Originally published by WINK News on November 21, 2022 Red tide is appearing up and down the Southwest Florida coastline, but is it an issue you should be concerned with? These are pictures of where the cleaner water ends and the red tide begins. The Calusa...
Originally published by The News-Press on November 17, 2022 by Chad Gillis Scientists are saying a red tide bloom that’s lingered along the coast for a few weeks is now being fed by nutrients running off the landscape in the wake of Hurricane Ian. Red tide...
Originally published by WINK News on November 16, 2022 On Sanibel, you can’t escape the smell of dead fish. And on the shore, you can’t escape the dead fish. “People are familiar with the red tide smell. But that’s from decay, what you really smell, the actual toxins...
Originally published by NBC-2 News on November 15, 2022 Since Hurricane Ian, red tide has been blooming across Southwest Florida. Most beaches in SWFL have been closed due to potential debris threats in the water, but The Calusa Waterkeeper reported that blooms are...
Originally published by The News-Press on November 15, 2022 by Chad Gillis A red tide bloom that’s been lingering off the coast of Sarasota and Charlotte counties has made it to Lee County waters, where fish kills are being reported at some local beaches. Red...
Calusa Waterkeeper Looking at Effects of Blue-Green Algae Toxins Originally published by WINK News on September 13, 2022 As blue-green algae blooms grow, so do health concerns. Lee County, the Department of Environmental Protection, and FGCU are all monitoring the...
Blue-Green Algae found in North Fort Myers Canal has Homeowners Feeling Uneasy Originally published by FOX4 News on September 8, 2022 Blue-green algae have been found in a North Fort Myers canal and people are not only seeing it but smelling it as well. It blooms...
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....
