Calusa Waterkeeper
In the News
The Fight Over the Chiquita Lock Removal is Heading to Trial
The fight over the removal of Chiquita Lock is heading to trial, with Administrative Law Judge Suzanne Van Wyk ruling that the lawsuit can proceed. This comes after multiple nonprofit environmental organizations, including Calusa Waterkeeper was forced to withdraw as petitioners from the legal challenge.
Despite Objection by Cape Coral, Challenge to Remove Chiquita Boat Lock Advances
According to documents filed on Oct. 31, Administrative Law Judge Suzanne Van Wyk ordered that the petition to challenge the removal was timely filed after holding an evidentiary hearing in late August and September.
Tampa Bay Waterkeeper and Businesses Send Support to Neighbors Impacted by Hurricane Ian
The Calusa Waterkeeper organization wishes to thank our friends and partners at Tampa Bay Waterkeeper for blessing us with a contribution to support our testing operations and recovery from Hurricane Ian impacts.
Calusa Waterkeepers Create Oyster Gardens to Aid Water Quality
You may be keeping our waterways cleaner the next time you order oysters at dinner. The Calusa Waterkeeper, a non-profit organization, has been creating vertical oyster gardens made from recycled shells from local restaurants.
High Fecal Bacteria at Lee County Beaches Trigger Warnings
Lee County’s health department warns residents to avoid the water at local beaches due to high fecal bacteria levels that could cause illness. Bowditch Point Park on Fort Myers Beach and Cape Coral’s Yacht Club beaches had unsafe levels of Enterococcus bacteria.
Blue-Green Algae Toxins are a Human Health Risk
A recent News-Press article (“Well-known FGCU professor accused of downplaying blue-green algae by water advocate”) overlooks the principal barrier to public understanding of Florida’s persistent blue-green algae – the calibration of exposure to risk.
Quiet Disaster: Dapis Algae in Matlacha Aquatic Preserve and Charlotte Harbor
If you’ve never heard of Dapis algae, you’re not alone. It does not seem to get much airtime but is another damaging form of algae outbreak that continues to plague our coastline, negatively impacting our environment, economy and quality of life.
Using Chemicals to Treat Florida’s Algae Bloom Problem is like taking Aspirin for a Brain Tumor
Israeli company won a lucrative contract in Florida to use their algaecide to treat blue-green algae blooms in the Caloosahatchee & elsewhere. Concerns have been raised on efficacy and whether or not officials are following the product’s label for application and safety.
Clean Water Issues, Solutions and Actions Subject of League of Women Voters’ Educational Event
The League of Women Voters of Lee County will be holding a LWVLee Educational Event called Clean Water in Lee County: Issues, Solutions and Actions on Saturday, Oct. 7, from 9 to 11 a.m.
Here’s What Montana can Teach Florida About a Clean Future
Special interests have a powerful grip on our state government, and we suffer the consequences in red tides, blue-green algae blooms, fecal bacteria contamination, disappearing seagrass and dead manatees.
Nonprofits Cite Intimidation from Cape Coral over Chiquita Boat Lock
Several high-profile groups and nonprofits bowed out of a legal challenge to keep Cape Coral’s Chiquita Boat Lock, a nearly 50-year-old manmade barrier, in operation, citing fears of massive attorney’s fees and alleged “intimidation” by the city.
Statement on the Challenge to Remove the Chiquita Lock
The city’s latest request to remove the lock should be denied on many of the same grounds that it was denied on a few short years ago in Administrative Law Judge Francis Ffolkes’ December 2019 ruling.