Calusa Waterkeeper shines positive light on region’s top asset with a week-long celebration and clean-up of our waterways
Southwest Florida’s water is worth fighting for — and celebrating. So, leading non-profit clean water advocacy group, Calusa Waterkeeper, has created The Big Calusa, a family-friendly, recreational, educational and cultural week-long festival and clean-up to reconnect our community in a positive way with all we love about our waterways.
“All year long, we at Calusa Waterkeeper find ourselves talking about the catastrophic harm we have suffered due to red tide and blue-green algae: fish and marine life dying by the millions, citizens at higher risk of illness, significant economic damage and on and on,” Calusa Waterkeeper John Cassani said. “Now it’s time to remind everyone why our water is so special.”
The Big Calusa begins on Earth Day, Monday, April 22, with the Calusa Kayakers Clean-Up Kick-Off Party at Millennial Brewing Company in Fort Myers from 5:30-8:30 p.m. Millennial Brewing plans to unveil a brew specially crafted for the event called “The Big Calusa” on tap at various venues all week. The Calusa Kayakers Clean-Up Kick-Off Party will feature musical entertainment, food trucks and sporting vendors to create a festival launch and sign up kayak racers and clean-up crews.
That same day, The Big Calusa teams up with Keep Lee County Beautiful to initiate Calusa Clean-up, a comprehensive week-long effort to clean local waterways throughout the region, partnering with kayak outfitters, civic associations, home-owners associations, service groups, churches and schools. The person who cleans the most garbage out of waterways and posts photos to social media with the hashtag #calusacleanup will be celebrated as clean-up champion at the Big Calusa Awards.
Then, on Saturday, April 27, Calusa Waterkeeper plans a full day of recreation called Big Calusa Day with ACA-sanctioned kayak and paddleboard races starting at 8:30 a.m., then open to the public from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. featuring sailboat rides, fossil hunting, mermaid tales and “The Little Toot” Magic Tugboat for kids, along with fishing and boating safety workshops, master naturalist ecotours, and more at North Shore Park along the Caloosahatchee River in North Fort Myers.
The week-long events culminate with the Big Calusa Awards Ceremony on Sunday, April 28 from 4:30-6:30 p.m., where Calusa clean-up champions, race-winners and local clean water heroes will be honored at the Edison and Ford Winter Estates. Newly appointed South Florida Water Management District Chairman and Sanibel favorite son, Chauncey Goss, will give the remarks at the awards ceremony.
“The Big Calusa was created to remind our community why it is important to protect and preserve our waterways,” said K.C. Schulberg, Executive Director of Calusa Waterkeeper and creator of The Big Calusa. “These precious natural resources, including our palm-lined beaches, exotic mangrove islands, unique ecosystems of marshes, tributaries, rivers and estuaries, not only provide boundless recreational opportunities, they serve as the underpinning of our economy, our livelihood and our enjoyment of SWFL. We need to cherish and preserve these resources for future generations.”
Sponsorship opportunities are available. Email Schulberg at [email protected] to find out how to get involved. For the latest on The Big Calusa, go to www.calusawaterkeeper.org/bigcalusa or follow Calusa Waterkeeper on Facebook at facebook.com/calusawaterkeeper.
Big Calusa sponsors already include “Golden Sawfish” sponsors: Pinchers Marina at Edison Ford and Severus Foundation; “Silver Manatee” sponsors: Manatee Eco & River Tours, and CONRIC PR & Marketing; “Roseate Spoonbill” sponsors, Millennial Brewing, Captains for Clean Water, Kayak DIY, Three Fishermen Restaurant, Edison Sailing Center, Pure Florida, Metro Blinds, Keep Lee County Beautiful, Jensen’s Cottages and Marina, and Sydney & Berne Davis Arts Center; “Blue Heron” Sponsors: Edison & Ford Winter Estates, GAEA Guides, Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program, Lee County Parks & Recreation Conservation 20/20, LightHawk Environmental Flights, CCRC; and Official Hotel Sponsor: Best Western Waterfront Hotel.
Volunteers are welcome to participate throughout the week. Fill out a volunteer form at https://calusawaterkeeper.org/events/big-calusa/ or contact [email protected] for volunteer opportunities.
Volunteer
Become a Sponsor