Fishing for tarpon on the Big Indian Rocks Pier as a teenager, WGCU senior environmental reporter Tom Bayles says he cannot remember ever smelling a red tide or seeing blue-green algae. Now, they are both blooming at the same time where he lives

Along Florida’s Gulf Coast, a monumental commitment to environmental preservation is about to be announced.

The National Park Service in conjunction with the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida and the Bureau of Indian Affairs will be conducting a joint prescribed fire operation in late January and continuing through February. The 151,434-acre Boundary Prescribed Fire Project — sited south of U.S. 41 between mile markers 36 and 44, including the Miccosukee Reserved Area — removes jurisdictional boundaries to complete prescribed burns with the assistance of federal, Tribal, state and local resources.

Manatees and sea turtles are vulnerable to cold snaps like the Arctic blasts this month as cold air can drop the temperature of shallow water along Southwest Florida’s Gulf Coast by two degrees every day

Codty Pierce, a local charter boat captain with deep roots in Southwest Florida’s environment, became the Calusa Waterkeeper just about two years ago. The Lee County native grew up fishing the local waters and observing the hydrology and environments of Pine Island Sound, Charlotte Harbor, and Estero Bay and had experience in wetlands restoration and native landscaping.Today, the environmental organization he helmed is in mourning with the news that Pierce died Monday."As the heart and soul of our organization, Codty’s unwavering commitment to protecting the waters of Southwest Florida and his fearless advocacy for the environment have left an indelible mark on all who knew him," Connie Ramos-Williams, the Calusa Waterkeeper Executive Director, said in a statement about Pierce's death.

Big Cypress National Preserve has issued a temporary closure to promote visitor safety during prescribed fire activity beginning Tuesday, Jan. 14. Closure incudes all areas and trails within the treatment perimeter, trails on the perimeter of the unit will remain open for use. During the closure all recreational use including off-road vehicles, hiking, camping, hunting and commercial activities are prohibited in the designated areas. Unlike the closure in the area last week, during this closure all parts of the Florida National Scenic Trail will remain open.Prescribed fire is a carefully planned fire that uses fire science and specific environmental conditions to meet management goals for the preserve. A prescribed fire is one of Big Cypress’s best tools to help create a mosaic of diverse habitats, manage for our endangered species, and reduce the threat of a destructive wildfire.

The 2024 nesting season is being described as "steady" even though several storms disrupted hatching success. Southwest Florida’s beaches faced multiple wash-over events, including Tropical Storms Debbie & Francine, and Hurricanes Helene & Milton. On Keewaydin Island in Collier County approximately 43% of nests were lost to impacts from these storms. Overall, there were 425 nests on the island (almost all loggerhead turtles) and about 242 of them were successful. Monitors from the Conservancy of Southwest Florida estimate that 14,975 hatchlings made it to the Gulf from nests just on Keewaydin Island. We talk with someone who has been keeping tabs on sea turtles in southwest Florida for decades.

Southwest Florida may be the driest part of the state right now, but forecasters are in agreement that they have no clue what comes next: a rough wildfire season, or calm in the woods

A type of harmful blue-green algae is so great in Lake Avalon that it remains closed to water sports enthusiasts for the third month. Meanwhile, red tides 15 miles wide are blooming in the Gulf of Mexico. In Southwest Florida, blue-green algae like the summer and fall, while red tide's time is the cooler winter and spring — but both harmful algae have taken hold in places throughout the region.