Here's a quick guide to what are some of the most important things to know when dealing with this issue.

• Estuaries are the brackish lifeblood of the Gulf. They provide a nursery for most marine animals. When large amounts of fresh water flow from Lake Okeechobee down the Caloosahatchee River, the water compresses the estuary farther against the Gulf of Mexico. If fresh water pushes too far and too long, it can kill shellfish and seagrasses and chase game fish and crabs into the open sea.
• Years of sediments from a variety of sources washing into Lake Okeechobee have resulted in a mud pit chock-full of algae-causing phosphorous and covering 300,000 cubic yards of the Lake's bottom.
• At 730 square miles, Lake Okeechobee is the second largest freshwater lake in the U.S. It’s similar in size to Lee County, which is 804 square miles.
• Lee County features nearly 600 miles of shoreline (590 to be precise), 50 miles of sandy beaches and more than 100 barrier and coastal islands.
• Estero Bay Aquatic Preserve was the first aquatic preserve in the State of Florida (dedicated in December 1966).
• In 1996, the U.S. Congress designated the estuaries from Venice to Estero Bay as an “Estuary of National Significance.” There are 28 such designations in the U.S. After this designation, the Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program was created.
• Lee County is home to five national wildlife refuges:
  • J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge   http://www.fws.gov/dingdarling
  • Caloosahatchee National Wildlife Refuge   http://www.fws.gov/caloosahatchee
  • Island Bay National Wildlife Refuge (portion)   http://www.fws.gov/islandbay
  • Matlacha Pass National Wildlife Refuge   http://www.fws.gov/matlachapass
  • Pine Island National Wildlife Refuge   http://www.fws.gov/pineisland
• Lee County also is home to six State Parks:
  • Cayo Costa State Park   http://www.floridastateparks.org/cayocosta/default.cfm
  • Estero Bay Preserve State Park   http://www.floridastateparks.org/EsteroBay/default.cfm
  • Gasparilla Island State Park   http://www.floridastateparks.org/gasparillaisland/default.cfm
  • Koreshan State Historic Site   http://www.floridastateparks.org/koreshan/default.cfm
  • Lovers Key State Park   http://www.floridastateparks.org/loverskey/default.cfm
  • Mound Key Archeological State Park   http://www.floridastateparks.org/moundkey/default.cfm
• Lee County has 16 sites along the Great Florida Birding Trail (http://floridabirdingtrail.com/sites_south.htm) and has a marked paddling trail, the Great Calusa Blueway, that is nearly 100 miles long (http://www.greatcalusablueway.com).
• The Great Calusa Blueway is designated by the National Park Service as a National Recreational Trail. Inspired by the Calusa Native Americans, the first residents of the area, this nearly 100-mile marked paddling trail encompasses two distinct regions of the Gulf of Mexico coast. The first portion of the trail meanders through Estero Bay, while the second segment centers on Pine Island Sound and Matlacha Pass.
• Facts about J.N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge:
  • The Refuge, part of the largest system of undeveloped mangrove ecosystems in the U.S., provides important habitat to more than 220 species of birds.
  • Fresh water releases from Lake Okeechobee have affected the salinity and nutrient levels in the waters surrounding the Refuge. The released water has caused a green algae bloom that kills the seagrasses on which the ecosystem depends and could adversely affect the fish and bird life for which the refuge is famous.
  • The Refuge consists of more than 6,400 acres of mangrove forest, submerged seagrass beds, cordgrass marshes, and West Indian hardwood hammocks. Approximately 2,800 acres of the Refuge are designated by Congress as a Wilderness Area.
• According to the South Florida Water Management District:
  • In 2003 1,241,000 acre-feet of water was released from the Lake into the Caloosahatchee River (equiv depth of the Lake = 2.63 feet). That's more than 404 billion gallons of water!
  • In 2004 1,024,000 acre-feet of water was released from the Lake into the Caloosahatchee River (equiv depth of the Lake = 2.17 feet). That's more than 333 billion gallons of water!
  • In 2005 2,136,000 acre-feet of water was released from the Lake into the Caloosahatchee River (equiv depth of the Lake = 4.54 feet). That's more than 696 billion gallons of water!
  • To put these numbers into perspective, an Olympic-sized swimming pool holds about 253,125 gallons of water and one billion gallons of water will supply a city of 7 million people with enough water for one day.
  • In other words, the Caloosahatchee River received 4,401,000 acre-feet of water from Lake Okeechobee during the past three years (2003-2005). That is enough water to cover the entire state of Florida with 1.4 inches of water.
  • Another way to look at it is that -- over the last three years – the amount of water discharged to Lee County was equivalent to emptying the entire Lake into our estuary, which has suffered accordingly.
  • High discharges from the Lake are expected to continue since we have moved into a cycle of high rains/storms.
• In 2005 the Caloosahatchee River took approximately 72% of the excess water released from Lake Okeechobee.
  • That equates to more than 696 billions gallons of water, which would fill nearly 2.7 million Olympic-sized swimming pools.