by Calusa Waterkeeper | Apr 15, 2022 | Harmful Algal Blooms, Press
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...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Mar 27, 2022 | Harmful Algal Blooms, Press
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...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Sep 13, 2021 | Harmful Algal Blooms
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...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | May 19, 2021 | Featured, Harmful Algal Blooms
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...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Apr 12, 2021 | Featured, Harmful Algal Blooms, Policy
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...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Oct 29, 2020 | Featured, Harmful Algal Blooms, Lake Okeechobee, Litigation, Press, Uncategorized
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...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Aug 14, 2020 | Harmful Algal Blooms
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...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jul 13, 2020 | Featured, Harmful Algal Blooms
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)...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jan 9, 2020 | Harmful Algal Blooms, Press
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...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jan 8, 2020 | Harmful Algal Blooms, Press
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...
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 | Oct 20, 2019 | Harmful Algal Blooms, Press
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...
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 | 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 | 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 23, 2019 | Harmful Algal Blooms, Press
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...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | May 20, 2019 | Harmful Algal Blooms, Press
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....
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 | Apr 10, 2019 | Harmful Algal Blooms, Policy, Press, Water Testing
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...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Mar 25, 2019 | Featured, Harmful Algal Blooms
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,...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Mar 21, 2019 | Harmful Algal Blooms
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...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Feb 28, 2019 | Harmful Algal Blooms, Lake Okeechobee, Press
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...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Feb 8, 2019 | Harmful Algal Blooms
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...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Dec 5, 2018 | Harmful Algal Blooms, Press, Science
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...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Dec 1, 2018 | Harmful Algal Blooms, Press, Science
Originally published in The News-Press by Amy Bennett Williams on December 1, 2018 Southwest Florida’s recent toxic algae blooms were unprecedented in scope, persistence and sheer nastiness. Also unprecedented was how Lee County disposed of some of the crud, shown by...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Nov 29, 2018 | Harmful Algal Blooms, Press, Science
First featured in a News-Press article written by Amy Bennett Williams and published on November 29, 2018 Anyone breathing near the dense blue-green algae blooms that plagued the region last summer likely inhaled some toxins deep into their lungs, FGCU research...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jul 9, 2018 | Harmful Algal Blooms
Many of our backyards and favorite waterways in Southwest Florida are being impacted by blue-green algae blooms originating in Lake Okeechobee. Here’s Cape Coral resident and Calusa Waterkeeper Ranger Jason Pim’s...
