Tag Archives: Kimberly Godden Tanner

Outings Committee Co-Chairs 2025-01-29

The WWALS Board has unanimously appointed Kimberly Godden Tanner and Janet Martin Massengale as Co-Chairs of the WWALS Outings Committee. They have already decided who will lead each of the Banks Lake Full Moon outings for the whole year. Their main task is to facilitate the Outings Committee in getting outings scheduled and successfully held.

Shirley Kokidko will continue to handle meetup.com for WWALS outings.

[Outings Committee Co-Chairs 2025-01-29, Kimberly Godden Tanner, Janet Martin Massengale]
Outings Committee Co-Chairs 2025-01-29, Kimberly Godden Tanner, Janet Martin Massengale

For WWALS outings and events as they are posted, see: https://wwals.net/outings

Maybe you would like to request an outing:
https://forms.gle/RcUbpX2AVNQ7wRco9

For more about the Outings Committee, see:
https://wwals.net/about/committees/#wwals-outings

Maybe you would like to apply to join the Outings Committee: https://forms.gle/YofiUxQAmHz42NgC6 Continue reading →

Full Snow Moon Paddle, Banks Lake, 2025-02-12

Update 2025-02-13: Pictures: Full Snow Moon Paddle, Banks Lake 2025-02-12.

Join us or a leisurely Sunset and Full Moon Paddle on our watery living room, Banks Lake, just west of Lakeland, Georgia, on GA 122.

When: Gather 5:30 PM, launch 5:55 PM, moonrise 6:35 PM, sunset 6:18 PM, end 7:30 PM, Wednesday, February 12, 2025

Put In: Banks Lake Boat Ramp, 307 Georgia 122, Lakeland, GA 31635, in Lanier County, on the Alapaha River Water Trail (ARWT).

GPS: 31.034824, -83.096725

[Full Snow Moon Paddle, Banks Lake 2025-02-12, Sunset, Moonrise, Possibly bats]
Full Snow Moon Paddle, Banks Lake 2025-02-12, Sunset, Moonrise, Possibly bats

Continue reading →

Alapaha River clean, Sugar Creek worse 2025-01-16

Update 2025-01-24: Filthy Sugar Creek 2025-01-17; Clean Withlacoochee River and Franks Creek 2025-01-19; Clean New River 2025-01-20.

Thursday WWALS water quality samples showed the Alapaha River clean at Lakeland and Naylor.

But Valdosta Thursday samples showed Sugar Creek worse again at Gornto Road.

As noted yesterday, the Little and Withlacoochee Rivers also seem clean, although I’d avoid the Withlacoochee near Sugar Creek, and Sugar Creek itself.

We hear there is a Sugar Creek bypass, but that creek is still filthy from the sewer line break upstream of Gornto Road on down to the Withlacoochee River.

If you like rain (Saturday) or cold (Sunday), this weekend may be good to paddle, motor, swim, or fish, elsewhere, such as the Little, Alapaha, Santa Fe, Ichetucknee, or Suwannee Rivers.

[Alapaha River clean, Sugar Creek worse 2025-01-16, Rain coming Saturday, Cold all next week]
Alapaha River clean, Sugar Creek worse 2025-01-16, Rain coming Saturday, Cold all next week

Alapaha River

WWALS tester Kimberly Godden Tanner for Thursday got zero (0) E. coli at Lakeland Boat Ramp. Can’t get cleaner than that. Continue reading →

Raffle Kayak Winner: Belinda Edwards Herndon 2024-12-19

Thanks to WWALS Board Member Janet Massengale for delivering the Skimmer 128 Hurricane kayak to raffle winner Belinda Edwards Herndon in Live Oak, Florida.

[Winner Belinda Edwards Herndon with WWALS raffle kayak 2024-12-19, Delivered to Live Oak, FL by Board Member Janet Massengale]
Winner Belinda Edwards Herndon with WWALS raffle kayak 2024-12-19, Delivered to Live Oak, FL by Board Member Janet Massengale

It’s slightly-used 12-foot 9-inch sit-on-top kayak with paddle, a Hurricane Skimmer 128. Continue reading →

Video: Kayak raffle drawing for Skimmer 128 Hurricane kayak at Banks Lake 2024-12-15

Update 2024-12-22: Raffle Kayak Winner: Belinda Edwards Herndon 2024-12-19.

WWALS Board Member Kim Tanner, assisted by Board Member Janet Martin and other paddlers at Banks Lake, determined the winner of the raffle for the Skimmer 128 Hurricane kayak.

[Video: Kayak raffle drawing for Skimmer 128 Hurricane kayak, at Banks Lake, by Kim and Ryan Tanner]
Video: Kayak raffle drawing for Skimmer 128 Hurricane kayak, at Banks Lake, by Kim and Ryan Tanner

People got their raffle tickets online, at various festivals and outings, at the WWALS River Revue, etc.

Kim shook them all up and Ryan drew the winner.

Here is video:
https://youtu.be/dWrCvjrX7yA

And the winner is… Continue reading →

Clean Alapaha and Withlacoochee Rivers: Sugar Creek still nasty 2024-12-05

Update 2024-12-13: Filthy Sugar Creek, dirty Franks Creek, bad upstream Withlacoochee River, clean downstream 2024-12-12.

WWALS water quality results for Thursday show the Alapaha and Withlacoochee Rivers clean upstream, and for Wednesday show the Withlacoochee clean downstream.

But the last results we have for Sugar Creek, from Valdosta Utilities for Tuesday, show Sugar Creek at Gornto Road still way too high in E. coli.

There has been no rain to speak of for a week, so rain is not washing contamination into the creeks.

It is very hard to see what could be causing such Sugar Creek E. coli numbers other than a sewage spill.

No new sewage spills have been reported in the Suwannee River Basin in Florida or Georgia since the small Valdosta spill into Two Mile Branch on Meadowbrook Drive on November 26, which cannot be causing the Sugar Creek contamination at Gornto Road.

No flooding is shown on any river gauge in the Suwannee River Basin.

So if you like cold, this weekend seems good to paddle, motor, swim, or fish, as long as you avoid the vicinity of Sugar Creek.

[Clean Alapaha and Withlacoochee Rivers 2024-12-05 Sugar Creek still nasty]
Clean Alapaha and Withlacoochee Rivers 2024-12-05 Sugar Creek still nasty

Alapaha River

Continue reading →

Pictures: Banks Lake Full Beaver Moon Paddle –Kimberly Godden Tanner, 2024-11-15

“A great paddle with 8 boats and 13 paddlers! Beautiful sunset and moonrise!” said expedition leader Kimberly Godden Tanner about the Banks Lake Full Beaver Moon Paddle 2024-11-15 at Banks Lake Boat Ramp, 307 Georgia 122, Lakeland, GA 31635, in Lanier County, on the Alapaha River Water Trail (ARWT).

[Banks Lake Full Beaver Moon 2024-11-15 Sunset and Moonrise]
Banks Lake Full Beaver Moon 2024-11-15 Sunset and Moonrise

She added, “We had people from Tennessee, Alabama, and Tallahassee, Florida on this paddle.”

For more WWALS outings and events as they are posted, see the WWALS outings web page, https://wwals.net/outings/. Continue reading →

Clean Alapaha and Withlacoochee Rivers 2024-10-31

WWALS testers Kimberly Godden Tanner and Cindy Vedas got very low E. coli for the Withlacoochee and Alapaha Rivers Thursday. For the Withlacoochee River Wednesday, WWALS tester Russ Tatum got very low results, and Valdosta Utilities got low results.

The weather prediction is still sunny.

The water levels are back down to normal or low everywhere in the Suwannee River Basin. Some rivers, such as the Withlacoochee near Valdosta, are too low for much paddling or motoring.

However, many parks and put-ins remain closed after Hurricane Helene, including Langdale Park and Ichetucknee Springs North.

So if you can find an accessible stretch, happy paddling, motoring, swimming, and fishing.

[Clean Withlacoochee and Alapaha Rivers 2024-10-31 No sewage spills and no rain: happy paddling!]
Clean Withlacoochee and Alapaha Rivers 2024-10-31 No sewage spills and no rain: happy paddling!

Alapaha River

Kimberley Godden Tanner noted for Lakeland Boat Ramp and Naylor Park Beach on the Alapaha River Thursday, Continue reading →

Clean Alapaha and Withlacoochee Rivers 2024-10-24

Update 2024-11-02: Clean Alapaha and Withlacoochee Rivers 2024-10-31.

WWALS testers Cindy Vedas and Kimberly Godden Tanner got zero (0) E. coli for the Withlacoochee and Alapaha Rivers Thursday. That matches the very low results from Valdosta Utilities for the Withlacoochee River Wednesday.

The weather prediction is still sunny and cool.

The water levels are back down to normal, except for the Santa Fe River at Three Rivers Estates, which is still in Action Stage and predicted to stay there for a while. Some rivers, such as the Withlacoochee near Valdosta, are almost too low.

However, many parks and put-ins remain closed after Hurricane Helene, including Ichetucknee Springs North.

So if you can find an accessible stretch, happy paddling, motoring, swimming, and fishing.

[Clean Withlacoochee and Alapaha River 2024-10-24 Sunny and No Rain. Happy paddling, boating, swimming, and fishing.]
Clean Withlacoochee and Alapaha River 2024-10-24 Sunny and No Rain. Happy paddling, boating, swimming, and fishing.

Cindy Vedas noted for Franklinville Thursday, “Several trees down. River looks clean. And it is.”

For Staten Road Thursday, also on the Withlacoochee River, she wrote, “ Got lots of chainsaw work to do. River level looks good for fishing. And clean!”

Kimberley Tanner noted for Lakeland Boat Ramp and Naylor Park Beach on the Alapaha River Thursday, “Both locations looked great and the samples were clean. No issues with the control this time using the microwave method. Hard to believe what a difference a couple weeks makes.” Continue reading →

Clean Alapaha and Withlacoochee Rivers 2024-09-19

Update 2024-09-28: Probably clean rivers before Hurricane Helene, but please stay home 2024-09-25.

The Withlacoochee River tested clean for Wednesday, and the Alapaha River for Thursday. Valdosta got high results for Franks Creek at Inner Perimeter, upstream of Mud Swamp Creek, the Alapahoochee River, and the Alapaha River.

No new sewage spills were reported in the past week in the Suwannee River Basin in Georgia or Florida. However, Ashburn, Georgia, showed up in today’s GA-EPD Sewage Spills Report as having a 30,000-gallon raw sewage spill on August 24. See below.

There was some rain this week, but very scattered, so probably not much contamination washed into the river. As always, we can merely report what test results we have. Actual conditions may vary.

The weather prediction is sunny for the next five days.

Most rivers are back to normal water levels, even the Ichetucknee River. The only gauges still in Action Stage are for the Santa Fe River at Three Rivers Estates and Worthington Spirngs, and the New River (of the Santa Fe) at Lake Butler, and the Suwannee River above Gopher River Confluence.

So happy fishing, swimming, and boating this weekend.

Maybe join us tomorrow for Red Roberts Little River Chainsaw Cleanup, 2024-09-21. You do not have to use a saw. You can come take pictures, collect trash, or pull limbs out of the way. Kayaks and canoes welcome, to accompany the WWALS jon boat and 9.9 hp outboard.

[Clean Rivers: Withlacoochee 2024-09-18, Alapaha 2024-09-19, but Ashburn Sewage Spill 2024-08-24]
Clean Rivers: Withlacoochee 2024-09-18, Alapaha 2024-09-19, but Ashburn Sewage Spill 2024-08-24

Continue reading →