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.

As the producer of In Wisconsin... I invite you to watch this week's show no matter where you live. We are based in Madison but our newsmagazine hosted by Patty Loew covers every corner of the state. In Wisconsin airs in most places at 7:30 on Thursday nights and there is an encore presentation at 10:30 Sunday night.

In Milwaukee it's a bit different with a broadcast time of 11:30 Sunday morning. And not to be outdone... we also have viewers in Minnesota. In Wisconsin is carried by Minnesota Public Television (WDSE-TV) in Duluth at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday for viewers in the Northwest corner of Wisconsin. I'm sure the Minnesotans who watch will enjoy the Packer report we have planned for our first show in February.

But I'm jumping ahead of myself... this week In Wisconsin features reports from around the state that include a new low-speed rail plan for Milwaukee, restoration on a 1916 Frank Lloyd Wright home, a very personal mission for a New Richmond High School student interested in stem cell research and find out how the Wisconsin DNR is using high-tech decoys to catch hunters who break the law.

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.

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.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! 7:30 p.m. Wisconsin Public Television

After you eat all that turkey, stuffing and desert turn on the tube for a feast for your eyes.

This week "In Wisconsin" reports on the historic work of Camp Madison's Civilian Conservation Corps. The University of Wisconsin Arboretum is the site of the nation's first restored prairie. This prairie restoration is the vision of Aldo Leopold and built by members of the Camp Madison CCC.

Plus new information about the largest DNR deer research study in Wisconsin history. In Wisconsin Reporter Frederica Freyberg looks at how the DNR is responding to hunter complaints.

And In Wisconsin Reporter Andy Soth goes in search of Increase Lapham as Andy kicks-off a new initiative titled "Quest. Named Wisconsin's first great scientist, Lapham was a self-taught renaissance man who dabbled in botany, archaeology, forestry and climatology. Discover how two hundred years after his birth Lapham's influence is still being felt in the state.

"Quest" is a project that delves into issues about Wisconsin's environment. For more information, visit QuestWisconsin.org on the Web.

This week I've slated several new reports for In Wisconsin. One of the more interesting is a new approach to burials, admittedly, not everyone is comfortable thinking about. It's called green or natural burial. Wisconsin is starting to provide options for this end of life choice. Find out what this eco-friendly option is all about and why it is being met with some opposition.

You'll also see an inspiring report about Andy Janiki. He's a quadriplegic but that's not stopping him from exploring the wilds of Wisconsin. Four different state parks are now offering rentals of adaptive kayaks made specifically for people with disabilities. It has allowed Janiki to regain his freedom.

Next week - Thanksgiving night -we take a look at a historic deer research project in Wisconsin, the making of the UW Arboretum by the boys in the Civilian Conservation Corps and a little trivia. Do you know who's considered Wisconsin's first scientist?

You'll get the answer on In Wisconsin Thursday's at 7:30 p.m. on Wisconsin Public Television.

Tonight WPT is airing "Wolves in Wisconsin" at 8 pm, just after NOVA. The show will repeat on Thursday November 4, 10 pm. This hour special collects the many stories on wolves that IN WISCONSIN has produced over the last five years. We hope you get a chance to see it.

As a producer, I found the topic of wolves to be a fascinating one. In particular, the report we produced on Maremma dogs was completely new territory. These flock protection dogs have been used for centuries in Europe to protect against wolf depredations. We count on dogs, for protection work, detection work, guide work, alarm work, and for companionship and joy. All of our various breeds of dogs originate from wolves.

Check out the special. Let us know what you think!

For those of you who haven't heard, a meeting is being held in Chicago tonight to discuss Waukesha's proposal to divert water from Lake Michigan. This is the first request to divert water outside the Great Lakes Basin since the Great Lakes Compact Council formed in 2008. Making a final decision involves quite a bit of research and the involvement of several states. On top of the many people directly involved in the process, many citizens and groups like The Alliance for the Great Lakes are also weighing in and expressing their concerns. Almost everyone involved shares similar concerns:

What negative effects could each option have on the environment?
Are there any better alternatives available that would provide radium free water?
How will the results of this proposal influence future requests for Great Lakes Water?

If you'd like a little more history on this ongoing issue, check out a report done by Art Hackett back in November called Waukesha Water.

This man is Craig Thompson. Thompson works as a Regional Land Manager for the Wisconsin DNR. That's his everyday job. In his free time, Thompson organizes birding trips to Central and South America. They are birding trips with a difference however, Thompson has pioneered a model called "conservation birding trips". Every participant on the trip makes a significant donation toward conservation of bird habitat in the countries they visit. His trips have garnered thousands of dollars towards the purchase of lands for birds.

We joined up Thompson on his latest bird watching trip in the Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica. It was an amazing, arduous, fascinating trip and it will be part of our upcoming hour-long documentary on the plight of migratory songbirds titled "Our Birds". Right now, the plan is for a first broadcast of this special in 2011. I'll be detailing more of this shoot in the upcoming months, look for more stories that are part of this special in the next month on IN WISCONSIN. And next week, more photos, more info on this project.