Bobby McKenzie videoed in the rain: One Mile Branch backflowing upstream from Lakeland Avenue, with runoff under and beside the street carrying trash on past Fire Station No. 2 and under E Park Ave.
![[One Mile Branch and Fire Station No. 2]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2022-08-09--one-mile-branch-backflow/many.jpg)
One Mile Branch and Fire Station No. 2
All that rain no doubt scoured trash from all the yards and parking lots around into the creek. One Mile Branch continues down to Sugar Creek and the Withlacoochee River.
Here’s the video. Continue reading
Update 2022-12-14: Pictures: Barack Obama Blvd. @ Ricardo St. 2022-12-01.
“In Conjunction With Valdosta Block Club” has been pasted onto the Pepsi Adopt-A-Spot sign. Thanks to whoever did that.
In our previous episode, Continue reading
Update 2022-09-24: Rescheduled: Chainsaw Cleanup Withlacoochee River, 2022-10-16.
We need volunteers with boats to pick up trash while a few people chainsaw some deadfalls.
We aim to collect the trashjams we didn’t have room for last time, and to chainsaw the remaining Withlacoochee River deadfalls between Sugar Creek and the Little River Confluence. Then we’ll paddle up the Little River to take out at Troupville Boat Ramp.
Unlike last time, we’re scheduling seven hours for the shuttle, for chainsawing and trash collecting, and for the four-mile paddle. With luck, nobody will get stuck this time.
All dependent on the weather, of course. Could be hurricane season finally by then, or could be plenty low to make this easy.
When: 9 AM, Sunday, September 25, 2022
Put In: Meet at the back of the Salty Snapper parking lot, 1405 Gornto Rd, Valdosta, GA 31602.
![[Trashjam, deadfall, chainsaws]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2022-09-25--chainsaw-withlacoochee/many.jpg)
Trashjam, deadfall, chainsaws,
2022-07-30; Photos: John S. Quarterman.
I look forward to Valdosta enforcing its trash ordinances like it’s doing with these Fats, Oil, and Grease (FOG) ordinances. No new ordinance is needed, City Marshals just need to enforce the ones already in place.
![[Valdosta example: Fats, Oils, and Grease in a manhole]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2021-04-26--valdosta-fog-spill/vld-fog-eg.jpg)
Valdosta example: Fats, Oils, and Grease in a manhole
Here’s an idea: Roger Budd Co. could set an example by buying trash cans for its parking lots, and keep them cleaned out, like city ordinances require. That would be much smaller capex than these FOG traps. And for both RBC could advertise on its billboards how green its businesses are.
Although any business will be more likely to do that once the City of Valdosta gets around to putting such trash cans on its own city parking lots, starting with across from City Hall.
Meanwhile, I applaud the City of Valdosta pro-actively preventing sewage spills with this new FOG ordinance.
Mackenzie Petrie, WALB, Continue reading
Thanks to Scott James for half an hour of radio time Thursday, mostly about the Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest. The Contest is 7-11 PM today, Saturday, August 20, 2022, at the Turner Center Art Park, 605 N. Patterson St., Valdosta GA 31601.
For entry tickets and how you can get a raffle ticket for that Vibe Yellowfin 120 kayak donated by Georgia Beer Co., see:
https://wwals.net/pictures/2022-08-20–songwriting/
Who’s going to draw the winning kayak raffle ticket? The one and only hippie, kayaking, radio Valdosta Mayor Scott James Matheson.
Which of the five Finalists will MC Chuck Roberts announce as winners Continue reading
Update 2022-08-20: Videos: Suwannee Riverkeeper about Songwriting Contest on Scott James Radio 2022-08-18.
Thursday (tomorrow) at 8:30 AM, Suwannee Riverkeeper will be on Scott James Talk 92.1 FM radio, about the
Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest, coming up this Saturday evening, 7-11 PM at the Turner Center Art Park in Valdosta, Georgia.
https://wwals.net/pictures/2022-08-20–songwriting/
No doubt we’ll also talk about the trash situation and how you can help stop a strip mine far too near the Okefenokee Swamp.
We may also talk about water quality testing, and who knows what else.
![[Movie: Sen. Ossoff got U.S. Army Corps to resume oversight of mine site next to Okefenokee Swamp]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2022-07-19--scott-james-radio-videos/MVI_0319-15-14-sen-ossoff-got-u-s-army-corps-to-resume-oversight-of-mine-site-next-to-okefenokee-swamp.jpg)
When: 8:30 AM, Thursday, August 18, 2022
Where:
Talk 92.1 FM radio, Scott James drivetime show
http://talk921.com/
Listen: Over the air, or through the radio show’s own website, or through any of several online listening services.
Event: facebook
For more WWALS outings and events as they are posted, see Continue reading
Update 2022-08-28: Valdosta Block Club added to Pepsi sign at Barack Obama and Ricardo 2022-08-28.
Valdosta has replaced the Adopt-A-Spot sign at the corner of Barack Obama Blvd. and Ricardo Street. The sign looks much better now.
But it no longer mentions Valdosta Block Club. That’s the organization former City Council James Wright started to help with Adopt-A-Spot, which he also spearheaded. Valdosta Block Club was featured in his obituary. I guess that’s not important anymore. Continue reading
It wasn’t us this time.
Council Sandra Tooley brought up trash, Click ‘n’ Fix, and Valdosta’s favorite excuse for not doing much: “we’re short on staff“ and “A lot of people have a lot of things going on in their departments.” This was in the last five minutes of the August 11, 2022, Valdosta City Council meeting.
![[Council Sandra Tooley requests Executive Session about personnel and trash]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2022-08-11--vcc-valdosta/sandra-tooley.jpg)
Council Sandra Tooley requests Executive Session about personnel and trash
The Mayor said they had a request for an Executive Session, and asked for a motion. Council Tim Carroll wondered why.
Council Sandra Tooley explained, “Citizens have come to me, and they have this thing they like to say, that we do not have enough staff, that we’re short on staff, that we’re not getting things done.”
See for yourself in this excerpt of Valdosta’s own facebook live video of the meeting. Continue reading
Bobby McKenzie wrote Monday, “I swear I’m not looking for these! I just pulled into Family Dollar by my house to get a drink….which I never do and it’s staring me in the face.
![[Trash down ditch beside Family Dollar, Inner Perimeter]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2022-08-08--trash-family-dollar-inner-perimeter-valdosta/many.jpg)
Trash down ditch beside Family Dollar, Inner Perimeter
Bobby added, “Any meeting discussing ways to fix this problem MUST HAVE City Marshalls in it!”
Seems like that would be necessary, since City Marshals are supposed to enforce Valdosta’s ordinances, which include parking lot owners are supposed to have so many garbage cans per number of parking spaces, and are not supposed to let trash off their property.
This is Family Dollar #10742, at 3820 Inner Perimeter Road, Valdosta, GA 31602. That’s next just across Barack Obama Blvd. from the old Valdosta High School. That drainage ditch appears to go towards Northway Community Church, and seems to be uphill from a row of houses on Highland Heights Lane. This trash may wash down past Newbern Middle School. Continue reading
What makes tracks like these?
It wasn’t people, because there were no footprints there before we walked up from the Withlacoochee River underneath the GA 133 bridge.
![[What makes these tracks?, 15:01:06, 30.8503790, -83.3400890]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2022-07-30--chainsaw-cleanup-pictures/20220730_150106.jpg)
What makes these tracks?, 15:01:06, 30.8503790, -83.3400890
What kind of animal is large enough and drags like that? Continue reading
![[Old, new, improved]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2022-08-28--pepsi-sign-obama-blvd/many.jpg)
![[Mayor, Plaques, Sponsors]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2022-08-18--scott-james-radio-videos/many.jpg)
![[Old and new sign]](https://www.wwals.net/pictures/2022-08-17--pepsi-adopt-a-spot-obama/many.jpg)