PHILIPPI, W. Va. — “We solve very unique problems using technology.”
Whether designing and installing scientific apparatus to be used in the depths of caves or the tops of remote hills for companies in the state, this is part of the mission statement for Mike Masterman and his company Extreme Endeavors.
Since the company began full-time operations in 2000, the goal has been to unite industry and environment.
“There are ways to intelligently look at things,” Masterman said. “There’s no reason a regulation should cause any business to go out of business.”
One example of the their work deals with the Endangerd Species Act and the Hellhole Cave in Pendelton County.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service needed a company to help facilitate a study on the effects of limestone operations near the habitat of several species of endangered bats living in the cave, the land rights also belonging to Greer Lime (a subsidiary of Greer Industries, which also owns WRVC). Extreme Endeavors’ background in caving, as well as numerous other certifications and training lead the FWS to approach Masterman.
After negotiations were approved between all parties involved, the first task for the company was to improve upon the system the DNR and FWS were using to gather data in the caves.
“We literally took and redeveloped the sensor package specifically for that project, that provided such accurate data,” Masterman said. “Accuracy is what’s critical because our pressure sensors. When you set those on a desk and take a pressure reading, then you take the sensor and put it on the floor and take another reading, you should see a pressure differential from the altitude.”
The first version of the system also took temperature readings with accuracy to .01 degrees Fahrenheit. The data being sent up through the cave to a network, then to the Extreme Endeavors headquarters to be distributed to all interested parties.
After installing the equipment, the data provided was informative enough that Greer Lime, the DNR and FWS wanted to go further.
“Every year we’ve made slight upgrades on it,” Masterman said. “In going through this process, not only have we met their requirements for the Endangered Species Act, but also we have surpassed and provided the DNR and U.S. Fish and Wildlife with vast amounts of knowledge about the cave environments where the bats live.”
“The mine has no impact whatsoever on the bats” he reported. “However, we have been able to detect when they go in for bat counts, the people walking through the passageways change the environment of the cave.”
The work intrigued the NASA Langley Research Center, where they were attempting to develop the technology to detect caves on Mars, should they ever receive the funding to attempt such a project. In cooperation with Extreme Endeavors, they were able to add a new dimension to the company’s sensors used for the microclimate research in Hellhole by adding low-noise, low-frequency microphones to conduct research on the infrasound produced by caves and how it may attract bats.
Another endeavor Masterman and his current team of six employees have undertaken is assisting the state DEP come into compliance with the new Above Ground Storage Tank regulations.
The DEP is responsible for abandoned landfills throughout the state which produce runoff water, which is collected into tanks as to prevent the tainted water from entering streams. The water is collected by trucks to be hauled off to treatment plants.
The problem is many of these landfills are in remote areas and the DEP did not have a universal system of monitoring how much water was being taken from the tank, by whom and when. The original goal was for Extreme Endeavors to develop this system but with the new tank law, the goal expanded.
“They also need to know how much level is in their tanks and if their tanks and if those tanks rupture,” Masterman said. “So, we’re now monitoring for that as well as a few other niceties like rainfall.”
The system uses the company’s products developed from past projects, including the information relay system used to send information from Hellhole cave, purposed for this project to send information across mountains.
Masterman stressed as other companies come into compliance with the new regulations, similar services can help businesses stay on top of regulations without putting an unbearable burden on the bottom line.
“If it’s a simple matter of putting a network system in to monitor for leakage from a [water] tank, you can buy a SingleNode of ours,” he said. “If [the business owner] plugs it into a computer, we can remotely set it up for him and plug the sensor in and he’s off and running checking for leaks or checking for the level of his tank. The water people could just do this themselves and save a tremendous amount of money.”
Masterman said his company is not limited to solving the problems or industries mentioned. Part of the reason he started the company was for the challenge of tackling unique problems for both business and environment.
His hope is that businesses desire to meet and surpass environmental regulation and, of course, contact Extreme Endeavors to assist.