Valiquette guest speaker at next Sanibel Island Fishing Club meeting
On Tuesday, Feb. 10, the Sanibel Island Fishing Club will be holding it’s monthly meeting, which will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the north room of the Sanibel Community Center, located at 2173 Periwinkle Way, Sanibel, FL.
The guest speaker will began his presentation at 7 p.m. sharp. There is no admission charge for the event and the angling public is cordially invited to attend.
This month’s featured speaker will be Michael J. Valiquette, Chairman of PURRE (People United to Restore our Rivers and Estuaries). PURRE is a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization which was created in 2005 as a response to the dumping of nutrient rich waters from Lake Okeechobee, down the Caloosahatchee and into the estuaries surrounding Sanibel and Captiva islands. These releases caused a massive red drift algae bloom that plagued out beaches for months. PURRE has been instrumental in pushing the State of Florida into purchasing the holdings of U.S. Sugar to help develop a southern (and the historical) outlet for the lakes waters.
In a recent presentation, Chairman Valiquette outlined PURRE’s current goals:
(1) We are still the leader in the efforts to “move water south.”
(2) Our “Solutions to the Pollution” white paper, drafted almost two years ago, is still the recognized summary of exactly what has to happen to solve the problems that plague our waterways.
(3) We are relentless in pushing these concepts toward fruition.
Anyone interested in learning more about PURRE can go to their Web site at or call Emilie Alfino at 239-274-7873. Michael will be speaking about the current status of the U.S. Sugar purchase and other water quality related issues.
The Sanibel Island Fishing Club meets monthly through season and sponsors several group outings as well as lending support for various fishing related charities and organizations such as START, PURRE and the Sanibel Sea School. For information on joining the club, contact Vern Frankwich at 239-395-7616 or attend this month’s meeting.
The Sanibel Island Fishing Club has been an active social club for more than 20 years on the island. To learn more about the club and to view our new fishing recipe section, go to www.sanibelislandfishingclub .com.