It’s the Ides of March for Sabal Trail 6PM tomorrow in Hamilton County, Florida!
All are invited to come hear and possibly speak about
Sabal Trail, which is number 6 on this agenda,
not yet posted on the
Hamilton County, Florida Board of Commissioners website:
AGENDA
Continue reading
BOARD OF COUNTY COMMISSIONERS, HAMILTON COUNTY, FLORIDA
Room 112 — Courthouse 207 Northeast First Street
Jasper, Florida
MEETING DATE: MARCH 15, 2016
Update 2016-03-17: Your calls are working! Please keep calling: details.
You can help stop Georgia eminent domain easements for Sabal Trail from passing the statehouse! (PDF handout)
Photo: TONY CASSADY, 31 May 2015, in Arkansas River pipeline blowout occurred on Sunday morning, cause still unknown, by Benjamin Hardy, Arkansas Blog, 3 June 2015
Sabal Trail (a project of Houston-based Spectra Energy) is a methane frack-gas pipeline that would run from east central Alabama to south-central Florida. Multiple route choices exist. The company has chosen one, despite massive amounts of public objection, that maximizes the public and private impact. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has granted a permit for the particular one the company wants, one which that places a large number of Georgian’s private property under threat of (federal) eminent domain, for private profit. The FERC permit process is under appeal by property owners and advocacy groups. The pipeline still does not have several major state and federal permits (water quality, air, and wetlands).
Yet the Deal Administration seeks Continue reading
Valdosta, February 28, 2016 — Two VSU students took First and Second Prizes Saturday for logos for
the
Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail (WLRWT),
at a Workshop at VSU, with an art exhibit and silent auction,
and talks on history, archaeology, hydrogeology, and safety,
organized by WWALS Watershed Coalition, the Waterkeeper® Affiliate for the Withlacoochee, Little, Alapaha, and upper Suwannee Rivers.
“These logo winners reflect the beauty and unusual nature of our blackwater rivers,”
said logo contest organizer Julie Bowland, a VSU Art Professor.
She aded,
“I’ve already heard talk that we may use both of these logos, one for color, and one for black and white.”
Eboni Patterson (center) won First Prize for the circle logo.
Ann Reid (left) won Second Prize for the river trace logo.
Both were congratulated by contest organizer Julie Bowland,
who handed them checks from WWALS.
The prizes were contributed by Continue reading
This Saturday, day after tomorrow, is the Withlacoochee and Little River Workshop
at VSU!
Art exhibit and auction organizer Julie Bowland sent these pictures by Bryan Garris, saying:
I will have an assortment of painting sizes on easels. I’m thinking there will be around 20 easel works and a table full of matted photographs. There will be a minimum bid set by individual artists, with 20% going to WWALS.
You can also bring your own artwork or objects to donate to WWALS for auction. See you there! Continue reading
Update 2020-01-25: Superseded by WWALS Suwannee River Basin Map and All Landings in the Suwannee River Basin, now that Suwannee Riverkeeper territory includes the entire Basin plus Estuary, since Waterkeeper Alliance agreed to add the Ichetucknee and Santa Fe Rivers on September 26, 2019.
Update 2017-10-30:
River flowlines.
Update 2017-10-08:
Better colors plus a Suwannee River Basin map.
Update 2017-04-13: Since December 2016 WWALS Watersheds have included the Lower Suwannee River HUC 03110205
and the Suwannee River Estuary, approved by Waterkeeper Alliance the same time as the license for Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®.
Click on this link for an interactive google map of WWALS watersheds.
The images you see here are static screenshots of that google map. Follow the link above for the actual google map.
The watershed outlines are from Continue reading
Following up on
the invitation I gave them in person last week,
I sent this to the Lowndes County Commissioners just now,
addressed to
all five voting Commissioners, the Chairman, and the County Clerk:
Subject: Workshop at VSU, Outings, Movie, and Hike to the Suwannee River
Dear Commissioners,
Thanks again for the continued work on the Alapaha Boat Ramp, which will contribute to the quality of life recommended in the Comprehensive Plan.
As I mentioned at your Regular Session last week, you are invited to several WWALS events coming up soon, especially this one, which requires no boats: Continue reading
I wonder what this “debris” was? And the rags? Anyway, Valdosta has fixed another sanitary sewage spill. Probably if you stay out of the water around 2500 Bemiss Road (south of Northside Drive) you’ll be OK. But you may also want to know where Two Mile Branch goes downstream, and as usual Valdosta didn’t tell us.
As we recall from Valdosta’s last episode of multiple wastewater spills earlier this month,
Two Mile Branch runs into Sugar Creek which goes into the Withlacoochee River,
and eventually into the Suwannee River and the Gulf of Mexico.
Don’t be surprised if you see a Florida Department of Health advisory
like the one earlier this month. Continue reading
Deadfalls on this creek,
backing up flood waters onto Skipper Bridge Road forcing a bridge to close in 2009,
were one reason for the formation of WWALS.
Here are some pictures and a very brief movie.
In a typical day for a Waterkeeper®, starting slow after a road trip to Atlanta the previous day with several Riverkeepers and other environmental organizations, I was preparing for the movie in Live Oak Friday evening when I got a message from Noelani Mathews wanting an interview about the pipeline movie. As I threw a kayak in the truck, the Yellow Dog hopped in, and Continue reading
With two dozen access points to these wild and scenic rivers that converge just outside Valdosta, an online map, and multiple outings coming up, the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail is coming along nicely, and its Committee is proud to announce a Workshop at VSU, 1:30 PM Saturday February 27th, 2016 at the University Center Theater at Valdosta State University.
What: Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail Workshop
When: 1:30 PM-4:30PM
Saturday, February 27th, 2016
Where: UC Theater,
University Center
Valdosta State University
1215 N. Patterson St.,
Valdosta, GA 31698
“Parts of these rivers are really wild!” said Continue reading
If you missed it in Live Oak last night, or in one of the previous premieres along the Georgia coast,
you can see the movie online:
At What Cost? Pipelines, Pollution and Eminent Domain in the Rural South,
by Mark Albertin.
And yes, he’s happy for it to be shown elsewhere; just ask.
Thanks to Push Back the Pipeline for getting this movie made about Kinder Morgan’s proposed petroleum products pipeline from South Carolina across the Georgia coast to Jacksonville, Florida. Special thanks to Eileen, Lori, and Debra and the Woman’s Club of Live Oak for the movie showing last night, and to SpectraBusters, Our Santa Fe River, and Gulf Restoration Network for helping promote it. Don’t forget the hike to the Suwannee River Sabal Trail crossing 8:15 AM Thursday 28 February 2016 with Suwannee and Hamilton County Commissioners.
Most of the issues are the same for the invading Sabal Trail fracked methane pipeline which Continue reading