Do you have a favorite axiom or indicator that tells you spring has arrived? As usual, the Masked Biologist has much to say on the topic in this week’s Wildlife Matters. Spring is a tricky season, no two ways about it. There is so much riding on the arrival of spring, and springtime conditions. Animal migration, emergence from winter dens, plants leaving dormancy all heavily impact the Northwoods. Timing is everything; birds have to nest at the right time—songbirds need copious insects to feed

On Tuesday afternoon, Matt Ellingson walked out of the Kwik Trip on Rhinelander’s east side with a few bottles of water and a snack from the store’s roller grill. Yet again, he’s intentionally bypassed a restaurant or fast food joint to get something to eat at Kwik Trip. “That’s exactly what I did today,” he said with a laugh. “I got a Tornado.” Ellingson feels he knows what to expect at every Kwik Trip location. “They’ve got good food, good prices, and the people are very friendly,” he said.

Modern telecommunication systems provide the means to contact friends, relatives, and businesses whenever and wherever we want, but historically this is a recent development. New electronic communication systems often had a dramatic impact on communities, and this can be seen in the Northwoods. The modern cellphone was invented in 1973 but was not commercially available before the 1980s, and not widespread until new cell tower construction made service generally accessible to rural areas. Before

I spent most of my life not knowing that porcupines could climb trees. While I am a little embarrassed to admit this fact, I am also not sure I spent a ton of time in my younger years thinking about it. Now that I know, I have become obsessed with staring toward the tops of trees trying to find a bound-up ball of quills, nested in the highest branches. Early spring, before the trees fully leaf out, is an ideal time for spotting tree-dwelling porcupines who often move into the upper canopy of

A strange otter encounter, not once but twice, resulted in a Curious North question for the Masked Biologist, who talks about the North American river otter in this week’s Wildlife Matters. Today I have the pleasure of responding to an interesting inquiry that came in through Curious North here on WXPR. The listener wrote: “Twice this week I've heard really loud strident calls that sound almost but not quite like a raptor. Best described as chirping, but loud. Once near the Davenport street

Realtor Lisa Alsteen shows off the features of a century-old four-bedroom house near the courthouse in Rhinelander. Painted blue on the outside, it has wood floors, a sunny living room, and an inviting porch in front. Alsteen listed the home, located at 133 North Oneida Avenue, on Monday. By midday Tuesday, several potential buyers had already been though for showings. She expected an offer wouldn’t take long. That’s typical these days. Last spring, the demand for Northwoods homes shot skyward,

Train robberies are part of the lore of the American West and the stuff of Hollywood blockbusters. But what was far more common than robbing a moving train was robbing the train depot, and that happened in the Northwoods back in the heyday of railroading. In the early twentieth century, Gilligan’s Hall was a popular place to go in Rhinelander for entertainment and social activities. Located on the corner of Anderson and Pelham Streets, Gilligan’s Hall at that time was the city’s oldest amusement

One of the surest signs of spring here in the Northwoods is the arrival of flocks of Canada geese. You may not have given it much thought, this year or any year, but Aldo Leopold did. I thought I heard geese honking recently. Above the din of the noisy road outside, and the noisy family inside, I strained my ears to make sure. One of my boys saw me concentrating, appearing puzzled. “I think I hear geese” I told him. He replied that he had heard geese the day before. He attends Rhinelander High

Population projections show our area is rapidly aging. In 20 years, about a third of the population in the Northwoods will be age 65 or older. That promises to put even more strain on employers seeking people to fill jobs, and many of those employers are already struggling to find enough workers. But despite those trends, a new program in the School District of Rhinelander might help fill the gap for employers and their future workers. “It’s clear that there is a tremendous need for staff and

Many talented people have lived in the Northwoods, and every now and again one of them achieves national fame. One such person was Stanley Morner from the town of Prentice in Price County. Although few people today recognize his name, in the 1940s under the stage name of Dennis Morgan, Stanley Morner was considered an A-list star and one of Hollywood’s leading men. Stanley Morner was born in December 1908 in Prentice. His father was employed at the Roddis Lumber Company, and when Stanley was old