by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jul 7, 2023 | Featured, Press
Originally published by WINK News on June 7, 2023 WINK News has spoken with many Cape Coral residents to address some pressing questions surrounding bubble curtains, which are aimed at reducing algae entering our canal system from the Caloosahatchee River. Are they...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jul 7, 2023 | Bacteria Monitoring, Press
Originally published by Pine Island Eagle on June 7, 2023 This month out of the 30 sites throughout the watershed tested by the Calusa Waterkeeper, 23% passed and 77% failed. One of the newest sites continues to unveil high FIB numbers — North Fort Myers Riverbend...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jul 3, 2023 | Press
Originally published by WGCU News on June 3, 2023 We meet the new Collier County Waterkeeper, Ray Bearfield. Bearfield is a former fishing guide and educator at Rookery Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, who first came to Naples in the mid-1970s as an editor of...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jun 23, 2023 | Harmful Algal Blooms, Press
Originally published by The News-Press on June 23, 2023 by Chad Gillis Health official confirmed Friday that a blue-green algae outbreak in the Caloosahatchee River is toxic to humans and animals. “A bloom occurs when rapid growth of algae leads to an...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jun 18, 2023 | Press
Originally published by NBC-2 News on June 18, 2023 Robert Halgrim was in his backyard canal off McGregor Boulevard collecting water from the Caloosahatchee River. He thinks it has been matted with blue green algae. Halgrim said, “I’ve had it bad enough back here that...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jun 15, 2023 | Press
Originally published by The News-Press on June 15, 2023 by Amy Bennett Williams From Naples to Lake Okeechobee and along the Caloosahatchee in between, algae is troubling Southwest Florida. A bloom currently coats more than 350 square miles of the lake; scientists...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jun 8, 2023 | C43 Reservoir, Press
Originally published by The News-Press on June 8, 2023 by Amy Bennett Williams Lawsuits have been flying as the South Florida Water Management District and its fired contractor quarrel over a soured $560-million deal to build the C-43 reservoir. Yet work continues at...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jun 7, 2023 | Featured, Press
Originally published by TC Palm on June 7, 2023 by Amy Bennett Williams A week into hurricane season, as concerns over algae blooms mount, Caloosahatchee river-watchers don’t have to worry about Lake O making things worse – at least for the moment. Calusa Waterkeeper...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jun 2, 2023 | Featured, Press
Originally published by The News-Press on June 2, 2023 by Chad Gillis Lake Okeechobee is more than a foot above its target level at this time of year, and heavy rains have fallen across much of the state in recent days. The big question for the Fort Myers-Cape...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | May 26, 2023 | Harmful Algal Blooms, Press
Blue-Green Algae Blooms Spotted from Lake O to Fort Myers Shores Originally published by FOX4 News on May 26, 2023 Once again, Lake Okeechobee is covered with blue-green algae blooms. According to NOAA, algal blooms covered about 260 square miles on the ake,...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | May 26, 2023 | Harmful Algal Blooms, Lake Okeechobee, Press
Originally published by The News-Press on May 26, 2023 by Amy Bennett Williams Had they stared into a shaft of sunlight piercing the Caloosahatchee River on Thursday morning, boaters at the Alva dock might have seen spangles, as if the water were dusted with green...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | May 25, 2023 | Featured, Press
Originally published by Waterkeeper Alliance on May 25, 2023 Today, the Supreme Court issued its opinion in the case of Sackett v. EPA and ruled in favor of the Sacketts and their corporate polluter allies, delivering a major setback to the essential protections...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | May 24, 2023 | Featured, Harmful Algal Blooms, Lake Okeechobee, Press
Originally published by Fox Weather on May 24, 2023 by Andrew Wulfeck Residents and visitors to parts of the Sunshine State’s largest lake are being urged to exercise caution after harmful blue-green algae was recently detected by the Palm Beach County Health...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | May 12, 2023 | Featured, Harmful Algal Blooms, Press
Originally published by WINK News on May 12, 2023 Algae swirling in the Gulf Coast is bringing a smelly odor to the air. It’s happening around the waters of Matlacha. “It’s almost a matted, matted surface that resembles a mud flat, but the colors are quite vibrant....
by Calusa Waterkeeper | May 2, 2023 | C43 Reservoir, Featured, Press
Originally published by The News-Press on May 02, 2023 by Amy Bennett Williams Construction of the C-43 reservoir is on hold after the South Florida Water Management District fired the contractor for the half-billion-dollar-plus job. The district announced the...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Apr 20, 2023 | Press
Originally published by The News-Press on April 20, 2023 by Chad Gillis Experts say high loads of pollution are flowing to the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Oceans in the aftermath of a series of storms that brought summer-like rains to the Sunshine State. Several...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Apr 19, 2023 | Press
Originally published by Naples Daily News on April 19, 2023 by Chad Gillis Ray Bearfield was recently appointed as the Collier County Waterkeeper, a local chapter of a nationwide effort to protect America’s waterways. Bearfield, 72, grew up in Richmond, Indiana,...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Apr 11, 2023 | Featured, Press
Originally published by WINK News on April 11, 2023 The color of some of the mangroves from above? Grey – like the mood as we note the coastline’s defenses are weakened. The color of the sky this day, also grey. The new Calusa Waterkeeper, Captain Codty Pierce noted...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Mar 17, 2023 | Harmful Algal Blooms, Press
Originally published by The News-Press on March 17, 2023 by Chad Gillis The latest red tide to blanket Southwest Florida seems to be losing strength in Lee and Collier counties as higher brevetoxin counts have been reported in the Tampa Bay area in recent days....
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Mar 10, 2023 | Featured, Harmful Algal Blooms, Press
Originally published by TODAY on March 10, 2023. Spring breakers are flocking to Florida in hopes of enjoying clear water and white sand beaches, but many are instead discovering red tide during their vacations. The micro-organism that causes red tide has impacted...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Mar 9, 2023 | Press
Originally published by The News-Press on March 9, 2023 by Chad Gillis Gulf of Mexico water temperatures are running on the high side this year, which could trigger anything from afternoon thunderstorms to early animal migrations. Various weather outlets say water...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Feb 20, 2023 | Press
Originally published by The News-Press on February 20, 2023 by Amy Bennett Williams The name is a bit different but the intent is the same in a bipartisan bill reintroduced by Naples U.S. Congressman Byron Donalds this week: help algal bloom-affected communities get...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Feb 16, 2023 | Harmful Algal Blooms, Press
Originally published by The News-Press on February 16, 2023 by Chad Gillis A red tide bloom along the Southwest Florida coast appears to be spreading in size, according to state records, but some experts say toxic conditions may soon wane. The most recent reports from...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Feb 13, 2023 | Featured, Harmful Algal Blooms, Press
Originally published by WINK News on February 13, 2023 Red tide is a complex water issue, and scientists who study it are surveying the conditions that can trigger blooms—sunlight, water temperature, salinity, wind direction, and speed—to figure out how to mitigate...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Feb 3, 2023 | Bacteria Monitoring, Press
Originally published by The News-Press on February 3, 2023 by Chad Gillis Some tributaries flowing into the Caloosahatchee River and Estero Bay are polluted with fecal coliform bacteria, with counts going well above criteria used to determine whether or not a beach is...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Feb 1, 2023 | Featured, Press
Originally published by The News-Press on February 1, 2023 by Amy Bennett Williams The biggest environmental restoration project in the history of the planet just got a report card. All in all, things are on track. No failing grades, but no raves either. There are...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jan 27, 2023 | Press
Red Tide Lurking in Southwest Florida Originally published by FOX4 News on January 27, 2023 The red tide organism, Karenia brevis, was detected in 69 samples collected from and offshore of Southwest Florida over the past week. Bloom concentrations (>100,000...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jan 27, 2023 | Bacteria Monitoring, Press
Originally published by NBC-2 News on January 27, 2023 Southwest Florida water experts are warning beachgoers, boaters, and the like – go in at your own risk. Calusa Waterkeeper and the Department of Health samplings show how even at beaches like Lynn Hall Beach Park,...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jan 11, 2023 | Featured, Press
Originally published by Florida Weekly on January 11, 2023 Calusa Waterkeeper John Cassani steps back from a role in which he has gathered a team of 100 to monitor the Caloosahatchee River. After more than six years Cassani has finished a marathon of sorts – at...
by Calusa Waterkeeper | Jan 10, 2023 | Press
Originally published by WINK News on January 10, 2023 Calusa Waterkeeper John Cassani, a man who has dedicated himself to the preservation of Southwest Florida’s waterways, plans to retire soon. Cassani has been the face of the region’s water for years. Whether you’re...
