Angela Fitzgerald spreads her wings in Appleton at the Butterfly Gardens of Wisconsin, a non-profit preserve celebrating the vibrant insects. The seven-acre complex offers visitors a serene backdrop to learn about pollinators and the native plants they need to survive, while preserving 40 different butterfly species native to Outagamie County. Fitzgerald meets with Marty and Jack Voight, co-founders of the sanctuary, to learn how this beautiful space came to be.
Then we meet DNR bear researcher Jennifer Price Tack leading Wisconsin’s largest black bear study, as she investigates dens near Spooner. Her team is tracking more than 100 bears to study population dynamics, cub survival, and litter sizes. This research helps manage the state’s expanding bear population and improves human-bear coexistence.
Next, we join Femme & Queer Skate Night in Dane County. Where wheels are spinning and hearts soaring as this inclusive group empowers femme and queer skaters alike. It’s a space where diversity thrives, and every roll forward is a testament to strength, community, and the joy of being true to oneself. Femme & Queer Skate Night is not just about recreation; it’s about activism. Through visibility and advocacy, organizers aim to promote LGBTQ+ rights and create lasting social change.
Madison artist Jerry Jordan paints portraits of historic African American figures including illustrating children’s books on John Lewis and Ida B. Wells. In his works showing ordinary people, he often includes traditionally heroic elements like uniforms, armor, and swords, elevating his subjects and incorporating his own symbolic visual language. It’s easy to get lost in Jerry’s work, either in the warm, human depictions of Black heroes, or the fanciful landscapes that form the backdrop for his heroic depictions.
For our last story we head to La Crosse and onboard the Julia Belle Swain. A historic paddlewheel boat that churned upriver for the very last time in 2008. The steamboat remained dormant until the Julia Belle Swain Foundation set out to restore and preserve this piece of La Crosse history. Ellis Inman is leading the restoration efforts of the Julia Belle Swain, a boat his father once captained when he was a little boy.