This time of year, evenings are heralded by the songs of frogs and toads in our Northwoods lakes and wetlands. In this episode of Wildlife Matters , the Masked Biologist discusses the importance of wetlands and amphibians. I was hired to work in Northern Wisconsin twelve years ago. My wife and I were spread thin; she had a newborn baby and a toddler back home in another state. I was doing some travelling back and forth, starting the new job, getting set up housekeeping. It was a stressful time.

Every Friday, we turn back the clock on Morning Edition with local historian Gary Entz to find out what life in the Northwoods used to be like. This is part of a new initiative by WXPR to tell the history and culture of northern Wisconsin. Issues of immigration, military conflicts overseas, and how we honor veterans are current topics of political debate, but this is nothing new. Consider the case of Rhinelander resident Elwood Smith. Combat in what later came to be known as World War I began in

You’ve probably heard the saying “never get between a mama bear and her cubs.” In this episode of Wildlife Matters , the Masked Biologist talks about the potential dangers of interacting with a large carnivore and steps or precautions to take to minimize your risks. While working in the field a couple of springs ago I was approached by a concerned sportsman. He informed me that there was a sow (female) bear with cubs nearby, and was warning folks to stay clear of the area. He wanted to ensure

A New York Times bestselling author will be giving a talk in Arbor Vitae next week. Jacquelyn Mitchard - probably best known for her book The Deep End of the Ocean - will be speaking at the Red Crown Lodge on Wednesday, May 30th. The event is sponsored by the Friends of the Frank B Koller Library. Mitchard was a Wisconsin resident for many years, working at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and living just outside of Madison. WXPR’s Mackenzie Martin talked to Mitchard about the importance of books

A New York Times bestselling author will be giving a talk in Arbor Vitae next week. Jacquelyn Mitchard - probably best known for her book The Deep End of the Ocean - will be speaking at the Red Crown Lodge on Wednesday, May 30th. The event is sponsored by the Friends of the Frank B Koller Library. Mitchard was a Wisconsin resident for many years, working at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and living just outside of Madison. WXPR’s Mackenzie Martin talked to Mitchard about the importance of books

Every Friday, we turn back the clock on Morning Edition with local historian Gary Entz to find out what life in the Northwoods used to be like. This is part of a new initiative by WXPR to tell the history and culture of northern Wisconsin. The place names given to towns and geographic regions are important to know because they inform us about our past, where we come from, and the foundations of our communities. While many older residents likely know a lot about the origins of local names, many

Chances are, if you haven’t yet seen your first snake of the year, you will soon. In this week's episode of Wildlife Matters , the Masked Biologist talks about snakes of northern Wisconsin. This time of year, as the days get warmer, the nights are still cool, and vegetation is still relatively short, snakes are coming out of hibernation, moving about to hunt, and looking for places to lay eggs. Since snakes cannot generate their own body heat, they tend to come out on the gravel, stones, or

In part one of our series on death care in the Northwoods, we talked to a local funeral director about green funerals and how his job has changed over the years. Today, we’ll hear about those who are choosing to have their funerals at home. WXPR’s Mackenzie Martin reports. Windsong and Steve Moe have both been involved in massages and breathwork in the Northwoods for over 20 years. They’ve also invested a lot of time thinking about death. “Well yeah, we talk about it a lot,” says Moe. "We just

The death care industry has undergone a lot of changes in recent years and it’s more than just that formal burials are down and cremations are up. In the first of a two part series about death care in the Northwoods, we’ll hear about green funerals and how the job of a local funeral director has changed. WXPR’s Mackenzie Martin reports. So it turns out, there are a lot of options when you’re planning a funeral, a lot more than there were 20 or 25 years ago. Mike Bolger - of Bolger Funeral Home

Every Friday, we'll turn back the clock on Morning Edition with local historian Gary Entz to find out what life in the Northwoods used to be like. This is part of a new initiative by WXPR to tell the history and culture of northern Wisconsin. On July 2, 1954, the citizens of Rhinelander were able to enjoy what was billed as “the last word in theater engineering.” On that night in 1954 the Rouman Drive-In Theater in Rhinelander opened its gates to the public. With larger than average window