by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jan 24, 2024 | Featured, Press
Originally published by Florida Weekly and written by Roger Williams on January 24, 2024 People who look out for Florida’s single most essential treasure — not the sunshine, but our water — didn’t traditionally have to be masters of the good simile or navigators of...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jan 17, 2024 | Featured, Press
Originally published by Pine Island Eagle on January 17, 2024 Calusa Waterkeeper Emeritus John Cassani was invited to give a presentation on the Basin Management Plan at the January meeting of the Greater Pine Island Civic Association. Cassani began by saying it has...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jan 17, 2024 | Featured, Press
Originally published by NBC-2 News on January 17, 2024 The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) is investigating after fuel was found in a North Fort Myers canal along North Gulf Circle on Monday. The Coast Guard was called to the canal in the Waterway Estates...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jan 16, 2024 | Press
Originally published by The News-Press and written by Amy Bennett Williams on January 16, 2024 The hits would look like this: $5.2 billion to the area economy, 43,000 jobs lost, $17.8 billion in property values and $460 million in fishing revenue. That’s the beatdown...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jan 13, 2024 | Press
Originally published by NBC-2 News on January 13, 2024 As sports betting takes off in the State of Florida, there is a lot of excitement – and a whole lot of money the State could make from it. Enough state leaders are already looking at what they can spend it...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jan 9, 2024 | Featured, Press
Originally released by Captiva Community Panel in association with Protect Captiva Representing the Protect Captiva coalition, the Captiva Civic Association (CCA) filed a petition with Lee County on Jan. 8 challenging the new land development regulations that increase...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Dec 21, 2023 | Featured, Press
How Much Nitrogen Pollution is on Our Waterways? Originally published by FOX4 News on December 21, 2023 While people love living along the canals in Cape Coral, recently the question was raised, “how much nutrient pollution is actually getting into these canals?”...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Dec 21, 2023 | Cape Coral Spreader Canals, Featured, Press
Originally published by Cape Coral Breeze on December 21, 2023 by CJ Haddad A hearing to determine whether the state should issue a permit allowing the city of Cape Coral to remove the Chiquita Lock concluded Wednesday afternoon. The next steps will be post-hearing...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Dec 18, 2023 | Cape Coral Spreader Canals, Featured, Press
Originally published by The Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation on December 18, 2023 The hearing to remove the Chiquita Lock in Cape Coral resumed on Dec. 18. The hearing was continued after extensive questioning of experts concerning the water pollution generated...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Nov 22, 2023 | Featured, Press
Originally published by The News-Press on November 22, 2023 by Chad Gillis Some environmental advocates and researchers are concerned that a detrimental change may be planned for the Estero Bay Aquatic Preserve, which has been under state protections since 1966. The...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Nov 14, 2023 | Press
Originally published by Sanibel Captiva Island Reporter, Islander & Current on November 14, 2023 Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation partners who are fighting the removal of the Chiquita Lock in Cape Coral have been granted the opportunity to move forward and...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Nov 10, 2023 | Cape Coral Spreader Canals, Press
The Fight Over the Chiquita Lock Removal is Heading to Trial Originally published by FOX4 News on November 10, 2023 The fight over the removal of Chiquita Lock is heading to trial, with Administrative Law Judge Suzanne Van Wyk ruling that the lawsuit can proceed. This...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Nov 2, 2023 | Featured, Press
Originally published by The News-Press on November 2, 2023 by Luis Zambrano After a startling dropout by several high-profile Southwest nonprofits, the challenge to keep Cape Coral’s Chiquita Boat Lock, a nearly 50-year-old manmade barrier, in operation moves...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Oct 9, 2023 | Featured, Press
Calusa Waterkeepers Create Oyster Gardens to Aid Water Quality Originally published by FOX4 News on October 9, 2023 You may be keeping our waterways cleaner the next time you order oysters at dinner. The Calusa Waterkeepers, a non-profit organization, has been...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Sep 29, 2023 | Bacteria Monitoring, Press
Originally published by The News-Press on September 29, 2023 by Amy Bennett Williams Don’t go in the water warns Lee County’s health department: There’s too much fecal bacteria and it might make you sick. According to routine tests Thursday, Bowditch...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Sep 17, 2023 | Featured, Harmful Algal Blooms, Press
A recent News-Press article (“Well-known FGCU professor accused of downplaying blue-green algae by water advocate”) overlooks the principal barrier to public understanding of Florida’s persistent blue-green algae – the calibration of exposure to risk....
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Sep 14, 2023 | Featured, Press
Originally published by Conservancy of Southwest Florida on September 14, 2023. Our nearshore waters are crying for help, but are we listening? In Lee County, many are familiar with the impact that Lake Okeechobee discharges and basin runoff have on the Caloosahatchee...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Sep 14, 2023 | Featured, Press
Originally published by Florida Phoenix on September 14, 2023 and written by Craig Pittman. Blooms of pollution-fueled blue-green algae — known among scientists as “cyanobacteria” — have become a perpetual problem all over Florida. It’s gotten to the point where we’ve...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Sep 7, 2023 | Events, Press
Originally published by Cape Coral Daily Breeze on September 7, 2023 The League of Women Voters of Lee County will be holding a LWVLee Educational Event called Clean Water in Lee County: Issues, Solutions and Actions on Saturday, Oct. 7, from 9 to 11 a.m. The event...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Sep 1, 2023 | Press
Op-Ed column originally published by Tampa Bay Times on September 1, 2023 and written by Joseph Bonasia Some good climate news for a change: A Montana judge has ruled as unconstitutional a Montana law that prohibited state agencies from considering environmental...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Aug 27, 2023 | Cape Coral Spreader Canals, Featured, Press
Originally published by The News-Press on August 27, 2023 by Luis Zambrano Several high-profile groups and nonprofits bowed out of a legal challenge to keep Cape Coral’s Chiquita Boat Lock, a nearly 50-year-old manmade barrier, in operation, citing fears of...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Aug 17, 2023 | Press
Originally published by The News-Press on August 17, 2023 by Chad Gillis A Caloosahatchee River water advocate says a Florida Gulf Coast University professor is endangering public health by downplaying the ongoing blue-green algae outbreak in Lake Okeechobee and the...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Aug 10, 2023 | Featured, Harmful Algal Blooms, Press
Originally published by Florida Weekly on August 10, 2023 and written by Roger Williams. When Susan Bennett, born and raised in Fort Myers, stared into the Caloosahatchee River seven stories below the balcony of her downtown home one recent morning, the potentially...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Aug 7, 2023 | Cape Coral Spreader Canals, Featured, Press
Op-Ed originally published by The News-Press on August 6, 2023 and written by Matt DePaolis, Environmental Policy Director for the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF) Something needs to be done about the Chiquita Lock. The lock was designed to prevent Cape...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Aug 3, 2023 | Press
Originally published by WINK News on August 3, 2023 The Cape Coral city council has approved $300,000 to be used in the continuing fight against algal blooms. The money will be used to purchase additional bubble curtains and continued water treatments. In multiple...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jul 28, 2023 | Featured, Lake Okeechobee, Press
Originally published by The News-Press on July 28, 2023 by Chad Gillis Calusa Waterkeeper Codty Pierce says even small amounts of Lake Okeechobee water will infect the Caloosahatchee River with toxic blue-green algae blooms. Small amounts of water are coming from the...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jul 26, 2023 | Featured, Harmful Algal Blooms, Press
Originally published by WINK News on July 26, 2023 Water infested with blue-green algae is not safe to swim in, play in or drink because of harmful toxins. Although, far less is known about what’s in the air regarding those same algae outbreaks. Nevertheless, one...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jul 21, 2023 | Harmful Algal Blooms, Press
Originally published by WINK News on July 21, 2023 Water releases aren’t expected anytime soon directly from Lake Okeechobee, according to the Army Corps of Engineers. Nevertheless, blue-green algal blooms are present on the lake, in the Caloosahatchee and along...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jul 20, 2023 | Featured, Harmful Algal Blooms, Press
Originally published by The News-Press on July 20, 2023 by Chad Gillis A toxic blue-green algae bloom that’s been drifting around downtown Fort Myers has now spread to other areas, including the Cape Coral Yacht Club. “We do have an (air testing) unit near...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jul 14, 2023 | Featured, Harmful Algal Blooms, Press
Originally published by The News-Press on July 14, 2023 by Chad Gillis A toxic blue-green algae bloom appears to be strengthening its grip on the Caloosahatchee River, as green slicks of the organisms are visible in downtown Fort Myers. “I’ve been seeing...
