April Huntley submitted a 90-second video about the
Alapaha River Water Trail,
and Gretchen Quarterman sent one in about the
BIG Little River Paddle Race on the
Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail.
Come cheer for them and other local community entries, 7PM tonight, Bailey Auditorium, VSU, Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia.
-jsq
You can join this fun and work by becoming a WWALS member today!
Update 2016-03-05: Poster, flyer, registration form, and a way to pay online!
7AM Saturday May 21st at Reed Bingham State Park, it’s the annual fundraiser for WWALS and Friends of Reed Bingham, back again by popular demand (facebook event, meetup event):
A fun event for good causes. This four mile downstream paddle on flatwater takes you on a winding course through pretty south Georgia forest, under towering cypress trees, past live oaks, coppices of ogeechee tupelo, and majestic pines. The tannin stained blackwaters reflect the beautiful scenery and are typical of the coastal plain. Paddle it to win or just to enjoy. Cash prize to the paddler who finishes first. Medals to top finishers in several categories: male and female solo canoe, male and female solo kayak; male 2 person canoe, female 2 person canoe, mixed 2 person canoe, male tandem kayak, female tandem kayak, mixed tandem kayak. Entrance fee includes a free lunch at the end of the race. Fastest paddlers will complete in under an hour; slow paddlers in 1.5-2 hours. Bring your own boat or rent one from Reed Bingham State Park (advance reservations recommended).
There will be a registration fee, well worth it for the fun, community, and to support your friendly local watershed organization; details to come. Here are last year’s winners.
Meanwhile, these other events coming up sooner are free, Continue reading
Even the trend of sinking groundwater levels hasn’t changed a lot in the Georgia
parts of WWALS’ watersheds of the Withlacoochee, Alapaha, and upper Suwannee Rivers.
Thanks to Tom Potter for the pointer, and we’re inviting someone to talk about this subject at the
Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail Workshop at VSU February 27th, 2016.
WATER RESOURCES OF THE UPPER SUWANNEE RIVER WATERSHED, by Mary M. Davis1 and David W. Hicks2,
1 Ecologist, Continue reading
The Commissioners for the one county on every Sabal Trail fracked methane path ever proposed, Suwannee County, Florida, meet tonight at 6PM in Live Oak. I can’t go, so I sent them this letter (PDF). If you can go, please do, or you can send them a letter, too.
To: Suwannee County Board of County Commissioners,
Dear Commissioners,
Thanks again for your hospitality at your meeting of December 15th.
Solar and wind can make coal go away with no need for natural gas.
The FPL representative who spoke didn’t seem aware of what Southern Company CEO Tom Fanning said about solar power last June: “If somebody wants to buy distributed generation, I want to sell it to 'em." See Herman K. Trabish, UtilityDive, June 11, 2015, “Inside Georgia Power's move into the residential solar market: The utility says it will offer solar through an unregulated business, but installers fear possible anticompetitive impacts”:
http://www.utilitydive.com/news/inside-georgia-powers-move-into-the-residential-solar-market/400562/That meeting gave me deja vu about a few years ago when Georgia Power and Southern Company were claiming Continue reading
This is why WWALS recommends filing a float plan, or in this case, a hiking and camping plan.
WALB News Team, 17 January 2016, Campers rescued from rising floodwater, warning issued,
BERRIEN CO., GA (WALB) – The Berrien County Sheriff is sending a warning to residents to stay off the Alapaha River.
“Its not a good time to be camping out on the river,” said Sheriff Anthony Heath.
About 11 a.m. on Sunday, four Berrien County campers had to be rescued after they were surrounded by rising floodwaters. A father, his daughter, son, and son’s girlfriend hiked downstream and set up camp at the Alapaha River bridge near state Route 135, south of Willacoochee.
The VDT says they camped on Saturday, and were found the next day. Terry Richards, Valdosta Daily Times, 19 January 2016, page 8A, Stranded campers réscued, Continue reading
Our rivers, creeks, swamps, lakes, and the Floridan Aquifer are part of that web of mutuality described on the north wall of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in DC:
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality,
tied in a single garment of destiny.
Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly.
It was the Alabama River they sought to cross on the Edmund Pettus Bridge when John Lewis, Continue reading
Gretchen said:
“Oh, what a lovely short paddle on a warm winter day!”
She’d rather be on the river than in an airplane,
as you can see in these pictures she took
of the
WWALS outing from GA-122 in Lowndes County to Lawson Millpond Road in Brooks County yesterday, 16 January 2016.
More outings and events coming up:
9AM Sunday 20 March 2016:
Staten Road bridge to Langdale Park, Withlacoochee River through Valdosta
Watch the Continue reading
Here’s WWALS video of
the radio interview this morning on WVGA 105.9 FM.
It’s an invitation to tomorrow morning’s events, both at 10AM:
Chris also got me to say a few words about why WWALS formed in the first place, and why you should all join WWALS; it has to do with the 700-year flood in 2009.
Plus some plugs for Valdosta’s wastewater fixes and their recent LiDAR flight.
The one thing I realized on the way out I forgot to mention, the one item that caused me to schedule this interview, was the workshop at VSU February 27th about the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail, featuring the visual beauty of all WWALS’ rivers in an art exhibit and silent auction, the geology on display by Dennis Price, and the remains of past people and cultures still visible along the river by Tom Baird.
Looking forward to seeing you tomorrow morning on the Little River, or other WWALS members look forward to seeing you tomorrow morning on the Suwannee River. If not tomorrow, there’s plenty more to do on our beautiful south Georgia and north Florida blackwater rivers!
Here’s the video:
Continue reading
Everybody listens to the radio in the car on the way to work,
and Friday morning 8:30 AM I’ll be talking about
paddling this Saturday morning 10AM on the Little River from GA 122 between Hahira and Barney to Lawson Millpond Road; it’s a nice brief 2.5 hour paddle along the Brooks-Lowndes County river border: you can do it!
When: 7:30AM Friday January 15th 2016
Where: 105.9 FM WVGA, Valdosta, Lowndes County, Georgia
What: John S. Quarterman, president of WWALS Watershed Coalition, Inc., on Chris Beckham drive-time radio show
How: Continue reading
Chris Graham reported on facebook from the Alapaha River:
Here what the Alapaha River look like this afternoon near HWY 84 and CSX RR Track. Which it is high but it is going down tho.
The Alapaha was about 11.25 feet on the Statenville gauge at that time. Actually it kept going up. Today it’s at 13 feet.
We’ve been to that CSX railroad bridge before, Continue reading