The Wilson Project was almost canceled and at the last hour, it was approved by the Board of Director to continue,
After the flooding on the North shore in June 2012, flood water from all the tributaries flowing into the lake stirred up the silt on the bottom of lake Superior in both the Harbor and out into the main lake. This caused visibility issues on the Thomas Wilson throughout the rest of the summer and into the fall. However, at the very last hour we were informed by our connections in the Duluth area that the visibility has improved greatly.
The new date was scheduled for October 13 & 14, 2012. The visibility for the project turned out to be 15 to 20 ft the weekend of the project. Just enough visibility to meet the GLSPS S.O.P.
The first day was a bit cold but the water was still 42 degrees. The R/V Preservation had to break out the heaters to amke it very comfortable in the cabin area of the boat.
We completed the Zebra and Quaga Mussel counts in all the assigned areas. The data collected indicated that the Quaga Mussel population has increased. The Zebra Mussel count stayed the same in some areas and increased in others throughout the shipwreck.
A lot of new silt was discovered on the wreck and it almost seems the stern is covered with more silt than last year.
We are also disturbed about the large amount of garbage that was surrounding the shipwreck. This may have been from the river during the flood but it seems to only be around the shipwreck area. We are not sure what this means at this time but we are researching it.
The Wilson Project was another successful project. This was the last project of the year. We are making plans to pull the boat out for the season and winter layup.
A fall color cruise on the river and around the harbors is scheduled for Sunday September 28, 2012 after the Mc Dougall's Dream Fund Raiser in Superior Wisconsin.
Thank you to all that participated in the Wilson Project and other projects throughout the summer season. We hope you will chose to join us next year for one or two projects next year.
Phil Kerber
GLSPS President