Stewards of the White Oak River Basin Current Events

 

July 28, 2004, Wednesday, The White Oak River, including Webb Creek and Hargett Creek

This picks up where we left off last week. As wind is the governing factor on this section of the White Oak we will decide after we meet. All indicatons at this time are that it will be a southerly wind. So we are planning it from south to north.

The southerly put- in is at a private home. It is a large trailer home with a red foundation and off white walls and is the one Dale and I pointed out as we came down Holland Mill Creek. It has beautiful Hibiscus plants in large tubs on the porch. Large butterflies were swarming over them. It is right on the water. This is at the confluence of  Holland Mill Creek and The White Oak River.

To get there you turn off Belgrade-Swansboro Road onto Curt Holland Road #1433. This is about 2.4 miles south of Silverdale.

#1433 will turn left at a T. Do not turn. Continue straight on Thomas Holland Road # 1450. Just before the pavement ends turn left on dirt road Nanne. About a quarter mile down you will come to two dirt roads right. Take the first one and go to the river.

We will run our shuttle vehicles back to Boondocks on the White Oak at the bridge at Stella where we will be taking out.  We meet at 9:00 at the put-in and should be off the river by 3:00. If the wind changes to northwest, north or northeast we will reverse the direction of our paddle.

It is a short shuttle. We also expect very little trash on this trip. We will hug the western shore of the White Oak.We also expect to see an alligator on this trip and it is necessary that we sneak up on him so we all can see him. He is a big one! Elmer

Elmer, The White Oak River Trashman
Stewards of the White Oak River Basin
cell phone 910-389-4588--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The weather reports said southwest winds. When we arrived at Bicentennial Park at Swansboro the flags were blowing straight out by a northeast wind.  We reversed  our trip and put in upstream on Cartwheel Creek.
 
We were on the water at 9:45. It was a narrow creek starting out. We past a branch on the left which goes under Swansboro Loop Road. This probably could and should be opened up to that road for public access there.
 
The creek soon widened and we past a farm where we have seen goats in the previous paddles. No goats today. We came to Holland Mill Creek and turned up stream. This creek could and probably should be cleared all the way to the Swansboro-Belgrade Road to provide public access. The reeds were very tall and we had the sense of being in a tunnel. Picture #1.
 
Dale and I were paddling tandem in a Discovery 174. We had to turn around and paddle backwards it was so narrow.
 
As we approached the White Oak we saw more and more birds, egrets, great blue herons, kingfishers and ducks. Jumping mullets and shrimp were everywhere.Dale had a shrimp jump in his tash bag..
 
With the wind and tide we cruised down the Whte Oak with ease.. We past many beautiful homes along the way. We stopped at a sandy beach for lunch and a swim. As we paddled past my sons house Duke and Earl talked to us from behind their fence.
 
We then came to Stevens Creek and paddled up as far as we could. This creek is silted in. It used to be very deep and was a refuge for deep keeled sailboats during storms. Plantation Estates, River Reach and River Reach West border this creek. 
 
We sailed down the White Oak. Stopped for another swim across from Jones Island and were back at Bicentennial Park before 3:00. It was a beautiful and very pleasant day on the water.
 
Our haul of trash was two tires, one crab pot, two large plastic crates and the usual bottles, cans and pails. This stretch of the White is now clean and does not have to be revisited during Big Sweep this year. Pictures 2,3,and 4. All on the our web site.
 
Next week Wednesday we plan to put in at Holland Mill creek and paddle upstream on the White Oak and do Hargetts Creek and Web Creek and take out at Stella at Boondocks if we have a southwest wind. We will reverse it if wind is from the northwest or northeast.  We can almost guarantee you will see an aligator on this trip.
 
Todays participants were Marie Justen, Jim Stevens, Dale Weston and the writer. Maries' pictures are forwarded seperately.
 
Elmer 
  

Brian Wheat of The New River Foundation organized this most successful clean up of 11.5 miles of the New River north of Jacksonville. We must have had 3o participants.
 
We met at the Marina Cafe on Route 17 at the bridge over the New River.  We put in the river 11.5 miles upstream at the new McAllister Landing on Rhodestown Road. This is a very long stretch of river to paddle and clean up too. They not only picked up all trash but also cut out blown down trees blocking the river.
 
Two very active participants who were in and out of the water picking up all kinds of trach and removing the cut sections of blown down trees.

 
 
 
 
Lisa Stotesbury, Administrator of Keep Onlsow Beautiful and Grant Hill, Professor at Carolina Commuity College who also participated in the clean up.


 
 
 
 


Unamed beautiful wildflower.  The pickerel wild flower was also blooming and Queen Annes Lace.

The trashman being towed home by Bob Quinn. He had stopped to talk to Tom Pallard at his beautiful home along the river. Tom told me about his new treatment plant under construction.
 
 

Some of the people and some of the trash at the Marina Cafe ramp.
 
 
 

More people.
 
 

Putting up the canoes.
 
 

It was a great day on the river. This section of the New is declared to be clean.  Big Sweep will not have to revisit here. Please everybody do not continue to trash this beautiful river.  We think the upstream bridges at Rhodestown and Northwest and up Squires Run are where the trash is being discarded into this river.  What is thrown out on our roads in the watershed also gets washed into the river with heavy rains. We all must stop littering.  
 
Thank you one and all for your participation. We especially want to thank Bob Leclair who came from Kinston with his Jon boat to carry our trash. His wife came with him and his daughter Michele, came with her own kayak.  Joanne Somerday also came down from Kinston, and Matt and Jamie Haynes from Newport and Marie Justen from Spooners Creek. 
 
Brian Wheat will tell you about all the others.  Our thanks again, to Brian and The New River Foundation for making this trip possible and so successful in restoring The New River to its natural gorgeous beauty around every bend in the river.
 
We all are determined to clean the New all the way to the ocean. We especially need motorboats to help us on these wide open waters.  Elmer