| The Nature-Spirit Newsletter Quarterly from the Suwannee Canoe Outpost Volume 2, Issue #1 Spring 2009 |
| The "Sturge" of the Suwannee? |
| Winter Events at the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park |
| Nature-Spirit Essay: Good Times in Crappy Times by Steve Baxter |
| In response to several customer requests, I've put together two reports from river trips I've done recently. These reports include PHOTOS, as well as a few thoughts I recorded in some of my more contemplative moments. Enjoy! 1. Fargo to Cone Bridge boat ramp (about 30 miles), February 2008. 2. Cone Bridge boat ramp to Canoe Outpost (38 miles), February 2009. February seems to be the best month for me to get on the river! |
| I hear it more and more often. Concerned people, usually females, usually in their 40s or 50s, come out for a canoe trip and ask me something like this: "Are there sturgeons out there?" or "This river doesn't have any sturgeon, does it?" Sometimes they almost whisper the word, as if trying not to anger the feared fish that they imagine lurking, waiting, in the dark water some 50 meters away from my rental office. I used to hear this question only about alligators and snakes. Now I hear it about jumping fish. With no teeth. To my knowledge, the Canoe Outpost has never had a report of a customer injured by sturgeons--or alligators or snakes, for that matter--in its 20+ years of operation.) The answer to the question, by the way, is yes! The Suwannee River has always had sturgeons. They were almost wiped out by white men when they killed most of the females for their eggs--caviar--in the 1800s and early 1900s, from what I understand. Gulf sturgeon are making a comeback after their near-decimation, and they seem to be jumping for joy! Why the fear, then? Every now and then, a boat or jet ski zooms down the river--and runs into an airborne fish. In recent years, there have been about 6-10 reports per year of people in motorized boats getting injured by colliding with sturgeons, who can grow to over 6 feet in length and 200 lbs. (both people and sturgeons, come to think of it). Sometimes the collision hurts or even kills a human. We never seem to hear what happened to the fish, but I imagine that a lot more sturgeons get hurt by boats than people get hurt by sturgeons. (Just think "manatee.") Sturgeons tend to congregate in certain areas, like Anderson Spring, and jump pretty much all day. If we humans understood these fish, and knew what areas to avoid, we could avoid causing pain--to ourselves and also to our friends the sturgeons. -------- For more information about the gulf sturgeon, please visit these web sites: National Geographic article by biologist Ken Sulak Wikipedia Gulf Sturgeon article NOAA Fisheries info page Florida FWC site |
| As you probably know, the Suwannee Canoe Outpost is located inside the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park. Check out their upcoming events! May 8 Mercy Mountain Boys May 9 Road House Live May 11 KARAOKE WITH TEDDY MAC May 12 The Herold White Band May 14 KARAOKE WITH TEDDY MAC May 15 Steel Bridge May 16 Josh Kirkland May 16-17 Unite Car Show May 18 KARAOKE WITH TEDDY MAC May 19 The Herold White Band May 21 KARAOKE WITH TEDDY MAC May 23-25 Memorial Day Getaway May 23 Cactus Jack & The Cadillacs May 24 Running Down Romance May 25 KARAOKE WITH TEDDY MAC May 26 The Herold White Band May 28 KARAOKE WITH TEDDY MAC May 29-31 Spirit of the Suwannee Kids Music Camp May 29 Silverado May 30 Tropical Night Rocks the Suwannee June 1 KARAOKE WITH TEDDY MAC June 2 The Herold White Band June 4 KARAOKE WITH TEDDY MAC June 5-6 Wanee - The Allman Brothers - The Doobie Brothers TICKETS ON SALE NOW! www.waneefestival.com June 13 Comedy Night - Tommy Blaze June 18-20 Suwannee River Jubilee (gospel) July 3-5 4th of July Getaway June 20 Silverado June 27 Mike Mullis Concert - A Night of Lynard Skynyrd July 4 Deja - Tropical, Island, Calypso music July 11 Johnny Bulford July 18 Comedy Night - Jody Kern July 24-25 Smokin' on the Suwannee BBQ Festival July 25 David Cooler - The Dog Hunt Man For more info, call the Spirit of the Suwannee Music Park at 386-364-1683. |
| Dear fellow paddlers, Nature lovers, and outdoors enthusiasts, You might have heard that heavy rains in Georgia brought the North Withlacoochee and Alapaha Rivers to record flood levels in early April, as both rivers exceeded 1948 levels by three feet. You might also be aware that those rivers backed up the Suwannee's flow and flooded us out for over two weeks. But news of our deaths was greatly exaggerated. I'm happy to report that all of us at the Canoe Outpost are alive and well! It wasn't even a close call, though. Thanks to Water Management's flood forecasts, we were able to move out everything that didn't float. Good thing, too--because our building did float, for the first time since March of 2005. You can see pics and info about the flood here. We've been back open since April 24th, doing what we do best: helping people to have enjoyable, memorable trips on the river. Glad to see you all again! Steve Baxter, Editor/Outfitter |
Thank you for reading the Nature-Spirit Quarterly! Suwannee Canoe Outpost 386-364-4991 www.suwanneeoutpost.com suwanneeoutpost@yahoo.com |
Gift idea: A gift certificate for a canoe or kayak trip! Call 386-364-4991 and get it in the mail!. |
Factoid: The owner of the Suwannee Canoe Outpost was a sturgeon in a previous life. |
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| Steve Baxter wrote this newsletter, so anything that's messed up is solely his fault! --SB |
Update: Go to our Water Levels page to see new info about river conditions. Newly expanded to include high, medium, and low water levels! |
| This Issue's Focus: Suwannee River Trip Reports |
