The Calusa Waterkeeper is now accepting students for its Fall Ranger Training Academy.
Suzane Dahod became a ranger after retiring from her career in engineering.
"I've always been a lover of the ocean, and I really wanted to get involved in science and ecology," said Dahod. "And then the other reason is I meet all kinds of really cool people in these types of activities. I learn an awful lot."
The Ranger Training Academy consists of three courses. Module 1 provides an introductory overview and is available for online viewing in August. The subsequent training modules feature in-person education and coursework scheduled on the first Saturday of each month: Sept. 7, Oct. 5, and Nov. 2.
Participants who complete the academy will graduate as Rangers, equipped to conduct water and air quality testing as certified citizen scientists. They will also serve as ambassadors of Calusa Waterkeeper, advocating for the clean water movement in our community.
"We are serving a community of 1.2 million people now, so we need all the help we can get," said Calusa Waterkeeper Codty Pierce.
NBC2 tagged along with the Waterkeeper and rangers to sample sea grass in Matlacha Pass. However, once we arrived, there was filamentous algae everywhere, and Peirce did not feel comfortable putting his crew in the water.
"This is a textbook example of an area that was a fully operating, very diverse ecosystem that is now unfortunately starting to collapse," said Pierce.
Pierce says it's a problem that has only gotten worse since the Red Tide Event of 2017 and Hurricane Ian. The Matlacha Pass is also unique because it's where tow tides from the North and South meet, meaning there is a lot of nutrients for algae to grow.
"So, unfortunately, Matlacha is ground zero for a lot of the major water quality concerns and challenges that the county is facing," said Pierce.
The Waterkeeper team believes the work they're doing will raise awareness of these issues and help our waterways.
"Because they're only getting worse, and they're getting worse pretty fast," said Dahod.
If you would like to learn more about becoming a ranger, click here .