Local Features

From time to time, the Masked Biologist gets a question from a listener that inspires him to delve deeper into the topic and share his findings with us. One such question was about salamanders and it's the focus of this week’s Wildlife Matters . I get questions from listeners on occasion, and I try to help them find answers. This question was the kind I like—the kind where I know the answer. “Do we have salamanders up here?” Yes, we definitely have salamanders here. It’s a fair question.

Northern Wisconsin is full of many different types of wild mushrooms in September. Some edible, some poisonous, and everything in between. How to tell the differences between them is in the details. Just ahead, Mackenzie Martin goes into the woods to learn more. We’re looking for mushrooms in the forest at Kemp Natural Resources Station in Woodruff and someone just found chaga. It’s a type of mushroom that you can make tea out of. It typically grows on birch trees. “Chaga is one of those odd

This week on A Northwoods Moment in History , local historian Gary Entz tells us about a land dispute on Partridge Lake in the 1950s. Wisconsin First Nations have a rich history in the state, and this is particularly true in the Northwoods. There are many ways of looking at history, and understanding our past through the perspective of Native Americans is not only useful, it is necessary in order to have a complete record of the Northwoods story. For example, the life of Rose Johnson gives an

As part of our We Live Up Here series, we're telling stories about the people and culture of northern Wisconsin. Today, Northwoods resident Kathryn Luttkus Craffey has a story about the relationship between her grandfather and the Northwoods Poet Enos Hayward, also known as the "Poet of the Pines." I wondered how it was that my grandfather — a burly, Lithuanian farmer-logger named Herman Luttkus — who moved to the Wisconsin north woods in the early part of the last century — began to write

This week on A Northwoods Moment in History , local historian Gary Entz tells us the story of William Gilson. When we study history in school, we are often taught about great events and larger-than-life people who shaped the past. Yet it is the sacrifices made by ordinary people that make events possible, and that merits our respect. Let’s consider the life of William Gilson. William Gilson was born on April 4, 1925, in the township of Pelican. There was nothing unusual about his life. His

Everyone is familiar with Wisconsin’s white-tailed deer, maybe our reintroduced elk herd, and our occasional observed moose – but did you know at one time we may have had reindeer too? In this week's episode of Wildlife Matters , the Masked Biologist delves into the questionable history of the woodland caribou. When I was in college, working year round on my bachelor’s degree, there were times when I would try to convince myself I needed to continue my education by pursuing a Master’s degree

Pollinators have come under threat in recent years and many people in the Northwoods are responding by creating pollinator gardens. WXPR’s Nora Eckert has the story of one Minocqua family who has gone to especially great lengths to help pollinators thrive. Valerie Burns’ house is overflowing with life. Packed with flowers, berries, milkweed and bee houses, Valerie has created an oasis for pollinators within her five-acre plot in Minocqua. In the air, there is a constant buzz from various species

This week on A Northwoods Moment in History , local historian Gary Entz tells us about a football game between Rhinelander and Green Bay in 1896. Football season is rapidly approaching, and many Northwoods residents are looking forward to watching their favorite teams. Football has been popular in the Northwoods for a long time. However, in the days when travel to distant cities was difficult for sports fans, and before radio and television brought sports contests into our homes, many people

Did you ever find yourself in a situation where you really wished Lassie was there? In this week's episode of Wildlife Matters , the Masked Biologist looks at the legacy and the impact of a dog that was too good to be true. When I was very young, I wanted a Lassie of my own. If you don’t know Lassie, she was a dog that was at the center of American popular culture for a couple of decades. Your description of Lassie probably depends on when you were born, but the dog probably became a household

In 1978, a horror film was made in Oneida County. Odds are you haven't seen it. Mackenzie Martin tells us about the making of the movie and talks to those who love it ahead of a special 40th anniversary screening at Rouman Cinema in Rhinelander on Saturday, August 18th at 5:00 p.m. Tickets for the special screening of Bog can be purchased here: https://bogmovie.com/