Tag Archives: river

GAGives and WWALS –VDT 2022-11-23

Brittanye Blake, Valdosta Daily Times, November 23, 2022, GAgives reaches out to S.Ga nonprofits,

Advocacy, donations, music –Gretchen Quarterman, WWALS E.D. @ Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest 2022

They quoted WWALS Executive Director Gretchen Quarterman, “ We have a lot to be thankful for in our area with these rivers and growing community of people to realize their value so we are hoping that the community to share their resources to help support us. We are grateful for everyone who supports us because $10 a month or more to a nonprofit truly goes a long way.”

You can donate here all month, not just Tuesday:
https://www.gagives.org/story/6xgv8g

Also, facebook offers, “Become a recurring donor and Meta will match your donation up to $100 dollars.”
https://www.facebook.com/donate/832066994758500/832067008091832/

VALDOSTA — Georgia Center for Nonprofits hosts the 11th year of GAgives on GivingTuesday to provide nonprofits a platform for donations.
Continue reading →

Florida Right to Clean Water: get petition signatures for court review 2022-11-10

Update 2023-04-01: Florida Right to Hunt and Fish breezing through legislature towards 2024 ballot 2023-03-27.

Floridians, now’s the time to get the petition through the first hurdle: Florida Supreme Court review by March 1, 2023. 223,000 signatures is doable if enough people help.

If you’re a registered Florida voter, go here and sign the petition:
https://www.floridarighttocleanwater.org/

And join the campaign:
https://www.floridarighttocleanwater.org/uniteforcleanwater

Individuals, groups, businesses, or non-profits: all can help get constitutional protection for our rivers, creeks, springs, sinks and swamps, not to mention drinking water.

More about Right to Clean Water in Florida and Georgia here:
https://wwals.net/issues/right-to-clean-water/

-jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

You can join this fun and work by becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations/

Headliner Sweet William Billy Ennis @ Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest 2022-08-20

Thanks, Sweet William Billy Ennis, for winning last year and returning this year to headline the Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest.

Dying Man Blues –Sweet William Billy Ennis

Here’s a WWALS video playlist: 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 →

Videos: Suwannee Riverkeeper on WWALS Boomerang on Scott James Radio 2022-10-18

On the Scott James radio show Tuesday, he and Suwannee Riverkeeper talked about the WWALS Boomerang paddle race, coming up tomorrow morning, Saturday, October 22, 2022, at State Line Boat Ramp.

https://wwals.net/pictures/boomerang2022

Movie: WWALS Boomerang paddle race, State Line Ramp, Withlacoochee River 2022-10-22

Follow this link https://youtu.be/CIoEFysSwM0 for that video. Continue reading →

Pictures: Alapaha Station Celebration 2019-11-09

2019 was the last year the Alapaha Station Celebration was held, and WWALS was there for the sixth year running.

WWALS E.D. Gretchen Quarterman, Berrien County photographer Wenda Gaile Bailey, WWALS booth

Yes, it’s back this year, 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. We will be back there. Stay tuned. WWALS at Alapaha Station Celebration 2022-11-12. Continue reading →

Pictures: Chainsaw Cleanup Withlacoochee River 2022-10-16

Update 2023-05-19: Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River, 2023-06-24.

There must be a better way to order pizza.

Start, chainsaws, pizza, sandbars

The good news: we did get pizza delivered on the river during the Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River 2022-10-16. We cleared many logjams. Some of them we had sawed at higher water levels several times before. It seemed like we were a relix rock band doing a greatest hit tour. And at twelve hours we beat our record of taking longer than expected.

Our advice if you want to try paddling this stretch with the water this low (3.6′ or 113.8′ NAVD88) on the US 41 (North Valdosta Road) USGS Gauge?

Don’t.

Not unless you want to drag your boat much of the way. Also, stock up on magnesium and vitamin C for the muscle cramps. Continue reading →

Pictures: Banks Lake Full Hunters Moon 2022-10-09

Bonus Jupiter above and to the right of the full moon, at Banks Lake Saturday.

Banners, paddlers, sunset, moonrise

This expedition was honoring Farmers and First Responders, got in free. Phil Royce spoke up for First Responders, but he’s a WWALS member, so he got in free anyway. I’m a Farmer, but I had relatives back at the farm, so I didn’t paddle.

Thanks to novice expedition leaders Scotti Jay and Nic Cole for leading this one. And to Elizabeth Brunner for mentoring them.

Special thanks to Nic Cole for paddling back in with the key to get gear for three latecomers. Everybody please remember to show up on time. Continue reading →

Agenda: WWALS Quarterly Board Meeting 2022-10-09

Here is the agenda and zoom parameters for the WWALS Quarterly Board Meeting, new WWALS President Sara Jay presiding. The public is invited.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89308028204?pwd=VmwyMzVTMVR6WGJxbUFUSlFXWFRWQT09

One tap mobile: +13092053325,,89308028204#,,,,*392346#

We will be discussing the WWALS Boomerang Paddle Race, Chairman and Mayor’s Paddle, Songwriting Contest, trash, outings, water quality testing, opposition to mines, water withdrawals, coal ash, pellet plants, and LNG export, as well as promotion of water trails and solar power, and of course finances.

That’s for the entire 10,000 square mile Suwannee River Basin, in Georgia and Florida, including the Withlacoochee, Willacoochee, Alapaha, Alapahoochee, Little times two, New times two, Santa Fe, and Suwannee Rivers, and all their creeks, springs, sinks, ponds, and swamps, such as Grand Bay, Banks Lake and the Okefenokee Swamp.

When: 8 AM – 10 AM, Sunday, October 9, 2022

Where: Online via zoom, so you don’t even have to go anywhere.

All pages
PDF

Continue reading →

GA-DNR Board does not discuss mining near Okefenokee Swamp 2022-09-27

Nobody said anything new about the titanium strip mine proposed near the Okefenokee Swamp, when the Board of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources met at the Stephen C. Foster State Park Eco-Lodge, just outside the Okefenokee Swamp, in Fargo, Georgia.

But you can tell Georgia legislators and candidates in the election that a majority of Georgians say the state should immediately protect the Swamp from mining, according to a recent poll.
www.protectgeorgia.org/okefenokee

DNR Board and Twin Pines dragline

Citizens were not allowed to speak to the Board. But you can send them a message:
https://wwals.net/issues/titanium-mining/#howtocomment

Floridians, you can write to GA-DNR, too, telling them part of the Okefenokee Swamp is in Florida, and anything that affects it will affect the Suwannee River of the Florida State Song.
TwinPines.Comment@dnr.ga.gov

Former Valdosta City Council member John Eunice, now Assistand Director of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, basically recited Continue reading →

WWALS Watershed Coalition (WWALS) is Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

A healthy watershed with clean, swimmable, fishable, drinkable water.