Tag Archives: paddle

Free boat rental at WWALS Boomerang, from Georgia to Florida and Back Again 2019-10-26

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!”

[Flyer]
Flyer
PDF

“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/

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WWALS Boomerang: Paddle and a Pint, from Georgia to Florida and Back Again 2019-08-08

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Valdosta, GA, August 8, 2019 — Join us for a fun filled day of paddle racing and leisurely paddling on the idyllic blackwater Withlacoochee River. Plenty of water, no deadfalls, plus shoals! We will paddle from State Line Ramp in Georgia, with staggered starts for turnarounds in Florida at 1, 2, and 3 miles, then back to where we started. Tickets are $20 until October 15th, then $30.

“Sign up to race and get a beer for participating!” said Boomerang mastermind Bobby McKenzie. “Thanks to Georgia Beer Company!”

Vendors vested in conservation or stewardship of our waters already signed up include VSU CORE, Boy Scouts, and TNT Hot Dogs. Nonprofit vendors are free, and $20 fee for for-profit vendors.

“This is good ecotourism for Lowndes and Brooks Counties, Georgia, and Hamilton and Madison Counties, Florida,” said Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman. “Maybe we can get a little friendly state-line rivalry going on!”

McKenzie added, “Also another fun opportunity to wear your Halloween Costumes!”

Sponsors get their name and logo on a banner, in announcements, and in flyers, with various other perks at different levels of sponsorship.

[Simple Flyer]
Simple Flyer

Everything about WWALS Boomerang 2019 is here: Continue reading →

Seventh Annual BIG Little River Paddle Race 2019-04-27

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (PDF)

One month before BIG Little River Paddle Race

Hahira, Georgia, March 27, 2019 — It’s one month until the Seventh Annual BIG Little River Paddle Race (BLRPR) in Reed Bingham State Park, between Adel and Moultrie, Georgia. You can just paddle along this scenic stretch of tea-colored river on the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail among cypress, turtles, birds, and yes, alligators. (Don’t pet them and they won’t bother you.) This three-mile race also has fierce competitors, with last year’s winner finishing in barely more than half an hour. Plus lunch, a silent auction, and a kayak raffle, at this family fun sporting event in support of two local nonprofits.


Photo: Bret Wagenhorst, of paddlers in BLRPR 2018

BLRPR mastermind Bret Wagenhorst, an eye doctor in Tifton, GA, and a charter board member of WWALS Watershed Coalition, Inc. (WWALS), said, “You can win in any of a dozen categories: one- or two-person canoe or kayak, male or female or mixed, as well as oldest, youngest, and from farthest away.”

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7th Annual BIG Little River Paddle Race, silent auction, raffle 2019-04-27

You could win in any of a dozen categories. But you are not required to race: it’s a nice spring paddle anyway!

With the silent auction afterwards and a kayak raffle: it’s the seventh annual BIG Little River Paddle Race, a fundraiser for WWALS and Friends of Reed Bingham State Park (FORB).

From the water (BW), Racing
Photo: Bret Wagenhorst, of BLRPR 2018.

Where: Red Roberts Landing
31°11’32.0″N 83°31’13.2″W
Rountree Bridge Road
Between Moultrie and Adel, GA
I-75 Exit 41 (at Sparks) to Rountree Bridge Road

When: 8AM-9AM Registration
9:30 AM Mass Start

Registration: Register on-line Continue reading →

Pictures of all the BLRPR paddlers 2018-04-28

You’ve seen who won the eleven awards. Now here are the rest of the paddlers in the 6th Annual BIG Little River Paddle Race, from more counties, states, and watersheds than ever before. Also more Solo Female Kayaks than Solo Male Kayaks, and several whole families of paddlers.

[Finish]
Finish

Statistics: 2018 BIG Little River Paddle Race

43 Boats 
37 kayaks
6 canoes

49 Paddlers
29 male
20 female Continue reading →

Pictures: BIG Little River Paddle Race 2018-04-28

Update 2018-07-05: All the winners. Update 2018-07-16: All the paddlers.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Hahira, GA, April 29, 2018 — With the first-ever winner from Florida and a new record time, the next two categories one each from Tift and Lowndes Counties, Georgia, and a record number paddlers from 4 to 67 years old, the BIG Little River Paddle Race at Reed Bingham State Park Saturday was a fun time and a successful fundraiser for Friends of Reed Bingham State Park (FORB) and WWALS Watershed Coalition (WWALS).

Trophy, The winner: Lloyd Reeves, Crescent City, FL

Lloyd Reeves drove three hours from Crescent City, Florida, with a very fast kayak, to become the first-ever Florida winner, and he proved himself a winner in another way with the prize.

Trophy, The winner: Lloyd Reeves, Crescent City, FL

In addition to the First Prize trophy, winner Reeves got a hundred dollar bill from race organizer Bret Wagenhorst of WWALS. and a matching hundred dollar bill from Dianne Walters of FORB. Reeves then Continue reading →

Flyer, BIG Little River Paddle Race 2018-04-28

Thanks to Bret Wagenhorst, here’s a printable flyer (PDF) for the Sixth Annual BIG Little River Paddle Race, Saturday, April 28, 2018, at Reed Bingham State Park, between Adel and Moultrie, Georgia.

Paddlers can also register online or (for a bit more) at the event.

Sponsors welcome: get your name or your organization’s name on a banner at the event, mentioned on the radio, etc.

BIG Little River Paddle Race flyer, Page

Sixth Annual
BIG Little River Paddle Race
Saturday, April 28, 2018

Proceeds to benefit Friends of Reed Bingham and WWALS Watershed Coalition,
the Waterkeeper® Alliance Member for the Little River as Suwannee Riverkeeper®

TIME: Continue reading →

6th Annual BIG Little River Paddle Race with silent auction 2018-04-28

Update 2018-03-14: Printable flyer for registration, attracting sponsors, and information.

Will Dwight Griner win like the last five years? Come see if you can beat him for the cash prize. If not, you may still win a medal in any of a dozen categories. And it’s a nice spring paddle anyway!

With the silent auction again afterwards: it’s the fifth annual BIG Little River Paddle Race, a fundraiser for WWALS and Friends of Reed Bingham (FORB). Last year we had 54 paddlers, 31 men and boys, 23 women and girls, from eight Georgia counties. That was more than the previous year’s 34 paddlers. Floridians, come on up and help us set another record for entrants! Georgians, there’s plenty of room on the Little River for more paddlers!

Below the bridge Where: Red Roberts Landing
31°11’32.0″N 83°31’13.2″W
Rountree Bridge Road
Between Moultrie and Adel, GA
I-75 Exit 41 (at Sparks) to Rountree Bridge Road

When: 8AM-9AM On-site Registration
9:30 AM Mass Start
Saturday, April 28, 2018

What: Canoes or Kayaks Only
Life jackets required of all participants.

Let people know: facebook event or the meetup.
But remember to register.

Registration: Register on-line Continue reading →

Adel passes Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail resolution 2018-01-16

Update 2020-10-01: Signed and executed copy.

Thanks, City of Adel, for passing this resolution last Tuesday! The next BIG Little River Paddle Race at Reed Bingham State Park will be April 28, 2018, pending final approval by GA DNR. Meanwhile, come paddle with WWALS from Hagan Bridge (GA 122) to Franklinville on the Withlacoochee River, February 11, 2018.

[Under the cypress]
Photo: Phil Hubbard, Under Reed Bingham State Park cypress at the 2017 BIG Little River Paddle Race.

Text of the resolution (see also PDF)

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Rescheduled: Rivers Alive Cleanup and Paddle Outing, Alapaha River 2017-10-01

Rescheduled due to Tropical Storm Irma: a combination Rivers Alive and Waterkeeper Alliance Cleanup on the enchanting Alapaha River at Pafford Landing, Lakeland, Georgia, plus optional upstream and back paddle afterwards.

When: 2PM, Sunday, October 1, 2017

Where: Pafford’s Landing, MILE 71.73, east of Lakeland, GA, south side of GA 122, into the woods, west side of Alapaha River, Lanier County

GPS: 31.043011, -83.042564

Purple and blue trash on the beach
More pictures of Pafford’s Landing and trash to be picked up here.

Event: facebook, meetup.

Cleanup: Cleanup materials will be provided, but if you’ve got Continue reading →