Earth Day Rivers Alive Cleanups, Two Locations to Choose From

Pick from two Georgia Rivers Alive cleanups for Earth Day, and bring your boat!

Gretchen Quarterman will lead a cleanup on Joree Millpond in Valdosta, starting at 913 Millpond Road. You can return whenever you want, but we expect this boating cleanup to last about two hours. If you have a jon boat and are willing to take a volunteer onto the pond to remove litter, please contact either Gretchen Quarterman (229-834-1945) or Austin Fiveash (229-563-6262). You can also participate in your kayak or canoe. Volunteers will remove litter from along the edge of the pond and from near the spillway.

Bobby McKenzie will lead a second paddle cleanup at the same time from Sugar Creek behind the Salty Snapper off of Gornto Road, down the Withlacoochee River, and a short hop up the Little River to Troupville Boat Ramp. That’s less than 4 river miles, and even with stops for trash collection should take less than three hours.

#1: Joree Millpond put in: 913 Millpond Road, Valdosta, GA, Take Country Club Drive to Mill Pond Road. Turn right and 913 is last house on left before right-only exit onto Jerry Jones Road.
Drop your boat at the water, then park near the street.
Millpond GPS: 30.867375, -83.309558

#2: River paddle put in: The Salty Snapper parking lot, 1405 Gornto Road, Valdosta, GA.
Go to the back of the parking lot to drop off your boat at Sugar Creek.
Sugar Creek GPS: 30.861785, -83.318793

River Paddle Take Out: Troupville Boat Ramp, 9664 Valdosta Hwy, Valdosta, GA 31602. Go west on St. Augustine Road across I-75 (exit 18) and cross the Withlacoochee River. At the light for Val Tech Road, turn left, which takes you down to the boat ramp.
Troupville Boat Ramp GPS: 30.851842, -83.346536.

River Paddle Self Shuttle: 3.2 miles, 8 minutes. Anyone attending the river paddle is encouraged to set up their own shuttle, with family members or other close associates, to get their vehicle from the Salty Snapper to Troupville Boat Ramp and to get back before paddling. We will call this the self shuttle.

River Paddle Team Shuttle: 3.2 miles, 8 minutes. Those who were not able to set up a self shuttle prior to 9:30 AM will depart the Salty Snapper at 9:30 AM joining in a team shuttle. Only the drivers will take their vehicles to the takeout. At the takeout another vehicle will return to the put in with the passengers. This team shuttle will be created on site as we have account of who will need to be shuttled. The vehicles returning to the put in will need to be shuttled back after depositing collected litter at the Troupville boat ramp.
There will be COVID-19 questions, temperature checks, and mask enforcement, as well as riding one person per window. If available and necessary, also one member may be in the bed of a truck.
Safety: All volunteers must sign a WWALS liability release, which makes WWALS insurance cover them, and must wear a life jacket at all times while in boats.
Rivers Alive Cleanups are free for everyone.
FMI: https://wwals.net/?p=55293