How it all started
It all begins with an idea…
This project came about after I had been diving in Lake Pupuke for a few years and noticed a decline in water clarity. During Summer in 2014 a thick chocolate coloured algal bloom had developed across the entire lake. This was thought to be an isolated incident, but the bloom reappeared the following summer. This cycle has been observed every year since 2014 but the causes of these blooms were not well understood.
Out of curiosity I continued to regularly dive in the lake to better understand the full extent of the environmental changes. In doing so I discovered that there were clear signs of sever environmental degradation. I began noting a variety of observations, but I wanted to make better use of my ad hoc notes and hopefully get a more robust monitoring programme together. I approached various local authorities with a project proposal but due to their limited resources and my inconclusive proof the project was not funded.
This is when I found the Project Baseline initiative. The use of skilled volunteers would allow me to service this resource heavy monitoring programme at a greatly reduced cost. I submitted my proposal to the Project Baseline office in Florida and it was accepted. I then looked for sponsorship to cover some of the costs involved in building the monitoring station. The Auckland Council generously payed for all the materials needed to build the monitoring rig and the passionate GUE community in New Zealand all agreed to help with the installation and monitoring.
The project aimed to collect a variety of surface and subsurface data which will feed into and complement the current lake monitoring programme run by Auckland Council. This meant we would have a completely holistic approach to tracking environmental change and anthropogenic stressors in the lake. The collaborative approach between citizen scientists, regional authorities and international conservation organisations make this project the first of its kind in New Zealand.
The goal is to gather baseline data sets and develop possible trends which can be used to identify key environmental and anthropogenic issues. This data will be used to assist in the development of more effective management strategies and will lead to a healthier lake.
