Advocates Cassani, Goss, Parsons, Capece and Brookes to Address Water Policy and Pollution Concerns Water is essential to life, but it’s under severe threat, negatively impacting our quality of life, our health, our economy and our future. From polluted waterways to...
Originally published by John Cassani in the News-Press on February 16, 2025 Florida’s coastal waters composed of marshes and tidal estuaries, fed by iconic rivers, represent the very essence of natural Florida. It is hard to imagine any significant historical event...
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...
Originally published in the Orlando Sentinel by Mary Kay Robbins-Kralapp and Howard Simon on February 2, 2025 We write to ask for Floridians’ help to protect both our water and environment, as well as our right to participate in the civic affairs of our communities...
Originally published in Florida Weekly by Roger Williams on January 30, 2025 The long-ago day he set out in his 16-foot Carolina skiff with a girlfriend to fish Matlacha Pass, his old man, Bill Pierce, played the parent roll. Bill Pierce warned his son not to go, as...
Originally published on NBC-2 by Ryan Arbogast on January 28, 2025 A large-scale red tide bloom, roughly 100 square miles in size, is floating in the Gulf of Mexico about 25 miles off the Southwest Florida coastline, stretching from Charlotte Harbor to beyond Marco...
Celebration of Life for Calusa Waterkeeper, Captain Codty Pierce Calusa Waterkeeper and the family of Captain Codty Pierce invite the community to join them in a Celebration of Life for Codty, a beloved local fly-fishing guide turned environmental advocate. The event...
Originally published in the News-Press by Amy Bennett Williams on January 23, 2025 Everything about Calusa Waterkeeper Codty Pierce was big: his drive, his job, the man himself. Pierce’s sudden death Jan. 13 leaves an outsized void in a stunned community that relied...
The Calusa Waterkeeper board and staff are deeply saddened to confirm the unexpected passing of our beloved waterkeeper, Captain Codty Pierce, on January 13, 2025. As the heart and soul of our organization, Codty’s unwavering commitment to protecting the waters of...
Originally published by Andrew Shipley on Fox4 on January 8, 2025 Red tide has been blooming off our coastline for nearly four months now, but we haven’t seen those major impacts one typically associates with the blooms. “We are seeing it rise in severity, then...
Originally published by Boca Beacon on January 2, 2025 The island had a large number of dead mullet up and down the beach over t he New Year, the result of a possible red tide outbreak offshore. “This is an unfortunate persistent presence of Red Tide since the...
Calusa Waterkeeper, a leading voice for clean water in Southwest Florida, is proud to announce its 30th Anniversary Celebration, set for Friday, January 24, 2025, from 3:30 to 6:00 p.m. at the Caloosa Sound Convention Center in Fort Myers. This milestone event will...
Originally published in USA Today by Mary Kay Robbins-Kralapp and Howard Simon on December 14, 2024 In southwestern Florida, where the Caloosahatchee River empties into Pine Island Sound and Gulf of Mexico, three citizen advocates for clean water face crippling...
Originally published on Fox 4 by Anvar Ruziev on November 23, 2024 A recent report from the Calusa Waterkeeper highlights alarming levels of fecal bacteria in many Lee County waterways. Among the locations tested, Manuel Branch, a canal that runs near Cleveland Avenue...
Originally published by Bob Moro in the Nautical Mile on November 18, 2024 I know I speak for everyone at The Nautical Mile when I express my heartfelt sympathy for all in our community who have been battered by a succession of storms unprecedented in our history. I...
Originally published in the News-Press by Chad Gillis on October 31, 2024 It’s a water quality double whammy. Southwest Florida waters are stained and potentially toxic as a red tide bloom rages offshore while freshwater bacteria levels are well above what the...
Originally published in the News-Press by Chad Gillis on October 7, 2024 Chuck Avery grabbed a small glass jar and lid, attached it to the end of a pole and walked down the boat ramp at Koreshan State Historic Site in Estero. He scoops up water, three times, and dumps...
In an effort to keep children and families informed of troubled waters in Manuel’s Branch and other local waterbodies, Calusa Waterkeeper is hosting a Water Quality & Human Health Public Meeting on Tuesday, October 15, 2024, from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM. The event will...
Originally published on Boca Beacon by Garland Pollard on September 6, 2024 A half-million gallons of rainy sewage leaked onto the Gasparilla Island Water Authority plant grounds after Hurricane Debby. The spill was at 2:05 a.m. on Monday, Aug. 5. It did not go into...
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...
Originally published on Fox4 by Andrew Shipley on August 22, 2024 Water is so important to us in Southwest Florida. Water not only feeds our economy, but it also gives us recreation. But what is in our water? Every month the Calusa Waterkeeper tests our water for...
Originally published in the Fort Myers News-Press by Amy Bennett Williams on August 22, 2024 Once a taken-for-granted bankable asset, Southwest Florida’s degraded water quality is now a critical, contentious topic.. Water issues here have people scrambling for...
Originally published on Fox4 by Andrew Shipley on August 14, 2024 A little over a week ago, Hurricane Debby dumped millions of gallons of water across Southwest Florida. Now question is what is in that water and what is it doing to our environment as it pushes out...
Originally published in the Fort Myers News-Press by Chad Gillis on August 13, 2024 Tropical Storm Debby played out similar to National Weather Service forecasts for Southwest Florida with impacts to homes, businesses, roads and cars. And although nature has evolved...
Originally published on NBC-2 by Rachel Whelan on July 26, 2024 Participants who complete the academy will graduate as Rangers, equipped to conduct water and air quality testing as certified citizen scientists. They will also serve as ambassadors of Calusa...
Ordered by Florida to clean up its act, Fort Myers works to fix its water pollution problem Originally published in the Fort Myers News-Press by Amy Bennett Williams on July 21, 2024 With swelling demand straining its antique wastewater infrastructure, it’s no wonder...
Creek runs along Fort Myers landmarks where children, families gather and play Op-Ed originally published in the Fort Myers News-Press by Codty Pierce on July 7, 2024 As the Calusa Waterkeeper, it is my duty and that of our organization to protect and restore our...
Originally published in the Invading Sea by John Cassani, Calusa Waterkeeper Emeritus on July 1, 2024 Gov. Ron DeSantis vetoed the Safe Waterways Act, which was passed unanimously by the Florida Legislature Florida public health policy took a blow recently when Gov....
Originally published in Florida Weekly by Roger Williams on June 26, 2024 “The sheer amount of vessels on the water today directly impacts the habits and behaviors of our fishery, whether they are fishing or not,” says Capt. Codty Pierce, a career fishing guide and...
Originally published in the News-Press by Amy Bennett Williams on June 17, 2024 Last year, several prominent environmental nonprofits withdrew from the case, after the city hired a law firm known for what Hannon calls “scorched earth” tactics designed to...
