Update 2022-12-23: Videos: Troupville Nature Park and River Camp, Trash, Cleanups –Helen Tapp & Suwannee Riverkeeper @ Scott James Radio 2022-12-15.
Suwannee Riverkeeper will talk trash, parks, creeks, and rivers on Scott James Talk 92.1 FM radio tomorrow morning, Thursday, 8:30 AM.
![[Withlacoochee River cleanup, Radio, Troupville park land purchase, Langdale Park trail clearing]](https://wwals.net/pictures/2022-12-15--scott-james-radio/many.jpg)
Withlacoochee River cleanup, Radio, Troupville park land purchase, Langdale Park trail clearing
Topics discussed will probably include: Continue reading
Floridians, please sign the petition to get a constitutional amendment on the ballot for the Right to Clean and Healthy Water.
Last week the organizers held a webinar to explain how they plan to get enough signatures to trigger the necessary Florida Supreme Court review.
We know WHY we need a constitutional amendment to establish a fundamental right to clean and healthy waters.
We know WHAT it says and WHAT it does.
Now, join us as we present HOW like-minded Floridians will #UniteForCleanWater in the next three months to achieve our petition signature objectives by March 1st, 2023.
Sign up here: https://forms.gle/dyLR3gTKkDkdti2w5
Learn more here: www.FloridaRightToCleanWater.org
Here is the video: Continue reading
At its annual Fall meeting, the Georgia Water Coalition members unanimously adopted this Right to Clean Water (RTCW) policy:
Georgia should adopt a constitutional amendment to the state Bill of Rights establishing that each person has an inherent and inalienable constitutional right to clean and healthy air, soil, and surface and underground water, to support substantial interests, including human health, safety and welfare, native fish and wildlife, conservation of natural resources, outdoor recreation, and aesthetic values throughout the State.
This new policy will be visible online among some other new ones when the 2023 GWC Report appears among the earlier policy documents.
What does this mean? Continue reading
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/
![[Unite for Clean Water flyer]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2022-11-10--rtcw-fl/big/Unite-for-Clean-Water-flyer.jpg)
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/
This is not a WWALS event, but it sounds fun and we support it. Of the many specific events by GA-DNR Wildlife Resources Division, one is at Paradise Public Fishing Area in our Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail. That’s east of Tifton on US 82, near Enigma, in Berrien County, Georgia.
Since the voters approved it in 2006, Georgia has a right of hunting and fishing, in the state Bill of Rights, up there with freedom of speech:
Georgia Constitution, Article I, Section 1, Paragraph XXVIII, The tradition of fishing and hunting and the taking of fish and wildlife shall be preserved for the people and shall be managed by law and regulation for the public good.
Now we can add a Right to Clean Water so fish and wildlife (and people) will have a healthy environment in which to live.
It was standing room only, as presenters from India, Bangladesh, Colombia, and the U.S. (me) discussed different approaches to rights to clean water and problems such rights might solve, in a panel at the Waterkeeper Alliance Global Conference 2022, Saturday, June 11, 2022, in Washington, DC.
Update 2022-06-16: Fixed typo (Colombia, not Ecuador).
Many thanks to Rodrigo de la O, Maule Itata Coastkeeper, Chile, for using my phone to video the session.
And congratulations, Rodrigo, on winning the Terry Backer award!
Below are the videos of each presenter and some questions. First a video playlist, then individual videos with a few more pictures.
Here’s a WWALS video playlist:
Continue readingUpdate 2022-11-10: Florida Right to Clean Water: get petition signatures for court review 2022-11-10.
The Florida statewide petition for Right to Clean and Healthy Water (RTCW) is online now at https://www.floridarighttocleanwater.org
![[www.floridarighttocleanwater.org/]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2022-05-01--fl-rtcw-petition/floridarighttocleanwater.jpg)
www.floridarighttocleanwater.org/
Please go there to print and sign and return the petition.
For why, see the preceding press conference: Videos: Florida Right to Clean Water, Poe Springs Park 2022-04-21.
-jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®
You can join this fun and work by becoming a WWALS member today!
The presentation was solid, and the discussion was enlightening. Please watch and send us feedback.
The slides are on the WWALS website.
Here is the zoom video of the WWALS webinar about Rights to Clean Water for Georgia, Tuesday, April 19, 2022, from 7:00 to 8:00 PM Eastern Time.
-jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®
You can join this fun and work by becoming a WWALS member today!
Update 2022-05-01: Florida petition online now for Right to Clean and Healthy Waters 2022-05-01.
Five of us spoke about the new Florida Right to Clean and Healthy Waters (RTCW) statewide petition for a constitutional amendment. We said saying extraordinary problems demand extraordinary solutions, water supports everything, RTCW is needed like the First Amendment, flow and nitrates in the Santa Fe River and springs need RTCW, and drinking water needs RTCW.
That press conference at Poe Springs Park on the Santa Fe River was covered by CBS4 News out of Gainesville. Here is the TV news story, WWALS video of the speakers, and the full text of the petition amendment.
Julianne Amaya, CBS4, Gainesville, Florida, Thursday, April 21, 2022, Petition calls for ‘rights to clean and healthy waters’ in Florida, Continue reading
Update 2022-04-24: Videos: Constitutional Right to Clean Water for Georgia, WWALS Webinar 2022-04-19
Hahira, Georgia, April 5, 2022 — Trying to protect clean water with current laws and regulations is like trying to defend free speech without the First Amendment. Montana, Pennsylvania, and just last year New York have enshrined Rights to Clean Water, Air, Land, and a Healthy Environment (RTCW) in their constitutions alongside free speech and other basic rights. Florida has a statewide petition signing right now for the 2024 ballot. How can Georgia get RTCW into its constitution? Why should it? And what would such an amendment consist of? This webinar explores those questions. We invite your participation and feedback.
The zoom meeting will be Tuesday, April 19, 2022, from 7:00 to 8:00 PM Eastern Time.
Register in advance for this meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcldeGqqDkvHdc3RUptCbwuKzxkpmzfb4-U
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Continue reading
![[Unite for Clean Water Kickoff]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2022-12-01--fl-rtcw/big/2022-12-01--unite-for-clean-water-kickoff.jpg)
![[Georgia RTCW Logo]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2022-11-09--gwc-rtcw-policy/ga-rtcw-logo.jpg){kind=logo}
![[Logo, Map]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2022-09-24--nhfdayga-dnr/many.jpg)
![[Presenters and Questions]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2022-06-11--rtcw-wka-videos/many.jpg)
![[Speakers, RTCW]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2022-04-19--wwals-rtcw-webinar/videos.jpg)
![[RTCW, Poe Springs]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2022-04-21--poe-springs-fl-rtcw-pictures/many.jpg)
![[RTCW, Speakers]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2022-04-19--wwals-rtcw-webinar/many.jpg)