by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jul 1, 2020 | Featured
Words from the Waterkeeper, Episode 14 An update from Calusa Waterkeeper John Cassani regarding the cyanobacteria bloom on Lake Okeechobee and other local water quality issues. Thank you to pilots Ralph Arwood and Roy Plackis of LightHawk Conservation...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jun 30, 2020 | Featured
SB 712: A Watered-Down Bill that Will Not Fix our Water Quality Issues Governor DeSantis just signed into law SB 712 – the self-proclaimed “Clean Waterways Act” – an ambitious misnomer for a bill that claims to be the solution to our mounting water quality...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jun 19, 2020 | Featured, Press
Originally published in The News-Press by Chad Gillis on June 19, 2020 A blue-green algae bloom has taken over more than half of Lake Okeechobee, the liquid heart of the historic Everglades. Satellite photos show the 720-square-mile lake as being mostly covered with a...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jun 10, 2020 | Bacteria Monitoring, Featured, Press
‘Staggering’ Amount of Fecal Bacteria Found in Billy’s Creek in Fort Myers Originally published by NBC-2 News on June 10, 2020 “What’s in the water? That’s the question members of Calusa Waterkeeper set out to answer Wednesday...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jun 8, 2020 | Featured
In lieu of holding a general membership meeting in April 2020 and doing our part to avoid large group gatherings, the Calusa Waterkeeper board proceeded with filling open board positions at our directors meeting in May. We’d like to extend a heartfelt thank you...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jun 8, 2020 | Featured
SWFL clean water non-profit takes stock and looks to the future Springing from humble origins, spawned by a handful of grassroots working men and women stepping up to adopt an orphaned river, Caloosahatchee River Citizens Association – the predecessor to today’s...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jun 8, 2020 | Featured, Science
Words from the Waterkeeper, Episode 13 In this episode, John updates us on cyanobacteria blooms that have been detected in Lake O and in the Caloosahatchee. The area is seeing macro algae becoming more abundant. Elevated levels of fecal bacteria are responsible for...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jun 3, 2020 | Featured, Press
Originally published in Florida Weekly on June 3, 2020 Water. From the grand rivers, coastal sounds and bays throughout the region, to the creeks and canals that meander through our neighborhoods, to the glistening Gulf of Mexico, water is in so many ways a crucial...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | May 30, 2020 | Featured, Press
Originally published in The News-Press by Amy Bennett Williams on May 30, 2020 On any given day, Calusa Waterkeeper members might be flying over the Caloosahatchee scanning for algae, sampling its urban tributary creeks for fecal bacteria, crunching water quality...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | May 14, 2020 | Featured, Science
Words from the Waterkeeper, Episode 12 On this Words From the Waterkeeper, John updates us on the uptick of cyanobacteria in Lake Okeechobee and surrounding areas along with a lot of macro algae building up. Plus, we’re still seeing high salinity levels in the...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | May 7, 2020 | Featured, Press
Blue Green Algae Spotted Along SWFL Beaches Originally published by FOX4 News on May 5, 2020 A form of blue-green algae is appearing along Southwest Florida beaches. While it’s not red-tide, some researches have concerns. This week, patches of Trichodesmium blooms...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Apr 24, 2020 | Featured
Words from the Waterkeeper, Episode 11 On this Words From the Waterkeeper, John updates us on cyanobacteria in the Caloosahatchee and the impacts the Caloosahatchee & estuaries are experiencing due to below minimum flow level needed from Lake...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Apr 20, 2020 | Featured, Press
Originally published in The News-Press by Amy Bennett Williams on April 20, 2020 Florida’s Department of Environmental Protection is investigating the city of Fort Myers a month after a massive spill sent more than 180,000 gallons of raw sewage down a neighborhood...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Apr 9, 2020 | Featured, Press
Originally published in The News-Press by Chad Gillis on April 9, 2020 Lake Okeechobee levels are falling, the Caloosahatchee River is running salty and there is a looming drought that may stay in place for another six weeks. The surface of Lake Okeechobee has...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Apr 8, 2020 | Featured, Science, Water Testing
Words from the Waterkeeper, Episode 10 Words From the Waterkeeper is back! John reports on algal bloom activity in the area, SFWMD governing board meeting, reduced minimum flow threshold for the Caloosahatchee estuary, local sewage spills, and recent federal...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Mar 19, 2020 | Featured, Press
183,000 Gallons of Raw Sewage Spilled and now Winding Through the Caloosahatchee Originally published by WINK News on March 19, 2020 A whopping 183,000 gallons of raw sewage spilled into your water and now it’s winding its way through the Caloosahatchee. Crews are...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Mar 19, 2020 | Featured, Press
Originally published in The News-Press by Amy Bennett Williams on March 19, 2020 With its historic homes and royal palm-lined streets, the McGregor Boulevard neighborhood through which Manuels Branch meanders typifies old Fort Myers graciousness. That is, until you...
by KC Schulberg | Mar 13, 2020 | Events, Featured
Calusa Palooza and Concert for Clean Water Postponed Dear Friends – As the Executive Director of Calusa Waterkeeper, I am making a personal appeal to you in these challenging times. Calusa Palooza, originally scheduled for March 22, was intended as a good time...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Mar 12, 2020 | Cape Coral Spreader Canals, Featured, Press
Originally published in The News-Press by Bill Smith on March 12, 2020 The state Department of Environmental Protection has given final denial to an application from the city of Cape Coral for a permit to tear down the Chiquita Lock near Cape Harbour in the southwest...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Feb 20, 2020 | Featured, Planning
Local non-profit will continue to spotlight human health and safety impacts of declining water quality. Calusa Waterkeeper (CWK) is pleased to have received a substantial grant from the Southwest Florida Community Foundation for health & safety initiatives. As...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Feb 11, 2020 | Featured, Press
As seen in a News-Press Op-Ed submitted by John Cassani, Calusa Waterkeeper Ineffective water quality legislation is the source of the age-old adage “the solution to pollution is dilution.” Apparently the dilution part it isn’t out of vogue with the Florida...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Feb 10, 2020 | Events, Featured
Calusa Waterkeeper Event Focuses on Fun & Water Quality Water quality takes center stage as Calusa Waterkeeper presents Calusa Palooza 2020, a day-long, family-friendly, water-themed festival culminating with a double-header rock show. The festival and “Concert...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Feb 7, 2020 | Featured, Press
Originally published in The News-Press by Chad Gillis on February 07, 2020 The federal government set aside $200 million for Everglades restoration for 2020, but some South Florida environmental groups say it’s not enough to fix the ailing World Heritage Site....
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Feb 4, 2020 | CWK Rangers, Featured
Now that we number 82 volunteer Rangers (covering 1000 square miles of water in our watershed), it is not feasible for us all to meet on a monthly basis. So, the various Ranger Zones meet monthly, and every three months we gather members of our entire Ranger program...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Dec 19, 2019 | Featured, Press
Originally published in The News-Press by Bill Smith on December 16, 2019 A state administrative law judge has recommended that the state environmental agency reverse its decision and deny Cape Coral a permit needed to remove the Chiquita Lock. The lock, at Cape...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Nov 21, 2019 | Events, Featured, Press
Originally published in The News-Press by Amy Bennett-Williams on November 21, 2019 Aside from a few lawyers, it’d be hard to find anyone to disagree that Maggy Hurchalla is the real deal: real Floridian, real environmentalist, real storyteller, real character. As the...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Nov 18, 2019 | Featured, Harmful Algal Blooms
Conservation Groups Send a Letter Urging Florida Officials to Set Water-quality Standards for the Harmful Toxins in Algal Blooms. The groups are calling on the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to establish legal limits for cyanotoxins that pose severe...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Nov 4, 2019 | Featured, Press
Originally published by FOX4 News on November 4, 2019 Calusa Waterkeeper posted pictures to their Facebook page showing a dead goliath grouper on the beach. This was on Naples Beach, south of the Naples Pier over the weekend. The post says the fish likely died from...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Oct 18, 2019 | Featured, Harmful Algal Blooms, Press, Science
As seen in a News-Press OpEd submitted by John Cassani & Howard Simon, Calusa Waterkeeper, October 18, 2019 After the last prolonged outbreak of red tide and blue-green algae, it seemed every politician vowed to “do something.” The spin from the last session was...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Oct 15, 2019 | Featured, Science
On Episode 9 of Words from the Waterkeeper, John is joined by volunteer ranger and avid angler Don Lees for a Pine Island Sound fishing report. John addresses the red tide reports in Collier County and shares upcoming dates for Troubled Water documentary screenings in...
