Calusa Waterkeeper 25th Anniversary Commemorative Report

MANNY APARICIO – TIDAL RANGER My wife and I are native Floridians. I am from Tampa. She is from Destin. We met as students at USF, immediately fell for each other, and married in 1980. We also lived aboard a sailboat in Tampa Bay for a while before my career pulled us away. Professionally, I’m a biologist at heart but professionally trained as a psychologist/neuroscientist with an engineering minor. Enjoying the practicality of engineering, I worked in industry to apply what we know about our brain’s real intelligence to make machines more intelligent (Artificial Intelligence). I served many years with IBM in Texas and then North Carolina but then founded my own company in 1999 and sold it to Intel in 2015. After some time with Intel, I retired in 2018. We are still new and exploring. We will soon have a proper vessel to cruise out more, but kayaking Shell Creek so far provides us with local mangroves, dolphins, manatees, and many bird species we are learning to classify. Simply crossing a bridge to look out over the Caloosahatchee River or San Carlos Bay is still a thrill. Our bodies and our minds are “wired” together with nature and with water in particular. As our waters go, so go we. MAGGIE STEVENS – TIDAL RANGER I was a Lee County School District employee for over 30 years, the majority in the Early Childhood Department. In my last four years, I served as principal of Early Childhood and the Lee Adolescent Mothers’ Program. My husband, Steve Funnell and I live in a 1953-built, continually under renewal, house next to the Caloosahatchee. Two of our children and six of our grandchildren live in Lee County, a daughter lives in Tampa and two grandchildren in Pennsylvania. I am currently a mindfulness meditation teacher. I had admired the work of the Calusa Waterkeepers because it transcends politics and focuses on quality of life issues. What is more vital than clean water? After the catastrophic blue-green algae disaster two years ago, I felt that I needed to be more active and not just sit on the sidelines writing legislators. Water is a basic human right. It’s hard to fathom that we need to fight for clean water. When I look into my adorable grandkids’ faces, I need to have an answer ready when they ask, ‘Grandma, what did you do to protect us?’ Inside Right RANGER PROFILES May 6, 2006 Thanks to CRCA Caloosahatchee is named 7 th Most Endangered River in America by American Rivers April 19, 2006 CRCA & VP Margaret England named Conservationist of the Year by Adubon of SWFL January 18, 2007 CRCA joins the Everglades Coalition, bringing total members to 50 August 2, 2007 CRCA files a petition to block The Vue’s plan to build a 27-story development in Fort Myers Sept 24, 2008 High Enterococcus bacteria levels cause the closing of the Cape Coral Yacht Club beach. July 18, 2007 CRCA and others refile petition to block The Vue building plan after an appeal November 8, 2008 CRCA Member Cassani writes Guest Opinion in News Press on cost of River restoration ED & CHRIS SHINOUSKIS – ESTERO BAY RANGERS Chris grew up in Wayne, MI, with a degree in Chemical Engineering from Michigan Tech and an MBA from Michigan. Ed grew up in Flint, MI, with a degree in Chemistry from Michigan and an MBA from Oakland University. We both started our careers with General Motors, working in chemistry labs, Chris in water quality and Ed in research. Today we have 3 grown children, are both retired, living full time in Florida and somewhat getting back to our roots. We love to learn about local history, travel when we can, go birding, play some pickleball, and appreciate all the natural beauty and wildlife that Florida provides. We enjoy learning the science behind Florida’s water quality issues and try to advocate for change based on scientific fact, not opinion or politics. We became interested in the Ranger program because of our backgrounds in sampling and lab testing. Chris actually spent her early career testing water in Flint Michigan of all places! So we are no strangers to water quality issues. We both enjoy giving back to our local communities. Being a CWK Ranger gives us that opportunity! .