Dear Calusa Waterkeeper Members and Supporters, I’m writing today to share some important news about a leadership transition at Calusa Waterkeeper. Our Executive Director, Connie Ramos-Williams, has made the heartfelt decision to step down from her role effective...
Originally published in the News-Press on April 13, 2025 Conservation organizations stand united in stating our highest level of concern regarding the Kingston development By Audubon Florida, Audubon Western Everglades, Big Waters Land Trust, Calusa Waterkeeper,...
Originally published by Paulette Leblanc in the Pine Island Eagle on April 8, 2025 On Saturday, March 29, Calusa Waterkeeper ranger Sue Dahod ran a vertical oyster garden class-type learning experience at Carmen’s Kayaks for anyone interested in learning about...
Originally published by Roger Williams in Florida Weekly on February 26, 2025 “In 2024 the state reported a total water area of 3,668,875 acres statewide for estuary segments identified as impaired for various pollutants.” Those waters no longer fully serve recreation...
Originally published on WGCU by Sam Brucker on February 19, 2025 Anderson said Cape Coral is demanding he and two other people pay $2 million of the city’s legal fees in the battle over removing the Chiquita Lock. According to the Calusa Waterkeeper, the proposed...
Originally published by John Cassani in the News-Press on February 16, 2025 Florida’s coastal waters composed of marshes and tidal estuaries, fed by iconic rivers, represent the very essence of natural Florida. It is hard to imagine any significant historical event...
Originally published in the WGCU News on February 16, 2025 The normal blue and green waters of The Gulf have been stained a burnt orange thanks to a massive bloom of Red Tide. The imminent cause is unknown, but environmental and human factors are believed to be part...
Originally published in the News-Press by Chad Gillis on February 5, 2025 The bloom has at times stretches from Tampa Bay to the Florida Keys. “Over 20 million a cells per liter off Sanibel, and that’s the high kill-zone level,” said Calusa...
Originally published in the Orlando Sentinel by Mary Kay Robbins-Kralapp and Howard Simon on February 2, 2025 We write to ask for Floridians’ help to protect both our water and environment, as well as our right to participate in the civic affairs of our communities...
Originally published in Florida Weekly by Roger Williams on January 30, 2025 The long-ago day he set out in his 16-foot Carolina skiff with a girlfriend to fish Matlacha Pass, his old man, Bill Pierce, played the parent roll. Bill Pierce warned his son not to go, as...
Originally published on NBC-2 by Ryan Arbogast on January 28, 2025 A large-scale red tide bloom, roughly 100 square miles in size, is floating in the Gulf of Mexico about 25 miles off the Southwest Florida coastline, stretching from Charlotte Harbor to beyond Marco...
Originally published in the News-Press by Amy Bennett Williams on January 23, 2025 Everything about Calusa Waterkeeper Codty Pierce was big: his drive, his job, the man himself. Pierce’s sudden death Jan. 13 leaves an outsized void in a stunned community that relied...
Originally published by John Davis on WGCU on January 13, 2025 The StoryCorps Mobile Tour returned to Fort Myers in February and March 2024 to record meaningful conversations with people right here in Southwest Florida about their lives. Each Monday, we’re...
Originally published by Andrew Shipley on Fox4 on January 8, 2025 Red tide has been blooming off our coastline for nearly four months now, but we haven’t seen those major impacts one typically associates with the blooms. “We are seeing it rise in severity, then...
Originally published by Boca Beacon on January 2, 2025 The island had a large number of dead mullet up and down the beach over t he New Year, the result of a possible red tide outbreak offshore. “This is an unfortunate persistent presence of Red Tide since the...
Originally published by Roger Williams in Florida Weekly on January 2, 2025 Lee County Commissioner Brian Hamman, a graduate of Cape Coral High School whose district includes Hudson Creek, and Calusa Waterkeeper Codty Pierce, both could not be reached for comment....
Originally published by Bob Moro in the Nautical Mile on January 1, 2025 “It is crazy how much debris is submerged and will likely stay submerged for the foreseeable future,” said Connie Ramos-Williams, Executive Director of Calusa Waterkeeper. “When...
Originally published on Fox4 by Austin Schargorodski on December 21, 2024 Calusa Waterkeeper put out a red tide update, saying this season’s unpredictable weather is actually giving our coastline some relief. The organization said strong east winds have kept the...
Originally published in the News-Press by Chad Gillis on December 19, 2024 Offshore winds have kept the bloom mostly away from local beaches and out in the open Gulf of Mexico. “There hasn’t been much visibly, mostly because of the wind,” said Calusa...
Originally published in USA Today by Mary Kay Robbins-Kralapp and Howard Simon on December 14, 2024 In southwestern Florida, where the Caloosahatchee River empties into Pine Island Sound and Gulf of Mexico, three citizen advocates for clean water face crippling...
Originally published on Boca Beacon by Anna Ridilla on November 28, 2024 Experts are still watching red tide, but with winds, and cooler weather, the area may escape a bad season. The Calusa Waterkeeper has been seeing fluctuating results for red tide amounts, said...
Originally published in the News-Press by Chad Gillis on November 27, 2024 River advocates are concerned that too much fresh water could spoil the delicate estuary, which depends on the lake for fresh water during the dry season. The overall measurement for flows in...
Originally published on Fox 4 by Anvar Ruziev on November 23, 2024 A recent report from the Calusa Waterkeeper highlights alarming levels of fecal bacteria in many Lee County waterways. Among the locations tested, Manuel Branch, a canal that runs near Cleveland Avenue...
Originally published by Ocean Grants on November 18, 2024 Harmful algal blooms have been at the center of Calusa Waterkeeper’s science-based advocacy initiatives exploring the impacts of water quality on human health, our economy, and quality of life. Originally...
Originally published by Bob Moro in the Nautical Mile on November 18, 2024 I know I speak for everyone at The Nautical Mile when I express my heartfelt sympathy for all in our community who have been battered by a succession of storms unprecedented in our history. I...
Originally published on WINK News by Elizabeth Biro on November 4, 2024 A storm is churning and on track to make its way into the Gulf of Mexico. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission red tide map shows background to low concentrations of it offshore...
Fort Myers, FL – November 1, 2024 – Calusa Waterkeeper, a passionate champion for clean water in Southwest Florida for nearly three decades, is honored to be recognized as the 2024 Cox Conserves Heroes 2nd Place Nonprofit of the Year Winner. This award...
Originally published in the News-Press by Chad Gillis on October 31, 2024 It’s a water quality double whammy. Southwest Florida waters are stained and potentially toxic as a red tide bloom rages offshore while freshwater bacteria levels are well above what the...
Exciting Environmental Nonprofit Collaboration Brings Water to Life at the Nature Center. Fort Myers, FL – October 29, 2024 – Calusa Nature Center & Planetarium and Calusa Waterkeeper are excited to announce a new partnership that will enrich the...
Originally published in the News-Press by Chad Gillis on October 7, 2024 Chuck Avery grabbed a small glass jar and lid, attached it to the end of a pole and walked down the boat ramp at Koreshan State Historic Site in Estero. He scoops up water, three times, and dumps...
