Joe Cavanaugh, the Calusa Waterkeeper hired last May, is no longer with the organization.
Calusa Waterkeeper is a nonprofit that works to protect and restore the Caloosahatchee River from Lake Okeechobee to the coastal waters of Lee County.
When hired, the group said: “Cavanaugh brings decades of experience in marine science, water quality monitoring, and community engagement to the role. With a long-standing commitment to the Caloosahatchee River and surrounding ecosystems, 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.”
Cavanaugh said despite no longer being with the nonprofit he's still going to work toward conservation goals.
“As of last Friday, I am no longer Calusa Waterkeeper,” Cavanaugh said. “But I do plan to continue work on habitat and sawfish conservation in the river. I’m worried about the extinction of the species.”
“It is at at-will contract and
it was not working out"
— Jason Pim, Calusa Waterkeeper board member
Calusa Waterkeeper is one of 15 Waterkeeper organizations in Florida. Each is led by a Waterkeeper who acts as the primary advocate for a specific watershed.
Together, they form Waterkeepers Florida, a statewide coalition of all 15 groups. Their mission is water-focused: drinkable, swimmable and fishable, achieved through science, education, and advocacy.
The Florida coalition is part of the global Waterkeeper Alliance which, according to its website, unites more than 300 Waterkeeper groups on six continents.
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Florida's 15 Waterkeepers work to improve waters across the state, including Tampa Bay Waterkeeper in Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, Suncoast Waterkeeper in the Sarasota and Manatee region, Calusa Waterkeeper, and Collier County Waterkeeper to the south. Other Waterkeeper groups monitor and 11 more watersheds, including the St. Johns River, the Indian River Lagoon and the Apalachicola River.
Jason Pim, a Calusa Waterkeeper board member, said, “we parted on good terms.”
“It is an at-will contract and it was not working out. We have a lot of passionate board members who are working hard to complete our mission and that won’t change.”
Waterkeepers Florida and the Environmental Defense Alliance recently sued EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin.
The coalition argued the agency failed to adopt updated water quality protections for toxic and cancer-causing chemicals in Florida waters.
Standards for dozens of toxic pollutants, including known carcinogens such as benzene, are supposed to be reviewed every three years, the coalition said. Many have not been updated since the 1990s.
The movement traces its roots to Riverkeeper on New York's Hudson River, established in 1983.
Environmental reporting for WGCU is funded in part by VoLo Foundation, a nonprofit with a mission to accelerate change and global impact by supporting science-based climate solutions, enhancing education, and improving health.
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