Originally published by NBC-2 News on June 16, 2022 Blue-green algae has been found in at least 5 different canals in southeast Cape Coral. The Calusa Waterkeeper, John Cassani, said stormwater runoff and warmer waters are likely to blame. He advises nearby residents...
Cape Coral sees Blue-Green Algae pop up in Multiple Canals Originally published by WINK News on June 16, 2022 Blue-green algae have once again been found in Cape Coral canals. Connie Rokicak spotted some blue-green algae specks floating in the water behind her home,...
After pioneering a new monitoring device and releasing initial results, Calusa Waterkeeper board member Manuel Aparicio IV, PhD, will be presenting a workshop, “Airborne HAB Monitoring” about this ground-breaking research at the Waterkeeper Alliance Global Conference...
Research Finds Airborne Toxins in Southwest Florida Originally published by WINK News on May 3, 2022 There’s new information about airborne toxins in Southwest Florida as research expands. Concerns are growing about the impact on the community and the air we breathe....
Originally published by The News-Press on May 2, 2022 by Amy Bennett Williams The good news: A first-of-its-kind field study of Southwest Florida air and water didn’t find widespread cyanobacteria toxins – mostly. The bad news: It did find several neurotoxins as well...
Calusa Waterkeeper and Wyoming-based Brain Chemistry Labs collaborate on ground breaking device to research airborne toxins from harmful algal blooms Using the most sensitive technology available for detecting harmful algal bloom (HAB) toxins, the Calusa Waterkeeper...
Originally published by The News-Press on April 15, 2022 by Amy Bennett Williams Just as it took decades before smoking was recognized as a cancer trigger, it’s taken until recently for science to firmly link nitrogen pollution to the persistence of red tide. But a...
Originally published by The News-Press on March 27, 2027 by Chad Gillis Gulf of Mexico and Lake Okeechobee water temperatures are warm for this time of year, which would be expected during a La Niña winter-spring that’s brought little relief from the heat. And...
Algae found floating in Cape Coral canals Originally published by WINK News on September 12, 2021 John Cassani is the Calusa Waterkeeper and says there were multiple factors leading to the green algae. These include rain, water movement and warm water temperature. But...
As New Algae Bloom Spreads Across Lake Okeechobee, Environmental Groups Urge the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to Set Standards for Harmful Toxins Originally released by the The Center for Biological Diversity on May 19, 2021 on behalf of the Center...
Pictured above: Cyanobacteria blooms on Lake Okeechobee were verified as producing microcystin toxins by FDEP. April 7, 2021 The current bill language has lost or is missing several key recommendations of the Blue-Green Algae Task Force. It’s imperative that the...
Federal Judge orders the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to consider toxic algae when releasing water from Lake Okeechobee FORT MYERS, FL. (Oct. 29, 2020) – Calusa Waterkeeper is proud to be involved with a recent win in federal court regarding the management of Lake...
Originally published in Be the Change, Volume 16 – a magazine produced by Waterkeeper Alliance Florida’s waters are at a tipping point as phosphorus and nitrogen pollution and climate change combine to create a perfect storm for the increasingly frequent...
Florida Waterkeepers Urge State Task Force to Take Action After massive and recurring blue-green algae blooms in Florida waters that resulted in multiple “states of emergency” issued by then-Governor Rick Scott in 2016 and 2018, the Florida Department of Health (FDOH)...
Blue-Green Algae Returns to Fort Myers Shores Originally published by WINK News on January 8, 2020 John Cassani, the Calusa Waterkeeper, said to see algae in the middle of the dry season is unusual. ”When it’s calm and the wind starts blowing, those tend to stick...
Originally published in The News-Press by Amy Bennett-Williams on January 8, 2020 Just in time for the height of tourist season, patchy slicks of blue-green algae are showing up in the Caloosahatchee, including at one of the river’s popular access points, the Davis...
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...
Originally published by WINK News on October 20, 2019 Beachgoers felt the effects of water quality issues along some Southwest Florida beaches this weekend. John Cassani, ecologist and founder of Calusa Waterkeeper, says red tide continues to cause fish kills along...
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...
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...
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...
Originally published in The News-Press by Amy Bennett Williams on May 23, 2019 Amid rising concern about the potential health effects of toxic algae, the Environmental Protection Agency released official safety advice Wednesday that advocates say falls far short of...
Originally published by WINK News on May 20, 2019 It is dangerous. But what can it do to your health? That is the question at the center of the water quality crisis. Now, researchers with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are trying to get you answers....
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...
As seen in a News-Press OpEd submitted by John Cassani, Calusa Waterkeeper, April 10, 2019 So far, the Florida legislative session has not adequately addressed the nutrient pollution time bomb that leads to harmful algal blooms (HABs). Great sums of public dollars...
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,...
Originally reported by WINK News on Mar 21, 2019. Toxic blue-green algae hit it Southwest Florida hard in 2018. Dolphins washed up on our shores by the dozen. Research at UM is shining a light on what happened to these animals. Newly released research by scientists at...
Originally published in The News-Press by Chad Gillis on February 28, 2019 Lake Okeechobee releases started again last week, and the results are a mixed bag for the Caloosahatchee River and its delicate estuary. The volume of water is not concerning to many local...
Originally reported by WINK News on February 8, 2019. WINK News spotted green algae at the W.P. Franklin Lock and Dam in Alva Friday, where algae build up is mainly seen at the south end of the lock. “A friend had said a couple weeks ago that there was algae out...
Originally published in The News-Press by Chad Gillis on December 5, 2018 A federal report suggests that the presence of salt causes blue-green algae cells to burst and release all toxins into the water. The United States Geological Survey report shows that while...
