Calusa Waterkeeper Supports SB 604 / HB 393 to Provide Broader and Consistent Public Notification of Fecal Contaminated Waterways Residents and tourists come to Florida’s iconic waters for recreation and enjoyment, but unfortunately many state waterways have become...
Report Shines Spotlight on Southwest Florida’s Water Issues Originally published by WINK News on October 25, 2021 A state report shows trouble in Southwest Florida’s water. Scientists warn that areas of our water are polluted with nutrients and bacteria. While the...
Originally published by The News-Press on October 24, 2021 by Amy Bennett Williams What’s been long suspected now is official: Southwest Florida’s most cherished waters are in trouble. From Charlotte Harbor south to San Carlos Bay, a draft state report shows...
Originally published by The News-Press on October 15, 2021 by Chad Gillis A proposed Lake Okeechobee management plan is still drawing concerns from state water managers and the public as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers continues to finalize what’s called the...
Originally published by The News-Press on October 8, 2021 by Chad Gillis The public will soon get a chance to see models the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has been using to formulate a controversial Lake Okeechobee management plan that will be in place for more than a...
Originally published by The News-Press by Chad Gillis and Amy Bennett Williams on October 7, 2021 A new plan to regulate Lake Okeechobee’s water levels and outflows is nearly complete. It’s also a complete mess, or a good plan, or simply flawed, depending...
Originally published by WGCU News on September 29, 2021 The nonprofit Calusa Waterkeeper has a new Executive Director. Trisha Botty most recently served as Head of Social Impact and Connectivity at Collaboratory in Fort Myers. Her background includes positions in...
Originally published by WGCU News on September 27, 2021 Fort Myers is set to spend over $60 million to improve the water quality in the Caloosahatchee River. The city already accepted blame for repeatedly dumping untreated wastewater into waterways after the...
Calusa Waterkeeper Welcomes Trisha Botty as its New Executive Director Community advocate steps up to fight for clean water and protection of our waterways FORT MYERS, Fla. (Sept. 20, 2021) — The Board of Directors of Calusa Waterkeeper is pleased to announce the...
Originally published by Florida Weekly on August 25, 2021 One recent August day, a wandering ecologist named John Cassani found himself bumping up onto Mound Key Archaeological State Park in the middle of the Estero Bay Aquatic Preserve. There, the Calusa Indians once...
Originally published by NBC-2 News on August 23, 2021 New images from the Calusa Waterkeeper taken from an airplane show large plumes of discolored water coming from Estero Bay at Big Carlos Pass. They said the images show runoff from recent rains and are indicative...
Red Tide Leading to Fish Kills off Coast of Southwest Florida Originally published by FOX4 News on August 23, 2021 Calusa Waterkeeper posted pictureS on Facebook showing a line of dead fish from red tide. The pictures taken by Ralph Arwood show the white lines of dead...
Red Tide Sticking Around Longer Could Cause More Damage Originally published by WINK News on August 22, 2021 A Facebook post from the Calusa Waterkeeper shows that areas from Sarasota to Sanibel are being impacted by red tide toxins. The photos were taken between Boca...
Red Tide Bloom Apparent off of Placida in Charlotte County Originally published by WINK News on August 19, 2021 A red tide bloom is affecting Placida in Charlotte County. The area has lots of dead fish and the water is dark and murky. “We’re seeing an increase of...
Originally published by The News-Press on August 15, 2021 by Chad GIllis Are our wetlands in danger? A former high-ranking Florida Department of Environmental Protection official says more wetlands are being targeted for development now than just nine months ago, when...
Guest Opinion written by John Cassani and originally published by The News-Press on August 13, 2021. The recent traveling PR campaign by Colonel Kelly of the ACOE (Army Corps of Engineers) to field concerns about the LOSOM plan for regulating Lake Okeechobee was quite...
Originally published in The Island Sun Publication on August 6, 2021 People visit Sanibel because of the warm weather, beautiful, crystal clear waters and beaches strewn with collectible shells. At least that is how Sanibel and the surrounding regions look some part...
Originally published by The News-Press on July 29, 2021 by Chad GIllis Federal water managers Thursday celebrated Everglades restoration work done north of Lake Okeechobee that will help curb harmful releases to the Caloosahatchee River and its estuary. Restoring...
Originally published by WGCU on July 20, 2021 Since the Herbert Hoover Dike was built around Lake Okeechobee more than 50 years ago water managers have worked to maintain safe water levels in the lake by sending water from the lake to the east and west coasts, and...
SWFL Clean Water Advocates Hear Federal Proposal for Lake Okeechobee Operations Originally published by WINK News on July 19, 2021 A new plan is up for discussion to help fishing on Lake Okeechobee while also alleviating algal blooms in the state. One of the ultimate...
Originally published by Pine Island Eagle on July 14, 2021 by Paulette LeBlanc. Water safety and sustainability problems should not be solved by the public, according to environmentalist islanders Sue Dahod and Susan McGuire, who say, unfortunately this is what it’s...
Calusa Waterkeeper Testing New Device to Measure Air Toxins from Blue-Green Algae & Red Tide Originally published by WINK News on July 12, 2021 A nonprofit dedicated to the protection of our vital water bodies in the region and state is taking matters into its...
Cousins Ava Spencer and Aydin Khan-Bridgers love the outdoors and spending time on the water in Southwest Florida. They’ve created the Paddle Project to raise awareness of degrading water quality in Pine Island Sound. The pair will be making multiple day trips,...
Originally published by The News-Press on July 10, 2021 by Amy Bennett Williams It’s not a good idea to swim in water tainted with toxic blue-green algae, but is it dangerous to live and breathe along an algae-choked water body? Are fishing guides at risk? A...
Calusa Waterkeeper Concerned About Impact of Large Storm Plume Seen in Naples Bay Originally published by FOX4 News on July 9, 2021 Tropical Storm Elsa may be well clear of Southwest Florida by now, but a few after effects are still being felt. A large plume of storm...
Originally published by NBC-2 News on July 7, 2021 New pictures taken over Lake Okeechobee show huge swaths of blue-green algae. The photos are a grim reminder that BGA is still present in Lake O and Tropical Storm Elsa could make things worse. “Our pilot flew the...
Guest Editorial originally published by The News-Press on July 06, 2021 and submitted by Ed Shinouskis I would like to comment on the June 24 Guest Opinion by Michael A. MacDowell titled “Compared to Flint Michigan, we’re in good hands with water quality in...
Group Tests Air Quality Impacts of Decomposing Algae Originally published by WINK News on June 30, 2021 Something beneath the surface of the water may impact the air we breathe. Volunteers are testing the air quality around Matlacha Pass and whether decomposing algae...
Originally published by The News-Press on June 28, 2021 by Chad Gillis Scientists are trying to better understand what forms of nutrients fuel cyanobacteria blooms, and at least one test points to urea. Researchers from the U.S. Geological Survey, Nova Southeastern...
Originally published by The News-Press on June 25, 2021 by Amy Bennett Williams As dead fish float atop mats of putrefying algae in Pine Island-area canals, some residents with a common set of symptoms have fled to the mainland. Others have sold out and left for good....
