March Meeting

As the days get warmer and longer, we hope you all can join us this for this month’s meeting on Wednesday, March 13th at 7:00pm. We meet at Benvenuto’s in Fitchburg, 2949 Triverton Pike Dr. Feel free to come a little early and socialize!

Our speaker this month is Gina LaLiberte. Gina leads response and communication on cyanobacterial bloom issues as the Statewide Harmful Algal Bloom Coordinator for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. As a life-long resident of the Great Lakes region, she has a BS in Biology and a MS in Resource Ecology Management from the University of Michigan. She has studied algae for other 30 years.

Topic: What’s that Green Stuff? Algae and Blue-green Algae Blooms

Algae are more than just “green stuff” in the water – they’re important parts of freshwater communities, and many have interesting forms and life histories which you can appreciate when you take a closer look. We will review some common types of algae from around the Great Lakes region. We will also examine blue-green algae blooms, learn to assess potentially harmful blooms, and review practical tips for how to stay safe on and under the water.

February Meeting

Here’s some information about our speaker coming up on Wednesday, February 14th, 7:00pm at Benvenuto’s in Fitchburg:

Originally from northern Illinois, Emily Heald has a BS from Northland College in Natural Resource Management and an MS from the University of Minnesota Duluth in Integrated Biosciences. Emily currently works for the UW Madison Division of Extension, where she coordinates volunteer nutrient, continuous temperature, and aquatic invasive species monitoring for the Water Action Volunteers (WAV) program. 

Description of the talk: When we think about lakes and rivers, we often think of fish, frogs, and turtles. However, did you know there is an entire world within each lake that is virtually invisible? Join us to learn about all the critters that play vital roles in the water that are “hidden” from most eyes.

 

Ghost Ships Is Back!

It’s Official!  Wisconsin’s Ghost Ships Festival is back.  Last held in 2017, the Ghost Ships Festival was Wisconsin’s premier event for Great Lakes diving, maritime history and underwater archeology enthusiasts.

The Wisconsin Underwater Archeology Association in conjunction with the new Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary, the Wisconsin Historical Society’s Maritime Archeology Program and the Wisconsin Maritime Museum are proud to sponsor Ghost Ships 2024!

The event will be held Friday, March 1st and Saturday, March 2nd at the Inn on Maritime Bay in Manitowoc, Wisconsin and will feature speakers and workshops devoted to:

  • Recent shipwreck discoveries
  • Techniques for documenting historic shipwreck sites
  • 3D Photogrammetry
  • Remote Sensing Technology
  • Great Lakes Shipwreck Diving
  • Great Lakes Maritime History

The event will include vendor booths and displays offering interactive 3D shipwreck exploration experiences, technology demonstrations as well as books and merchandise.  Sponsorship opportunities are available for interested businesses and organizations. The event will be open to the public.  Stay tuned for information on booking room reservations, pre-registration, vendor booth reservations and sponsorship opportunities.

Upcoming free talk at the Wisconsin Maritime Museum

Please join the Wisconsin Maritime Museum on February 1st at 6:30pm for our Think & Drink series presentation “Keeping Girls Afloat- Black Girls Dive Foundation” with Black Girls Dive Foundation President Dr. Nevada Winrow and BGDF Alumni. The featured drink of the night will be the Wreck Diver. 

Learn how the Black Girls Dive Foundation (BGDF) empowers young Black women to explore STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) through marine science, conservation, and SCUBA diving. Hear from BGDF scholars about the skills they’ve gained in the program, from shark conservation and coral restoration to building and piloting ROVs and underwater photography. By broadening minority participation in aquatic based STEM sciences, BGDF is creating the next generation of social conscious divers and planetary stewards.

Alcohol and nonalcoholic drinks will be available for purchase at the limited bar. 

Doors and bar open at 6:00 pm. The talk and live stream portion begin at 6:30 pm. To access the live stream of this event, please register here: https://forms.gle/EAXvirLHdKtZx22T8

Admission is free both in-person and virtually.

https://www.facebook.com/events/897542748758734

For more information about this talk and upcoming events at the museum please visit our website https://www.wisconsinmaritime.org/ or on Facebook @WIMaritimeMuseum.

This program is funded in part by a grant from Wisconsin Humanities, with funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the State of Wisconsin. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this project do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.

Please note: although these events incorporate a thematic drink, there is no requirement or emphasis on alcohol consumption. If you or a loved one is struggling with alcohol and/or drug abuse, please reach out to the national substance abuse helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.

January Meeting

Happy New Year everyone! Here’s some information about our speaker coming up on Wednesday, January 10th, 7:00pm at Benvenuto’s in Fitchburg:

Lisie Kitchel is a Conservation Biologist with the WDNR Bureau of Natural Heritage Conservation, formerly the Bureau of Endangered Resources.  She is trained as an aquatic ecologist and works on rare aquatic species statewide.  She has been chasing our native mussels and other aquatic organisms around the state for over 20 years.  Conservation of our native freshwater mussels is her passion and one which she enjoys sharing with others who enjoy the lakes, rivers and streams of Wisconsin.

Our native mussels/clams of Wisconsin

We will explore one of Wisconsin’s most diverse, yet hidden treasures, the freshwater mussel.  Learn all about our state’s 50 native species, where they can be found, their fascinating life cycle, including their dependence on fish and ways they fool them, and amazing contributions to the history of Wisconsin, from food to buttons to pearls. You are guaranteed to come away with a greater appreciation of these unique animals and their beauty.

We have a full year of speakers lined up for our monthly meetings, so hope to see you there. Bring a friend!

Happy Holidays!

Thanks for all of those who to the holiday party this week. We had a great time. Congratulations to Andy, the newest recipient of the travelling trophy for most dives! And thank you so much to Lisa, Nikki, and Diane for helping to organize and host the party. And thanks to John Hanrahan for taking the photos below.

We hope to see you all in 2024 at our monthly meetings, cleanup dives, and other events. Happy holidays!

Diveheart

A big thank you to Jim and Tinamarie from Diveheart for driving all the way up from Chicago to present at the November meeting. Jim is excited about plans to build a deep warm water pool and other future plans. They both were disappointed to have to cancel trips and pool sessions during the pandemic lock down. But were able to use the time very productively. They updated the website, training materials and media kit. And did a lot of reorganizing.

We haven’t seen our friends at Diveheart in a few years. During that time, they have grown. There are more people on the team and more teams around the country.

Jim and Tinamarie showed a couple of inspirational videos showcasing adaptive divers.

They send their thanks to everyone who donated gear. Thank you also to Diversions for helping to coordinate some of the collection.

Are you interested in learning more, making a donation, getting certified as an adaptive dive buddy, or referring an adaptive diver to their program?

Call 630-964-1983

Email info@diveheart.org

US mail 900 OGDEN AVE. #274, DOWNERS GROVE, IL 60515

Website https://www.diveheart.org/

YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/DiveheartFoundation/videos

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/diveheart/

November Meeting

This month we welcome back Jim Elliot and Tinamarie Hernandez from Diveheart. Since 2001 Diveheart has been servicing children, veterans and others with disabilities through adaptive scuba and scuba therapy. Jim & Tinamarie will help fast forward Diveheart activities to 2023 including current scuba therapy research with university medical centers, international adaptive scuba training and trips, current pool programs and the planned deep warm water therapy pool and aquatic facility planned in the Chicagoland area.

Be sure to check out their Facebook page and YouTube channel for updates and inspirational stories.

Phoenix Party 2023

The traditional annual anchor-boil continued another year in 2023. This year’s Phoenix Party was a great success! The rain subsided shortly earlier in the afternoon and we stayed dry. We had about a dozen attendees and enjoyed some delicious steak sizzlers, mushrooms, and pie.

There were plenty of anchors that got cooked and doused in cold water. To our surprise, one of the anchor’s stems disappeared in the fire. Danny found it the next morning as a blob of aluminum in the ashes.

Special thanks to Danny and Betsy for inviting us over to their wonderful garden and hosting the event another year!