Here are maps of the Suwannee River Basin in the EPA EnviroAtlas, with shadings and boundaries for Hydrologic Unit Codes (HUCs). HUC-8 (eight digits) is big river basins; in this case Little, Withlacoochee, Alapaha, Santa Fe, Upper Suwannee, and Lower Suwannee. HUC-12 is more local.
What are the odd HUC-12s that are not shaded in? At least some of them, such as around Lake Octahatchee are endorheic basins. Continue reading
Update 2025-01-06: Rescheduled: Griffis Camp to Fargo, Suwannee River Paddle 2025-03-01
Come out and join us for a winter paddle on the Suwannee River in this remote 14-mile section of wilderness from Griffis Fish Camp to Fargo.
Very important to dress for a cold day and bring a change of clothes. Everyone must wear a PFD at all times on the water. Have a bow line/rope for your kayak.
When: Gather 9 AM, launch 10 AM, end 4 PM, Saturday, January 11, 2025
Put In: Griffis Fish Camp, 10333 Ga Highway 177 Fargo, Georgia 31631. From Fargo, travel south on US 441 to CR 177; turn left and travel 10 miles northeast; Griffis Fish Camp is on left, in Clinch County.
GPS: 30.7845, -82.446333
![[Griffis Fish Camp to Fargo 2025-01-11, Suwannee River, Dress warmly]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2025-01-11--griffis-fargo-suwannee/fbmany.jpg)
Griffis Fish Camp to Fargo 2025-01-11, Suwannee River, Dress warmly
From alligators and wood storks in the Okefenokee National Wildlife (NWR) to mussels, Gulf sturgeon, and alligator snapping turtles in the Lower Suwannee NWR, plus Banks Lake NWR and Cedar Key NWR, Larry Woodward, Deputy Refuge Manager, ONWR, gave a WWALS Webinar on Water, Wildlife, and Wilderness, and the importance of the 4 National Wildlife Refuges of the Suwannee.
After a brief introduction by Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman, Larry Woodward spoke for about 45 minutes, followed by questions and answers, all by zoom, from noon to 1PM, Thursday, November 11, 2024.
Here is the video:
https://youtu.be/ya5b8V6woOE
Fictional inhabitants of the Okefenokee Swamp include not only Pogo the Possum but also Kermit the Frog.
Continue reading
You don’t have to be in Georgia, and you don’t have to wait until Tuesday,
to donate to this fundraiser to support WWALS:
https://www.gagives.org/story/Wwals-Gagives2024
WWALS advocates for conservation and stewardship of the surface waters and groundwater of the Suwannee River Basin and Estuary, in south Georgia and north Florida, among them the Withlacoochee, Willacoochee, Alapaha, Little, Santa Fe, and Suwannee River watersheds, through education, awareness, environmental monitoring, and citizen activities.
It was drizzly and it rained on Floyds Island, but everybody enjoyed it anyway.
![[Floyds Island Campout, Okefenokee Swamp 2024-11-10-11, Suwannee River, and Middle Fork]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/gretchen/2024-11-10--floyds-island/fbmany.jpg)
Floyds Island Campout, Okefenokee Swamp 2024-11-10-11, Suwannee River, and Middle Fork
Thanks to Brack Barker for leading this Floyds Island Campout, 9 miles upstream on the Suwannee River in the Okefenokee Swamp.
Thanks to Gretchen Quarterman for these pictures.
Not many gators were visible, but there was a tree full of wood storks. Continue reading
Update 2024-12-09: Virtual public meeting about the minor proposed expansion of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge 2024-12-09.
This is still my bottom line:
“If we’re not going to protect the Okefenokee,” said John S. Quarterman, Suwannee Riverkeeper, “what are we going to protect?”
Joe Hopkins knows how to turn a pithy quote, but people are working on economic development in the counties surrounding the Okefenokee Swamp; see below.
Rose Schnabel, WUFT, November 16, 2024, Georgia’s biggest wildlife refuge is poised for expansion. Here’s why it matters in Florida.
![[What it means to Florida, Okefenokee NWR Expansion, Rose Schnabel, WUFT 2024-11-14]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-11-16--okefenokee-nwr-expansion/fbmany.jpg)
What it means to Florida, Okefenokee NWR Expansion, Rose Schnabel, WUFT 2024-11-14
The Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is the largest in Georgia. (Courtesy of Michael Lusk)
Florida’s water levels, rare plants and ancient fish are among the natural resources that could be protected by a proposed expansion to the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge.
The refuge is within the Okefenokee Swamp: a blackwater bog almost half the size of Rhode Island that feeds the Suwannee and St. Marys Rivers.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s proposed expansion, announced earlier this month, would extend the refuge’s borders by 22,000 acres. The deadline for public comment is Dec. 9.
Continue reading
Update 2024-11-20: Madison Health lifts Health Advisory for Withlacoochee River 2024-11-20.
It’s best to avoid the Withlacoochee River for a few more days at least, with it still in Action Stage around Valdosta, and not coming down fast, plus still questionable water quality results.
We have rescheduled to next week our Withlacoochee River Chainsaw Cleanup after Hurricane Helene, Troupville Boat Ramp 2024-11-23.
Better luck with the Suwannee or Santa Fe Rivers, or the Ichetucknee if any park entrances are open there.
Remember, many parks and put-ins remain closed after Hurricane Helene. So check before you go.
Water quality has improved for the Withlacoochee River, although Fecal coliform was still high at GA 133 and US 84 as well as One Mile Branch (Valdosta Utilities), and State Line (Madison Health).
Meanwhile, Valdosta Utilities reported E. coli and Fecal coliform still too high on Sugar Creek at Gornto Road and increased to extremely high on Hightower Creek at St. Augustine Road.
While no new sewage spills were reported in Georgia or Florida, it’s a little hard to believe there is no sewer spill on Hightower Creek with 42,500 cfu/100mL E. coli (42 times the 1,000 alert limit), Continue reading
Update 2024-11-16: Withlacoochee River and Two Mile Branch better, Hightower and Sugar Creeks very bad 2024-11-14.
Water quality was bad for the Withlacoochee River at Sullivan Launch for Tuesday in results from Madison Department of Health.
Bad for One Mile Branch and Sugar Creek in results from the City of Valdosta for Wednesday and from WWALS tester Scotti Jay.
And bad for the Alapaha River at Sheboggy for Sunday in results from WWALS tester Heather Brasell.
Plus the Withlacoochee River is still in Action Stage around Valdosta, and not coming down fast.
So it’s best to avoid the Withlacoochee River for a few more days at least. Probably the Alapaha River, as well.
Better luck with the Suwannee or Santa Fe Rivers, or the Ichetucknee if any park entrances are open there.
Remember, many parks and put-ins remain closed after Hurricane Helene. So check before you go.
No new sewage spills have been reported in the Suwannee River Basin in Florida.
Valdosta’s flash flood spills finally showed up today in the GA-EPD Sewage Spills Report. Continue reading
Update 2024-12-09: Virtual public meeting about the minor proposed expansion of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge 2024-12-09.
Update 2024-11-16: Why Okefenokee NWR expansion matters in Florida –Rose Schnabel, WUFT 2024-11-16.
Chip Campbell, formerly of Okefenokee Expeditions Adventures, summed it up so everyone could understand, the
proposed expansion of the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge:
nobody has to sell land.
According to https://www.fws.gov/refuge/okefenokee, “The public has until November 18, 2024 to submit input via email to Okefenokee@fws.gov”
![[Nobody has to sell land with Okefenokee NWR expansion, Public Meeting, Folkston, GA 2024-11-12]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-11-12--okefenokee-nwr-expansion-meeting/fbmany.jpg)
Nobody has to sell land with Okefenokee NWR expansion, Public Meeting, Folkston, GA 2024-11-12
To paraphrase Chip’s paraphrase: the Refuge expansion is aspirational. With it, if someone wants to sell to the Refuge they can. Without it, they can’t.
The expansion does nothing to affect the strip mine application. The miners could choose to sell or donate the land before any permit. They could mine and later donate or sell the land. Or neither. But without the expansion, there is no mechanism for their land to join the Refuge.
Addressing the dozen or so people from Charlton and the other counties surrounding the Refuge, Chip said they could sell or take out a conservation easement, or not, if they are within the expansion boundary. Nobody is making them do anything. Continue reading
I got to the Suwannee Basin BMAP meeting late, because I had been at SRWMD HQ talking about water trails. Still, this seemed sparsely attended.
Other than a few IFAS people, almost everybody there seemed to be the same usual suspects from the Santa Fe BMAP meeting two days before in Lake Butler. So that was an opportunity to talk to many of them without much interruption.
I promised them some comments, which I will send to Chandler B. Keenan <Chandler.B.Keenan@FloridaDEP.gov>
For example, asking why SRWMD made no mention of the Manatee Springs BMAP when issuing an ERP for a road in the area of the big PUD rezoning that Chiefland City Commission approved mostly in flood zones next to Long Pond, in the springshed of Manatee Springs. Continue reading
![[HUC 8 and 12 150%]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-11-29--epa-enviroatlas/2024-11-29--epa-enviroatlas-huc-12-150pc.jpg)
![[Water, Wildlife, & Wilderness: 4 NWRs of the Suwannee --Larry Woodward, Okefenokee, Banks Lake, Lower Suwannee, Cedar Key, WWALS Webinar 2024-11-21]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-11-21--water-wildlife-wilderness-nwrs-video/fbmany.jpg)
![[Day of Giving 2024: Banks Lake, Alapaha River Rise, Juneteenth, Festivals, Chainsaw Cleanups, Sewage, Water Quality, Okefenokee Swamp]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-11-21--day-of-giving/fbmany.jpg)
![[Filthy Hightower and Sugar Creeks Better Withlacoochee River 2024-11-14 OK Two Mile Branch Good Franks Creek]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-11-14--wq/many.jpg)
![[Bad Withlacoochee River 2024-11-12 Bad Sugar Creek 2024-11-13 Bad One Mile Branch 2024-11-13 Bad Alapaha River 2024-11-10]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-11-13--wq/many.jpg)
![[Suwannee River Basin BMAP meeting in Live Oak 2024-10-30 Much like Santa Fe BMAP and no closer to solutions]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2024-10-30--suwannee-bmap-pictures/many.jpg)