Last week I watched a stunning documentary on Wisconsin Public Television but I'm not an unbiased viewer. I work with the people who spent 2 years making this program. I'm also an avid birder. The program was about Wisconsin's connection to the birds that migrate from here to warmer winter weather in places like Costa Rica and Panama. The show is called Our Birds and has an rich web site for those who are interested. Judging by the way my cats enjoyed the show, they'll be surfing this site on a daily basis.

It's been a busy couple of weeks eventhough "In Wisconsin" hasn't been on the air. This week, we return to our regular Thursday at 7:30p time slot.

In Wisconsin Reporter Jo Garrett visits Milwaukee's Urban Ecology Center, a downtown oasis for birds migrating north. You will discover how this urban jewel has been reclaimed from drug dealers and criminals by birdwatchers and citizen scientists.

We also have a QUEST report by In Wisconsin Reporter Andy Soth as he looks at Wisconsin's first great scientist. Increase Lapham was a self-taught renaissance man who dabbled in botany, archaeology, forestry and climatology. Discover how his influence is still being felt in the state two hundred years after his birth.

You won't want to miss the teen musicians in the statewide Bolz Young Artist Competition. For several months, they have been auditioning but only four remained standing on the stage of Overture Hall in Madison. This week you'll meet cellist Elliott Yang of New Berlin. With the arrival of spring you can also discover a very urban section of Wisconsin's Ice Age National Scenic Trail in Janesville through the camera lens of videographer Mike Eicher.

In Wisconsin airs 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 24 on Wisconsin Public Television. The program also will air at 11:30 a.m. Sunday, March 27 on Milwaukee's MPTV and on WDSE-TV in Duluth at 4 p.m. Sunday, March 27.

Tonight is the premiere of our In Wisconsin special called "Our Birds". For the past 2 years Reporter Jo Garrett and Videographer Frank Boll have been crafting this documentary about Wisconsin's migratory birds. It premieres tonight at 7:00 p.m. on Wisconsin Public Television.

We also just found out today that Milwaukee Public Television will air this hour long documentary on May 12, 9:00pm and repeat it May 14, 2:00pm.

Give it a watch and then drop us a line in the comment section below. We'd like to hear your feedback. Emjoy the show.

This week on In Wisconsin we have several new reports and an oldie but goodie.

We will revisit a report from In Wisconsin's Jo Garrett. The Stormy Kromer is a hat that has been part of Wisconsin's history and culture for more than a century. The hat was invented by Kaukauna native Stormy Kromer. It's a clever combination of a baseball hat with pull-down earflaps and now it's taking on a Green Bay Packers twist.

We'll take you to one of Wisconsin's newest tourist attractions, the Canoe Heritage Museum. In Wisconsin Reporter Liz Koerner spotlights how this museum came to be in the small town of Spooner.

The 38th annual American Birkebeiner is the largest cross-country ski race in North America and this weekend more skiers than ever before will start the race. John Kotar, a Birkebeiner founder, talks about the beauty and tradition of the race, and the impact of climate change. Plus you'll get a humorous essay from Michael Perry about the calendar and that shrinking woodpile. It's all this week on In Wisconsin Thursday night at 7:30p on Wisconsin Public Television.

Tonight's episode (2/17) of In Wisconsin features the inspiring story of Dorothy Douglas, aka DJ Douglas, and her remarkable accomplishments. With a passion for flying, she disguised herself as a man to become a pilot and made a name for herself as "Sam Douglas" and wait until you see her other accomplishments including an appearance on the game show "To Tell The Truth."

Tune in and you'll meet Sam Thayer, one of the nations best foragers. He is the creator of the nation's first nature trail dedicated to teaching people about edible wild foods, the Standish Price Wild Food Interpretive Trail in Price County and then we'll go foraging for wild food in the heart of Madison. Nance Klehm is an urban forager who lives in Chicago. At Madison's Willy Street Coop class, she teaches students how to create an all-natural meal with edible wild plants found in the city.

In Wisconsin Reporter Andy Soth visits the forestry operation in the Menominee Reservation and explores the wisdom of Chief Oshkosh and his impact on a great northern forest. Those efforts have provided a living for Menominee Tribal Enterprises employees for 100 years and have resulted in an increase of trees in the harvested forest.

Our video postcard at the end of this week's show features a winter tour of the University of Wisconsin Arboretum. We hope you'll join us for a look at the people and places that make Wisconsin unique.

You'll find a lot of critters in this week's episode of In Wisconsin everything from white tail deer to bald eagles and you might even catch a few pine martens.

First, this month the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources is launching the largest deer study ever in the State of Wisconsin. There's a growing concern among some hunters that the Wisconsin deer herd is being decimated by predators. In a related move the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently decided to go ahead with plans to remove the gray wolf from the federal endangered species list in Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota. Wolves were hunted to near extinction in Wisconsin before they returned on their own.

You can find out more about deer research at the WI DNR site. They're also signing up volunteers to do deer research.

Once endangered but not anymore... the dramatic comeback of the American Bald Eagle in Wisconsin is an inspiration for other states. Every winter bald eagles are attracted to the open water and prime fishing on the Wisconsin River below the dam at Prairie du Sac. You can catch a glimpse of these majestic birds in videographer Frank Boll's video essay. If you'd like to see them soar this weekend is prime time. It's the 22nd annual Sauk Prairie Eagle Watching Days. To find out more click on this link http://www.ferrybluffeaglecouncil.org/eagledays/index.html And finally in this week's show they appear to be cute and ready to cuddle but pine martens can be vicious. This pint-sized predator is a member of the weasel family. The animal was driven from the state by excessive trapping around the turn of the century. Wisconsin researchers re-introduced pine martens in the late 1970's but it failed to take a foothold. At the same time martens in Minnesota and Michigan are thriving. In Wisconsin Reporter Jo Garrett gives you an update on the battles in a three year research project to find out why.

It's all this week on In Wisconsin, Thursday night at 7:30 on Wisconsin Public Television. Or catch the encore presentation Sunday night at 10:30. And if neither of those times are convenient you can always watch those reports right here on our website. Let me know what you think of the show.

After being on hiatus for the month of December... "In Wisconsin" returns tonight at 7:30p right after Wisconsin Foodie.

One of the highlights - the Middleton High School Marching Band's performance in London's New Years Day Parade. More than a half-million spectators on the ground and a worldwide audience. It took a little bit of juggling for us to get the video recorded off a satellite starting at 5:30 a.m. New Year's Day. We hope you enjoy it.

Liz Koerner delivers an all new report as she visits two Manitowoc artists for a look at studio-portrait postcards. They represent a time when few people had cameras. Discover how a current revival of the art merges old with new as people enjoy the fun of being photographed in outlandish dress or by not dressing at all.

In Wisconsin Reporter Frederica Freyberg looks at how local businesses are navigating Chinese business etiquette. Be warned leave the Packers hat at home. Discover why this is an insult in China. And we'll visit a eco-friendly dairy farm near Waterloo.. where nothing is wasted. In Wisconsin Reporter Art Hackett visits the Crave Brother's farm near Waterloo for a look at value-added agriculture

The newsmagazine airs 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 6 on WPT and is available in high definition. WPT will broadcast an encore of the program at 10:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 9. The program also will air at 11:30 a.m. on Milwaukee's MPTV and on WDSE-TV in Duluth at 4 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 9.

I looked up the definition of "legacy" and found in The American Heritage Dictionary legacy is described as 1) money or property bequeathed to another by will 2) Something handed down from an ancestor or predecessor.

In the case of the University of Wisconsin Arboretum this pristine piece of property is a legacy. In 1934 it was bequeathed to the people of Wisconsin. A gift from Wisconsin's conservation leaders handed down to generations to come and the lessons learned on this property are still being gifted forward.

When the University of Wisconsin Arboretum was first founded the Arboretum committee introduced a groundbreaking concept known today as "ecological restoration." The focus is on re-establishing historic landscapes, with native plants and animal communities. But the work today is not about returning to the past but rather improving on Aldo Leopold's experiment known as Curtis Prairie.

So I invite you to join us for an all new In Wisconsin special called "Landscape Legacy", airing at 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 2 (tonight) on Wisconsin Public Television. If you are reading this blog at a later date you have another chance to watch the encore presentation at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 30.

Last week we aired a story on an upcoming study on Wisconsin's deer population. It's gonna be HUGE!

The study will be the largest ever on white tail deer conducted by Wisconsin's Department of Natural Resources. It's multi-year, many collaborators, much work to be done. And they hope to answer questions about Wisconsin's big buck population and they hope to parse out the question of predators (coyotes, bear, bobcat, and wolves) on the state's fawn population.

But here's the thing, this study will need hunters and others interested in science for "hands-on" research. It's a terrific chance to participate in an important research project that will shape Wisconsin's policy toward deer management. AND it's a chance to get up close and personal with big bucks, does, and fawns. (check out the fawn radio collars in the story)

For more info, check out the DNR website.