Calusa Waterkeeper 25th Anniversary Commemorative Report

In May of 1994, the Everglades Forever Act (EFA), a precursor to CERP, was enacted by Florida’s legislature, focusing national attention on South Florida. Later that year, on July 4, Tropical Storm Alberto caused devastating flooding throughout Florida. In fact, 1994 was one of the wettest years on record in Florida with rainfall from January to April 140% above average and November & December a staggering 316% above normal, leaving Lake Okeechobee, our canals and rivers engorged with surplus water and bringing much needed attention to water flow issues on the Caloosahatchee, its tributaries and estuaries. In 1994, the News-Press had published a series of articles on the Caloosahatchee, entitled “River at Risk.” And on August 7, 1994, published a major article called “Caloosahatchee: An Orphan River.” That article amounted to a double-truck appeal to protect and defend our River – a plea for adoption of the mighty Caloosahatchee, saying “unlike the Hudson, the River has no keeper” and calling for “the formation of a citizen’s group to watch over the river.” Furthermore, there was an announcement of a News-Press sponsored Caloosahatchee Community Forum to take place later that year. This did not fall on deaf ears. When the summit took place on November 19, 1994, the Barbara B. Mann auditorium was filled with 400 attentive agency & elected officials, environmental groups and scores of ordinary concerned citizens – among them, many who would be instrumental in forming our organization, like Rae Ann Wessel, John Capece, John Cassani, Jim Haggart, Charles Edgar Foster, Laura Church, Linda Mattos, Amy Bennett Williams, Connie Hoffsinger, Rob Andrys, Keith Kibbey… and many others. These were sunnier times (so to speak), at least, less polarized, when Bill Hammond sat on the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) and Ray Judah was a County Commissioner. (continued on opposite page) Mascot Musings Though not exactly cuddly, our mascot – the smalltooth sawfish ( Pristis pectinata ) is extraordinary by many measures. Olive gray to brown on its back, with a light sandy underbelly, sawfish have a lifespan of several decades and can sometimes attain a length of 20 feet. They belong to a group of fish called elasmobranchs that includes rays, skates, and sharks. Though shark- like in appearance, they are actually rays, as their gills and mouths are found on the underside of their bodies. Sawfish get their name from their distinct rostrum—a long, flat snout edged with sharp teeth—that looks like a saw. The smalltooth sawfish was the first marine fish to receive federal protection as an endangered specie under the Endangered Species Act in 2003. Its habitat used to extend from the Mid-Atlantic states through the Gulf of Mexico, down to Uruguay and even to the western coast of Africa from Angola to Mauritania. But due to overfishing and compromised habitat it is now only found in the waters of Southwest Florida. And one of the few remaining pupping grounds is our own Caloosahatchee River. The sawfish, image - now such a central part of our profile - was originally proposed by our former President, Gene Gibson, when we were applying to the Waterkeeper Alliance as a full Member in 2016. John Capece provided the new name Calusa Waterkeeper, as an alternative to the more geographically-limiting Caloosahatchee. And the logo was crafted by John Cassani’s daughter, Sarah Lepa,. We are extremely proud that the international Waterkeeper Alliance not only approved our logo; they now showcase it as a prime example in their style manual sent to all 340 waterkeeper organizations around the world. Nov 19, 1994 Caloosahatchee Community Forum Sponsored by the News-Press March 9, 1995 FOUNDING of CRCA Caloosahatchee River Citizens Association Oct 22, 1995 CRCA Marine Clean-up Day Caloosahatchee to Ortona Locks Nov 1996 First of 18 years Jan 27, 1996 CRCA Storm Drain Stencil Project – ”Don’t Pollute - Flows To River” June 1996 CRCA receives IRS 501(c)(3) Tax exempt status Nov 21, 1997 WGCU River doc gets PBS airdate (prompted by J. Cassani) March 8, 1998 CRCA Annual Member Meeting Jaycee Park Cape Coral March 14, 1998 CRCA River Cruise with R.A. Wessel J. Capece & C.E. Foster K.C. Schulberg The early 1990s proved a seminal moment in Southwest Florida history when folks became surprisingly sensitized to environmental issues. Hurricane Andrew had slammed Florida on August 16, 1992 causing $23b in economic and environmental damage. Our Smalltooth Sawfish Logo Reprinted with permission of News-Press