Tag Archives: south Georgia

WWALS Webinar: Bats of Georgia, including Banks Lake and Douglas –Emily Ferrall, GA-DNR 2024-08-15

Update 2024-08-17: Video: Bats of Georgia, including Banks Lake and Douglas –Emily Ferrall, GA-DNR, A WWALS Webinar 2024-08-15.

Emily Ferrall will give an overview of the bats of Georgia, including species likely to occur at Banks Lake, and she has footage of the Douglas warehouse bats to show. She will mention the acoustic volunteer program.

[WWALS Webinar: Bats of Georgia, Emily Ferrall, GA-DNR 2024-08-15, including Banks Lake and Douglas warehouse]
WWALS Webinar: Bats of Georgia, Emily Ferrall, GA-DNR 2024-08-15, including Banks Lake and Douglas warehouse

She is a Wildlife Biologist, in the Wildlife Resources Division of the Wildlife Conservation Section of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (GA-DNR).

She specializes in research and monitoring for nongame mammals in Georgia and spends much of her time working with bats. Emily has been with GA DNR since 2016. Emily earned both her Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees from the University of Georgia with an emphasis in wildlife science.

Register in advance with zoom for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAtc-urrD8uE9eK5isu8MaaDuonsv0L3tXe

WWALS Board President Sara Jay Jones will give a brief introduction, Emily Ferrall will speak for about 45 minutes, and we will have questions and answers. Continue reading →

Downstream dozen Florida counties task force reactivated after raw sewage spills across Georgia state line –WUFT 2024-07-23

Update 2024-08-02: Three more Ashburn sewage spills reported more than a week late 2024-07-20.

Update 2024-07-26: Clean Withlacoochee, Alapaha, Santa Fe Rivers 2024-07-25.

Thanks to the reporter for doing this story, especially for including the material about the stigma of sewage spills, which affects even Suwannee Basin rivers that are not even downstream from Valdosta, and about the economic damage of such stigma.

Please note that while Valdosta is the biggest sewage spill problem, because it is the most populous city in the Suwannee River Basin, it is far from the only city that spills sewage, and not all E. coli contamination comes from sewage; see other sources.

As noted in the story, Valdosta is spending millions of dollars to fix its sewage problems. Nobody will be happier when there are no more sewage spills than Valdosta staff and elected officials, many of whom are new since most of the notorious sewage spills happened. But that day is still some time in the future.

[Downstream dozen Florida counties task force reactivated after raw sewage spills across Georgia state line --WUFT 2024-07-23]
Downstream dozen Florida counties task force reactivated after raw sewage spills across Georgia state line –WUFT 2024-07-23

I’ve noted a few errata below, plus I’ve added some links and some more images.

Rylan DiGiacomo-Rapp, WUFT, July 23, 2024, North Central Florida river task force reactivated following raw sewage spills across Georgia state lines, Continue reading →

Radio: Song time for Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest on Bill Osborne radio 105.9 FM 2024-07-24

At 7:30 AM tomorrow morning, Wednesday, July 24, 2024, Bill Osborne and Suwannee Riverkeeper will invite songwriters to send in songs by midnight that day, for the Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest.

[Send your song, Bill Osborne radio 105.9 FM, Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest in WWALS River Revue]
Send your song, Bill Osborne radio 105.9 FM, Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest in WWALS River Revue

You can watch on the station’s facebook live:
https://www.facebook.com/TheMorningDriveWithBillOsborne/

Or this way:
https://valdostatoday.com/listen-live/

Send in your song here:
https://forms.gle/ett6ne6DxMc8Ln897 Continue reading →

It’s Suwannee River Basin song time

Update 2024-07-26: More time for your Suwannee River Basin song

Hahira, Georgia, July 22, 2024 — Songwriters, Wednesday is the last day to send in your story in song about any river, creek, spring, sink, swamp, pond, aquifer, or bay in the Suwannee River Basin or Estuary, except not in the Santa Fe River Basin.

[Send your song by midnight Wednesday --Sweet William Billy Ennis]
Send your song by midnight Wednesday –Sweet William Billy Ennis

WWALS President Sara Jay Jones said, “Musicians, you can finish up that song you’ve been tinkering with, and send it in.”

Here’s the entry form:
https://forms.gle/ett6ne6DxMc8Ln897

“So sharpen your pencils and submit your song, to www.wwals.net. See you there!” said Sweet William Billy Ennis, the 2021 winner and 2022 headliner,
https://youtu.be/GGns39nI6-o

The finals will be held Saturday, September 7, 2024, at the WWALS River Revue, Turner Center for the Arts, Valdosta, Georgia. The audience will listen, while three judges decide who wins in several categories.

Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman said, Continue reading →

Pictures: Alapahoochee River Chainsaw Cleanup 2024-07-21

The Alapahoochee River Cleanup was jam-packed, all right, but not exactly how we expected:

There was almost none of the usual trash, but eight of us found something unexpected in the river.

[Alapahoochee River, Chainsaw cleanup 2024-07-21, Snake in hollow log, Dead gator under log]
Alapahoochee River, Chainsaw cleanup 2024-07-21, Snake in hollow log, Dead gator under log

Shawn O’Connor and Quen Metzler and I sawed through the first deadfall in several places. At the last cut, Shawn found a snake in the hollow log. We never did see what kind.

Bird Chamberlain, leading this outing, had already fallen in at the first deadfall. He was in the water pulling sawed logs out of the way.

Shawn said to Bird, that log’s stuck on a sandbar, see if you can pull it over.

Bird pulled, and it wasn’t a sandbar.

A dead gator floated up.

Not knowing the gator was dead, Bird apparently walked on water back to his boat. “I don’t want to play anymore,” he said.

Here are some video snippets: Continue reading →

Pictures: Banks Lake Full Buck Moon Paddle 2024-07-21

A dozen people were ready to paddle on a leisurely Sunset and Full Moon Paddle, probably with bats, on Banks Lake, just west of Lakeland, Georgia.

[Banks Lake Full Buck Moon, Paddle didn't 2024-07-21, A dozen people, No paddles or PFDs]
Banks Lake Full Buck Moon, Paddle didn’t 2024-07-21, A dozen people, No paddles or PFDs

A few people brought their own paddles and PFDs, and they paddled anyway.

But there was a mixup with getting the paddles and PFDs from Lanier County.

Kimberly Godden Tanner, the outing leader, did not have those, so the WWALS paddle did not happen.

We will investigate a better way.

And thanks again to Lanier County for providing free rental of the kayaks and canoes and the paddles and PFDs.

Thanks to Kim for trying, and better luck next lunar month.

For more WWALS outings and events as they are posted, see the WWALS outings web page, https://wwals.net/outings/. WWALS members also get an upcoming list in the Tannin Times newsletter.

 -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

Clean Santa Fe River 2024-07-17

Update 2024-08-02: Three more Ashburn sewage spills reported more than a week late 2024-07-20.

Update 2024-07-24: Downstream dozen Florida counties task force reactivated after raw sewage spills across Georgia state line –WUFT 2024-07-23.

The Santa Fe River tested clean at the spot it didn’t last week, Wanamake (Butler) Ramp, a tenth of a mile up from the Suwannee River. Sugar Creek tested clean last Saturday.

We don’t have any more test results this week. However, since there has been little rain, chances are that nothing much washed into the rivers.

In the Suwannee River Basin Florida, High Springs reported a small inland sewage spill.

In Georgia, Ashburn yet again reported a major spill a week late, into Hat Creek into the Alapaha River.

The weather prediction all weekend is likely rain, but most likely in the afternoon.

So pick a river at a level you like, and happy fishing, swimming, and boating this weekend.

Or join us Sunday morning for Alapahoochee River Cleanup, 2024-07-21.

Or, weather permitting, Sunday evening for Banks Lake Full Buck Moon Paddle 2024-07-21.

[Clean Santa Fe River 2024-07-17, Sugar Creek 2024-07-13, Old Ashburn, High Springs, sewage spills, Rain predicted]
Clean Santa Fe River 2024-07-17, Sugar Creek 2024-07-13, Old Ashburn, High Springs, sewage spills, Rain predicted

Continue reading →

Twelve months of Ashburn sewage spills 2024-07-08

Update 2024-08-02: Three more Ashburn sewage spills reported more than a week late 2024-07-20.

Update 2024-07-19: Clean Santa Fe River 2024-07-17.

It looks like Ashburn, Georgia, has spilled 1,806,500 gallons of raw sewage in the twelve months until now.

The vast majority of that went into Hat Creek, which runs into the Alapaha River.

[Twelve months of Ashburn sewage spills, July 2023 to July 2024]
Twelve months of Ashburn sewage spills, July 2023 to July 2024

The most recent spill, on July 8, but reported a week later on July 16, was 100,000 gallons of raw sewage due to “Mechanical failure”. Previous spills were mosty due to “Wet weather”, although there were several by “Power failure”, some by “Other”, and one by “Equipment failure”.

This list is compiled from the GA-EPD Sewage Spills Report, as archived and interpreted daily by WWALS. Continue reading →

Jobs and Comprehensive Plans at NCFRPC 2024-07-25

I don’t see anything in the agenda about the Middle and Lower Suwannee River and Withlacoochee River Task Force that the NCFRPC reactivated in May after Valdosta’s April sewage spills. Maybe they are meeting separately and have nothing to report yet.

Also, in the statewide metrics of https://thefloridascorecard.org/ I don’t see anything about water: not drinking water, river water, springs, levels, flows, E. coli, nitrates, cyanobacteria, nothing.

But on the agenda are several county Comprehensive Plan updates, so those could be interesting.

[North Central Florida Regional Planning Council 2024-07-25, Metrics, Jobs, and Comprehensive Plans]
North Central Florida Regional Planning Council 2024-07-25, Metrics, Jobs, and Comprehensive Plans

Received this morning:

Council Members, Interested Persons, and News Media,

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE MEETING STARTS AT 7:00 P.M.

Please be advised that there will be a Hybrid Meeting in-Person at Holiday Inn Hotel and Suites, Suwannee Room, 213 Southwest Commerce Boulevard, Lake City, Florida, and via Communications Media Technology for the North Central Florida Regional Planning Council on Thursday, July 25, 2024 at 7:00 p.m.

Continue reading →

Banks Lake Full Buck Moon Paddle 2024-07-21

Join us for a leisurely Sunset and Full Moon Paddle, probably with bats.

When: Gather 7:30 PM, launch 8 PM, moonrise 9:17 PM, sunset 8:34 PM, end 10 PM, Sunday, July 21, 2024

Put In: Banks Lake Boat Ramp, 307 Georgia 122, Lakeland, GA 31635, in Lanier County, on the Alapaha River Water Trail (ARWT).

GPS: 31.034824, -83.096725

[Banks Lake Full Buck Moon Paddle 2024-07-21, West of Lakeland, GA, Probably with bats]
Banks Lake Full Buck Moon Paddle 2024-07-21, West of Lakeland, GA, Probably with bats

Continue reading →