Image: Bluffs Along Blackwater River by Doug Alderson

Greetings, Paddlers!

As we glide into March, the echoes of laughter and the rhythmic splash of paddles from our recent journey down the Blackwater River still linger in the air. Known for its tea-colored waters and gleaming white sandbars, the Blackwater provided the perfect backdrop for what Paddle Florida does best: bringing people together.

This trip was a beautiful reminder that while we come for the rivers, we stay for the community. It was heartening to see so many familiar faces returning to the water, renewing bonds formed on previous treks, and just as moving to witness new friendships take root over campfire conversations and shared miles on the river. There is a unique kind of kinship that forms when you’re navigating a narrow bend or setting up camp under a Panhandle sunset—a sense of belonging that defines our paddling family.

In this issue, read about the latest book from Doug Alderson, A Florida Dance, hear about Exploring Florida's Wild Northwest, get to know the ancient Suwannee Alligator Snapping Turtle, and learn how Identify Florida’s Turtles.

Whether you were with us on the Blackwater or are joining us from afar, we hope this edition inspires you to get back out on the water soon.

See you on the river,

The Paddle Florida Team

“Alderson’s identity as an outdoorsman, nature lover, and environmentalist comes to the fore in ‘Searching for Purpose,’ which recounts his early activism with causes such as the Sierra Club, anti-nuclear efforts, and opposition to clearcutting. His commitment to living lightly on the land continues in ‘Home Roots,’ where he describes building a house for his family—for just three thousand dollars. In ‘Struggles and Challenges,’ he and his wife, Cyndi, regularly gather with neighbors to clean up trash discarded along their rural roads. These stories also touch on challenges familiar to many Southerners, including hurricanes, power outages, and deterring ornery squirrels.” —Donna Meredith, Southern Literary Review

“Reading A Florida Dance: Life Stories from the Sunshine State felt less like turning pages and more like riding shotgun on a long Florida road trip with a fascinating friend. Doug has an amazing gift for storytelling that makes you feel like you’re just catching up with an old friend.” —Shirley Kasser Creech, GoodReads

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Blackwater River State Forest is a survivor - it's what a lot of Florida used to look like. It boasts at least four sandy-bottom rivers with practically no development crowding their shores. Those "high bluffs" looming some 60 feet above the creek that look more like canyons from the mountain West than something you'd find in Florida. […Read More …]

Radio-transmitter studies of the species conducted by Florida turtle expert Travis Thomas and colleagues in the mainstem of the Suwannee River documented adult alligator snappers commonly moving into floodplain swamps, most likely to forage when they are inundated.  Such conditions are intermittent, and as water levels drop the turtles are sometimes stranded in receding pools, forcing them to march overland to get back to the river. 

A diet rich in fish, shellfish, fruit, and nuts sound like part of the regimen of a 2024 Paris Olympian. Interestingly, a similar meal plan is the norm for alligator snappers, which, despite their predatory characteristics including a bite force of 1,150 psi that makes us nervous, are omnivorous. In addition to a diet heavy in fish, snappers consume, where available, lots of freshwater mollusks, including the quarter-sized, non-native Asiatic clam (Corbicula fluminea).  Very large snappers have been observed crawling along the river bottom pressing their sensitive snouts to the sand ꟷ  in search of these locally abundant clams.  […Read More…]

How To: Identify Florida Turtles

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