Local Features

If you worked in the woods, do you think you would want to be armed to protect yourself from dangerous animals? In this week's episode of Wildlife Matters, the Masked Biologist talks about the topic, and shares that size isn’t everything. When I give talks, especially about my decision to become a biologist or what it is like to work in natural resources, there are some recurring questions I have to answer. One of the most common themes involves safety around dangerous animals and whether I

As part of our new We Live Up Here series, we're telling stories about the people and culture in northern Wisconsin. Today, Northwoods resident Jim Brown has a story about how some old fashioned crank style telephones keep his family connected. Crank callers were once considered a nuisance…but you might say my wife and I are proud to wear the title today. That’s because a pair of old-fashioned crank-style telephones keeps our family connected in a very literal way. The grandkids love these

WXPR is celebrating 35 years on the radio this year. In this week's episode of A Northwoods Moment in History , local historian Gary Entz tells us exactly what went in to that first broadcast back in 1983. In December of 1979 media outlets in Wausau announced that White Pine Community Broadcasting, a non-profit educational corporation, was planning to build a non-commercial FM radio station in the Rhinelander area. The initial hope was to start broadcasting in 1981. Peter Nordgren, the

Aldo Leopold famously said “to keep every cog and wheel is the first precaution of intelligent tinkering” when talking about preserving threatened and endangered species. When a species is lost, though, should we try to re-create that cog or wheel? In this week's episode of Wildlife Matters , the Masked Biologist introduces us to de-extinction and an ambitious project to bring the passenger pigeon back from the dead. As a biologist, I got a big kick out of Jurassic Park, a blockbuster movie that

A unique art exhibit has been the focus at ArtStart Rhinelander for the last few weeks. Mackenzie Martin has this report from the opening reception in June. Over the past two years, Karen Bondarchuk has found more dead birds than at any other time in her life. The exhibit at ArtStart Rhinelander through August 18 is called - And by the Wind Grieved - and it’s all recreations of dead birds, both sculptures and paintings. In June, Karen Bondarchuk came to the opening reception and this is what she

The amount of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder has been going up over the years. Locally, there is a center in the Northwoods that aims to help children on the autism spectrum by using something called behavioral treatment… and they’ve recently expanded to Rhinelander. Mackenzie Martin has the story. The space located in Rhinelander’s Riverview Hall looks like a typical preschool with toys and books scattered about. There are some things that help you realize it’s a space for

We've all heard about the fatal plane crash that took the lives of Buddy Holly and many other pioneers of Rock and Roll in 1959. Did you know they had just recently passed through the Northwoods before the crash, though? This week on A Northwoods Moment in History , local historian Gary Entz tells us the whole story. In the early morning hours of February 1, 1959, Bob Eckert and three other drivers in Mercer were called out by a Sheriff’s Deputy to bring their cars and help rescue a group of

In this month's installment of Field Notes Scott Bowe of Kemp Station discusses Wisconsin’s oaks and how they are used in our daily lives. Oak trees are the most abundant trees in Wisconsin next to our maples. Oaks fall into the genus, Quercus, and are members of the Beech Family, Fagaceae. Oak is found across the United States and across the world in the Americas, Europe, Asia, and North Africa – absent only in Australia and Antarctica. There are more than 600 different species of oak.

On days when the weather in northern Wisconsin is particularly bleak, we've all felt sympathy for our mail carriers. This week on A Northwoods Moment in History though, local historian Gary Entz tells us that it used to be a lot worse. In this modern age of e-mail, instant messaging, texting, and other forms of electronic communication, many people take the U.S. Postal Service for granted. But this has not always been the case. In fact, the founding fathers of the United States believed the

Sometimes animals can be so common that they can be taken for granted, what we call the tragedy of the commons. In this week's episode of Wildlife Matters , the Masked Biologist expresses his appreciation for the very common blue jay. I have shared in previous writings my affinity for members of the Corvid family. Corvids are a group of birds that include crows, ravens, jays, and magpies. Of all the birds in that family, I would say Blue Jays are my favorite. Jays are really fascinating birds.