“Keep our Waterways Clean with Ed the Diver and Christie B.”

GREEN BAY – With over 350,000 followers across multiple social media platforms, Ed Bieber — better known as Ed the Diver — has made a splash in the local community by documenting his conservation efforts through exciting underwater videos.

The ripple effect of his work has been seen through cleaning efforts across the state and beyond by followers around the world.

Now, anyone can dive into the work Bieber does with the “Keep our Waterways Clean with Ed the Diver and Christie B.” exhibit at the Neville Public Museum.
Co-partner in Bieber’s Underwater Recovery Christie Barlament explained how their dream of showcasing their work became a reality with this museum exhibit.

“I ran the CityDeck Landing in downtown Green Bay and I walked over the bridge to talk to Beth Kalowski — she was the Neville museum director at the time — and I told her Ed and I’s idea about opening an exhibit there to showcase all of our cool treasures and finds and to educate people,” Barlament said.

“Keep our Waterways Clean” opened on Nov. 1 in the large community exhibit space, which Bieber and Barlament quickly filled with items from their treasure collection to demonstrate the impact that people have on the lakes and rivers.
“We wanted to show the lure process of when we collect all the lures and [fishing] line, how much there is that we’re protecting the water and the mudpuppies, crayfish and fish from,” Bieber said.

In addition to the litter Bieber removes from the water and shoreline on his dives, he also has accrued quite a collection of treasure.

“We get asked a million times, “What do you do with all the stuff? What’s the coolest thing you’ve ever found?” and our main thing was that we’re just ecstatic to be able to show people what we actually see underwater,” Barlament shared.

Items on display range from their collection of glass bottles dating back to the mid-1800s to unique pieces like the Lionel Ritchie bust found in Rhinelander and the famous Crandon Barbie.

Each find has a unique story behind it, but they all speak on the same issue of littering.

The exhibit also showcases aquarium-like displays set up with the different types of litter Bieber and the Waterway Heroes encounter and how it kills fish and causes damage to the ecosystem.

“A lot of people say, ‘Oh, it was just a fish or a mud puppy,’ but no one should have to suffer like that, all tangled up. So, it feels really good to be able to save all of them because that stuff is preventable.”

Bieber and Barlament shared advice on how people can prevent this damage, “We just want to encourage everyone that if you’re taking it in with you, take it out.”

Fishing lures, lines and soda cans are all things people take fishing with them that they should remember to clean up and properly dispose of, Bieber said.

Many people were introduced to Ed the Diver through one of his many viral videos and then became Waterway Heroes themselves, which is one of the important reasons for creating the museum exhibit.

“We’ve had a really good turnout. There’s people coming from all over the state of Wisconsin, people that travelled over four hours just to come see our exhibit. We’re really honored and humbled by it because it’s really inspiring others to get outside and clean and exercise and enjoy the environment. So, it’s really making a difference,” Bieber shared.

This goes towards what Bieber said is their main goal in everything they do, “creating a ripple effect of hope and kindness that others will want to follow.”
“Keep our Waterways Clean with Ed the Diver and Christie B.” is open at the Neville Public Museum now through Jan. 11.

For more information or to support Bieber and Barlament’s cleaning dives, recovery business and business collaborations, visit www.edthediver.com or follow Ed the Diver on Facebook and all other social media platforms.