Originally published by FOX4 News on May 20, 2019 The weather is heating up and so is the water, and if last years summer was any indication, that’s not a good mix for water quality. Large amounts of algae were spotted near Franklin Lock and Dam this weekend, the...
Originally published in The News-Press by Amy Bennett Williams on May 20, 2019 Federal scientists plan a first-ever study of Lake Okeechobee fishing guides to help understand the long-term health effects of the lake’s cyanobacteria blooms. The Centers for Disease...
Originally published by FOX4 News on May 17, 2019 A resident in North Fort Myers posted pictures of blue-green algae in their backyard on the Caloosahatchee River on Tuesday. Calusa Waterkeeper found algae appearing on the river all the way from Labelle to North Fort...
Originally published in The News-Press by Amy Bennett Williams on May 6, 2019 Governor Ron DeSantis will attend U.S. Rep. Francis Rooney’s multi-agency roundtable on harmful algal blooms at FGCU this morning. DeSantis will then join Rooney and officials at a...
A very rare opportunity was awarded to citizens, constituents and concerned parties of South Florida when the Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE) opened a six-week window for public comment regarding an upcoming revision to the Lake Okeechobee System Operations Manual....
Originally published by WINK News on March 29, 2019 Bacteria is contaminating water all along our coast. There is a new water crisis in Southwest Florida. It is not algae or red tide, but bacteria and fecal matter where we kayak and fish. John Cassani, Calusa...
Originally published in The News-Press by Chad Gillis on April 10, 2019 A water control structure in southwest Cape Coral will be the focus of a hearing this week as some environmental and civic groups aim to keep the City of Cape Coral from completely removing the...
Originally published in The News-Press by Amy Bennett williams on April 7, 2019 With toxic algae fouling Southwest Florida’s inland waterways and coastline last year, state health officials faced a flood of worried questions as people turned to them for crisis...
The ill-conceived Eden Oaks development moves forward with a Lee County zoning hearing scheduled for April 23rd. Calusa Waterkeeper (CWK) has opposed this development located in mangrove wetlands along Shell Point Boulevard in South Fort Myers. This is the type of...
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...
Please support Florida Senate Bill 1344 by Senator Janet Cruz, Statewide Environmental Permitting Rules. SB 1344 Background: Design and permitting criteria for non-point stormwater treatment in Florida have not been updated and codified since 2007 despite new criteria...
Florida’s 2019 Legislative Session is moving fast. Here are notes from Florida Waterkeeper’s weekly conference call: Florida Bills Discussed by Florida Waterkeepers on Friday, March 29. SB 7068 – Transportation Spending – OPPOSE Next Committee...
As reported by Chad Gillis of the Naples Daily News on Mar 25, 2019. A toxic blue-green algae that choked the Fort Myers-Cape Coral area last summer has shown up in dolphins with brain disease. Researchers tested 14 stranded dolphins from Florida and Massachusetts,...
As reported by Amy Bennett Williams of the News-Press on Mar 8, 2019. During the course of the hearing, the petitioners provided empirical evidence that the district’s level will not meet the needs of the river and estuary, said Calusa Waterkeeper John Cassani. Though...
Originally posted by Julia Widmann of the Waterkeeper Alliance on Mar 6, 2019. Regional entity Waterkeepers Florida came together early February for an in-person board meeting to set goals for the 2019 Florida legislative session. They gathered at the 25th Annual...
Originally published in The News-Press by Amy Bennett Williams on March 2, 2019. The nonprofit will use the funds from the Southwest Florida Community Foundation to engage with healthcare frontline workers and decision-makers about the effects of the harmful algae...
As seen in a News-Press OpEd submitted by John Cassani, Calusa Waterkeeper, February 1, 2019 Southwest Florida residents will be the first to weigh in on the Army Corps of Engineers’ (Corps) public scoping process for the new Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual...
As seen in a News-Press OpEd submitted by John Cassani, Calusa Waterkeeper, December 25, 2018 Calusa Waterkeeper, Center for Biodiversity, and the Waterkeeper Alliance are Suing the ACOE, USDEP and others for Violations of the Endangered Species Act The popular...
As seen in a News-Press OpEd submitted by John Cassani, Calusa Waterkeeper, July 12, 2018 Not a single state or federal agency responsible for regulating water quality or public health was in the room at Sen. Bill Nelson’s recent visit to Fort Myers in response to the...
Tape grass and other seagrasses are extremely vital to the Caloosahatchee Estuary, providing protection and spawning areas for dozens of species of sea life. Unfortunately, the high salinity during dry season has caused over 1000 acres of this invaluable plant to die...
As seen in a News-Press OpEd submitted by John Cassani, Calusa Waterkeeper, May 16, 2018 The recent Save Our Water summit, hosted by The News-Press, had many positives with the conclusion that we should continue to have hope that our waters can be restored. A crowd of...
Originally posted in the News-Press as an OpEd submitted by John Cassani, Calusa Waterkeeper on April 20, 2018 Fecal bacteria contamination plaguing Florida waters has reached a crisis point. In our own front yard: Cape Coral canceled its annual Cardboard Boat Regatta...
Originally posted in the News-Press as an OpEd submitted by John Cassani, Calusa Waterkeeper on January 11, 2018 The City of Cape Coral seeks a permit from DEP to permanently remove the Chiquita Lock, just as it removed the Ceitus Boat Lift 10 years ago with serious...
