Calusa Waterkeeper

Calusa Waterkeeper, Inc. has appointed Joe Cavanaugh as the new Calusa Waterkeeper, working to protect and restore the Caloosahatchee River from Lake Okeechobee to the coastal waters of Lee County.Cavanaugh brings decades of experience in marine science, water quality monitoring, and community engagement to the role. He has worked extensively at the local and federal levels to promote clean water policies and protect critical habitats—most notably through his former role at NOAA, where he helped monitor and protect smalltooth sawfish critical habitat in the Caloosahatchee.

Connie Ramos-Williams decided to step down from her executive director position to spend more time with her growing family and return to what she was doing before she felt the need to help Calusa Waterkeeper – being retired.

Calusa Waterkeeper meets to discuss its future, gather donations, and listen to experts like Mike Parsons from FGCU's The Water School

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.

In this installment from the StoryCorps Mobile Tour visit to Fort Myers in March 2024, we hear Ernesto Lasso de la Vega speaking with his former boss, who would later become the first Calusa Waterkeeper, John Cassani, about Cassani’s early ground-breaking research that created a tool for managing severe aquatic plant overgrowth without the use of pesticides, and how that tool became an industry standard.

Calusa Waterkeeper will explain the current water conditions, outline health risks, and share tips about the drainage creek, which measures Enterococcus levels 21 times higher than Florida allows.

Connie Ramos-Williams is the new director of Calusa Waterkeeper in Southwest Florida

Codty Pierce is the new leader of Calusa Waterkeeper

John Cassani, the first person to be named Calusa Waterkeeper, is stepping down from the position he has held at the clean water environmental alliance for six years.Calusa Waterkeeper is among the most active environmental groups in Southwest Florida using a combination of staff scientist, experts, and a cadre of volunteers.One of Cassani’s priorities has been to keep the group focused on clean-water initiatives, whether for drinking, swimming, and fishing with a special emphasis on the Caloosahatchee River from Lake Okeechobee to the Gulf of Mexico.

The proposed “Safe Waterways Act” by Calusa Waterkeeper would require the Florida Department of Health (FDOH) to issue health advisories and post and maintain warning notices at “public bathing places” where the water has been found to contain fecal bacteria.