Originally published in Florida Weekly by Roger Williams on July 30, 2025 FIVE: Senate Bill 492 — Land Development This represents a major change in the longstanding practice of wetland mitigation, when developers agree to “mitigate” destruction of wetlands by...
Originally published in the News-Press by Amy Bennett Williams on July 15, 2025 The reservoir is one of 68 original projects Congress signed into being when it approved the largest environmental restoration project on the globe in 2000. As often happens with such...
Originally published in the News-Press by Chad Gillis on June 30, 2025 Joe Cavanaugh spent more than a decade studying one of the most highly endangered species in all of Florida, and now he’s charged with protecting one of the last waterways that represent the...
Guest Speaker Matt DePaolis of Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF) will join Calusa Waterkeeper Joe Cavanaugh and Rangers to Lead Discussion Fort Myers, FL – June 24, 2025 – The Caloosahatchee is facing similar pressures to many other...
Originally published in Florida Weekly by Roger Williams on June 18, 2025 New Calusa Waterkeeper named, promising bold action for Southwest Florida’s waters On Jan. 13, the previous Calusa Waterkeeper himself, Codty Pierce, died suddenly, leaving a broken-hearted void...
Originally published on WINK News by Claire Galt on June 12, 2025 Lee County is experiencing rapid growth, which raises concerns about infrastructure and environmental impacts. Commissioners recently approved Neal Communities’ plan to build nearly 1,100 homes on...
Originally published in the Boca Beacon by Shelia Evans on June 12, 2025 Our water watchman A new Calusa Waterkeeper recently joined the mission of protecting Southwest Florida’s water resources from pollution, misuse and overdevelopment. Joe Cavanaugh now holds...
Originally published in the News-Press by Amy Bennett Williams on June 4, 2024 Already, cyanobacteria is blooming upriver, streaking shorelines from the rural community of Alva east of I-75 to Fort Myers Shores, some five miles from downtown. Despite the sliming,...
Originally published on WINK News by Claire Galt on June 2, 2025 In 2021, the state ordered Fort Myers to eliminate discharges and improve infrastructure by 2028. The city has now negotiated a new deadline of 2032. John Cassani, Calusa Waterkeeper emeritus, expressed...
Originally published on Fox 4 by Bella Line on May 29, 2025 “As you take out the mangroves, you weaken the resistance for storm surge protection, and also, as you make cuts, hurricanes and tropical storms will do more damage to the existing mangroves,”...
Set against the backdrop of Pine Island Sound’s pristine waters and old Florida charm, the Tarpon Fly Fishing Invitational returns this June to Tarpon Lodge. More than just a premier fly-fishing event, the Invitational is a growing force for good—bringing together...
Originally published on Fox 4 by Andrew Shipley on May 22, 2025 Joe Cavanaugh, recently retired from NOAA, where he worked with Smalltooth Sawfish. There is a new voice for Southwest Florida’s waters, as Calusa Waterkeeper has announced their new waterkeeper....
Calusa Waterkeeper, Inc. is proud to announce the appointment of Joe Cavanaugh as the new Calusa Waterkeeper, working to protect and restore the Caloosahatchee River from Lake Okeechobee to the coastal waters of Lee County. Cavanaugh brings decades of experience in...
Originally published on Fox 4 by Andrew Shipley on April 23, 2025 Have you ever wondered what is in our waterways? And I am not talking about plants or animals, but instead bacteria. Fox 4 Meteorologist Andrew Shipley joined Calusa Waterkeeper who has been testing our...
Originally published by Chad Gillis in the News-Press on April 23, 2025 An Everglades restoration project that’s been in planning stages for decades will finally be completed this year, likely within a few weeks, Gov. Ron DeSantis said April 22 in Naples. The...
Originally published by Paul Dolan on WINK News on April 16, 2025 Water quality has long been a significant environmental concern in Southwest Florida. Basin Management Action Plans (BMAPs) aim to improve water quality in specific areas, but their effectiveness is...
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...
