by Calusa Waterkeeper | Oct 4, 2019 | Featured, Press
As seen in a News-Press OpEd submitted by John Cassani, Calusa Waterkeeper, October 4, 2019 The growing but little-known water quality and public health problem that won’t seem to go away is that fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) contamination has become widespread in...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Oct 2, 2019 | Featured
In Episode 8 of Words from the Waterkeeper, John is joined on the beach by water ranger Bradley Quandt for a SWFL fishing report on spawning snook and the resurgence of baitfish populations. John also provides the latest water readings on background levels of red tide...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Sep 11, 2019 | Featured, Science
In Episode 7 of Words from the Waterkeeper, John Cassani is joined by long-time Calusa Waterkeeper Ranger Jason Pim as they discuss the Four Mile Cove in Cape Coral. John provides updates on the microcystis bloom in Lake Okeechobee and red tide...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Sep 4, 2019 | Featured, Press
Periodically,The Island Sand Paper asks a community leader “6 Questions.” In this edition, K.C. Schulberg, Executive Director for Calusa Waterkeeper, discusses their new film, “Troubled Waters,” and our area’s water quality. After an extensive career in filmmaking and...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Aug 21, 2019 | Events, Featured, Press
Originally published in The News-Press by Chad Gillis, Amy Bennett Williams and Karl Schneider on August 21, 2019 Hundreds of politicians, business leaders, agency heads and environmental advocates met Wednesday in Bonita Springs to try to find solutions to Southwest...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Aug 12, 2019 | Events, Featured, Science
We are grateful for the esteemed panel of expert scientists and medical professionals that followed our first screening of the Calusa Waterkeeper documentary: Troubled Waters. We filmed the complete Q&A session about public health and clean water advocacy and...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Aug 11, 2019 | Featured, Press
Originally published in Florida Today by Chad Gillis of the Fort Myers News-Press on August 11, 2019 The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released higher volumes of water this past spring to keep Lake Okeechobee levels lower in case of a blue-green algal bloom. Some say...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Aug 7, 2019 | Featured, Press
Originally published in The News-Press by Amy Bennett Williams on August 7, 2019 It wasn’t billed as a horror movie, but “Troubled Waters” drew its share of gasps from a sold-out audience at its Monday night premiere. Calusa Waterkeeper’s new documentary explores last...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Aug 5, 2019 | Featured, Science
In this week’s episode of Words from the Waterkeeper, John Cassani provides updates on current water conditions in the region and talks about upcoming...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jul 31, 2019 | Featured, Press
NBC-2.com WBBH News for Fort Myers, Cape Coral & Naples, Florida Originally published by NBC2 News on July 31, 2019 The Army Corps of Engineers posted signs warning people of potential blue-green algae at Franklin Lock in Olga. It’s something Calusa...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jul 29, 2019 | Featured, Press
Originally published in Becker’s Hopsital Review by Kelly Gooch on July 29, 2019 Healthcare providers have a new medical code to document illnesses related to red tide or blue-green algae, according to usatoday.com. The new code, Z77.121, aims to help quantify...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jul 23, 2019 | Events, Featured
Leading Researchers to Discuss Threat to Public Health It’s a problem we can’t ignore. Scientific evidence showing the health risks of harmful algal blooms in Southwest Florida waterways will be the focus of Calusa Waterkeeper’s “Public Health Alert – Florida Water...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jul 23, 2019 | Featured, Science
In this week’s installment, Calusa Waterkeeper John Cassani shares the latest bacteria readings from 18 stations in Lee County, updates on the blue-green algae bloom in Lake Okeechobee and upcoming events you won’t want to...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jul 12, 2019 | Featured, Lake Okeechobee, Press
Originally published in The News-Press by Amy Bennett Williams on July 12, 2019 Earlier this week, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers acknowledged it has released water from Lake Okeechobee into the Caloosahatchee and St. Lucie rivers that has contained toxic...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jul 9, 2019 | Featured, Science
Calusa Waterkeeper John Cassani has the most recent readings from Lake Okeechobee’s harmful algal bloom and microcystin levels. He also shares updates on bacterial hotspots happening in some popular Southwest Florida recreational waterways. Additional Resources:...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jul 9, 2019 | Featured, Press, Water Testing
Originally published by FOX4 News on July 08, 2019 Holley Rauen, a retired nurse and now volunteer at the Happehatchee Center in Estero warns a man about the contaminated water as he passes by on his kayak. She said she’s been on edge ever since a kids’ summer camp...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jun 27, 2019 | Featured, Press
Originally published in The News-Press by Amy Bennett Williams on June 27, 2019 Normally, summer camp at Estero’s Happehatchee Center would end with a splash party — canoe races and a water fight in the village’s namesake river. Not this year. “As a nurse, I am...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jun 25, 2019 | Events, Featured, Press
Originally published in The News-Press by Amy Bennett Williams on June 25, 2019 After months of uphill battle, a recent Calusa Waterkeeper public health town hall started with a victory. As he took the stage at Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre in Fort Myers on Monday...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jun 24, 2019 | Featured, Science
Calusa Waterkeeper John Cassani’s update on upcoming events, Caloosahatchee conditions reports, and information on cyanobacteria...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jun 20, 2019 | Featured, Harmful Algal Blooms, Uncategorized
Florida’s DEP urged to include cyanotoxins in water quality standards Cyanobacteria, harmful algal blooms (HABs), and their root causes have been well-known problems in Florida’s waters for quite some time. The state’s first Harmful Algal Bloom Task...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jun 13, 2019 | Events, Featured, Press
Op-Ed submitted by K.C. Schulberg, Executive Director of Calusa Waterkeeper and published by Florida Weekly on June 12, 2019. What is going on with our water, and what is the potential risk to human health? The summer of 2018 brought historic, unprecedented and...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jun 11, 2019 | Featured, Science
Check in with Calusa Waterkeeper John Cassani for the very first installment of the CWK...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jun 11, 2019 | Featured, Litigation
Feds Ignore Harm to Florida’s Protected Marine Species, Coastal Communities Conservation groups sued three federal agencies today for failing to address harm to Florida’s endangered species from Lake Okeechobee releases containing toxic algae. Today’s lawsuit,...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jun 11, 2019 | Bacteria Monitoring, Featured, Press
Originally published in The News-Press by Amy Bennett Williams on June 11, 2019 Jevontae Jones knows Billy’s Creek isn’t clean, but on a June afternoon, that’s not enough to stop him from tossing a shrimp-baited line into its dark waters in hopes of hooking dinner....
by Calusa Waterkeeper | May 27, 2019 | Featured, Press
An Opinion Column originally published in The News-Press and written by John Cassani, Linda Penniman & Howard Simon on May 27, 2019 The roundtable convened by Rep. Francis Rooney with federal, state and local officials about the public health consequences of...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | May 24, 2019 | Featured, Press
Originally published by FOX4 News on May 24, 2019 The Environmental Protection Agency released new water quality standards on Wednesday, setting guidelines for cyanotoxin levels in the water. The EPA concentrations for microcystins are eight micrograms per liter and...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | May 23, 2019 | Featured, Harmful Algal Blooms, Press
State Would be First to Set Water-quality Standards for Cyanotoxins The Center for Biological Diversity, Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation and Calusa Waterkeeper petitioned the Florida Department of Environmental Protection today to protect the public from...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | May 21, 2019 | Featured, Press
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...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | May 20, 2019 | Featured, Harmful Algal Blooms, Press
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...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | May 17, 2019 | Featured, Press
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...
