Egrets land in Big Cypress National Preserve. Right: Aerial view of Everglades National Park at sunset.
Water Warriors Meet local advocates who are devoted to protecting the region’s most precious liquid resource
W
ater quality and quantity are necessities we can’t afford to ignore. What’s being done to protect and restore this precious regional resource? Devoted advocates are seeking solutions.
Conscientious Captains
In 2016, enough was enough for Captains Daniel Andrews and Chris Wittman, longtime fishing guides. Both were weary of water management practices, especially large discharges from Lake Okeechobee, adversely impacting the estuaries that recreational and commercial fishermen depend on. From their frustrations and a desire to restore and protect water resources in Southwest Florida came Captains for Clean 12
Water, a nonprofit grassroots organization headquartered in Fort Myers. Andrews, a Lee County native, co-founder of the organization with Wittman, has long been aware of regional water quality concerns, but he describes 2013 as an especially disturbing year. “There was a major water crisis [in Lee County] due to massive discharges from Lake O, which produced huge seagrass die-offs,” relates Andrews. “I found ways to work around it … but seeing the aftermath, seeing all the estuaries and the death was pretty heartbreaking. By 2014, some of my favorite fishing areas were decimated, and it didn’t get any better in 2015.” Andrews explains there are various reasons Lake O discharges are harmful to downstream estuaries, but two are critical. First, massive
NAPLES YACHT CLUB | Waypoints 2022-2023
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