by Calusa Waterkeeper | Aug 30, 2024 | Harmful Algal Blooms, Press, Stormwater
Originally published in the Fort Myers News-Press by Chad Gillis on August 30, 2024 The waters in Matlacha Pass have cleared after post-Debby conditions caused a fish kill there. Tropical Storm Debby dropped several inches of rain across the region, and a lot of that...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Aug 15, 2024 | Harmful Algal Blooms, Press, Stormwater
Originally published in the Fort Myers News-Press by Chad Gillis on August 15, 2024 There’s a fish kill going on in Matlacha Pass, and some water experts think it’s due to a lack of oxygen in the water. Warm waters, the idea goes, have lowered oxygen...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Aug 15, 2024 | Harmful Algal Blooms, Press, Stormwater
Originally published on NBC-2 by Rachel Whelan on August 15, 2024 New images from a local environmental organization are showing shocking water quality conditions off our coast. Calusa Waterkeeper Codty Pierce is documenting our water conditions in the wake of...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Aug 13, 2024 | Harmful Algal Blooms, Press, Water Testing
Originally published on Fox4 by Domingo Murray on August 13, 2024 “We’ve had dead fish at the shoreline, many times, not a whole lot… about a dozen times in 30 years,” he said. Tuesday morning Talbott called FOX4 about the issue, so we reached...
by Tricia Santucci | Jun 20, 2024
Monthly meeting for Pine Island / Matlacha Pass Zone Rangers
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Apr 17, 2024 | Featured, Press, Water Testing
Originally published on Fox4 by Andrew Shipley on April 17, 2024 Sea grass is such an important part of our environment here in Southwest Florida. It provides habitat for our fish and food for our manatees. But unfortunately, that sea grass is going away and is being...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Sep 14, 2023 | Featured, Press
Originally published by Conservancy of Southwest Florida on September 14, 2023. Our nearshore waters are crying for help, but are we listening? In Lee County, many are familiar with the impact that Lake Okeechobee discharges and basin runoff have on the Caloosahatchee...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | May 12, 2023 | Featured, Harmful Algal Blooms, Press
Originally published by WINK News on May 12, 2023 Algae swirling in the Gulf Coast is bringing a smelly odor to the air. It’s happening around the waters of Matlacha. “It’s almost a matted, matted surface that resembles a mud flat, but the colors are quite vibrant....
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Sep 8, 2022 | Featured
Matlacha Pass Water Quality with Capt. Codty Pierce Thank you Capt. Codty Pierce for taking the time to share what you have been seeing out on the water. Learn about Matlacha Pass water quality and other local waterways from this charter fishing captain and lifetime...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jul 23, 2022 | Press
Originally published by NBC-2 News on July 22, 2022 The water is not just murky around Matlacha – it’s now appearing milky and the problem is being closely watched by Calusa Waterkeepers. “It’s funny, it wasn’t even here at noon today. Now it’s just coming in with the...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jun 24, 2022 | Press
Milky White-Colored Water & Fish Kill in Matlacha Pass Originally published by FOX4 News on June 24, 2022 We are learning more about what caused a fish kill in Matlacha Pass last week. NOAA says the fish likely died because of low oxygen levels in the water. They...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | May 13, 2022 | Featured, Matlacha Pass Water Quality
Calusa Waterkeeper Ranger, Sue Dahod lends her time and educational background to keep an eye on water conditions throughout Matlacha Pass from both Pine Island and the shores of Matlacha. Calusa Waterkeeper brings you these updates from her observations. We encourage...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Mar 31, 2022 | Press
Calusa Waterkeeper on what to know about Macroalgae at Matlacha Originally published by WINK News on March 31, 2022 A stench is coming from algae in one part of Southwest Florida. And now, that smell is affecting businesses and fishing. The Calusa Waterkeeper is...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Mar 31, 2022 | Press
Calusa Waterkeeper on What to Know About Macroalgae at Matlacha Originally published by WINK News on March 31, 2022 A stench is coming from algae in one part of Southwest Florida. And now, that smell is affecting businesses and fishing. The Calusa Waterkeeper is...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jul 14, 2021 | Press
Originally published by Pine Island Eagle on July 14, 2021 by Paulette LeBlanc. Water safety and sustainability problems should not be solved by the public, according to environmentalist islanders Sue Dahod and Susan McGuire, who say, unfortunately this is what it’s...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jun 14, 2021 | Press
Matlacha Residents Want Action Taken After Finding Thick Algae and Dead Fish Originally published by WINK News on June 14, 2021 Decaying algae is coming to the surface in the backyards of some Southwest Florida residents; now it’s leading to small dead fish, and...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jun 14, 2021 | Press
Matlacha Residents Concerned Over Growing Algal Blooms in Canals Originally published by FOX4 News on June 13, 2021 A disturbing sight in Matlacha canals is causing residents to rethink about getting in the water. Dead fish are popping up, floating on top of a brown...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jul 3, 2020 | Press
Lack of Oxygen Killing Fish, with Heat Making Matters Worse Originally published in The News-Press by Amy Bennett Williams on July 3, 2020 Eels gulping air. Floating mats of bubbly crud. Milky brown tides. As it did a few months ago, foul water again surrounds...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jul 2, 2020 | Press
Water Quality a Concern in Matlacha Pass as Eels Surface Originally published by WINK News on July 2, 2020 Concerns are rising over the water quality of Matlacha Pass after cloudy-looking water was spotted, bringing eels and other sea life to the surface for air. The...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | May 22, 2025 | Featured, Press
Set against the backdrop of Pine Island Sound’s pristine waters and old Florida charm, the Tarpon Fly Fishing Invitational returns this June to Tarpon Lodge. More than just a premier fly-fishing event, the Invitational is a growing force for good—bringing together...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Feb 16, 2025 | Featured, Policy, Press
Originally published by John Cassani in the News-Press on February 16, 2025 Florida’s coastal waters composed of marshes and tidal estuaries, fed by iconic rivers, represent the very essence of natural Florida. It is hard to imagine any significant historical event...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jan 30, 2025 | Featured, Press
Originally published in Florida Weekly by Roger Williams on January 30, 2025 The long-ago day he set out in his 16-foot Carolina skiff with a girlfriend to fish Matlacha Pass, his old man, Bill Pierce, played the parent roll. Bill Pierce warned his son not to go, as...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jan 8, 2025 | Featured, Harmful Algal Blooms, Press
Originally published by Andrew Shipley on Fox4 on January 8, 2025 Red tide has been blooming off our coastline for nearly four months now, but we haven’t seen those major impacts one typically associates with the blooms. “We are seeing it rise in severity, then...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jan 2, 2025 | Press
Originally published by Roger Williams in Florida Weekly on January 2, 2025 Lee County Commissioner Brian Hamman, a graduate of Cape Coral High School whose district includes Hudson Creek, and Calusa Waterkeeper Codty Pierce, both could not be reached for comment....
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Dec 14, 2024 | Cape Coral Spreader Canals, Featured, Press
Originally published in USA Today by Mary Kay Robbins-Kralapp and Howard Simon on December 14, 2024 In southwestern Florida, where the Caloosahatchee River empties into Pine Island Sound and Gulf of Mexico, three citizen advocates for clean water face crippling...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Nov 4, 2024 | Harmful Algal Blooms, Press
Originally published on WINK News by Elizabeth Biro on November 4, 2024 A storm is churning and on track to make its way into the Gulf of Mexico. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission red tide map shows background to low concentrations of it offshore...
