Some Southwest Florida families traded their beach toys for test tubes this weekend, becoming ‘citizen scientists’ to help monitor the health of local waterways.
Around 20 volunteers collected water samples at dozens of locations around Estero Island on Saturday. Florida Gulf Coast University researchers are studying nitrogen and phosphorus levels in the Gulf of Mexico and Estero Bay.
WATCH: FOX 4’s Hunter Walterman follows one family as they collect samples from Estero Bay:
‘We need everybody to care:’ Citizen scientists help researchers study Southwest Florida water quality
Marine Scientist Nicole Alyse said the university is analyzing water quality to determine algae and red tide levels. In addition to gathering data, the goal of Saturday’s event was to help people understand the importance of clean water…