Southwest Florida is blessed with many natural freshwater areas – beautiful rivers, purifying wetlands, meandering streams and sparkling lakes. Our very existence depends on fresh water - for everyday consumption, commerce, recreation, nature and the overall economic vitality of the region.
Yet, since the 1900s, swamps and low-lying areas have been drained to increase the amount of land available to development. Wetlands bordering bays, lakes and rivers were filled in to create more land. These combined actions changed the natural flow of water in the environment and was disastrous to the natural balance.
The Caloosahatchee River is sacrificed as a conduit for the polluted waters held in Lake Okeechobee. That nutrient pollution is responsible for the toxic green algae slime that has closed beaches and water treatment plants, put human health at risk, devastated native fish and wildlife and severely impacted our tourist industry.
Members and donors concerned about the state of our water continue to provide resources so the Conservancy of Southwest Florida teams can tackle the issues surrounding this most precious resource.
From the landmark water quality study of Naples Bay in 1974, to the creation of the Shotwell Wavering Family filter marsh at the Conservancy Nature Center in 2012, the Conservancy, working with partner organizations, remains committed to our water. Developing fertilizer controls with local communities, creating “Estuaries Report Card” evaluations, traveling to Washington to visit with lawmakers and continuing water quality monitoring are all tools available to the Conservancy.