Tag Archives: north Florida

Banks Lake Full Frost Moon Paddle, 2022-11-08

Update 2022-11-18: Pictures: Banks Lake Full Frost Moon paddle 2022-11-08.

Leisurely Sunset and Full Moon Paddle on our mini-Okefenokee, Banks Lake National Wildlife Refuge, just west of Lakeland, Georgia. There may also still be bats.

This Outing is honoring Veterans, who get free entry.

When: Gather 4:30 PM, launch 5 PM, moonrise 5:52 PM, sunset 5:39 PM, end 7 PM, Tuesday, November 8, 2022

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

Sunset and Moonrise, 2022-10-09, jsq & EB

Continue reading →

Videos: Kevin Stephenson winning Best Country with It Don’t Get No Better Than This, Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest 2022-08-20

Kevin Stephenson of Valdosta, Georgia, won Best Country for his song, “It Don’t Get No Better Than This –The Alapaha,” 2022 Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest.

Kevin Stephenson, It Don’t Get No Better Than This

Thanks, Kevin! Here’s a WWALS video playlist: Continue reading →

Video: Summary of water quality testing at Lowndes County Commission 2022-10-11

Most of the Lowndes County Commissioners were not familiar with the water quality testing WWALS is doing, and now they are.

Summary of WWALS water quality testing @ LCC 2022-10-11

Here’s the video: Continue reading →

Pictures: Alapaha, Dead Rivers, Sink 2022-10-02

Not many miles, but packed with sinks, a beach, two rivers, and the big one: the Dead River Sink, on October 2, 2022. Thanks, Dennis Price, for leading us, and for chainsawing our way in.

Sasser Landing, Alapaha River, Dead River Sink 2022-10-02

Thanks to Randy Madison for the ropes that got the boats up the cliff at the Confluence.

Thanks to Phil Royce for helping haul a couple of boats up the Jennings Bluff stairs.

More pictures are below. They’re also in a facebook photoset.

See also facebook photosets by: Continue reading →

Bad Beatty Branch and Cat Creek, good downstream Withlacoochee River 2022-10-27

Update 2022-11-04: Creek and river water quality problems 2022-11-03.

After a drizzle of rain Wednesday and several high readings by Valdosta at US 41 and GA 133, WWALS tested upstream creeks yesterday, in addition to the usual river locations. Some of the creek results are much higher than expected.

Chart, Creeks, Rivers, Swim Guide

So far, it looks like downstream of the Little River Confluence on the Withlacoochee River is probably good for fishing, swimming, and boating.

There’s not enough water in the Withlacoochee higher up to paddle anyway. But I’ll have four more Withlacoochee River results tomorrow to fill in the upstream gaps. Continue reading →

What happened to Langdale Park? 2022-08-05

Update 2023-09-29: After Hurricane Idalia: Langdale Park open for walk-ins, Withlacoochee River, Lowndes County, GA 2023-09-28.

Many people have asked, “Have you seen the land clearing near the entrance to Langdale Park? Wonder what that is about?”

Langdale Park entrance and maps

Yesterday I actually missed my turn into Langdale Park because I didn’t recognize it, with all the trees cut down. Continue reading →

Franklinville, Skipper Bridge, Langdale Park, GA 133, Withlacoochee River WQ 2022-10-27

Yesterday I went to five water quality testing sites and sampled four of them. Results tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Elizabeth Brunner sampled nine sites on Cat Creek, Beatty Branch, and Beaverdam Creek. If nothing else we should have a good baseline to use in deciphering what is causing the E. coli and Fecal coliform that keeps showing up at US 41 and GA 133.

And inquiring minds want to know: what happened to all the trees at the entrance to Langdale Park?

4.5 sites, Withlacoochee River, 2022-10-27

Toms Branch

No water in Toms Branch, so no sample. Continue reading →

WWALS response to opposition comments by Eagle LNG about small, inland LNG 2022-10-17

Safety, water, air, and economy are still at risk because of the regulatory gap FERC opened in 2014 and 2015 when it abandoned oversight of small, inland, LNG facilities. That gap has left PHMSA holding the bag for environmental oversight, which PHMSA does not do. It has left DoE FE authorizing LNG export licenses with no environmental oversight.

WWALS supplied much new evidence and developments about the safety, environmental, and economic effects of such facilities in this rebuttal of opposition comments by Eagle LNG. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) should take this new information into account in opening a Rulemaking to revisit, reconsider, and possibly revoke its decisions to abandon oversight of such facilities.

Introduction, Conclusion

The letter

On October 17, 2022, WWALS filed this PDF with FERC as Accession Number 20221017-5134, “RESPONSE of WWALS Watershed Coalition, Inc. to opposition comments by EAGLE LNG under RM22-21-000.”

Winners, WWALS Boomerang paddle race 2022-10-22

Hahira, GA, October 25, 2022 — Home county favorite Kyle “Bird” Chamberlain, of Lake Park, Lowndes County, Georgia, won the WWALS Boomerang paddle race from Georgia into Florida and back. He won the $100 First Prize with a time of one hour, sixteen minutes, and 55 seconds to paddle three miles down and three miles back up for six miles total on the astonishingly clear Withlacoochee River.

River, Race, Prizes: WWALS Boomerang 2022-10-22

Bird said, “I wanna thank my sponsors State Line River Outfitters and Takis for believing in me… they gave me their undivided attention to make sure I had everything needed to win.” Continue reading →

WWALS at Alapaha Station Celebration 2022-11-12

Update 2023-10-29: Pictures.

Join us at the historic railroad station in Alapaha, Georgia, near Sheboggy Boat Ramp on the Alapaha River, the most upstream public landing on the WWALS Alapaha River Water Trail.

The Alapaha Station Celebration theme this year is “Alapaha Strong! On November 12 the celebration will deliver a parade and free entertainment.” Plus food vendors.

When: 9 AM, Saturday, November 12, 2022

Put In: Alapaha Station, 245 NE Railroad Street, Alapaha, Georgia 31622

GPS: 31.38103, -83.222412

2019 Alapaha Station Celebration