Tom Bayles

2 weeks ago | wgcu.org | Tom Bayles

Rain fell heavily in places throughout Southwest Florida last week, but often just a mile away, the spotty showers left plants barely wet and little to no change for ground parched by six months of drought. Grass untouched by rainfall for so long, in a state as hot as Florida can get, disappears within weeks. What appeared to be dark and rich soil underneath, once the moisture evaporates, turns back into what it is without watering, fertilizer, and attention: sandy loam.

1 month ago | news.wgcu.org | Tom Bayles

More than 100 wildfires were burning throughout Florida at the end of April, 14 million state residents are living in a region gripped by drought, and bans against burning anything outdoors are in effect in nearly a third of the counties. The drought that has been drying out Peninsular Florida since the beginning of the year grew from moderate to severe last week in the greater Fort Myers area, according to the federal Drought Monitor.

1 month ago | news.wgcu.org | Tom Bayles

Woodsy North Port has seen its share of wildfires, but this week, its water is getting all the attention. From now through May 6, the city is modifying the trace amounts of chlorine in its drinking water to harmlessly clean and disinfect the piping. North Port’s water remains safe to drink, cook with, and bathe in throughout the process. Because the region’s drinking water pipes are one interconnected system, it’s something every municipality needs to do every couple of years.

1 month ago | news.wgcu.org | Tom Bayles

Today is Earth Day, and the Caloosahatchee River is 100 pounds lighter, so to speak, than it was before Megan Parsons and her friends got together last weekend for one of the region's first Earth Day celebrations and cleanups. Parsons, an Army Corps of Engineers park ranger, organized a trash pickup in Alva around the W.P. Franklin Lock, which her agency uses to control the river’s water level and to prevent saltwater intrusion from the Gulf 33 miles downstream.

1 month ago | news.wgcu.org | Tom Bayles

Connie Ramos-Williams came out of retirement last year to lead Calusa Waterkeeper, a nonprofit that works to better the quality of water throughout the Caloosahatchee River, Lake Okeechobee, and 1,000 square miles of related waterways, after the CEO of the group died. “Connie joined Calusa Waterkeeper during a critical time and has led our organization through a truly transformative chapter,” Chuck Avery, president of the Calusa board of directors, wrote in a statement.