by Calusa Waterkeeper | Mar 3, 2026 | Events, Featured, Press, Science
“Algal Toxins & Alzheimer’s Disease” will be the keynote address by David A. Davis, Ph.D. of the University of Miami Brain Endowment Bank Calusa Waterkeeper will welcome Dr. David A. Davis of the University of Miami Brain Endowment Bank as the keynote speaker...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jun 4, 2025 | Featured, Harmful Algal Blooms, Press
Originally published in the News-Press by Amy Bennett Williams on June 4, 2024 Already, cyanobacteria is blooming upriver, streaking shorelines from the rural community of Alva east of I-75 to Fort Myers Shores, some five miles from downtown. Despite the sliming,...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Feb 16, 2025 | Harmful Algal Blooms, Press
Originally published in the WGCU News on February 16, 2025 The normal blue and green waters of The Gulf have been stained a burnt orange thanks to a massive bloom of Red Tide. The imminent cause is unknown, but environmental and human factors are believed to be part...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Feb 6, 2025 | Featured, Harmful Algal Blooms, Press
Originally published in the News-Press by Chad Gillis on February 5, 2025 The bloom has at times stretches from Tampa Bay to the Florida Keys. “Over 20 million a cells per liter off Sanibel, and that’s the high kill-zone level,” said Calusa...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Nov 18, 2024 | Harmful Algal Blooms, Press
Originally published by Ocean Grants on November 18, 2024 Harmful algal blooms have been at the center of Calusa Waterkeeper’s science-based advocacy initiatives exploring the impacts of water quality on human health, our economy, and quality of life. Originally...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Aug 23, 2024 | Featured, Harmful Algal Blooms, Matlacha Pass Water Quality, Stormwater, Water Testing
Recently, I was asked to speak on The Chamber of Southwest Florida’s water quality panel. The host, Peter Busch of NBC-2, asked each panelist to rate the current state of our water quality on a scale of 1-10. The responses from those directly responsible for...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jul 26, 2024 | Harmful Algal Blooms, Press
Originally published in the News-Press by Chad Gillis on July 26, 2024 Heavy rains bring nutrient inputs from Lake Okeechobee, the upper Caloosahatchee watershed (which is largely agriculture) and urbanized areas like Fort Myers and Cape Coral. The nutrients can feed...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jun 21, 2024 | Harmful Algal Blooms, Press
Originally published on Fox-4 by Bella Line on June 21, 2024 The temperature is heating up in the air, and the water. We know that blue-green algae is something we deal with in the summer, but Calusa Waterkeeper volunteers tell me it’s early in the season for...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Sep 17, 2023 | Featured, Harmful Algal Blooms, Press
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....
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Aug 10, 2023 | Featured, Harmful Algal Blooms, Press
Originally published by Florida Weekly on August 10, 2023 and written by Roger Williams. When Susan Bennett, born and raised in Fort Myers, stared into the Caloosahatchee River seven stories below the balcony of her downtown home one recent morning, the potentially...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Aug 3, 2023 | Press
Originally published by WINK News on August 3, 2023 The Cape Coral city council has approved $300,000 to be used in the continuing fight against algal blooms. The money will be used to purchase additional bubble curtains and continued water treatments. In multiple...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jul 28, 2023 | Featured, Lake Okeechobee, Press
Originally published by The News-Press on July 28, 2023 by Chad Gillis Calusa Waterkeeper Codty Pierce says even small amounts of Lake Okeechobee water will infect the Caloosahatchee River with toxic blue-green algae blooms. Small amounts of water are coming from the...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jul 20, 2023 | Featured, Harmful Algal Blooms, Press
Originally published by The News-Press on July 20, 2023 by Chad Gillis A toxic blue-green algae bloom that’s been drifting around downtown Fort Myers has now spread to other areas, including the Cape Coral Yacht Club. “We do have an (air testing) unit near...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jun 23, 2023 | Harmful Algal Blooms, Press
Originally published by The News-Press on June 23, 2023 by Chad Gillis Health official confirmed Friday that a blue-green algae outbreak in the Caloosahatchee River is toxic to humans and animals. “A bloom occurs when rapid growth of algae leads to an...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | May 24, 2023 | Featured, Harmful Algal Blooms, Lake Okeechobee, Press
Originally published by Fox Weather on May 24, 2023 by Andrew Wulfeck Residents and visitors to parts of the Sunshine State’s largest lake are being urged to exercise caution after harmful blue-green algae was recently detected by the Palm Beach County Health...
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 | Mar 17, 2023 | Harmful Algal Blooms, Press
Originally published by The News-Press on March 17, 2023 by Chad Gillis The latest red tide to blanket Southwest Florida seems to be losing strength in Lee and Collier counties as higher brevetoxin counts have been reported in the Tampa Bay area in recent days....
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Mar 10, 2023 | Featured, Harmful Algal Blooms, Press
Originally published by TODAY on March 10, 2023. Spring breakers are flocking to Florida in hopes of enjoying clear water and white sand beaches, but many are instead discovering red tide during their vacations. The micro-organism that causes red tide has impacted...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Mar 9, 2023 | Press
Originally published by The News-Press on March 9, 2023 by Chad Gillis Gulf of Mexico water temperatures are running on the high side this year, which could trigger anything from afternoon thunderstorms to early animal migrations. Various weather outlets say water...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Feb 20, 2023 | Press
Originally published by The News-Press on February 20, 2023 by Amy Bennett Williams The name is a bit different but the intent is the same in a bipartisan bill reintroduced by Naples U.S. Congressman Byron Donalds this week: help algal bloom-affected communities get...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Feb 16, 2023 | Harmful Algal Blooms, Press
Originally published by The News-Press on February 16, 2023 by Chad Gillis A red tide bloom along the Southwest Florida coast appears to be spreading in size, according to state records, but some experts say toxic conditions may soon wane. The most recent reports from...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Feb 13, 2023 | Featured, Harmful Algal Blooms, Press
Originally published by WINK News on February 13, 2023 Red tide is a complex water issue, and scientists who study it are surveying the conditions that can trigger blooms—sunlight, water temperature, salinity, wind direction, and speed—to figure out how to mitigate...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Nov 17, 2022 | Featured, Harmful Algal Blooms, Press
Red Tide Continues to Make its way through Southwest Florida Waterways Originally published by FOX4 News on November 17, 2022 Red tide continues to make its way across southwest Florida waterways. Some areas are not feeling the full effect, though many beaches are...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Nov 17, 2022 | Harmful Algal Blooms, Press
Originally published by WINK News on November 21, 2022 Red tide is appearing up and down the Southwest Florida coastline, but is it an issue you should be concerned with? These are pictures of where the cleaner water ends and the red tide begins. The Calusa...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Nov 17, 2022 | Featured, Harmful Algal Blooms, Press
Originally published by The News-Press on November 17, 2022 by Chad Gillis Scientists are saying a red tide bloom that’s lingered along the coast for a few weeks is now being fed by nutrients running off the landscape in the wake of Hurricane Ian. Red tide...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Nov 16, 2022 | Harmful Algal Blooms, Press
Originally published by WINK News on November 16, 2022 On Sanibel, you can’t escape the smell of dead fish. And on the shore, you can’t escape the dead fish. “People are familiar with the red tide smell. But that’s from decay, what you really smell, the actual toxins...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Nov 15, 2022 | Harmful Algal Blooms, Press
Originally published by NBC-2 News on November 15, 2022 Since Hurricane Ian, red tide has been blooming across Southwest Florida. Most beaches in SWFL have been closed due to potential debris threats in the water, but The Calusa Waterkeeper reported that blooms are...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Nov 15, 2022 | Harmful Algal Blooms, Press
Originally published by The News-Press on November 15, 2022 by Chad Gillis A red tide bloom that’s been lingering off the coast of Sarasota and Charlotte counties has made it to Lee County waters, where fish kills are being reported at some local beaches. Red...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Nov 3, 2022 | Lake Okeechobee, Press
Originally published by The News-Press on November 3, 2022 by Chad Gillis The Lake Okeechobee drainage system is more likely to see a blue-green algal bloom next spring as a result of Hurricane Ian. Lt. Col. Todd Polk, with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said Ian...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Oct 28, 2022 | Lake Okeechobee, Press
Originally published by WINK News on October 28, 2022 The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said they will begin releasing Lake Okeechobee discharges into the Caloosahatchee River. This raises concerns in Southwest Florida because the area is still trying to dry out after...
