Guest speaker is TV host, conservationist, and fishing guide Captain Benny Blanco. Cape Coral, FL – February 22, 2024 – Calusa Waterkeeper, a prominent environmental advocacy organization committed to preserving and protecting the water resources of the...
Originally published by The News-Press and written by Chad Gillis on February 16, 2024 A district court judge ruled Friday that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency acted illegally when it gave Clean Water Act permitting over to the state of Florida. “After...
Originally published by The News-Press and written by Chad Gillis on February 14, 2024 The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Saturday will begin large-scale Lake Okeechobee releases to the Caloosahatchee River due to high lake levels and continued El Nino conditions....
Originally published by Florida Weekly and written by Roger Williams on January 24, 2024 People who look out for Florida’s single most essential treasure — not the sunshine, but our water — didn’t traditionally have to be masters of the good simile or navigators of...
Originally published by Pine Island Eagle on January 17, 2024 Calusa Waterkeeper Emeritus John Cassani was invited to give a presentation on the Basin Management Plan at the January meeting of the Greater Pine Island Civic Association. Cassani began by saying it has...
Originally published by NBC-2 News on January 17, 2024 The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is investigating after fuel was found in a North Fort Myers canal along North Gulf Circle on Monday. The Coast Guard was called to the canal in the Waterway Estates...
Florida Right to Clean Water Fundraiser Announced The Lee County Chapter of Florida Right to Clean Water is hosting an exclusive fundraiser event on Sunday, January 28th from 4 pm to 7 pm, and you are invited to attend! Expect to enjoy an evening of live music,...
Originally released by Captiva Community Panel in association with Protect Captiva Representing the Protect Captiva coalition, the Captiva Civic Association (CCA) filed a petition with Lee County on Jan. 8 challenging the new land development regulations that increase...
How Much Nitrogen Pollution is on Our Waterways? Originally published by FOX4 News on December 21, 2023 While people love living along the canals in Cape Coral, recently the question was raised, “how much nutrient pollution is actually getting into these canals?”...
Originally published by Cape Coral Breeze on December 21, 2023 by CJ Haddad A hearing to determine whether the state should issue a permit allowing the city of Cape Coral to remove the Chiquita Lock concluded Wednesday afternoon. The next steps will be post-hearing...
Originally published by The Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation on December 18, 2023 The hearing to remove the Chiquita Lock in Cape Coral resumed on Dec. 18. The hearing was continued after extensive questioning of experts concerning the water pollution generated...
John Cassani, Calusa Waterkeeper Emeritus, in testimony at the trial on the removal of the Chiquita Boat Lock, exposed major failings in the Florida Department of Environmental Protection which allow the City of Cape Coral to continue polluting the waters of Matlacha...
Originally published by The News-Press on November 22, 2023 by Chad Gillis Some environmental advocates and researchers are concerned that a detrimental change may be planned for the Estero Bay Aquatic Preserve, which has been under state protections since 1966. The...
Originally published by The News-Press on November 2, 2023 by Luis Zambrano After a startling dropout by several high-profile Southwest nonprofits, the challenge to keep Cape Coral’s Chiquita Boat Lock, a nearly 50-year-old manmade barrier, in operation moves...
Pictured from left to right: Calusa Waterkeeper Codty Pierce, Tampa Bay Waterkeeper Justin Tramble, and Waterkeeper Alliance representative Patience Burke The Calusa Waterkeeper organization wishes to thank our friends and partners at Tampa Bay Waterkeeper for...
Calusa Waterkeepers Create Oyster Gardens to Aid Water Quality Originally published by FOX4 News on October 9, 2023 You may be keeping our waterways cleaner the next time you order oysters at dinner. The Calusa Waterkeepers, a non-profit organization, has been...
A recent News-Press article (“Well-known FGCU professor accused of downplaying blue-green algae by water advocate”) overlooks the principal barrier to public understanding of Florida’s persistent blue-green algae – the calibration of exposure to risk....
Originally published by Conservancy of Southwest Florida on September 14, 2023. Our nearshore waters are crying for help, but are we listening? In Lee County, many are familiar with the impact that Lake Okeechobee discharges and basin runoff have on the Caloosahatchee...
Originally published by Florida Phoenix on September 14, 2023 and written by Craig Pittman. Blooms of pollution-fueled blue-green algae — known among scientists as “cyanobacteria” — have become a perpetual problem all over Florida. It’s gotten to the point where we’ve...
Originally published by The News-Press on August 27, 2023 by Luis Zambrano Several high-profile groups and nonprofits bowed out of a legal challenge to keep Cape Coral’s Chiquita Boat Lock, a nearly 50-year-old manmade barrier, in operation, citing fears of...
Calusa Waterkeeper, Inc. has withdrawn from the case, others will proceed. The Calusa Waterkeeper Board of Directors has made the difficult decision to withdraw as named petitioners challenging the removal of the Chiquita Lock in Cape Coral. This decision was made not...
Originally published by Florida Weekly on August 10, 2023 and written by Roger Williams. When Susan Bennett, born and raised in Fort Myers, stared into the Caloosahatchee River seven stories below the balcony of her downtown home one recent morning, the potentially...
Op-Ed originally published by The News-Press on August 6, 2023 and written by Matt DePaolis, Environmental Policy Director for the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF) Something needs to be done about the Chiquita Lock. The lock was designed to prevent Cape...
Originally published by The News-Press on July 28, 2023 by Chad Gillis Calusa Waterkeeper Codty Pierce says even small amounts of Lake Okeechobee water will infect the Caloosahatchee River with toxic blue-green algae blooms. Small amounts of water are coming from the...
Originally published by WINK News on July 26, 2023 Water infested with blue-green algae is not safe to swim in, play in or drink because of harmful toxins. Although, far less is known about what’s in the air regarding those same algae outbreaks. Nevertheless, one...
Originally published by The News-Press on July 20, 2023 by Chad Gillis A toxic blue-green algae bloom that’s been drifting around downtown Fort Myers has now spread to other areas, including the Cape Coral Yacht Club. “We do have an (air testing) unit near...
Originally published by The News-Press on July 14, 2023 by Chad Gillis A toxic blue-green algae bloom appears to be strengthening its grip on the Caloosahatchee River, as green slicks of the organisms are visible in downtown Fort Myers. “I’ve been seeing...
Originally published by WINK News on June 7, 2023 WINK News has spoken with many Cape Coral residents to address some pressing questions surrounding bubble curtains, which are aimed at reducing algae entering our canal system from the Caloosahatchee River. Are they...
Originally published by TC Palm on June 7, 2023 by Amy Bennett Williams A week into hurricane season, as concerns over algae blooms mount, Caloosahatchee river-watchers don’t have to worry about Lake O making things worse – at least for the moment. Calusa Waterkeeper...
Originally published by The News-Press on June 2, 2023 by Chad Gillis Lake Okeechobee is more than a foot above its target level at this time of year, and heavy rains have fallen across much of the state in recent days. The big question for the Fort Myers-Cape...
