Originally published in the Florida Weekly on April 10, 2019 A nonprofit clean water advocacy group, Calusa Waterkeeper, has created The Big Calusa, a week-long festival and cleanup. “All year long, we at Calusa Waterkeeper find ourselves talking about the...
Originally published in The News-Press by Chad Gillis on April 10, 2019 A water control structure in southwest Cape Coral will be the focus of a hearing this week as some environmental and civic groups aim to keep the City of Cape Coral from completely removing the...
Originally published in The News-Press by Amy Bennett williams on April 7, 2019 With toxic algae fouling Southwest Florida’s inland waterways and coastline last year, state health officials faced a flood of worried questions as people turned to them for crisis...
Originally published in The News-Press by Chad Gillis on April 5, 2019 Some bills aimed at cleaning up pollution from old and leaky septic tanks are making their way through subcommittees in Tallahassee while others are floundering. Several proposed laws target septic...
Originally published in The News-Press by Chad Gillis on April 4, 2019 Water quality scientists and environmental groups are worried the seeds could be planted for another crippling bloom, as cyanobacteria is still being found in the Everglades system. Besides being...
Originally published in the North Fort Myers Neighbor on April 4, 2019 With water quality at the forefront of the issues to which Gov. Ron DeSantis has pledged remedy, actions this week continue to follow promises made along the campaign trail. On Monday, DeSantis...
Originally published in Gulfshore Business on April 3, 2019 Calusa Waterkeeper has created The Big Calusa, a family-friendly, recreational, educational and cultural week-long festival and clean-up to reconnect the community in a positive way with local waterways. The...
Originally published in The News-Press by Amy Bennett williams on April 1, 2019 U.S. Rep. Francis Rooney, R-Naples, is pressing the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to share what it knows about the short- and long-term health effects of the toxic algae that...
Calusa Waterkeeper shines positive light on region’s top asset with a week-long celebration and clean-up of our waterways Southwest Florida’s water is worth fighting for — and celebrating. So, leading non-profit clean water advocacy group, Calusa Waterkeeper, has...
Originally published by WINK News on March 29, 2019 Thursday night, President Donald Trump landed in Florida ahead of his highly anticipated visit to Lake Okeechobee and the Herbert Hoover Dike. Trump toured both the dike and the lake by helicopter Friday, where he...
As reported by Amy Bennett Williams of The News-Press on Mar 27, 2019. Chainsaws growling, workers have started taking big bites out of the tangle of exotic plants that have all but choked off Mullock Creek in south Lee County. With headwaters just east of U.S. 41...
Originally published in The News-Press by Chad Gillis on March 16, 2019 Two algae blooms that strangled the Southwest Florida coast most of last year have subsided and may not return for a few months. Toxic red tide and blue-green algae outbreaks last year killed...
As reported by Amy Bennett Williams of the News-Press on Mar 8, 2019. During the course of the hearing, the petitioners provided empirical evidence that the district’s level will not meet the needs of the river and estuary, said Calusa Waterkeeper John Cassani. Though...
Originally posted by Julia Widmann of the Waterkeeper Alliance on Mar 6, 2019. Regional entity Waterkeepers Florida came together early February for an in-person board meeting to set goals for the 2019 Florida legislative session. They gathered at the 25th Annual...
Originally published in The News-Press by Amy Bennett Williams on March 2, 2019. The nonprofit will use the funds from the Southwest Florida Community Foundation to engage with healthcare frontline workers and decision-makers about the effects of the harmful algae...
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...
Originally published in The News-Press by Bill Smith on February 19, 2019 A site on Hancock Creek in North Fort Myers could become a Lee County public boat ramp, replacing a ramp in downtown Fort Myers that has closed to make way for development. County officials are...
Originally published in The News-Press by Sarah Jarvis on February 19, 2019. Lee County approved an agreement with Cape Coral on Tuesday in an attempt to help restore water flow into Matlacha Pass and the Caloosahatchee River. The agreement establishes the...
Red Tide Impacts on Biodiversity in the Gulf March 14, 2019 | 8 am to 5 pm Florida Gulf Coast University The Biodiversity Conference is an opportunity for researchers and community leaders around the state of Florida to share their findings, and have in-depth...
Public Comment Still Needed on Lake Okeechobee As reported by FOX4 News on February 12, 2019 John Cassani with Calusa Waterkeepers spoke to the League of Women Voters’ Environmental Committee at the Cape Coral Public Library. He spoke about water quality issues in our...
Originally published in Florida Weekly on February 6, 2019 Programs designed to improve the quality of life for Southwest Floridians got a shot in the arm with grants awarded them by the Southwest Florida Community Foundation. The foundation gave $596,923 to 21 local...
As seen in a News-Press OpEd submitted by John Cassani, Calusa Waterkeeper, February 1, 2019 Southwest Florida residents will be the first to weigh in on the Army Corps of Engineers’ (Corps) public scoping process for the new Lake Okeechobee System Operating Manual...
Originally published in The News-Press by Chad Gillis on January 23, 2019 The City of Fort Myers will soon move forward with a dredging project in Billy’s Creek that’s expected to ease flooding but may not improve water quality in the ailing Caloosahatchee...
First published in The News-Press by Thyrie Bland and Amy Bennett Williams on January 10, 2019 Newly-elected Governor Proposes Multi-billion Dollar Plan for Water Quality Protection It’s news millions of Floridians have been waiting eight years to hear: Their governor...
As seen in a News-Press OpEd submitted by John Cassani, Calusa Waterkeeper, December 25, 2018 Calusa Waterkeeper, Center for Biodiversity, and the Waterkeeper Alliance are Suing the ACOE, USDEP and others for Violations of the Endangered Species Act The popular...
As seen in a News-Press OpEd submitted by Jason Pim, Calusa Waterkeeper Volunteer Ranger, December 14, 2018 Opinions differ in Cape Coral surrounding the Florida Department of Environmental Protection’s permission to remove the Chiquita Lock. This aging facility...
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...
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...
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...
Originally published in The News-Press by David Dorsey on November 10, 2018 Environmental watchdogs are at odds with the City of Cape Coral and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection over the potential removal of the Chiquita Lock. The lock, located near...
