A marine archaeologist, a bald eagle researcher and a record-winning whip cracker are just a few of the people you’ll meet in this episode.
Mike Meyer is a state Department of Natural Resources researcher who works with bald eagles. Each year, in early summer, his job is to band the state’s newest eaglets. With the help of a tree climber, the eaglets are brought to the ground, examined, tested, banded and returned to their nest. Meyer’s work ensures Wisconsin has a healthy eagle population. Find out more about the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources’ annual bald eagle survey and banding project and the National Park Service’s monitoring program. Also – did you know the DNR also has an “Adopt an eagle nest” program? And be sure to check out the Wisconsin Veterans Museum’s “Old Abe the War Eagle” online exhibit to learn more about this famous Wisconsin bald eagle’s Civil War service.
Our next story is by our colleagues at Litmus Pictures… Meet John and Kate McLaughlin, a Milwaukee couple who run the Brass Rooster Hat Company. In addition to handcrafting hats, they offer full cleaning and repair services, custom fittings and customer service as traditional as the 100 year old equipment they use to make their hats.
Meanwhile, whether as a boy snorkeling in the waters off Door County or as a researcher diving to the bottom of Lake Superior, David Cooper has spent most of his life on the Great Lakes. For the past few years, he’s worked to preserve one famous piece of maritime history: the light stations of the Apostle Islands. Take a tour of the Apostle Islands with Cooper as your guide. Watch another story here to see how the National Park Service restored the Raspberry Island Lighthouse in 2005-2007.
And… when young Adam Winrich first saw the movie Indiana Jones, he was inspired, not to seek adventure or treasure, but to learn how to crack a whip. Now all grown up, Winrich has traveled the world and whipped up his share of world records. Want a closer look? Watch Winrich involve reporter Joe Astrouski in a demo of his whip cracking prowess.
Finally, many of us come to love Wisconsin by birth. But for others, it comes through marriage. Writer Benjamin Percy tells us how Wisconsin became his state-in-law.