Georgia Rivers

02/17/2025

To celebrate the launch of our Fish Georgia Rivers program, Georgia Rivers is raffling a new Crescent Kayaks Lite Tackle II fishing kayak!

🛶 This kayak is ideal for beginner anglers with in-hull storage, rod holders, and a robust high seating option. The Lite Tackle II is just over 12 feet long making it a stable platform for beginners to maintain direction and carry their favorite equipment.

This kayak is donated to Georgia Rivers by Carrollton based Crescent Kayaks. Thank you, Crescent Kayaks!

🎟️ Purchase raffle tickets (just $5 each!) at https://rafflecreator.com/pages/55174/crescent-kayaks-lite-tackle-ii-raffle-2025

🎭️ The raffle will take place at our Mardi Gras Benefit Party to Save the Swamp on March 4 at Fire Maker Brewing in Atlanta. We'd love to see you on Fat Tuesday! Get tickets to attend the party at https://garivers.org/mardigrasbenefitparty/

02/16/2025

This year is the 20th anniversary of Paddle Georgia! Join us in reflecting on 20 years of friendship, learning and adventure on rivers across Georgia.

🛶The second Paddle Georgia in 2006 hosted 328 paddlers down 120 miles of the Etowah and Coosa rivers.

Did you paddle with us in 2006? Share your favorite photos and memories in the comments below! ⬇️

This year we’re embarking on a seven-day journey through three states (Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama) on South Chickamauga Creek and the Tennessee River.

Join us for Paddle Georgia 2025 June 15-22! Register at https://garivers.org/paddle-georgia/

02/15/2025

This year is the 20th anniversary of Paddle Georgia! Our signature river adventure event has grown into the largest week-long canoe/kayak camping adventure in the country, attracting between 250 and 400 participants annually.

💙 Join us in reflecting on 20 years of friendship, learning and adventure on rivers across Georgia!

The inaugural Paddle Georgia was a 110-mile adventure down the Chattahoochee River from Buford Dam to Franklin.

Did you paddle with us in 2005? Share your favorite photos and memories in the comments below! ⬇️

🛶 This year we’re heading where no Paddle Georgia navy has gone before: a seven-day journey through three states (Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama) on South Chickamauga Creek and the Tennessee River.

Join us for Paddle Georgia 2025 June 15-22! Register at https://garivers.org/paddle-georgia/

02/14/2025

All of our programs are driven by love for Georgia rivers. ❤️

We PROTECT the rivers we love through science and advocacy to ensure all rivers are clean, healthy and safe to swim.

We PADDLE the rivers we love to connect with nature, and with each other.

We EXPLORE the rivers we love and deepen our appreciation of their rich cultural and ecological significance.

We FISH the rivers we love to understand the importance of biodiversity for clean, healthy rivers.

Consider showing your love for Georgia Rivers by making a donation https://garivers.org/join-donate/

02/14/2025

Show your love for the Wild ❤️ of Georgia at our upcoming Mardi Gras Benefit Party to Save the Swamp!

Enjoy a low-country boil, bonfire and brews, and sing along to "Okefenokee" with Michelle Malone!

📅 Tuesday, March 4
🕛️ 5:00 - 8:00 pm
📍 Fire Maker Brewing Atlanta
🎟️ garivers.org/mardigrasbenefitparty

02/14/2025

Alligators love Valentine's Day! ❤️⁠
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One study shows that alligators display the same loyalty to their mating partners as birds. Up to 70% of females chose to remain with their partner, often for many years. 🐊💕🐊⁠
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The Okefenokee Swamp, home to nearly 13,000 American alligators, is threatened by a risky draft permits to mine on Okefenokee's Trail Ridge. ⁠
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Protect the Wild Heart of Georgia by contacting your legislators and urging them to support bills that prohibit mining on Trail Ridge.
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Use our form to speak up for the Okefenokee today! https://garivers.org/protect-the-okefenokee-national-wildlife-refuge/ #/426
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02/13/2025

Read Joe Cook’s chronicle of the battle over public boating rights on Ichawaynochaway Creek – a battle between a local sportsman with a seventh grade education and one the most influential and wealthy entities in the state, the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation of Coca-Cola fame.⁠
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The 1997 Georgia Supreme Court decision that came from this conflict colors today’s debates over where we have the right to boat, fish and hunt.⁠
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🥤Joe tells the stories of the “Ichaway Coke Party” at which Baker County residents poured Coca-Cola into the creek - Boston Tea Party style - to protest its closure to the public.⁠
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🐐 Learn of the infamous “Goat Float” in which creek advocates floated a raft loaded with a goat and bale of cotton down the creek to prove it’s “navigability.” ⁠
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⚖️ The protests were all for naught. The courts ruled against the sportsman, a decision that has since empowered landowners across the state to close other streams to the public.⁠
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“We’re still living in the dark shadow of the flawed Ichauway decision,” said Rena Ann Peck, Georgia Rivers executive director, “It leaves small businesses and popular tourist destinations at risk of being shut down at the whim of a single property owner. Baker County residents know firsthand the consequences. We don’t want other communities to suffer the same fate.”⁠
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Read the full cautionary saga in the Saporta Report https://saportareport.com/the-untold-saga-of-the-ichawaynochaway-creek/columnists/guestcolumn/melinda-sylvester/
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Urge the Georgia General Assembly to clarify and provide the courts with additional guidance for where Georgians have the right to boat, fish and hunt on the state’s streams. Take action at https://garivers.org/protect-our-freedom-to-float-georgia-rivers/

02/12/2025

Are you a Georgia K-12 educator and looking for an incredible summer adventure?

💧Apply to receive a full scholarship to participate in Paddle Georgia 2025 and receive environmental education curriculum and Georgia Adopt-A-Stream training during the seven-day journey.

You’ll have the trip of a lifetime and learn curriculum and skills that can help connect your students with Georgia’s rivers and streams!

The scholarship pays your full registration fee. The scholarship program is open to all Georgia teachers working in K-12 public or private schools.

⌛️ The application deadline is March 30, 2025; scholarship winners will be announced in early April.

Apply for the Georgia Educators Scholarship Program at https://georgiarivernetwork.regfox.com/paddle-georgia-2025-educators-scholarship-program

Learn more about Paddle Georgia at https://garivers.org/paddle-georgia/2025-2/

02/11/2025

To celebrate the launch of our Fish Georgia Rivers program, Georgia Rivers is raffling a new Crescent Kayaks Lite Tackle II fishing kayak!

🛶 This kayak is ideal for beginner anglers with in-hull storage, rod holders, and a robust high seating option. The Lite Tackle II is just over 12 feet long making it a stable platform for beginners to maintain direction and carry their favorite equipment.

This kayak is donated to Georgia Rivers by Carrollton based Crescent Kayaks. Thank you, Crescent Kayaks!

🎟️ Purchase raffle tickets (just $5 each!) at https://rafflecreator.com/pages/55174/crescent-kayaks-lite-tackle-ii-raffle-2025

🎭️ The raffle will take place at our Mardi Gras Benefit Party to Save the Swamp on March 4 at Fire Maker Brewing Company in Atlanta. We'd love to see you on Fat Tuesday! Get tickets to attend the party at https://garivers.org/mardigrasbenefitparty/

02/10/2025

Welcome Kendon Townsel! 👋

Kendon has joined Georgia Rivers to help us launch our new Fish Georgia Rivers program.

🎣 Fish Georgia Rivers will expand access to kayak fishing training for the public, increase access to fishing trips and programming for beginners, and represent anglers in river recreation advocacy.

🛶 Kayak fishing took Kendon's fishing hobby to the next level, and to competitive kayak fishing. Sitting closer to the water led him to success in the tournament scene in 2023 and 2024, where he won three tournaments and placed top 5 in 12 of 17 events. 🏆️

Welcome Kendon in the comments below!

02/10/2025

In the last days of the Biden Administration, former US Fish and Wildlife Service Director Martha Williams made a final appeal to Gov. Kemp to protect the Okefenokee Swamp.

She told Gov. Kemp she was concerned about the mine’s potential effect on the swamp and raised new questions about the company behind the mine itself, an Alabama-based firm known as Twin Pines Minerals.

The AJC has learned a former top U.S. wildlife official wrote Gov. Brian Kemp to warn that a mine planned near the Okefenokee Swamp would threaten the fragile ecosystem.

02/09/2025

Our guidebooks are the definitive guides to paddling and fishing on Georgia’s rivers.

Each guide provides many little-known facts about a Georgia river, brings to life the river’s cultural and natural history, and presents river issues in an immersive and engaging manner that will inspire users to help protect their local waterways.

💧And big bonus... they are waterproof! You won't want to venture without them!

Get guidebooks on our online store at georgia-river-network.square.site

02/07/2025

Be one of the first to secure your spot for Paddle Georgia 2025 on the Tennessee River!

Join us for the full adventure June 15 - 22 or opt for two, three, or four day registration plans.

Book now at garivers.org/paddle-georgia/2025-2

02/07/2025

Today was Okefenokee Day at the Capitol! 🐊

Okefenokee Day celebrates the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, the largest refuge in the eastern United States.

🛶 Did you know? Many areas within the Refuge are only accessible by canoes, kayaks and boats on the 120 miles of Okefenokee Wilderness Water Trails. These water trails allow paddlers to float through cypress forests, wet prairies, and pine uplands with plenty of opportunity to see a variety of wildlife.

📷️ : Rena Ann Peck and Kendon Townsel, our Anglers for Georgia Rivers program coordinator!
📷️ : Veronica Kelly and Michael Lusk with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
📷️ : Rena Ann Peck with Charlie the alligator from Okefenokee Swamp Park!
📷️ : Charlie and Representative David Huddleston
📷️ : Georgia Rivers Gator with Senator Sheikh Rahman

02/06/2025

Get fired up to save the swamp! 🔥

Join our Mardi Gras Benefit Party to Save the Swamp on Fat Tuesday, March 4. We'll gather at Fire Maker Brewing Company in Atlanta to enjoy a low country boil, bonfires, brews and music by Michelle Malone!

Fire Maker Brewing is the natural venue for our eco-conscious event with their own ethos for protecting water resources. Their EVRAH3 water is sustainably sourced and packaged with more than 98% recyclable materials. 💧

You won't want to miss this annual event at one of the best ranked breweries in America!

🗓️ Fat Tuesday, March 4
🕔️ 5:00 - 8:00 pm
📍 Fire Maker Brewing Atlanta
🎟️ garivers.org/mardigrasbenefitparty

02/05/2025

You're Invited to a GA-TENN-BAMA adventure!

Join us for an epic seven-day adventure June 15-22 to paddle through three states: Georgia, Tennessee and Alabama.

Registration opens Friday, February 7, at 8:00 a.m. and continues until SOLD OUT!

🛶 The adventure begins on South Chickamauga Creek in Ringgold, Georgia, strokes through Chattanooga and the Tennessee River Gorge in Tennessee and then culminates with a passage through a navigational lock and two days of paddling in Northeast Alabama.

Registration fees for adults range from $160 to $460 and participants can choose from two, three, four or seven-day registration plans. Deep discounts are provided for families, and scholarships are available for women, people of color, recent immigrants and low-income individuals and families.

🎉 A special 20th anniversary Paddle Georgia family reunion will be held Saturday, June 21, at our campsite in Stevenson, Alabama. Special registration information for this event will be announced soon!

Learn more and register now at garivers.org/paddle-georgia/2025-2/

02/01/2025

Sharing the ❤️ of Georgia Rivers with Ocmulgee Outfitters! Spotted in Macon!

Get your Georgia River Guidebooks to research new-to-you rivers or download the Georgia River Guide free mobile app to keep track of river conditions!

📸: Rebekah Clark

https://garivers.org/guidebooks/

https://garivers.org/georgiariverguide/

02/01/2025

Join Georgia Rivers as we explore Georgia’s southernmost river, the blackwater St. Marys as it winds along the Georgia-Florida border. With its headwaters in the Okefenokee Swamp, the St. Marys is one of Georgia’s most pristine and most beautiful rivers.

Arrive early on Friday and join us to explore the eastern side of the Okefenokee swamp. We’ll embark from the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge access and explore 4-8 miles of the swamp to the confluence with the St. Marys.

On Day 1 the paddle will explore a wild, remote and rarely travelled section of the St. Marys river because of the lack of public access. See brilliant white sandbars and dense riverside forest on the way back to Traders Hill.

On Day 2 we will explore backwater oxbows filled with wildlife and drift below riverside fish camp neighborhoods as we enter the tidally-influenced portions of the St. Marys.

Learn more and register at garivers.org/paddle-georgia/spring-on-the-st-marys/

📷️ : Spring on the St. Marys 2024, Joe Cook