FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE (PDF)
One month before BIG Little River Paddle Race
Hahira, Georgia, March 27, 2019 — It’s one month until the Seventh Annual BIG Little River Paddle Race (BLRPR) in Reed Bingham State Park, between Adel and Moultrie, Georgia. You can just paddle along this scenic stretch of tea-colored river on the Withlacoochee and Little River Water Trail among cypress, turtles, birds, and yes, alligators. (Don’t pet them and they won’t bother you.) This three-mile race also has fierce competitors, with last year’s winner finishing in barely more than half an hour. Plus lunch, a silent auction, and a kayak raffle, at this family fun sporting event in support of two local nonprofits.
Photo: Bret Wagenhorst, of paddlers in BLRPR 2018
BLRPR mastermind Bret Wagenhorst, an eye doctor in Tifton, GA, and a charter board member of WWALS Watershed Coalition, Inc. (WWALS), said, “You can win in any of a dozen categories: one- or two-person canoe or kayak, male or female or mixed, as well as oldest, youngest, and from farthest away.”
Photo: Bret Wagenhorst, of Youngest Paddler Xavier McKenzie finishing BLRPR 2018
Dianne Walters, president of Friends of Reed Bingham State Park (FORB), said, “This is a great community event, with volunteers from all around helping paddlers from everywhere.”
Dan Phillips, WWALS board member and on the WWALS Outings Committee, remarked, “I came in second, and gave it my best. A lot of fun!”
Photo: Phil Hubbard, of Dan Phillips placing second in BLRPR 2018.
Suwannee Riverkeeper John S. Quarterman said, “This year we hope to have even more paddlers than last year, when we had 49 paddlers (29 male and 20 female) in 43 boats from 10 watersheds in 15 counties and 22 cities in two states, win 11 awards. Don’t forget there’s even a Fallers Award if you get wet! I didn’t fall in, but I did finish in less than an hour.”
Registration is online at wwals.net ($20 until April 1; $30 thereafter), or at the site, 8 AM to 9 AM, Saturday, April 27, 2019, at Red Roberts Landing, on Rountree Bridge Road, off of I-75 Exit 41 (Sparks). You can rent boats at Reed Bingham State Park (reservation required), and there is a park entrance fee of $5.00.
The mass start will be at 9:30 AM. It can take two hours for everybody to paddle down to Reed Bingham State Park Boat Ramp (West), after which we will have lunch at about noon, with silent auction, followed by the awards. There is a cash prize and a trophy for First Place, and medals for all the other winners.
This is a fundraiser for the nonprofits WWALS and FORB.
Friends of Reed Bingham State Park (FORB) is the official nonprofit support organization for Reed Bingham State Park, a park known for its innovative programs and as a leader in resource management, particularly with rare and endangered plants and animals such as gopher tortoises, bald eagles, indigo snakes, and other native species. We are a chapter of Friends of Georgia State Parks. Join us as we work to provide a wonderful place for individuals and families to enjoy the natural beauty of South Georgia.
WWALS Watershed Coalition, Inc. (WWALS) advocates for conservation and stewardship of the Withlacoochee, Willacoochee, Alapaha, Little, and Suwannee River watersheds in south Georgia and north Florida through education, awareness, environmental monitoring, and citizen activities. Founded in June 2012, WWALS has board members from multiple counties in south Georgia and north Florida, and members from all over the Suwannee River Basin and from farther away. Since December 2016, John S. Quarterman is the Suwannee Riverkeeper®, which is a staff position and a project of WWALS as the Member of Waterkeeper® Alliance for the Suwannee River Basin.
Contact: Bret Wagenhorst, 229-392-5513
John S. Quarterman, Suwannee Riverkeeper®
WWALS Watershed Coalition
www.wwals.net
contact@suwanneeriverkeeper.org
850-290-2350
229-242-0102
PO Box 88, Hahira, GA 31632
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A printable flyer and PDF of this press release are on the WWALS website along with a link to how to get tickets.
-jsq, John S. Quarterman, Suwannee RIVERKEEPER®
You can join this fun and work by becoming a WWALS member today!
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