Tag Archives: Okefenokee Swamp

West Mims Fire in Upper Suwannee River watershed in Okefenokee Swamp 2017-04-15

Now is not a good time to stay overnight in the Okefenokee Swamp, or to travel at night between Fargo and Moniac, because of smoke.

Lightning started the West Mims fire Thursday, apparently west of Moniac, Georgia in Baker County, Florida. That was in the St Marys River watershed, but the fire has since expanded west and north into the upper Suwannee River watershed and Ware County, Georgia. According to today’s update from InciWeb, the Incident Information System, the fire now involves 13,000 acres and is only 3% contained. Even with 110 firefighters and a variety of equipment, the estimated containment date is two months from now: “Thursday June 15th, 2017 approx. 12:00 AM”. It is a southern fire forest, after all.

Incident Map
Map from InciWeb 2017-04-15. Approximate Location 30.574 latitude, -82.323 longitude.

It’s probably best not to go there at night, since InciWeb says: Continue reading →

WWALS Okefenokee Billys Island Outing 2016-12-10

Bittern closeup 30.8347222, -82.3436111 Gators, herons, hawks, and a very hard-to-see bittern, all before Billy’s Island in the Okefenokee Swamp, on a WWALS monthly outing, 10 December 2016.

A few WWALS videos and many pictures and a google map below: Continue reading →

Walter Parks, Swamp by Chandelier

You won’t hear this every day. Thanks to Flint Riverkeeper Gordon Rogers for pointing to these Okefenokee Swamp hollers by Walter Parks.

And don’t forget WWALS has an outing 10AM this Saturday December 10th at Georgia’s Stephen C. Foster State Park on the Suwannee River near Fargo, GA, to paddle into the Okefenokee Swamp. Continue reading →

Pictures, Pioneer Day, Okefenokee NWR 2016-11-19

WWALS and Satilla Riverkeeper Rachael Thompson of Satilla Riverkeeper invited WWALS to Pioneer Day at the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge near Folkston, Georgia. Rachael showed children how watersheds work. They played the WWALS froggy toss game. Endangered species puppets paraded. Houdini the rat snake was a hit. And there were gators.

Rachael Thompson of Satilla Riverkeeper, John S. Quarterman of WWALS, Ash of SRK

More pictures below. Continue reading →

Cancer in Waycross and the upper Suwannee River watershed

At least the Waycross cancer problem is finally getting some news media attention. Brenda Goodman and Andy Miller, Georgia Health News, October 20, 2016, Why are kids in Waycross getting cancer? (Part One of Special Report),

Fourteen-year-old Lexi Crawford was attacked by lower back pain so sharp that she couldn’t even sit up to eat. Her mother had to bring her food while she was lying flat on her back. Doctors in Waycross, GA, the town where she lives, thought it was a kidney infection. But after months of antibiotics didn’t clear it up, a visiting doctor in the local ER suggested an X-ray.

What he saw on the scan was terrifying.

Continue reading →

Anhinga Trek on the Georgia Southern Rivers Birding Trail

Sites in WWALS watersheds include Paradise Public Fishing Area (PFA) at the headwaters of our Withlacoochee River, Reed Bingham State Park on our Little River, Grand Bay Wildlife Management Area (WMA) upstream from our Alapaha River, and Stephen C. Foster State Park at the headwaters of our Suwannee River in the Okefenokee Swamp, all on the Anhinga Trek of the Southern Rivers Birding Trail.

You can buy a license for any of these parks or WMAs from the state, and you can also see anhingas and other fascinating wildlife on our water trails.

Or come along on upcoming WWALS outings: Continue reading →

Redoux Suwannee River Roline to Cypress Creek, 2016-09-03

Update 2016-09-04: “We’re on for Monday morning! River excellent condition,” says expedition leader Phil Hubbard.

Update 2016-09-02: Delayed until 10AM Monday 5th September due to aftereffects of Hurricane Hermine.

Update 2016-09-01: Watching Tropical Storm Hermine.

More people want to go after the pictures and reports from a few weeks ago, so WWALS has scheduled a redo from Roline to Cypress Creek on the iconic Suwannee River in north Florida. Also with a slightly later start this time; more convenient for far-away folks.

When: 10AM Saturday September 3rd 2016

Put in: Roline Launch, 30°33’51.0″N 82°43’30.6″W or 30.564185, -82.725167

Duration: 7.5 miles, about 4 hours.

Events: facebook, meetup.

Directions: Continue reading →

Map: Okefenokee-Osceola Longleaf Pine Restoration Priority Area

The idea is to stop wildfires coming out of the Okefenokee Swamp as they encounter a one-mile buffer Map of longleaf pine that has already had regular prescribed burns, according to Hunter Bowman, who sent this map of where the Okefenokee-Osceola Local Implementation Team works.

I live 60 miles west of that new buffer, yet I remember vividly the smoke from the 2007 fires, which even put people in the hospital farther west in Quitman, GA. All that smoke, not to mention runoff from the burned area, can’t be good for our waters.

A large image of the map is below, and PDF is on the WWALS website. As you can see, the Suwannee River above Fargo is entirely within the subject area, Continue reading →

Roline to Cypress Creek, Suwannee River, 2016-08-13

Join us for a summer morning paddle on the iconic Suwannee River in Florida.

Shuttle When: 8AM Saturday August 13th 2016

Put in: Roline Launch, 30°33’51.0″N 82°43’30.6″W or 30.564185, -82.725167

Directions: From Jasper: east on CR 6 approx. 15 miles, left on Woodpecker Rd. (Dirt) about 3 miles, follow sign to launch.

Take out: Cypress Creek South Launch

Duration: 7.5 miles, about 4 hours.

Events: facebook, meetup.

Shuttle: Continue reading →

Map of American Rivers by Nelson Minar

Here’s a map of all rivers in the U.S. by Nelson Minar. Lower 48 U.S. It actually covers the lower 48 states and is pretty impressive at that scale. Plus you can zoom in.

Gulf and south Atlantic

Here you can see rivers running to the Gulf start all the way up Continue reading →