Community Action Plan:
Billy’s Creek, Fort Myers
Executive Summary
The Billy’s Creek Community Action Plan (BC-CAP) serves as a call to action for restoring a local tributary, Billy’s Creek. From its early history to the present day, memories and life experiences intersect and continue to affirm the significant role Billy’s Creek holds in the greater Fort Myers community. Throughout the process of writing the Billy’s Creek Community Action Plan (BC-CAP), oral histories were collected in an effort to understand the place Billy’s Creek holds in the hearts of the people who live here. Shared with us were stories of learning to swim in the once white, sandy-bottom creek; teaching youth about the local environment with school trips to the creek; and, most popularly, fishing alongside family and friends.
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Billy’s Creek Oral History Project
Our stories are what connect us to each other and our environment. Therefore, Calusa Waterkeeper is collecting oral histories from community members to amplify the historical, cultural, and recreational significance that Billy’s Creek has had in our lives.
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Related News Stories
Fecal Bacteria
Dangerous levels of fecal bacteria found in Lee County waterways
A recent report from the Calusa Waterkeeper highlights alarming levels of fecal bacteria in many Lee County waterways.
There’s Something in the Water
Manuel’s Branch, arguably the most contaminated of the Great Calusa waterways in Lee County, runs across the city of Fort Myers, right behind Fort Myers High School and on past Thomas Edison and Henry Ford’s former homes before emptying into the Caloosahatchee.
Red tide showing up offshore, fecal indicator bacteria counts high after hurricanes
“We didn’t have a single site that passed the swimming beaches threshold of 70, so my main takeaway is there is a clear indication that we have a problem,” Pierce said. “We’re a first-world country living with third-world water quality problems.”
Fecal bacteria could still be high in creeks, rivers after Helene.
Avery is part of a small army of volunteers who scour Lee County creeks and rivers in hopes of better understanding pollution in the various watersheds, and they’ve been out in droves over the past week trying to capture a snapshot of local water quality after Hurricane Helene stirred local waters and flooded island communities.
Calusa Waterkeeper to highlight ongoing severe fecal bacteria presence at Manuel’s Branch creek
Calusa Waterkeeper sampled water in Manuel’s Branch last month and found the level of Enterococcus measured 21 times higher than the Florida Department of Health’s safety level and 44 times higher than the Environmental Protection Agency’s limit.
Calusa Waterkeeper To Host Manuel’s Branch Neighborhood Water Quality & Human Health Event
In an effort to keep children and families informed of troubled waters in Manuel’s Branch and other local waterbodies, Calusa Waterkeeper is hosting a Water Quality & Human Health Public Meeting on Tuesday, October 15, 2024, from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM.
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Priority Issues
Harmful Algal Blooms
Cyanobacteria & Red Tide
Cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) and Karenia brevis (red tide) have been making major impacts on Southwest Florida.
Lake Okeechobee Discharges
Revise System Operating Manual
The Caloosahatchee River often suffers from too much freshwater in the wet season, and not enough freshwater in the dry season.
Cape Coral Spreader Canals
Nutrient & Sediment Loading
The City of Cape Coral is working to remove large storm-water barriers to make recreational boating more convenient.
Bacteria Monitoring
Fecal Bacteria
Calusa Waterkeeper has been at the forefront of monitoring this Fort Myers tributary for fecal bacteria indicators.