by Calusa Waterkeeper | Mar 3, 2026 | Events, Featured, Press, Science
“Algal Toxins & Alzheimer’s Disease” will be the keynote address by David A. Davis, Ph.D. of the University of Miami Brain Endowment Bank Calusa Waterkeeper will welcome Dr. David A. Davis of the University of Miami Brain Endowment Bank as the keynote speaker...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Feb 25, 2026 | Bacteria Monitoring, Featured, Press, Water Testing
Originally published in Gulf Coast News by Nehilah Grand-Pierre on February 25, 2026 Fort Myers has received a $6 million grant from the Department of Agriculture to clean polluted canals, including Manuel’s Branch and Billy’s Creek. The grant will fund...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Feb 24, 2026 | Bacteria Monitoring, Press, Water Testing
Originally published in Gulfshore Business by Evan Williams on February 24, 2026 The Department of Agriculture awarded Fort Myers a $6 million grant to help clean up polluted canals and creeks throughout the city. The funding is part of ongoing efforts to address...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Feb 18, 2026 | C43 Reservoir, Featured, Policy, Press
Originally published on Gulf Coast News by Evan Dean on February 18, 2026 The C-43 is designed to capture runoff and water releases from Lake Okeechobee during the rainy season, clean the water while it’s being stored and then release it down the Caloosahatchee River...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Feb 18, 2026 | Featured, Harmful Algal Blooms, Press, Water Testing
Originally published in the News-Press by Amy Bennett Williams on February 18, 2026 The algae stretches for miles along the Caloosahatchee: clouding the shoreline, murking up canals and choking oxbows, a dull avocado taint that signals nothing good. Despite a health...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Feb 10, 2026 | Featured, Harmful Algal Blooms, Press, Water Testing
Originally published in the News-Press by Amy Bennett Williams on February 13, 2026 With drought and coldburn browning most of Southwest Florida, the upriver Caloosahatchee is one of the few green places around. The culprit? Cyanobacteria, AKA blue-green algae, a...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jan 26, 2026 | Featured, Harmful Algal Blooms, Press, Water Testing
Originally published in the News-Press by Amy Bennett Williams on January 26, 2026 Health officials are warning of a toxin-producing algae bloom in the Caloosahatchee. The cyanobacteria – also called blue-green algae – appeared in an upriver Alva canal. Alva resident...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jan 7, 2026 | Bacteria Monitoring, Featured, Press, Water Testing
Originally published in Gulfshore Business by Evan Williams on January 7, 2026 Elevated fecal indicator bacteria is a longstanding issue in Fort Myers and in urban waterways across Florida. Manuel’s Branch and Billy’s Creek, another urban tributary, have been...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jan 6, 2026 | Bacteria Monitoring, Featured, Press, Water Testing
Originally published on Fox 4 by Austin Schargorodski on January 6, 2026 Manuel’s Branch had been an issue since at least 2021, when the Department of Environmental Protection found that the city failed to address long-term elevated levels of bacteria. City council...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Dec 29, 2025 | Bacteria Monitoring, Featured, Press, Water Testing
Originally published in the News-Press by Amy Bennett Williams on December 29, 2025 For years, Manuel’s Branch has failed Florida’s most basic test for public waterways: that they be safe for people to touch. There’s too much human poop in the creek, which flows...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Dec 16, 2025 | Featured, Press
Gregg Poulakis, Ph.D. of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission will present “The Last Stronghold: Endangered Smalltooth Sawfish in Florida.” Calusa Waterkeeper Joe Cavanaugh will highlight potential development impacts to sawfish habitat in the...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Dec 2, 2025 | Bacteria Monitoring, Featured, Press, Water Testing
Originally published on Fox 4 by Miyoshi Price on December 2, 2025 Calusa Waterkeeper is calling on the city of Fort Myers to take immediate action after their independent testing revealed persistent human fecal contamination in Manuel’s Branch, a popular...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Nov 21, 2025 | Bacteria Monitoring, Featured, Press, Water Testing
Originally published on Fox 4 by Andrew Shipley on November 21, 2025 A two-year investigation by local environmental group Calusa Waterkeeper has found evidence of human-source fecal contamination in Manuel’s Branch, a small urban creek located just south of Lee...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Nov 17, 2025 | Featured, Policy, Press
Originally published by Waterkeeper Alliance on November 17, 2025 Waterkeeper Alliance is sounding the alarm about the newly announced draft rule from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of the Army to revise the definition of the “waters...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Oct 30, 2025 | Featured, Harmful Algal Blooms, Press
Originally published by VoteWater on October 30, 2025 According to a story in the June 16, 2021, Fort Myers News Press under the headline “$750,000 and six tons of algaecide later, toxin warning signs are still up along the Caloosahatchee in Olga,” cyanobacteria...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Oct 17, 2025 | Cape Coral Spreader Canals, CWK Rangers, Press
Originally published on Gulf Coast News by Gina Tomlinson on October 16, 2025 “My initial thought was, that’s going in front of wetlands,” said Joan Perkett, who often kayaks near the marina. “They’re extending in front of wetlands. What’s going on there?” Perkett...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Oct 17, 2025 | C43 Reservoir, Policy, Press
Originally published in the News-Press by Chad Gillis on October 17, 2025 The 2025-26 dry season may be the exact case for what the reservoir was designed to do, to take the water that was stored during the rainy season and make it available for the estuary during the...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Sep 30, 2025 | Bacteria Monitoring, Press
Originally published in the News-Press by Amy Bennett Williams on September 30, 2025 Florida determines beach water quality based on Enterococcus levels. A measurement of 70.5 or more cells per milliliter of water is classified as “poor” and may trigger a...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Sep 19, 2025 | Bacteria Monitoring, Featured, Press
Originally published in the News-Press by Amy Bennett Williams on September 19, 2025 Florida determines beach water quality based on Enterococcus levels. A measurement of 70.5 or more cells per milliliter of water is classified as “poor” and may trigger a...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Sep 18, 2025 | Harmful Algal Blooms, Lake Okeechobee, Press
Originally published in WGCU by Michael Braun on September 18, 2025 One cause for the murky appearance of Lake Okeechobee may be high levels of phosphorus, which stimulates algae growth. Jason Pim, the advocacy chair for Calusa Waterkeeper, says the news shouldn’t be...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Sep 9, 2025 | Featured, Press
Michele Arquette-Palermo of the Conservancy of Southwest Florida will present “Model to Mishap: Protecting Southwest Florida’s Waters Matters to All of Us.” And as part of Florida Climate Week, Calusa Waterkeeper Joe Cavanaugh will discuss “The Influence of Climate...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Aug 28, 2025 | Featured, Litigation, Policy, Press
Originally published on WINK News by Bridget Bruchalski on August 28, 2025 Environmental groups are suing the Environmental Protection Agency, claiming that Florida’s water quality standards are dangerously outdated and that these regulations leave communities...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Aug 27, 2025 | Press, Water Testing
Originally published in the News-Press by Chad Gillis on August 27, 2025 The gulf measured 88 degrees Aug. 26, according to several sources. Vibrio is among one of the untold number of microbes found in oceanic environments. “If there’s a lot of organic...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Aug 25, 2025 | Featured, Press
Originally published on WINK News by Bridgette Bruchalski on August 25, 2025 The Coast Guard is investigating the sheen, which stretches across this section of the river. Experts warn that even a small leak can have lasting effects. “It stays on the surface...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Aug 25, 2025 | Press
Originally published on WINK News by Sommer Serne and Mariaregina Mendoza on August 25, 2025 An oily sheen appeared on the Caloosahatchee River over the weekend, causing concern among residents in North Fort Myers. Many are worried about a strong diesel smell near the...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Aug 25, 2025 | Events, Press
Originally published on Fox4 by Bella Line on August 25, 2025 A colorful sheen spotted on the Caloosahatchee River has raised concerns about marine life and water safety in the area. FOX 4’s Bella Line spoke with the Calusa Waterkeeper and a business on the...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Aug 22, 2025 | Events, Featured, Press
Originally published on Fox4 by Bella Line on August 22, 2025 Water quality remains a top concern for Calusa Waterkeeper, and this weekend they’re aiming to raise awareness. The environmental organization is teaming up with Swamp Cat Brewery to raise money to...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Aug 19, 2025 | Featured, Litigation, Policy, Press
Originally published by Waterkeepers Florida by Jen Lomberk on August 19, 2025 The Environmental Defense Alliance and Waterkeepers Florida have filed a lawsuit against Lee M. Zeldin, Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), for failing to adopt...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Aug 8, 2025 | CWK Rangers, Press, Science
Originally published on Fox4 by Andrew Shipley on August 8, 2025 Sea grass, along with oysters and mangroves, are the drivers for health of waterways in our Southwest Florida community. The more they thrive, the cleaner our important estuary will be. Through Florida...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Aug 8, 2025 | CWK Rangers, Featured, Press
Calusa Waterkeeper is excited to announce open enrollment in August for its Fall 2025 Ranger Academy Training with Calusa Waterkeeper Joe Cavanaugh. Citizens are invited to become certified Rangers and stewards of our waterways. The academy offers a comprehensive...
