Project Baseline:

Overview and Wells Burt Installation Update

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Introduction

Who is Midwest Underwater Explorers?�Midwest Underwater Explorers (MWUE) is a non-profit community organization for Global Underwater Explorers divers in the Midwest of the USA. MWUE is committed to expanding education, exploration, and conservation initiatives in the region, providing members access to new opportunities and making a positive impact in the community at large.

What is Project Baseline?�Science strives to define an objective starting point - a baseline in which starting conditions such as water quality, water clarity, fish counts, living reef coverage, etc are compared to evolving conditions. Environmental declines can then be quantified and appropriate corrective actions developed. This comparative process is compromised when the measure of decline stems from nonexistent or poorly defined historical conditions. In this case, the baseline continually “shifts” downward as people with a different historical memory are outnumbered by newcomers – we refer to this phenomenon as Baseline Shift. Baseline Shift is a significant force for environmental degradation because it shrouds problems from the light of public recognition. Establishing a global library of baseline measurements is one of the most important things we can do to protect our cherished natural environments – this effort is called Project Baseline.

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The Great Lakes

The Great Lakes are the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total area and the second-largest by total volume; they contain 21% of the world's surface fresh water by volume. Thy are an essential resource in the regional development, and the broader development of the United State. The fishing industry extracts millions of pounds of fish per year from the lakes. Farmers within this watershed produce corn, soybeans, hay, milk, and other food products. The area is also known for its industry that produces steel, chemicals, and other products, with the shipping opportunities in the Great Lakes playing a critical role in settlement of the region and development of industry. Today more than 200 million tons of cargo pass through its waters each year.��During the last ice age, the mile-thick Laurentide ice sheet covered most of Canada and the northern contiguous United States. The massive weight and movement of this glacier gouged out the earth to form the lake basins. About 20,000 years ago, the climate warmed and the ice sheet retreated. Water from the melting glacier filled the basins, forming the Great Lakes. Approximately 3,000 years ago, the Great Lakes reached their present shapes and sizes. Today, the Great Lakes ecoregion contains a variety of habitats, including aquatic, forest, marsh, wetland, and dune ecosystems. Widely varying climate, soils, and topography support more than 3,500 species of plants and animals.

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Great Lakes Environmental Issues

• Invasive species
• Sea Lamprey
• Zebra and Quagga Mussels
• Round Goby
• Phragmites
• Climate change
• Algae Blooms
• Reduced water levels
• Stratification & Hypoxia

• Pollution
• Runoff
• Microplastics
• Habitat destruction
• Underwater Archaeology / Preservation

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What is Midwest Underwater Explorer’s Initiative?

Project Baseline Midwest seeks to deploy a network of water monitoring stations in Lake Michigan, enabling data collection and community engagement. Officially launched during the summer of 2024, the project is testing station design in an iterative approach with plans to deploy 10+ stations in 2025.

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The stations include temperature data loggers as well as instrumentation to enable citizen science data collection and engagement with any diver visiting the stations.

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Initial MWUE Project Baseline Goals

• Develop a data set that enhances existing data collection initiatives in the Great Lakes�
• Engage the community of divers in a citizen science and discussion of the Great Lakes conservation efforts�
• Develop MWUE member skills and capacity in project diving and execution

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Building a foundation for project execution

Additional Station Permitting & Fundraising

Permitting of new stations with USACE

Fundraising for Stations

2024

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Building Capacity into MWUE

People:

• Growing the number of capable divers through in-region GUE training (MWUE Visiting Instructor Program) & Community Weekends
• Expanding the ability of existing MWUE members through additional training and experience building�

Process and Administration:

• Incorporation of MWUE as a 501(c)(3)
• Development of execution framework
• Permitting Process
• Addition of Liability Insurance to the Organization�

Partnerships & Funding

• Developing connections with area organizations to enable execution and expand our impact
• Developing funding models that sustain the organization and projects

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MWUE Project Baseline Wells Burt

A Learning Opportunity

A primary objective of the Wells Burt station is to serve as a learning opportunity and test case for our community and station design.

Testing:

• Station Materials
• Installation Methods
• Permitting, Logistics, & Procedures

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Install Execution Lifecycle

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Site Selection: Wells Burt

1. Accessible
1. The station should have regular visits from divers from MWUE & community at large
2. The station should be visited by a commercial charter operation to limit install costs
2. Limited Depth
• The installation depth should be limited to enable MWUE to prioritize safety during first install
3. Public GPS Coordinates
• The install location must have public GPS coordinates for data submission to Project Baseline
• Some wreck coordinates are not public to protect the wrecks from illegal salvage
4. Available Documentation and Site Drawings
• Site history and Site drawings are critical to the permitting process

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Design & Permitting: Wells Burt

• Inexpensive
• MWUE are good stewards of donor funds
• Utilize off the shelf materials
• Easy to build and install
• Installs with simple hand tools
• Limited underwater manipulation
• Minimal Footprint
• Minimize permitting resistance
• Low effort to install
• Durable
• Secured to the bottom in a manner that will last through winter storms
• Marine grade and corrosion resistant materials

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Materials & Tools List: Wells Burt

This list is likely incomplete:�Many of the materials for Wells Burt were in-kind donations from MWUE Board Members

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Planning & Logistics: Wells Burt

• Boat availability
• Charter to specific wrecks
• Support from Charter Operator
• Material Acquisition
• Local Home Centers / Hardware Stores
• Online Sheet Metal Cutting Service
• Data Logger Supplier
• MWUE Risk Management Assessment & Execution Workbook
• Derived from commercial diving risk assessment
• Ensures potential hazards are appropriately addressed
• Pre-construction Assembly
• Assembled prior to deployment to ensure success

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Execution: Wells Burt

• Team
• Initial install team limited to Fundies Tech Pass or higher training
• Team split into 2s and 3s with a documentation & overwatch team
• Teams briefed per RMA and SOPs
• Build Sequence
• Teams splashed in order of the build sequence
• Heavy tools / Supplies on lift bags were brought to the bottom with the first team

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Photos: Nicole Alarid ©

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Photos: Nicole Alarid ©

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Photos: Nicole Alarid ©

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Review & Document

Our website features a section featuring Project Baseline Midwest describing the multiple ways divers can be engaged and how the data will be used.

In addition to documenting the data MWUE collects, it is equally important to document the process and learnings to enable others looking to launch projects.

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Citizen Science Engagement

Any diver can interact with the station, collect data, and upload that to a google form on the MWUE server.

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The images to the right are of boat cards distributed to local charter operators.

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Project Baseline Database

Collected data will be made available as part of the Project Baseline database

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Future Plans

Deploy 10+ Stations

• Materials for each station costs approximately $300
• Stations deeper than 100’ cost approximately $400
• Installation teams currently pay their own charter costs

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Expand data logger deployment

• Additional loggers tracking parameters such as dissolved oxygen, PH, and current could be added to the stations
• The loggers for these parameters tend to be substantially more expensive - $1000 - $3000 per logger.

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Publish Data

• MWUE has identified a list of environmental data aggregators to upload data to
• Available via the MWUE and Project Baseline websites

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A Personal Note From the Project Leader:

The installation of Wells Burt marks a pivotal moment for MWUE. Our community has evolved from primarily focused on enabling education and skill development to one capable of executing projects. I am incredibly proud of the team that came together to make this installation a success. This achievement is a testament to the collective effort invested over the past several years in developing MWUE and enhancing our capabilities as divers. �

It has been a privilege to be part of this journey. Witnessing the plan unfold with such seamless precision in the water was truly a special experience, and I am excited about the opportunity to work with the team to expand our Project Baseline initiative.

-John Knoepfle

Special Thanks to the Install Team:

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• Marcus Doshi
• Nicole Alarid
• Pedro Boria

• Bill Perry
• Bob Kilburn
• Dan Vegter

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How to Get Involved:

• Join MWUE for Community Events
• Participate as a citizen scientist by submitting measurements
• Donate to MWUE to fund the deployment of additional stations

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MWUE is a 501(c)(3) Non-Profit Community. You can support our mission by donating or becoming a member.

Join as a Member

Donate via PayPal

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