Calusa Waterkeeper
In the News
Dolphin dementia: Florida scientist to share research, talk about algae
A recently published article explores whether their brains may warn that Florida’s algae blooms pose not just ecological risks, but neurological ones as well. Researchers posit the doomed marine mammals might have dementia caused by toxins produced by cyanobacteria, commonly called blue-green algae.
Nonprofit works to protect endangered sawfish habitat
Among the places the non-profit is working to protect is Glover Bight. It’s a cove along the Caloosahatchee River, near The Westin Cape Coral Resort. The reason why the area is critical is because of what’s there: the Smalltooth Sawfish.
Florida sawfish face extinction risk from habitat destruction
A rare sawfish nursery in the Caloosahatchee River faces mounting threats from development and rising sea levels. Joe Cavanaugh, Calusa Waterkeeper, took WINK News to one of only two known sawfish pupping areas in the river.
Troubled Waters
With this much nutrient pollution continuing to enter our waters statewide, it should be no surprise that blooms are occurring despite the (dry) season.
David A. Davis, Ph.D. to Headline Calusa Waterkeeper’s State of Our Water Meeting
Calusa Waterkeeper will welcome Dr. David A. Davis of the University of Miami Brain Endowment Bank as the keynote speaker presenting Algal Toxins and Alzheimer’s Disease: A Brain Bank Prospective.
Fort Myers receives $6 million grant to clean polluted canals
The grant will fund efforts to trim plants that block sunlight, a natural bacteria killer, and remove trash and bacteria.
Fort Myers receives $6M grant to clean polluted canals
The funding is part of ongoing efforts to address elevated bacteria levels in waterways, such as Manuel’s Branch and Billy’s Creek, which flow through commercial and residential neighborhoods and parks before reaching the Caloosahatchee River.
C-43 Reservoir in Hendry County not expected to be fully operational until 2028
The C-43 is designed to capture runoff and water releases from Lake Okeechobee during the rainy season, clean the water while it’s being stored and then release it down the Caloosahatchee River during the dry season. When it will actually accomplish all that is not yet clear.
Why is blue-green algae lining miles of SW Florida’s Caloosahatchee?
The algae stretches for miles along the Caloosahatchee: clouding the shoreline, murking up canals and choking oxbows, a dull avocado taint that signals nothing good.
Toxic algae blooms reappear in Caloosahatchee, sparking health warning
Health officials are warning of an algae-contaminated canal in Alva – the second time in the same place since January – and observers report blooms in LaBelle: at the town’s Nature Park and municipal dock, as well as in Moore Haven, close to Lake Okeechobee.
Toxin-producing algae has appeared in a Caloosahatchee canal in Alva
Alva resident Penny Ackerly, who spotted then reported the bloom, which she describes as “bright green streaks on the surface,” says she’s been seeing them “Every year since at least 2016.”
Fecal bacteria remains elevated in Fort Myers canal, city says
After nonprofit Calusa Waterkeeper found potentially dangerous levels of human fecal bacteria in Manuel’s Branch, an urban canal and creek in Fort Myers, the city’s Environmental Advisory Board heard an update on efforts to monitor and address the problem.