WATER Warriors

“MOST OF WHAT WE DO IS EDUCATION AND OUTREACH … WORKING WITH PEOPLE SO THAT THEY HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF HOW THE ESTUARIES RELATE TO THEM AND THE ECONOMY.”
—DANIEL ANDREWS

Couscious Captaing

In 2016, enough was enough for Captains Daniel Andrews and Chris Wittman, long-time 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 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 and oyster die-offs,” relates Andrews. “I found ways to work around it … but seeing the aftermath, seeing all the