jennings Bluff Launch. From Jennings, Hamilton County, FL, travel south on US 41 to NW 25 Lane; turn left; travel east to NW 82 Court and the entrance into the Suwannee River Water Management District’s Jennings Bluff tract; turn left and follow road to canoe launch.
GPS:
30.567183, -83.038911
You’re aiming for the Jennings Bluff Tract entrance.
Jennings Bluff Tract sign, 11:42:18, 30.5670965, -83.0388653
Take Out: Jennings Bluff Launch
Bring: drinking water, snacks, and first aid kit. Also trash pickers and trash bags: every WWALS outing is also a cleanup.
Free: This outing is free to WWALS members, and $10 (ten dollars) for non-members.
You can pay the $10 at the outing, or online:
https://wwals.net//outings
We recommend you support the work of WWALS by
becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations/#join
Event: facebook, meetup Continue reading