Tag Archives: south Georgia

Last call: Wednesday, August 13, 2025, for songs for the Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest

Hahira, Georgia, August 7, 2025 — We’ve got some songs, but we’d like yours. The new last day to send your song is Wednesday, August 13, for the 2025 Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest.

Here’s a link to the entry form, or follow the QR code below:
https://forms.gle/LfXFBVESipd231Dr7

[Flyer: Songwriting Contest]

Organizing Committee Chair Sara Squires Jones said, “That song you’ve been polishing: now’s the time! If you are not musically inclined you can still become a sponsor to help us clean up our local waterways.”

The Eighth Annual Finals will be held at the WWALS River Revue, an indoor fundraising dinner, to benefit WWALS Watershed Coalition, with an evening of food, drink, speakers from Georgia and Florida, a silent auction, the music of a headliner and the Songwriting Contest Finalists. That’s 5-9 PM, Saturday, September 6, 2025, at the Turner Center for the Arts in Valdosta, Georgia.

Tickets are $65 each.
https://app.betterunite.com/WWALS-wwalsriverrevue2025

WWALS Membership Director Janet Martin said, “Your ticket or sponsorship helps support everything WWALS does, from water quality tests, paddle outings and swimming & boating lessons, to chainsaw cleanups, and beyond to advocacy to stop trash at its sources, strip mines, and pipelines. We work for water trails, solar power, and Right to Clean Water, with growing engagement for youth and marginalized communities.” Continue reading

WTXL on Wainwright Drive One Mile Branch sewage spill 2025-08-05

I’ve added some information to Malia’s report, so you’ll know what she was looking at.

Malia Thomas, WTXL, 2025-08-05, Valdosta sewage spill renews concern after second overflow hits creek in under a month: Another sewage spill near Sugar Creek sparks urgency as Valdosta faces decades-old infrastructure strain

VALDOSTA, GA. (WTXL) — Another sewer spill in Valdosta—this time small, but still stirring concern.

[Wainwright Drive sewage spill on WTXL TV 2025-08-05, into One Mile Branch, at site of many previous spills]
Wainwright Drive sewage spill on WTXL TV 2025-08-05, into One Mile Branch, at site of many previous spills

  • Monday’s spill released up to 1,000 gallons into Sugar Creek [actually, into One Mile Branch, which flows to Sugar Creek, then the Withlacoochee River to the Suwannee -jsq], which connects to the Suwannee River system.
  • Since April 2024, over 409,000 gallons of raw sewage have spilled from the same Wainwright Dr. location.
  • Watch the video to hear from neighbors and the city’s plan of action.
Continue reading

Withdraw both Interim Final Rules about NEPA –many to USACE 2025-08-04

The Great God Efficiency is no excuse to abolish public input and harm public health, safety, and wildlife habitats.

This objection letter may or may not have much effect, but we can be sure that not objecting would grease the railroad these rules changes are riding on.

On behalf of our millions of members and supporters nationwide, the 135 undersigned organizations write in strong opposition to the Army Corps of Engineers’ Interim Final Rules Implementing the National Environmental Policy Act for its civil works (COE-2025-007) and regulatory (COE-2025-006) programs. These rules will silence public input, erode public health and safety, and harm vital and cherished wildlife habitats across the country.

These Interim Final Rules bear no relation to improving efficiencies in project delivery. To the contrary, they will lead to inefficient, inconsistent, and inadequate NEPA reviews that will further undermine agency decision-making and the public’s trust in project decisions. The Interim Final Rules functionally repeal essential NEPA protections, including eliminating the most basic safeguards for meaningful public input. They make a mockery of the Corps’ stated purpose of aligning the NEPA regulations with current law.1 And they fail to provide any guidance at all on multiple, critical NEPA requirements.

You can read the reasons in the PDF. Images of each page are below.

[Withdraw both Interim Final Rules about NEPA --many to USACE, August 4, 2025]
Withdraw both Interim Final Rules about NEPA –many to USACE, August 4, 2025

Conclusion

For at least the reasons highlighted above, our organizations urge the Corps to withdraw both Interim Final Rules, and in their place issue regulations that properly implement the National Environmental Policy Act.

Continue reading

WWALS River Revue, Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest on The Spotlight Show, Talk92.1 FM 2025-08-07

Join us on The Spotlight Show on talk921.com at 6 PM, Thursday, August 7, 2025.

Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman and “Diamond” Jim Halter will talk about the WWALS River Revue with the Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest, September 6, 2025, plus chainsaw cleanups, the Okefenokee Swamp, Springs and Rivers, and water quality testing.

[Spotlight Radio 2025-08-07: WWALS River Revue and Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest]
Spotlight Radio 2025-08-07: WWALS River Revue and Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest

Event: https://www.facebook.com/events/760143599756568/

For more WWALS outings and events, see:
https://wwals.net/outings

 -jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®

You can help with clean, swimmable, fishable, drinkable, water in the 10,000-square-mile Suwannee River Basin in Florida and Georgia by becoming a WWALS member today!
https://wwals.net/donations/

Social, bonfire at Janet’s, 2025-12-12

Join us for a cozy Meet & Greet Bonfire with the WWALS Watershed Coalition! This relaxed evening is a chance to connect with fellow members, meet new faces, and warm up around the fire. We’ll chat about upcoming outings, share updates on our advocacy work, and enjoy good food and great company.

When: 6 PM, Friday, December 12, 2025

Put In: Janet Martin, 3892 Hickory Grove Rd N, Valdosta, GA 31606

[WWALS Social, bonfire at Janet's, near Mud Swamp Creek, above Alapahoochee River]
WWALS Social, bonfire at Janet’s, near Mud Swamp Creek, above Alapahoochee River

Continue reading

Pictures: More Chainsaw Cleanup, Langdale Park, Withlacoochee River 2025-07-31

We went back to where we stopped the previous trip, and got the deadfalls about a 1/3 of a mile down the Withlacoochee River from Langdale Park Boat Ramp. Yes, we’re still clearing passage through deadfalls (trees across the river) from Hurricane Helene.

[Pictures: More Chainsaw Cleanup, Langdale Park 2025-07-31, Withlacoochee River, Very hot that day]
Pictures: More Chainsaw Cleanup, Langdale Park 2025-07-31, Withlacoochee River, Very hot that day

We used the Old Town Camper canoe donated to WWALS by Bob and Sue Raffaele.

This may be the fewest pictures I’ve ever posted from an outing, because it’s hard to photograph while paddling or chainsawing.

We went back again that Sunday, August 3; stay tuned for a report. Continue reading

PSA: Send your song by Wednesday for Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest 2025-08-04

Update 2025-08-07: Last call: Wednesday, August 13, 2025, for songs for the Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest 2025-08-07.

Like Billy says, send your song by this Wednesday, August 6, 2025, for the Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest. Here is the Entry Form:
https://forms.gle/LfXFBVESipd231Dr7

[PSA: Send your song by Wednesday, August 6, 2025, for Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest]
PSA: Send your song by Wednesday, August 6, 2025, for Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest

The organizing committee will decide on Finalists within a week after all the songs are in.

The Finals will be Saturday, September 6, 2025, at WWALS River Revue, Turner Center for the Arts, Valdosta, Georgia.
https://wwals.net/pictures/songwriting2025/

Here’s Billy’s PSA:
https://youtu.be/q6iViaKOYNk Continue reading

Franklinville Cleanup, Withlacoochee River, 2025-08-16

Clean up trash in the Withlacoochee River from Franklinville Landing in hardwood floodplain for about a mile downstream, past Cat Creek.

This is mostly a walking cleanup.

If you want to bring a kayak or canoe, those could also be useful, although you’re probably going to be dragging them a bit.

We have the enthusiastic support of the landowner.

[Franklinville Cleanup, Withlacoochee River 2025-08-16, A mile of river frontage, Hardwood floodplain]
Franklinville Cleanup, Withlacoochee River 2025-08-16, A mile of river frontage, Hardwood floodplain

Per our usual arrangement, Lowndes County Public Works will come get the trash after we bag it and set it on the public road right of way. We will also visit the nearby monument to Franklinville, which was the county seat of Lowndes County before Valdosta and before Troupville.

When: 9 AM, Saturday, August 16, 2025

Put In: Franklinville Landing, 6560 Franklinville Road, Hahira, GA 31632, in Lowndes County. From Skipper Bridge Road, go east on Franklinville Road to Tyler Bridge, which is closed.

GPS: 30.981249, -83.268027 Continue reading

Bradford Road Rezoning in Berrien County, GA, Land Development Districts 2025-08-21

Thanks to Berrien County, Georgia, Zoning Administrator Teresa Willis for calling to discuss the proposed rezoning on Bradford Road.

[Bradford Road Rezoning, in Berrien County, GA, Land Development Districts, AU agricultural use]
Bradford Road Rezoning

She noted the current zoning is in the last map in the packet she previously sent:

[Map: Zoning map with recently purchased tracts in yellow]
Map: Zoning map with recently purchased tracts in yellow
PDF

Zoom in and look for the letters AU in black on the dark blue background. The entire area is zoned AU, which is for agricultural use.

She does not know what the proposed rezoning is, since the applicant has not sent further materials, and it is possible he may not do so until the day of the Planning Commission Public Hearing.

She said the housing subdivision he proposes does not necessarily require a rezoning. However, as I pointed out in the previous post, that would not really fit with the Comprehensive Plan.

She also sent an extract from the Berrien County Land Development Code with all the zoning district names. Continue reading

Bradford Road rezoning, Berrien County, GA 2025-08-21

Update 2025-08-01: Actually, they did send a zoning map, if you know how to look at it. Bradford Road Rezoning in Berrien County, GA, Land Development Districts 2025-08-21.
https://wwals.net/?p=68096

It’s not clear how none or more house lots of about 2.25 acres fit the Berrien County Comprehensive Plan Strategy for an Agriculture Character Area: “Preserve the rural/agricultural character of these areas by maintaining very low-density residential development primarily accessory to farm operations and large lot sizes.”

The Planning Commission Public Hearing is August 21, and the County Commission Public Hearing is September 2, both at 201 North Davis Street, Nashville, GA 31639.

A previous Public Hearing was mysteriously cancelled.

Yet we hear the developer had already commenced laying out lots. If that is true, it seems odd, to say the least.

[Bradford Road rezoning, Berrien County, GA, Withlacoochee River, Gin Creek Branch, 5:30 PM, Thursday, August 21, 2025]
Bradford Road rezoning, Berrien County, GA, Withlacoochee River, Gin Creek Branch, 5:30 PM, Thursday, August 21, 2025

There is a petition against this rezoning.
https://chng.it/kKDVsN92xT

You can call or write Berrien County or come to the Public Hearings.

Speaking of which, what is the proposed rezoning? I thank Bradford County staff for sending the board packet in response to a WWALS Open Records request. But I don’t see in it any indication of what the proposed rezoning is. Nothing in the board packet says what is the proposed action.

I also do not see a zoning map, nor a future zoning map for after rezoning. And there is no zoning map on the Berrien County Commission website that I can find.

That board packet is on the WWALS website.

See also 2025 Comprehensive Plan Update, Berrien County & Cities of Alapaha, Enigma, Nashville, and Ray City.

Here is the applicant’s survey map. Continue reading