Tag Archives: Julie Bowland

Banks Lake Sunset Paddle 2018-07-27

Venus gleamed through the fires of sunset as the full moon and Mars hid behind clouds.

Sunset, On the water

The sound of frogs brought out swoops of bats, as a dozen or two paddlers braved the placid flat waters of Banks Lake Friday evening in the least strenuous yet one of the most enjoyable of all WWALS outings. As one new participant remarked, it’s one thing to see it from the road, but out on the water the size, the lucidity, and the sunset are startling while calming.

Bret Wagenhorst, who brought a crew of new people from Tifton and paddled out with them first, reports: “Got to see: ospreys and nest, eastern kingbirds, egrets, ibises, bats, gators and hear Continue reading →

Winners of the Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest 2018

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Valdosta, GA, July 2, 2017 — In a good time with good food and good music, at the Salty Snapper in Valdosta, Saturday afternoon, June 23, 2018, three judges from Georgia and Florida deliberated a long time after six songwriters from Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida sang, and selected winners of the Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest 2018.

The WWALS Songwriting Contest Committee met many times to plan for the first annual contest. The purpose of the contest was to raise awareness of the WWALS watershed and its accomplishments. Will Eason of the Salty Snapper welcomed us, WWALS Ambassador Dave Hetzel spoke about the origins of WWALS, Board member Bret Wagenhorst spoke about Outings, Committee Chair Eileen Box spoke about the Committee, and WWALS Executive Director Gretchen Quarterman was the M.C.

Winners and Judges (Sharon Yeago)
Winners and Judges (Sharon Yeago), left to right: Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman, WWALS E.D. and contest M.C. Gretchen Quarterman, ? (JJ), ? (JJ), Jay Jourden (JJ), Judge J.J. Rolle, Emmett Carlisle, Laura D’Alisera, Mike Tappan, Judge Cindy Bear, Dave Pharr, ? Tom Shed (JJ), Don Austin (JJ), Hollin Gammage, and the small child is next year’s contestant (JJ marks members of Jay Jourden’s band).

The finalists, who played in random order, selected by drawing straws, with sound by Will Eason and other help by Scotti Jay, were: Continue reading →

Running Springs painting by Julie Bowland for Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest today 2018-06-23

WWALS Scout and VSU Art Professor Julie Bowland donated this painting of Running Spring for auction 1-5PM this afternoon at The Salty Snapper, 1405 Gornto Rd, Valdosta, GA 31602, in the Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest.

Springs, painting by Julie Bowland

Come on down to hear new songs about our rivers, with a buffet and cash bar! Plus you could get this painting, maybe even for Continue reading →

Videos: Songwriting Contest on Scott James Radio 2018-06-22

Come hear good music this afternoon, new songs about the Suwannee, Withlacoochee, and other rivers, said Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman on the radio yesterday morning with Scott James. The M.C. for today’s finals of the Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest, WWALS E.D. Gretchen Quarterman, explained the raffles (kayak, swag, and silent auction), and we mentioned the buffet and cash bar at the at the Salty Snapper, 1405 Gornto Rd, Valdosta, GA 31602.

You can even paddle 9AM this morning down the Withlacoochee River into Valdosta to get to the Salty Snapper.

Scott James Talk 92.1 drive-time radio show

We listed the finalists in the Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest, and described the format: speeches (especially by Will Eason of the Salty Snapper), finalists play new songs about the rivers, judges score on music, lyrics, history, etc., and finally the results of the raffles, and the prizes. We showed off the First Prize plaque, just handed to us by WWALS Board Member Phil Hubbard, who made it.

Here’s a LAKE WWALS video playlist:


Videos: Songwriting Contest on Scott James Radio 2018-06-22
Video by Gretchen Quarterman for WWALS Watershed Coalition (WWALS),

Once festival season is over today, we noted we’ll get on with the programs WWALS fundraising pays for. Such as water quality testing: Continue reading →

Suwannee Riverkeeper called water protectors to Live Oak –WCTV 2017-01-12

Gretchen Quarterman, WWALS Executive Director Reporting before last night’s meeting, Noelani Mathews, WCTV, 2017-01-12, Water protectors protest pipeline,

LIVE OAK, Fla. (WCTV) — More than a dozen environmentalist groups across the region met in Live Oak tonight to discuss efforts against the Sabal Trail Pipeline.

#No Sabal Trail in Tallahassee

The group Suwanee Riverkeepers is calling all water protectors to talk about their plans to protest the pipeline.

The underground natural gas pipeline is Continue reading →

From the air: US 84 HDD Withlacoochee River Sabal Trail 2016-10-22

Update 2016-10-24: Questions filed with FERC in Docket CP15-17 as Accession Number 20161024-5049 and emailed to USACE and GA-EPD (PDF).

Extreme closeup yellow in Withlacoochee River, 30.7952780, -83.4524840 What is that yellow thing in the river, Sabal Trail? Is that a sinkhole you’ve marked at the Lowndes County HDD site? And does blue pipe mean thinner for rural areas like your executive from Houston told us in WWALS v Sabal Trail & FDEP?

FERC gave you permission to Continue reading →

#NoDAPL #NoSabalTrail @ Suwannee River State Park 2016-09-13

Update 2016-12-09: Here are directions to Suwannee River Campsites at 30.414, -83.159167. Facing the boat ramp, up to your right you’ll see a trail head. Follow the trail into the woods along the river bank. The river bends left, then right. Shortly after the right bend is the crossing, at 30.407379, -83.156494. Sabal Trail has marked its path in the woods; stay off of their easement but follow it until you come to a field where you should be able to see the HDD site. Send back lots of pictures. For maps and aerial pictures, see Sabal Trail maps digitized. Much more information here. And you may want to ask the CEO of college-savings mutual fund Virginia529 why her company is the biggest mutual fund stockholder in the stranded investment of Spectra Energy.

Yes, Sabal Trail wants to cross the Suwannee River IN Suwannee River State Park.


How many pipelines do we want? Continue reading →

Fixed: Access to GA 133 Little River Boat Ramp

Julie Bowland reports:

Boatramp Joy of joys! The humongous mud hole in the access road to the boat ramp off 133 across from the prison has finally been filled! And a sign calling it a park…could WWALS brochures be far behind?

This is the Little River Boat Ramp on the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail (WLRWT).

George Page, Executive Director of the Valdosta-Lowndes Parks & Rec Authority (VLPRA), told me it seems like a year or more ago that he had found funds to fix that access, and now I guess it’s happening.

It’s always been a park, listed under VLPRA as Continue reading →

Pictures: Staten Road to Langdale Park, Withlacoochee River 2016-03-20

20 people in 17 boats on an astoundingly beautiful rural blackwater river into the biggest city in the entire Suwannee River Basin: Boat parade! 30.9315739, -83.2905044 here are pictures from the WWALS outing from Staten Road Bridge in Lowndes County to Langdale Park on the edge of Valdosta, both in south Georgia, Spring Equinox, Sunday 20 March 2016. Thanks to everyone who came, especially to WWALS Outings Chair Chris Mericle for leading the expedition, and to Georgia Page, Steve, and Travis of the Valdosta-Lowndes Parks and Recreation Authority (VLPRA) for letting us into Langdale Park even though it was closed for renovations. Gretchen Quarterman went on Charlie Walker’s 99.5 KIX Country radio show the next morning to tell everybody about it. Continue reading →

Winners, student logo contest, Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail, by WWALS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Valdosta, February 28, 2016 — Two VSU students took First and Second Prizes Saturday for logos for the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail (WLRWT), First prize: circle with trees, by Eboni Patterson at a Workshop at VSU, with an art exhibit and silent auction, and talks on history, archaeology, hydrogeology, and safety, organized by WWALS Watershed Coalition, the Waterkeeper® Affiliate for the Withlacoochee, Little, Alapaha, and upper Suwannee Rivers. “These logo winners reflect the beauty and unusual nature of our blackwater rivers,” said logo contest organizer Julie Bowland, a VSU Art Professor. She aded, “I’ve already heard talk that we may use both of these logos, one for color, and one for black and white.”

Logo Contest Winners

Logo winners with Julie Bowland (Gretchen Quarterman, Tom Potter, foreground) Eboni Patterson (center) won First Prize for the circle logo. Ann Reid (left) won Second Prize for the river trace logo. Both were congratulated by contest organizer Julie Bowland, who handed them checks from WWALS. The prizes were contributed by Continue reading →