Tag Archives: Troupville Boat Ramp

Pictures: Withlacoochee River and Okapilco Creek jon boat outing 2024-07-27

We cut a deadfall in the Withlacoochee River just below Wetherington Branch, below Valdosta’s treated outfall from its Withlacoochee Wastewater Treatment Plant. We found Okapilco Creek, cut a few deadfalls in there, and collected some trash on the creek and from the river. Including two blue barrels labeled Black Tea Extract that apparently had been used to support somebody’s dock.

We don’t see how Okapilco Creek is currently navigable up to US 84, according to GA HB 1397, a bill that did not pass the Georgia legislature this year. We had to cut some deadfalls even to get up to the mouth of Piscola Creek. Later we will motor up from Knights Ferry Boat Ramp to clear more deadfalls and trash from Okapilco Creek, and soon it will be navigable.

Both of those creeks drain Quitman, and Okapilco Creek comes down from Moultrie and above.

[Black tea blue drums, Okapilco Creek trashjam, deadfalls, rapids, two jon boats 2024-07-27]
Black tea blue drums, Okapilco Creek trashjam, deadfalls, rapids, two jon boats 2024-07-27

We went 19.5 river miles from Troupville Boat Ramp to Knights Ferry Boat Ramp. We decided due to the time spent on Okapilco Creek not to continue to Clyattville-Nankin Boat Ramp.

The US 84 (Quitman) Gauge read 10.15 feet (93.65 feet NAVD88) at 10 AM, and rose another quarter foot while we were on the water. That’s near the WWALS recommended too-high water level, but it was fine with these boats and motors.

Here are some video snippets:
https://youtu.be/_o7FqYMMg6E Continue reading →

Jon boat outing, Troupville to Nankin, Withlacoochee River 2024-07-27

We will take two jon boats with outboards and chainsaws to find and remove any deadfalls, collect trash, and find the mouth of Okapilco Creek.

There is a seat or two available in the jon boats. Feel free to come along with a kayak or canoe. We can tow on a rope. Or join in with your boat and motor.

We will go 26 river miles from Troupville Boat Ramp to Clyattville-Nankin Boat Ramp. We could also let you know when we’re approaching Knights Ferry Boat Ramp, so you could join us when we get there.

Supposedly Okapilco Creek is navigable up to US 84, according to GA HB 1397, a bill that did not pass the Georgia legislature this year. If we find Okapilco Creek, we will look up it for the mouth of Piscola Creek. Both of those drain Quitman, and Okapilco Creek comes down from Moultrie and above.

When: Gather 9 AM, launch 10 AM, end 2 PM, Saturday, July 27, 2024

Put In: Troupville Boat Ramp, 19664 Valdosta Hwy, Valdosta, GA 31602. I-75 exit 18, west on GA 133 (St. Augustine Road) away from the Valdosta Mall, at the traffic light for Val Tech Road, turn left down to the boat ramp, in Lowndes County, Georgia.

GPS: 30.851842, -83.346536

[Jon boat outing, Withlacoochee River 2024-07-27, Troupville to Nankin, Cleanup with chainsaws]
Jon boat outing, Withlacoochee River 2024-07-27, Troupville to Nankin, Cleanup with chainsaws

Continue reading →

Cancelled: Withlacoochee River Earth Day Cleanup, Langdale Park Boat Ramp 2024-04-13

“The cleanup for this Saturday April 13 is canceled due to high water and flooding. Please help get the word out,” said Russell Allen McBride.

[Cancelled due to high water, Withlacoochee River Earth Day Cleanup, Langdale Park Boat Ramp, to Troupville 2024-04-13]
Cancelled due to high water, Withlacoochee River Earth Day Cleanup, Langdale Park Boat Ramp, to Troupville 2024-04-13

Yesterday Russell scouted the route from Langdale Park Boat Ramp down the Withlacoochee River past Sugar Creek, and up the Little River to Troupville Boat Ramp. He reported:

“Put in at Langdale Park at about 3:30. Water was over the boat ramp. The road coming in was fine though. I parked shy of the ramp and put in. Most trash is to one side or the other kind of out of the current. From Langdale down to Berta’s it was not super bad. Behind Wood Valley probably was the worse spots. Then the usual spots near Troupeville River camp area. I never had to get out of my kayak the whole way….

“On a positive note. There are more trash cans down at Langdale park and looks like they are chained.”

Continue reading →

Trying the 25hp outboard from Troupville Boat Ramp, Little and Withlacoochee Rivers 2024-04-07

Shawn O’Connor and I tried out the 25hp Mercury outboard motor, paid for by a generous grant by Wild Green Future (WGF).

Works great! Electric start: push the button and it starts. Doesn’t even have a manual choke. Electric trim, i.e., tilt. Very useful for adjusting trim for going fast, as well as raising up in low water.

We also chainsawed some limbs that were obstructing passage downstream on the Withlacoochee River and upstream on the Little River. Shawn used my EGO 16″ electric chainsaw, but in case of larger limbs we had with us the 24″ Husqvarna chainsaw paid for by WGF. Also just in case, the 86lb thrust trolling motor and lithium batteries paid for by WGF. Thanks, WGF!

And thanks to Flint Riverkeeper for the jon boat.

Come hear more about chainsaw cleanups at noon today in the WWALS Webinar by Phil Hubbard.

[Trying 25hp outboard, Troupville Boat Ramp, Little and Withlacoochee Rivers, Chainsaw Outing 2024-04-07]
Trying 25hp outboard, Troupville Boat Ramp, Little and Withlacoochee Rivers, Chainsaw Outing 2024-04-07

Fast: Shawn’s GPS speedometer clocked it at 23 mph going upriver, against a 3-5 mph current. Not clear when we need to go that fast, but we can if we have to. Continue reading →

Video: Raffle drawing for Eddyline Kayak 2024-04-03

Chuck Roberts drew the winning ticket yesterday for the Eddyline Sandpiper kayak, paddle, PFD, lock, and straps.

This one is slightly used. New, a 12-foot Eddyline kayak lists for $1,749.00.

Since there were only 30 $100 raffle tickets, each ticket had a 1 in 30 chance of winning.

[Drawing the winner, Eddyline Kayak Raffle, Troupville Boat Ramp, Little River 2024-04-03]
Drawing the winner, Eddyline Kayak Raffle, Troupville Boat Ramp, Little River 2024-04-03

Gretchen Quarterman fired up the zoom from her desk.

Here’s the zoom video: https://youtu.be/VXzBV0jhd2Y

At Troupville Boat Ramp on the Little River, Chuck Roberts first talked about the WWALS River Revue sit-down fundraising dinner, Saturday, September 7, 2024, at the Turner Center for the Arts in Valdosta. Chuck is the M.C.
https://wwals.net/pictures/songwriting2024/

The Revue includes the seventh annual Suwannee Riverkeeper Songwriting Contest. Song submissions are open now:
https://wwals.net/?p=64497

Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman talked about upcoming outings.
https://wwals.net/outings

Including, coming up next Saturday, Continue reading →

Drawing the winner at Troupville Boat Ramp, for the Eddyline Kayak Raffle 2024-04-03

Update 2024-04-04: Video: Raffle drawing for Eddyline Kayak 2024-04-03.

Since all 30 tickets are taken, Chuck Roberts will draw the winning ticket this Wednesday noon-thirty, for the Eddyline Sandpiper kayak, paddle, PFD, lock, and straps.

[Chuck Roberts will draw the winner, at Troupville Boat Ramp, for the Eddyline Sandpiper kayak, 12:30 PM, Wednesday, April 3, 2024]
Chuck Roberts will draw the winner, at Troupville Boat Ramp, for the Eddyline Sandpiper kayak, 12:30 PM, Wednesday, April 3, 2024

This one is slightly used. New, a 12-foot Eddyline kayak lists for $1,749.00.

Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman will bring the box of 30 raffle tickets to Troupville Boat Ramp.

Gretchen Quarterman will fire up the zoom from her desk.

Chuck Roberts will draw the winner, announce the name, and then call the winner to inform them.

If you attend in person and you win, you can carry the kayak home with you.

If you attend by zoom or not at all, we will discuss with you how to get you the kayak.

Thanks to everyone who got tickets! That helps Continue reading →

Withlacoochee River Earth Day Cleanup, Langdale Park Boat Ramp 2024-04-13

Update 2024-04-11: Cancelled: Withlacoochee River Earth Day Cleanup, Langdale Park Boat Ramp 2024-04-13.

Come help clean up trashjams, while encouraging Valdosta to stop trash from getting into the river.

The Global Earth Day theme for 2024 is Our Planet Versus Plastics. The City of Valdosta seems unaware of the environmental harm plastics cause while they are breaking down into micro-plastics. Styrofoam and other plastics are not just an eyesore. These plastics from Valdosta entering the watershed are breaking down and getting into all aspects of the environment. Animals eat them, and cannot digest them.

We thank Valdosta Stormwater for picking the trash up recently at the Baytree Road train trestle on Sugar Creek. But what is the city’s plan to keep trash from getting into Sugar Creek, for example from the detention pond at Baytree Road? There needs to be a plan.

We do thank Valdosta City Marshalls for sending notices to parking lot owners, and citations if they still do not follow Valdosta’s trash ordinances that require parking lot owners or managers to keep trash from escaping, no matter where it came from, and to strategically place trash cans according to the number of parking spaces.

When: Gather 9 AM, launch 10 AM, end 2 PM, Saturday, April 13, 2024

Put In: Langdale Park Boat Ramp, 3781 N. Valdosta Rd., Valdosta, GA 31602.

GPS: 30.88747, -83.32395

[Withlacoochee River, Earth Day Cleanup 2024-04-13, Langdale Park Boat Ramp, to Troupville Boat Ramp]
Withlacoochee River, Earth Day Cleanup 2024-04-13, Langdale Park Boat Ramp, to Troupville Boat Ramp

Continue reading →

Pictures: Mayor and Chairman’s Paddle, Withlacoochee River 2024-03-02

The weather held off and 42 paddlers had a good time on the Mayor and Chairman’s Paddle from Langdale Park Boat Ramp down the Withlacoochee River, around the Little River Confluence, and up to Troupville Boat Ramp. Only a few people fell in, and they were good sports. The City Manager needs a bigger boat.

[Mayor and Chairman's Paddle, Withlacoochee River, 2024-03-02]
Mayor and Chairman’s Paddle, Withlacoochee River, 2024-03-02

Those who got out after three miles at Sugar Creek got to see the WaterGoat trash trap purchased by the City of Valdosta and cleaned out by volunteer Russell Allen McBride and family, which keeps much trash out of the river.

The remaining four miles went under the Norfolk Southern Railroad Bridge, past Wood Valley Subdivision and Sheri Run, and the I-75 and GA 133 highway bridges. Many deadfalls (fallen dead trees) previously sawed out of the way by numerous WWALS Chainsaw Cleanups were visible. Outings leader Phil Hubbard sawed through a remaining deadfall during the paddle.

Paddlers saw all the river frontage of the land recently purchased by Lowndes County for Troupville River Camp and Nature Park. Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman used the jon boat with 9.9hp outboard paid for by a grant from Wild Green Future (WGF) to saw several deadfalls off the Withlacoochee River. Then he towed five paddlers and five boats from the Confluence to Troupville Boat Ramp, including Outing Sweep Phil Royce towing City Manager Richard Hardy’s to-small bad-seat boat. The City Manager walked from the Confluence to the boat ramp.

Thanks to Phil Hubbard for leading this outing, and Phil Royce and Russell Allen McBride for being sweep.

Thanks to them and Gretchen Quarterman and others for helping people over rough spots and to Gretchen for making sure everybody was signed in on the WWALS insurance waiver.

Thanks to Valdosta Mayor Scott James Matheson and Lowndes County Commission Chairman Bill Slaughter and their staffs.

Thanks to Joe Brownlee and Georgia Power for the grant that kept entry for paddlers free and paid for the Port-A-Potties.

Thanks to the Boys & Girls Club for the shuttle van.

Thanks to VSU CORE for bringing boats and student paddlers.

Thanks to everyone who helped on the numerous chainsaw cleanups, including Bobby McKenzie, Shawn O’Connor, Russell Allen McBride, Phil Royce from Live Oak, Florida, Gary Koch from Ocala, Florida, and especially Phil Hubbard.

Plus anybody else I have forgotten to mention.

I would mention everybody who has been involved in improving the trash and sewage situations, but this post would be very long.

 -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/

Continue reading →

Pictures: Chainsaw cleanup from Troupville up to Sugar Creek and back 2024-02-25

It’s a good thing we sent to see: yesterday we found a huge new deadfall completely across the Withlacoochee River, on the route of the Mayor and Chairman’s Paddle, coming up Saturday, March 2, 2024.

[Big new deadfall, chainsaw, trolling motor, outboard 2024-02-25]
Big new deadfall, chainsaw, trolling motor, outboard 2024-02-25

Here’s a WWALS video:
https://youtu.be/3-143xjW1pI?si=puDKyoATFhg6oqkq Continue reading →

Boat Motor Tryouts, Troupville Boat Ramp, Little River 2024-02-18

Update 2024-02-26: Pictures: Chainsaw cleanup from Troupville up to Sugar Creek and back 2024-02-25.

Successful boat trials at Action Stage on the Little River!

Five of us went down to Troupville Boat Ramp, just west of Valdosta, Georgia, to test out some new boat motors.

[9.9hp outboard and 86lb thrust trolling motor (thanks, Wild Green Future) and jon boat (thanks, Flint Riverkeeper) and Bass Fisher (WWALS)]
9.9hp outboard and 86lb thrust trolling motor (thanks, Wild Green Future) and jon boat (thanks, Flint Riverkeeper) and Bass Fisher (WWALS)

Here’s a WWALS video playlist:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKwQ5xfKf-QznYIX_GRvlK7Rc4P_Ms5DG&si=ll_y4evyoJbmxSgu


Successful boat trials at Action Stage on the Little River!
Videos by John S. Quarterman and Russell Allen McBride for WWALS Watershed Coalition, Inc. (WWALS).

Thanks to Laura D’Alisera for transfering the new WWALS 9.9hp Mercury fourstroke 20-inch shaft electric start outboard motor ten miles from West Marine in Jacksonville Beach to a shipping location, where Phil Hubbard received it Saturday. Thanks to Wild Green Future (WGF) for the generous grant that bought it.

Sunday evening, Russell Allen McBride, Shawn O’Connor, Bobby McKenzie, and I unboxed it, connected it to its fuel supply, and tried it out. Thanks to Flint Riverkeeper for the jon boat.

With that outboard, the jon boat will indeed go upriver easily under these conditions. It took only ten minutes to haul Russell in his kayak up the third of a mile from the Little River Confluence to Troupville Boat Ramp.

Also due to WGF, we received an 85lb-thrust Goplus 8 Speed, 36 inch shaft, trolling motor, two Power Queen LiFePO4 12.8V 100Ah, lithium-iron-phosphate batteries, and a Power Queen 14.6V 10A LiFePO4 Battery Charger. Those we put on the WWALS bass fisher chainsawing boat, plus the old WWALS 40lb-thrust mounted on the front. Shawn and I demonstrated that the new motor alone will push that boat upstream in these conditions, and both motors will troll it upstream at a walking pace. Which is all we need to get back to the ramp from the Confluence during chainsaw cleanups.

You’ve already seen the chainsaw WGF paid for from a week ago, Sugar Creek to Troupville Chainsaw Cleanup, Withlacoochee River 2024-02-11.

We are awaiting a couple more items via the WGF grant. Stay tuned.

This is more preparation for the Mayor and Chairman’s Paddle, Saturday, March 2, 2024, starting at Langdale Park. One hopes that the water level will be well below Sunday’s 148′ NAVD 1988 level, or we may have to reschedule for later.

And also preparation for more chainsaw cleanups on other stretches of this and other rivers.

Next: 9AM Sunday, February 25, 2024, we will take the jon boat from Troupville Boat Ramp down around the Confluence and up the Withlacoochee River to Langdale Park, chainsawing any remaining paddle obstacles along the way. That one will be a bit hard to participate in by paddling.

The day before that, Saturday, February 24, please join us for in the morning for Knights Ferry to Nankin on the Withlacoochee River and in the evening for Banks Lake Full Snow Moon Paddle.

There are more pictures below. Continue reading →