Originally published in The Caloosa Belle by Danika J. Hooper on March 01, 2020 A plethora of festival-goers boarded the M/V River Queen for some exciting Caloosahatchee River Excursions that were again featured at this year’s Swamp Cabbage Festival thanks to the...
Letter sets record straight on flawed “Clean Waterways Act” Florida Springs Council, Florida Waterkeepers, and Sierra Club today responded to remarks by Florida’s Chief Science Officer, Thomas K. Frazer, Ph.D., regarding Senator Mayfield’s Senate Bill 712 (SB 712)....
Originally published in The Pine Island Eagle by Paulette LeBlanc on February 12, 2020 The Greater Pine Island Civic Association held its monthly meeting Feb. 4 at the Elks Club, and the group covered a number of topics from board candidates, to the Calusa...
As seen in a News-Press Op-Ed submitted by John Cassani, Calusa Waterkeeper Ineffective water quality legislation is the source of the age-old adage “the solution to pollution is dilution.” Apparently the dilution part it isn’t out of vogue with the Florida...
Originally published in The News-Press by Chad Gillis on February 07, 2020 The federal government set aside $200 million for Everglades restoration for 2020, but some South Florida environmental groups say it’s not enough to fix the ailing World Heritage Site....
Originally published in The News-Press by Chad Gillis on January 28, 2020 The dry season is finally starting to live up to its name. After an early end to the 2019 rainy season and a soggy December, January has turned out to be all dry, and meteorologists are calling...
As seen in a TC Palm Op-Ed submitted by Dr. Walter Bradely and Calusa Waterkeeper Board Member, Howard Simon Floridians are well-aware of the acute environmental and health problems of harmful algal blooms and they are looking to their political representatives to...
Originally published in The Associated Press by Bobby Caina Calvan on January 22, 2020 The scum of blue-green algae was so thick and invasive in Florida two years ago that it suffocated fish by the thousands. Birds dropped dead. And people stayed out of the water....
Originally published in The News-Press by Chad Gillis on January 17, 2020 Lawmakers are pushing several bills this session that have regulatory implications as the state tries to rid its waters of blue-green algae and similar pollution. The recommendations came from...
As seen in a Naples Daily News Op-Ed submitted by John Cassani, Calusa Waterkeeper For the first time in over 20 years of monitoring, FDEP has declared Estero Bay impaired for nutrient pollution in 2019. The shock effect of hearing that water quality is in crisis does...
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...
Originally published in The News-Press by Amy Bennett-Williams on January 3, 2020 As news of Vice President Mike Pence’s visit to Southwest Florida solidifies, Sanibel’s Best Homemade Ice Cream is set to debut an all-new flavor colored in Bright Azure, developed my...
Guest opinion originally published in Coastal Breeze News by Rob Moher on January 2, 2020 Margaret Mead famously stated, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” For all of us...
Originally published in The News-Press by Bill Smith on December 16, 2019 A state administrative law judge has recommended that the state environmental agency reverse its decision and deny Cape Coral a permit needed to remove the Chiquita Lock. The lock, at Cape...
State Judge Recommends Chiquita Lock Remain in Cape Coral Originally published by WINK News on December 13, 2019 The City of Cape Coral wants the Chiquita Lock gone, but environmentalists say it will cause problems and want it to stay. A state judge agrees the lock...
Caloosahatchee River and Estuaries Facing New Type of Algae Bloom Originally published by NBC-2 News on December 8, 2019 The Caloosahatchee River and its estuaries have been looking brown and murky. It’s making people ask ‘what’s in the water?’...
Originally published in The News-Press by Chad Gillis on December 6, 2019 A different variety of algae is blooming in parts of the Caloosahatchee River, but unlike other blooms the region has experienced in the past two years, this algae is not toxic to humans....
Originally published in The News-Press by Amy Bennett-Williams on November 21, 2019 Aside from a few lawyers, it’d be hard to find anyone to disagree that Maggy Hurchalla is the real deal: real Floridian, real environmentalist, real storyteller, real character. As the...
Originally published in Naples Daily News by AKarl Schneider on November 20, 2019 The largest number of sea turtle strandings in a single month were reported in Collier County in October. Maura Kraus, the sea turtle expert for Collier County, said that she has...
Environmentalist Faces 4.3 Million Dollar Fine for Her Advocacy Efforts Originally published by WGCU Media by Mike Kiniry & Julie Glenn on November 18, 2019 Back in September Florida’s Fourth District Court of Appeal upheld a 2018 ruling against an environmental...
Originally published in The News-Press by Amy Bennett-Williams on November 09, 2019 Fast-growing cyanobacteria blooms fouling the massive lake. Global media descending to document dead wildlife and economic devastation. Dire warnings about blue-green algae toxins’...
Originally published by FOX4 News on November 4, 2019 Calusa Waterkeeper posted pictures to their Facebook page showing a dead goliath grouper on the beach. This was on Naples Beach, south of the Naples Pier over the weekend. The post says the fish likely died from...
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...
Originally published in The News-Press by Chad Gillis on October 8, 2019 The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is releasing Lake Okeechobee water to the Caloosahatchee River again, but these discharges are expected to help the river and estuary. Lake O releases have been a...
Originally published by FOX4 News on October 4, 2019 A new report was released about a popular beach spot on Pine Island contains high levels of fecal bacteria. The levels are so high, it’s almost nine times the health department’s threshold for closing a...
As seen in a News-Press OpEd submitted by John Cassani, Calusa Waterkeeper, October 4, 2019 The growing but little-known water quality and public health problem that won’t seem to go away is that fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) contamination has become widespread in...
Periodically,The Island Sand Paper asks a community leader “6 Questions.” In this edition, K.C. Schulberg, Executive Director for Calusa Waterkeeper, discusses their new film, “Troubled Waters,” and our area’s water quality. After an extensive career in filmmaking and...
Originally published in The News-Press by Amy Bennett Williams on August 30, 2019 When Florida’s blue-green algae task force meets next, public health will be first on the agenda. Hurricane Dorian postponed the scientists’ Friday’s meeting in Gainesville,...
