Update 219-10-30: The winners.
We’ll announce the winners soon. Meanwhile, here are some pictures of the Second Annual WWALS Boomerang.
![[Around the bend, 30.63533, -83.30991]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2019-10-26--pictures-wwals-boomerang/around-the-bend.jpg)
Around the bend, 30.6353300, -83.3099100
Special thanks to Hamilton County, Florida, Commissioner Beth Burnam for welcoming all the paddlers to Florida. Continue reading
Update 2019-11-22: Some pictures.
Join us to clean up trash at Nankin Boat Ramp in Lowndes County, Georgia. Bring a boat and join us paddling down the Withlacoochee River, continuing cleanuing up. We will stop at second-magnitude McIntyre Spring in Brooks County, Georgia, which should be flowing fine about now. Thanks to special permission from Madison County, Florida, we will take a few vehicles down to the river at the end of the Four Freedoms Trail to collect an abandoned canoe and other items, and we will take out there.
When: Gather 9:00 AM, launch 10 AM, Saturday, November 16, 2019
Put In: Nankin Boat Ramp, 6899 Clyattville-Nankin Rd, Valdosta, GA 31601, in Lowndes County.
Take Out: Four Freedoms Trail, NE Peppermint Trail, Pinetta, FL, Madison County.
Bring: the usual personal flotation device, boat paddles, food, drinking water, warm clothes, and first aid kit. Also trash pickers and trash bags: every WWALS outing is also a cleanup, especially this one.
Free: This outing is free to WWALS members, and $10 (ten dollars) for non-members. We recommend you support the work of WWALS by becoming a WWALS member today!
![[Upstream, 2019:10:17 15:59:44, 30.6294432, -83.3186451]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2019-10-17--four-freedoms-trail-withlacoochee-river/20191017_155944.jpg)
Photo: John S Quarterman, Upstream under the abandoned railroad trestle, at the end of Four Freedoms Trail, 2019:10:17 15:59:44, 30.6294432, -83.3186451
Join us for a leisurely sunset paddle at our mini-Okefenokee, the Banks Lake National Wildlife Refuge, to watch sun set and the full moon rise. The moon will rise at 6:02 p.m. and if the skies are clear we will watch the full moon slowly rise above the tree tops and shine across the water. We will also paddle near a dead tree bat house and hopefully watch bats emerge from the tree just after sunset.
You must have a light for your boat or some type of light to have on yourself (glow sticks work well, or head lamp, flashlight, etc.) so other boaters can see you in the dark. It will be totally dark after sunset.
When: Gather 4:30 PM, launch 5 PM, Tuesday, November 12, 2019
Put In: Banks Lake Boat Ramp, 307 Georgia 122, Lakeland, GA 31635.
Take Out: Banks Lake Boat Ramp
Bring: the usual personal flotation device, boat paddles, food, drinking water, warm clothes, first aid kit, and lights: it will be dark.
Also trash pickers and trash bags: every WWALS outing is also a cleanup.
Kayaks are available to borrow but please let us know at least 2 days prior to the event.
Free: This outing is free to WWALS members, and $10 (ten dollars) for non-members. We recommend you support the work of WWALS by becoming a WWALS member today!
![[Ripples]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2019-07-16--banks-lake-moon/20190716_213729.jpg)
Ripples in moonglow. Photo: John S. Quarterman, Banks Lake, 2019-07-16.
Update 2021-06-24:
Suwannee River Sill, Griffis Fish Camp 2019-12-08
Kayak Raffle Drawing 2019-12-07
Come camp at Griffis Fish Camp Friday, paddle 14 miles to Fargo Saturday, camp again, and paddle 7.5 miles Sunday from Stephen C. Foster State Park in the Okefenokee Swamp, back to camp, all on the blackwater Suwannee River. And see the drawing for the kayak raffle for a Perception Swifty Deluxe 95 Angler Sit Inside Kayak!
Photo: Gretchen Quarterman for WWALS.
WWALS Kayak Raffle Drawing at Griffis Fish Camp, 2018-12-09.
When:
4:00 PM Friday, December 6, 2019, camp at Griffis Fish Camp
9:00 AM Saturday, December 7, 2019, paddle down to Fargo Ramp
8:30 AM Sunday, December 8, 2019, paddle from Stephen C. Foster State Park Ramp back to camp
Where:
Griffis Fish Camp, 10333 Ga Highway 177 Fargo, Georgia 31631, in Clinch County.
From Fargo, travel south on US 441 to CR 177; turn left and travel 10 miles northeast; Griffis Fish Camp is on left.
GPS: 30.728505, -82.4436
![[Sandy Suwannee downstream from Tatum Creek by John S. Quarterman, 12:04:13, 30.7161810, -82.5134767]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2019-10-05--suwannee-river/suwannee-river-downstream.jpg)
Sandy Suwannee downstream from Tatum Creek by John S. Quarterman for WWALS, on Southwings flight, pilot Allen Nodorft, 2019-10-05 12:04:13, 30.7161810, -82.5134767
Bring: You must wear a PFD and have a tow rope. Also boat, paddles, food, drinking water, warm clothes, and first aid kit. Also trash pickers and trash bags: every WWALS outing is also a cleanup.
Free: This outing is free to WWALS members, and $10 (ten dollars) for non-members for each day. So if you paddle Saturday and Sunday and you are not a member, that will be $20. Becoming a member is only $25…. We recommend you support the work of WWALS by becoming a WWALS member today!
Park fees:
Griffis Fish Camp charges for camping or river put-in.
There is a $5 park entry fee at Stephen C. Foster State Park.
Camping:
If you want to camp at the State Park, reserve well in advance through
ReserveAmerica.
If you don’t want to camp, there are cabins at the State Park,
and the nearby Eco-Lodge has heated hotel rooms.
Event: facebook, meetup Continue reading
Today, October 15, 2019, is the last day for $20 early bird tickets for the WWALS Boomerang Paddle Race from Georgia into Florida and back again. After midnight, the price goes up to $30.
Photo: Jay Blanton of Georgia Photography Fanatic.
Everybody still at WWALS Boomerang after the awards, 2018-11-03.
Everything about WWALS Boomerang 2019 is here:
https://wwals.net/pictures/2019-10-26–boomerang/
Shirley Kokidko, taking out at Banks Lake, where we will paddle tonight to see the sun set and the full moon rise. It’s free to WWALS members, and only $10 per person for non-members. Boats will be available at the lake for free rental from NWXpeditions.
Follow the link for details about this evening’s outing. Continue reading
Tuesday, October 15, 2019, is the last day for $20 early bird tickets for the WWALS Boomerang Paddle Race from Georgia into Florida and back again.
If you are one of the many lucky winners, you will get one of these tumblers with the Boomerang logo on it:
Thanks to Fishing Tackle Outlet on Madison Highway for becoming a sponsor. You or your organization can also sponsor the WWALS Boomerang. Sponsors get their name and logo on a banner, in announcements, and in flyers, with various other perks at different levels of sponsorship.
Everything about WWALS Boomerang 2019 is here:
https://wwals.net/pictures/2019-10-26–boomerang/
Join us for a Full Moon paddle and star gazing at Banks Lake National Wildlife Refuge. This is a leisurely paddle around the refuge that lies in the Grand Bay–Banks Lake ecosystem, in the Alapaha River Water Trail (ARWT).
When: Gather 5:45 PM, launch 6:15 PM, Sunday, October 13, 2019
Put In: Banks Lake Boat Ramp, 307 Georgia 122, Lakeland, GA 31635.
Take Out: Banks Lake Boat Ramp
Bring: the usual personal flotation device, boat paddles, food, drinking water, warm clothes, and first aid kit.
Also trash pickers and trash bags: every WWALS outing is also a cleanup.
And a light!
It’s going to be dark.
Free: This outing is free to WWALS members, and $10 (ten dollars) for non-members. We recommend you support the work of WWALS by becoming a WWALS member today!
![[Yellow]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2019-07-16--banks-lake-moon/20190716_202707.jpg)
Yellow Sunset
Photo: John S. Quarterman, sun setting at
Banks Lake, July 16, 2019.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Valdosta, GA, September 16, 2019 — Two outfitters will have boats for free rental; thanks, NWXpeditions and VSU Core! Or bring your own, of course. Again this year, Boy Scouts of America, South Georgia Council, will be there. TNT Hot Dogs will have food, and paddlers each get a ticket for a beer at Georgia Beer Company. “There’s still time for more sponsors to sign up!” said Boomerang mastermind Bobby McKenzie, “And you can wear your Halloween costumes!”
“This is the sort of cross-state-line ecotourism all the local counties say they want to promote, maybe including some friendly Georgia-Florida rivalry,” said Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman, “Paddle racing and leisurely paddling on the idyllic blackwater Withlacoochee River. Plenty of water, no deadfalls, plus shoals!”
Gathering at 11AM, Saturday, October 26, 2019, at State Line Ramp in Georgia, we will paddle into Florida, with staggered starts for turnarounds at 1, 2, and 3 miles, then back to where we started.
Tickets are $20 until October 15th, then $30.
Vendor space is free for nonprofits vested in conservation or stewardship of our waters. There is a $20 fee for for-profit vendors, and because it’s a park a selling permit is required. Thanks to Valdosta-Lowndes County Parks & Recreation Authority (VLPRA) for use of State Line Boat Ramp.
Sponsors get their name and logo on a banner, in announcements, and in flyers, with various other perks at different levels of sponsorship.
Everything about WWALS Boomerang 2019 is here:
https://wwals.net/pictures/2019-10-26–boomerang/
Join us for a Full Moon paddle and star gazing at Banks Lake National Wildlife Refuge. This is a leisurely paddle around the refuge that lies in the Grand Bay–Banks Lake ecosystem. This will also be nine days before the Fall Equinox, so day and night will be almost as equal as they ever get.
When: Gather 6:30 PM, launch 7:00 PM, Saturday, September 14, 2019
Put In: Banks Lake Boat Ramp, 307 Georgia 122, Lakeland, GA 31635.
Take Out: Banks Lake Boat Ramp
Bring: the usual personal flotation device, boat paddles, food, drinking water, warm clothes, and first aid kit.
Also trash pickers and trash bags: every WWALS outing is also a cleanup.
And a light!
It’s going to be dark.
Free: This outing is free to WWALS members, and $10 (ten dollars) for non-members. We recommend you support the work of WWALS by becoming a WWALS member today!
![[Almost]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2019-07-16--banks-lake-moon/20190716_200806.jpg)
Photo: John S. Quarterman, sun setting at
Banks Lake, July 16, 2019.
![[Loading boat]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2019-10-12--banks-lake/20191012_135744.jpg)
![[Boomerang logo on tumbler]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2019-10-26--boomerang/tumbler.jpg)
![[Flyer]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2019-10-26--boomerang/WWALS-Boomerang-Flyer-2019-0001.jpg)