Fort Myers Florida Weekly

Estero Bay film premiere part of Calusa Waterkeeper benefit



A signed Clyde Butcher print of this photo will be among auction items. COURTESY PHOTO

A signed Clyde Butcher print of this photo will be among auction items. COURTESY PHOTO

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the designation of the Estero Bay tributaries as Outstanding Florida Waters.

To commemorate the occasion, Calusa Waterkeeper will present “Saving Estero Bay,” an online benefit to restore Estero Bay’s tributaries. The evening will feature special guests, a silent auction, documentary premiere, and will spotlight the stakeholders who live and work around Estero Bay. It will be broadcast on Facebook Live from 5:30 to 6:45 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 14.

The highlight of the evening will be the world premiere of Calusa Waterkeeper’s documentary, “ETERNAL VIGILANCE: Fighting to Restore the Estero Bay Tributaries.” The 25-minute film showcases the imperiled status of Estero Bay and its nine tributaries, and showcases the heroes working to preserve and restore these vital waters. The documentary was made possible by a grant from the Coastal and Heartland National Estuary Partnership.

A trailer for the film can be viewed online at youtu. be/8ngRXOp5R1s.

“Estero Bay was Florida’s first aquatic preserve. The bay and its nine tributaries are magnificent bodies of water that are now imperiled and need our help. Everything we do here in Southwest Florida is dependent on the quality of our waterways: Our economy, our tourism, our recreation, and even our physical health,” said K.C. Schulberg, producer/director of the film and executive director of Calusa Waterkeeper. “We hope those who love our Southwest Florida lifestyle will join our virtual flotilla on Nov. 14 to explore and restore the health and recreational value of Estero Bay’s tributaries.”

The event will be produced by M&M Multimedia and broadcast live on the Calusa Waterkeeper Facebook page: www.facebook.com/CalusaWaterkeeper. The evening will include live in-studio presentations by Mr. Schulberg and his co-host Ruth Watkins, Calusa Waterkeeper president, and guest appearances by contributing artists Clyde Butcher, Paul Arsenault, Myra Roberts, Theodore Morris and Anika Savage, among others.

Admission to the online benefit and documentary premiere is free; however, online registration is required at www.calusawaterkeeper.org/estero. Attendees will have the opportunity to bid on a variety of silent auction items and packages to benefit Calusa Waterkeeper and help promote its mission of drinkable, fishable, swimmable water.

“Advocating and educating for clean water is serious business, but we’ll make sure to have some fun at this virtual benefit,” said Mr. Schulberg. “The silent auction coffers are filling up with amazing contributions. We’re thrilled to have such strong community support for our waterways.”

Sponsorship and silent auction opportunities are still available.

For more information, email the Saving Estero Bay sponsor team at sponsor@calusawaterkeeper.org.

Celebrating its 25th anniversary, Calusa Waterkeeper is a donation-, member- and grant-supported Fort Myers-based 501(c) (3) whose mission is to “Protect and Preserve the Caloosahatchee River from Lake Okeechobee to the Coastal Waters.” CWK’s project area covers more than 1,000 square miles, and its work includes testing and reporting, regulatory advisories, educational and community outreach and public advocacy.

CWK is a member of the international Waterkeeper Alliance, the largest and fastest growing nonprofit solely focused on clean water, with more than 300 Waterkeeper Organizations and Affiliates on the frontlines of the global water crisis, patrolling and protecting more than 2.5 million square miles of rivers, lakes and coastal waterways on six continents.

For more information, visit www.calusawaterkeeper.org. ¦

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