Tag Archives: John S. Quarterman

Winners: Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest 2024-09-07

Hahira, Georgia, September 9, 2024— the First Prize winner in the Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest is from Lake City, Florida, with Best from Inside the Suwannee River Basin from Adel, Georgia, and Best from Outside the Suwannee River Basin from Palatka, Florida.

Everyone listened to the two main speakers, the talks about WWALS, and the headliner at the WWALS River Revue. More about all that later.

Then the three judges listened to the five finalists of the Seventh Annual Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest, and picked these winners.

[The Winners, Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest, WWALS River Revue 2024-09-07]
The Winners, Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest, WWALS River Revue 2024-09-07
Center top: Rachel Grubb of Lake City, Florida, won Best Americana Indie-Folk Song for “Cruising Down the Suwannee” and First Prize, with $300.
Top left: Sweet William Ennis from Palatka, Florida, won Best Blues Song for “Catfish Stew (Suwannee River Blues),” and Best Song from Outside the Suwannee River Basin, with $50.
Top right: David Rodock from Adel, Georgia, won Best Pop Country Folk Song for “Moonlight Echoes,” and Best Song from Inside the Suwannee River Basin, with $50.
Bottom left: Robert Thatcher from Signal Mountain, Tennessee and Tom Brown from Dalton, Georgia, won Best Folk / Americana / Bluegrass Song for “Roll On, Echo River.”
Bottom right: Bill Berry from Valdosta, Georgia, won Best Americana Song for “The River.”

Here’s video of WWALS President Sara Squires Jones awarding the prizes:
https://youtu.be/5zSHNeVzOZs


Video by Doug Jipson for WWALS Watershed Coalition, Inc.

We will post videos of each performance soon. Continue reading →

Water Protectors Meet and Greet at Ichetucknee Head Springs 2024-09-08

Meet for an hour and then dip in the spring, or tube if you like.

If you haven’t already, you can sign the petition to get a constitutional amendment for Right to Clean Water on the Florida ballot in 2026.
https://wwals.net/issues/right-to-clean-water/

When: Gather 10 AM, launch 11 AM, end 2 PM, Sunday, September 8, 2024

Put In: Ichetucknee Headspring, at the Ichetucknee Springs State Park North Entrance, 8294 SW Elim Church Rd, Fort White, FL 32038.

GPS: 29.986107, -82.760109

[Water Protectors Meet and Greet, Sunday, 10-11 AM, 2024-09-08, Ichetucknee Springs S.P. North Entrance]
Water Protectors Meet and Greet, Sunday, 10-11 AM, 2024-09-08, Ichetucknee Springs S.P. North Entrance

Continue reading →

Red Roberts Little River Chainsaw Cleanup, 2024-09-21

Update 2024-11-02: Pictures: Red Roberts Little River Upstream Chainsaw Cleanup 2024-09-21.

Come take pictures, collect trash, or pull limbs out of the way. You do not have to saw. Kayaks and canoes welcome, to accompany the WWALS jon boat and 9.9 hp outboard.

Upstream half a mile are two big deadfalls we will chainsaw. Another mile up through Rountree Lake (a wide area in the Little River) is another deadfall. We will see what else we find upstream.

If there’s time, we’ll get another deadfall downstream.

When: Gather 9 AM, launch 9:30 AM, end 2 PM, Saturday, September 21, 2024

Put In: Red Roberts Landing, 4727 Rountree Bridge Rd., Adel, GA 31620. I-75 Exit 41, go west, turn right in front of the Horse Creek Winery to stay on Rountree Bridge Road, continue about 5 miles, turn left before the Little River.

GPS: 31.192222, -83.520333

[Chainsaw Cleanup, Little River, Rountree Lake 2024-09-21, Above Rountree Bridge, Red Roberts Landing]
Chainsaw Cleanup, Little River, Rountree Lake 2024-09-21, Above Rountree Bridge, Red Roberts Landing

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Cancelled: Juneteenth again in August at Reed Bingham State Park 2024-08-31

Cancelled due to heat and holidays. We will reschedule to a date to be determined.

Hahira, GA, August 1, 2024 — “Like we did in June, WWALS will again provide stunt adults to paddle with children whose parents don’t want to get in a boat,” said Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman.

WWALS will also provide boats for new paddlers at this gathering of people from Brooks, Cook, and Tift Counties, Georgia, and beyond in another celebration of Juneteenth, this time in August.

We’re calling it Augusteenth.

Food and activities for children will be provided by Fannie Gibbs and Macedonia Community Foundation.

When: 11 AM, Saturday, August 31, 2024

Put In: Reed Bingham State Park Beach, 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 through the gate and across the dam, and the beach is on your right, in Colquitt County.

GPS: 31.162563, -83.548506

[Juneteenth Boating again in August, Reed Bingham SP 2024-08-31, WWALS & Macedonia Community Foundation]
Juneteenth Boating again in August, Reed Bingham SP 2024-08-31, WWALS & Macedonia Community Foundation

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Pictures: Jon boat Withlacoochee River Chainsaw Cleanup, Langdale Park Boat Ramp 2024-08-25

I think that’s eight big deadfalls and some littler stuff that we sawed, downstream on the Withlacoochee River Langdale Park Chainsaw Cleanup. Hurricane Debby and other storms left quite a bit of debris.

[Downstream Chainsaw Cleanup, Langdale Park 2024-08-25, 2 jon boats and a canoe, Withlacoochee River]
Downstream Chainsaw Cleanup, Langdale Park 2024-08-25, 2 jon boats and a canoe, Withlacoochee River

We had Phil Royce’s jon boat with 3.5 hp outboard, the WWALS jon boat with 9.9 hp outboard, and TJ Johnson in a canoe.

I think there were four or five chainsaws among us, including the 24-inch Husqvarna 460 that the Wild Green Future Grant paid for, along with the 9.9 hp outboard. Plus TJ’s handsaw.

Here are some video snippets:
https://youtu.be/tuGSugOlTLw?si=xQrAla60gZzeNnkR

So you want to know: after all this sawing, can you paddle from Langdale Park to Sugar Creek? Continue reading →

Upstream deadfalls, Langdale Park, Withlacoochee River, Chainsaw Cleanup 2024-08-25

Update 2024-08-27: Pictures: Jon boat Withlacoochee River Chainsaw Cleanup, Langdale Park Boat Ramp 2024-08-25.

I thought we’d just skate up under the US 41 bridge to where Stillhouse Branch comes out of Valdosta Country Club, to see if there was a logjam or trash there.

But only a little more than halfway up Langdale Park to the bridge, we found a huge oak deadfall.

Sawing passage through that took a while. And then we could see an even bigger oak and pine deadfall.

[Upstream deadfalls, Langdale Park 2024-08-25, Withlacoochee River, Chainsaw Cleanup]
Upstream deadfalls, Langdale Park 2024-08-25, Withlacoochee River, Chainsaw Cleanup

Here are a few videos:
https://youtu.be/XB66qmC2XrY

So we turned downstream towards our primary chainsaw cleanup goal of clearing downstream passage.

We being Phil Royce and TJ Johnson from Live Oak, Florida, and Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman.

Thanks to Wild Green Future for the generous grant that paid for the Husqvarna 460 24-inch chainsaw and the 9.9hp outboard motor, as well as the tires on the boat trailer. Continue reading →

Jon boat Withlacoochee River Chainsaw Cleanup, Langdale Park Boat Ramp 2024-08-25

Update 2024-08-27: Chainsawing deadfall from Langdale Park Boat Ramp entrance Road 2024-08-25.

Kayaks and canoes and jon boats are invited to join a jon boat and the WWALS jon boat with 9.9hp outboard seeking deadfalls to chainsaw and trash to collect.

When: Gather 9 AM, launch 10 AM, end 3 PM, Sunday, August 25, 2024

Put In: Langdale Park Boat Ramp, 3781 N. Valdosta Rd., Valdosta, GA 31602, in Lowndes County.

GPS: 30.88747, -83.32395

[Dual jon boat Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River, Langdale Park Boat Ramp 2024-08-25]
Dual jon boat Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River, Langdale Park Boat Ramp 2024-08-25

Continue reading →

Troupville upstream Withlacoochee River chainsaw cleanup pictures 2024-08-17

Update 2024-08-19: Jon boat Withlacoochee River Chainsaw Cleanup, Langdale Park Boat Ramp 2024-08-25.

Evidently nobody had been there since Hurricane Debby, because there were several new deadfalls, most small, one big, and another huge, before we got to I-75. Those and others could use more attention at lower water, but kayaks can get through now. That was our goal on this Upstream Withlacoochee River Chainsaw Cleanup.

We put in at Troupville Boat Ramp, went 1/3 of a mile down to the Little River Confluence, and turned left and up the Withlacoochee River.

There was remarkably little trash. Some locations with a few bottles or styrofoam in branches are noted in the pictures; all have GPS coordinates.

[Several small deadfalls, one big one 2024-08-17, Troupville upstream Withlacoochee River chainsaw cleanup]
Several small deadfalls, one big one 2024-08-17, Troupville upstream Withlacoochee River chainsaw cleanup

Thanks to Quen Metzler for leading this chainsaw cleanup and doing much of the sawing.

I also sawed with both saws, but there are no pictures, because then Quen was busy holding the boat steady.

Here are some video snippets:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKwQ5xfKf-Qz0i9YNkM5S5-1zx3fbZQrF&si=iHgSY-2Js-zgjh99

The Valdosta (US 41, North Valdosta Road) Withlacoochee River Gauge read about 120.83 feet NAVD88 at 9:00 AM when we upstream on the Withlacoochee River from the Little River Confluence, and 120.64 when we reached the I-75 Bridge at 11:39 AM. That’s more than 2 feet below Action Stage, which is 123 feet. The current was still plenty fast and strong to contend with.

The Hahira (GA 122) Little River Gauge was at about 139.36 feet NAVD 88 when we started moving, and 139.56 when we took out at Troupville Boat Ramp. That’s more than 8 feet below Action Stage, which is 148 feet.

Thanks to Wild Green Future for the generous grant that paid for the 9.9hp outboard motor and the 24-inch Husqvarna chainsaw that we used on this outing.

For more Continue reading →

Video: Bats of Georgia, including Banks Lake and Douglas –Emily Ferrall, GA-DNR, A WWALS Webinar 2024-08-15

Thanks to Emily Ferrall for the overview of the bats of Georgia. She including species likely to occur at Banks Lake, and footage of the Douglas warehouse bats. She mentioned the Anabat Acoustic Survey Volunteer Project. There was discussion of the Okefenokee Swamp, in a lively question and answer period.

Here’s the zoom video:
https://youtu.be/vLrNyShslSI

[Bats of Georgia, Emily Ferrall, GA-DNR 2024-08-15, A WWALS Webinar, Banks Lake, Douglas, GA, Okefenokee Swamp]
Bats of Georgia, Emily Ferrall, GA-DNR 2024-08-15, A WWALS Webinar, Banks Lake, Douglas, GA, Okefenokee Swamp

Emily Ferrall is a Wildlife Biologist, in the Wildlife Resources Division of the Wildlife Conservation Section of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GA-DNR).

She specializes in research and monitoring for nongame mammals in Georgia and spends much of her time working with bats. Emily has been with GA DNR since 2016. Emily earned both her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees from the University of Georgia with an emphasis in wildlife science.

Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman said a few words about what WWALS does, and WWALS Board President Sara Jay Jones gave a brief introduction, before Emily Ferrall spoke for about 45 minutes, followed by the Q&A period. Continue reading →

Upstream Withlacoochee River from Troupville Chainsaw Cleanup 2024-08-17

Update 2024-08-18: Pictures and video.

Kayaks and canoes and jon boats are invited to join the WWALS jon boat with 9.9hp outboard seeking deadfalls to chainsaw and trash to collect.

We will put in at Troupville Boat Ramp, go down the 1/3 of a mile to the Little River Confluence, turn left and go up the Withlacoochee River, chainsawing what needs it, collecting trash, and ending by retracing our watery steps back to Troupville.

If we’re lucky, we’ll make it up as far as Sugar Creek. Any canoes or kayaks are welcome to take out there.

If we’re very lucky, we’ll get all the way up to Langdale Park. But we won’t be taking out there, due to water over the access road seen yesterday.
https://wwals.net/?p=65622

[Upstream Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River 2024-08-17, Troupville Boat Ramp, Little River Confluence]
Upstream Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River 2024-08-17, Troupville Boat Ramp, Little River Confluence

Thanks to Wild Green Future for the generous grant that paid for the 9.9hp outboard motor, the 24-inch Husqvarna chainsaw, the 86lb thrust trolling motor, and the two Lithium-Iron-Oxide batteries, all of which we will be using on this outing.

When: Gather 8 AM, launch 8:30 AM, end 2 PM, Saturday, August 17, 2024

Put In: Troupville Boat Ramp, 19664 Valdosta Hwy, Valdosta, GA 31602. I-75 exit 18, west on GA 133 (St. Augustine Road) away from the Valdosta Mall, at the traffic light for Val Tech Road, turn left down to the boat ramp, in Lowndes County. It is on the site of the future Troupville Nature Park and River Camp.

GPS: 30.851842, -83.346536 Continue reading →