>> Hello, and welcome to "In Wisconsin."
I'm Patty Loew.
This week discover how these four-legged alarm systems keep
wolfs at bay without ever being trained.
Find out why the chance to weigh in on the war in Iraq is so
personal for members of one Wisconsin community.
>> I think there's something that we started and we just can't
pull out, whether you think it's right or not.
>> I think that, you know, with all the people that are dying
and things that they should pull them out.
>> And meet a man who teaches the ancient art of Japanese
swordsmanship, but also embraces the Buddhist philosophy of
nonviolence.
We'll have all that plus a panoramic winter view from blue
mound state park, "In Wisconsin."
>> The U.S. department of the interior has proposed taking gray
wolves off the federal endangered or threatened species list
for the western Great Lakes region including Wisconsin.
The proposal would seem to be good news because it means that
our state's wolf population has recovered enough to possibly be
removed from the list.
But what may be seen as a positive by wildlife officials also
presents a problem to farmers who are losing livestock to
wolves.
Producer Joanne Garrett met a pair of sheep farmers in Bayfield
county who found the solution to their wolf problem by turning
to a trio of cunning canines.
>> Just off county A in Bayfield county in the heart of the far
north is the morning view farm owned by Larry Fickbohm and Gail
Gomfior and their family.
It's 300 acres.
The family has horses, peacocks, chickens, and sheep, lots of
sheep.
>> We have approximately 250 ewes.
Right now we're looking at around 400 lambs sm we raise some
cattle with them.
>> And amid all those sheep is another animal that looks like a
sheep.
>> Kind ever blends right in, doesn't he?
Yeah.
>> This sheep-like dog is called a maremma.
They stand about two and a half feet tall and weigh in at 70 to
100 pounds.
There are three of them, Jose, Moses, and Lola, and they play
an important role on this farm.
They're not pets.
They're protection for the sheep flock.
>> We're in the heart of predator territory.
It's probably the most predators in the state right here.
The other day I saw a bear right up the road.
I saw a coyote when I was cutting hay the other day, and I
often hear wolves.
>> The heart of predator territory.
>> We saw where a fawn had been killed by a wolf, and that's
only a half mile away from here, and you can tell because a
coyote will eat around the bones and the wolf will eat right
through the bones.
The backbone is cut right in half.
>> And sheep like theeze are easy prey.
Three years ago the family had firsthand experience with what
predators can do to a flock.
>> We went out one morning and I think we found about 15 lambs
that were chewed up, dead, killed.
>> One year there were 28 carcasses that were found.
>> This is not a hobby farm.
Fickbohm makes his living as a farmer and losses like those
were unacceptable.
>> It's not a very pretty thing to see.
It was very distressing, you know, and we think, what could we
have done differently?
And we felt somewhat to blame that we didn't protect them
better.
>> At the time of the wolf strike they had only two maremmas,
Jose and Moses.
For years two dogs had been enough for predator control, but
Wisconsin's wolf population has multiplied in recent years, so
after the wolf strike three years ago they added a third dog,
Lola.
The -- they're up to three maremmas for 650 sheep patrolling a
300 acre farm.
Despite the increase in wolves, three maremmas has been enough
to keep wolves and other predators away.
>> So far it's been successful.
It's been three years since we've had a wolf strike, and I
guess they're all over the place.
I can hear them all the time.
>> Maremmas are described as livestock protection guards, or
flock guarding dogs.
Their origin is Italy where they've been guarding sheep for
2,000 years.
Different breeds of flock guarding dogs have been used by
shepherds around the world, but it wasn't until the 1970s that
maremmas were brought to the U.S. to work on sheep farms like
these.
It's common to see a border collie herding sheep.
>> Come on.
Bring 'em up.
Bring 'em up.
Bring et up.
Hut, hut, hut, hut.
>> But you'll never see a maremma herding sheep.
Maremmas have no herding instinct.
Instead you'll see maremmas within a herd patrolling,
protecting, or sometimes even leading the herd.
>> Actually, I've seen one dog hold the sheep at the gate while
the other dog goes around the boundaries and then he comes back
and like, OK, let them in.
>> They check out the territory, make sure it's safe.
>> They're bred to protect, to protect the animals that they're
with.
>> And they're with this flock 24/7, winter and summer on their
own patrolling, protecting.
>> They mark a lot of their territory by urinating and
defecating.
We've gone out in the wintertime and have seen packed snow
where the trail just keeps going around and around.
They kind of have a perimeter that they keep checking over and
over and over again.
They can be 3/4 of a mile around.
>> So how do you get this dedication?
How do you train a maremma to do this?
Answer, you don't.
>> We don't train the maremmas.
>> You let the instinct work, and you let the instinct work by
not training these dogs.
They know no commands whatsoever.
They don't know their name.
Everything is instinct, and that's the goal.
It's not to socialize these dogs.
If you socialize them, they'll be in your driveway, and that's
not what they're here for.
They're here to protect the animals.
>> The bonding is best begun when the dogs are puppies.
>> They were born in November.
It was cold, and we had some wool around, and I took a fleece
and put it right there in the northwest with them, and then I
made a pen right in the middle of the sheep pasture.
They were engulfed by the sheep.
That's the kind of thing you have to do when they're a pup to
get them to bond.
>> Come on, Moses.
He'll come as far as where I can touch his chin and that's
about all.
To give him a shot we've got to trick him and tackle him.
It's really hard.
>> Maremmas know their humans, but they're not bonded to them.
This is their pack, and this passive looking dog can be very
aggressive in protecting it.
>> I came around the corner with the border collie and we
chased up a coyote that was really close to the sheep, and you
went around the corner and he went smack dab where the guard
dogs was.
And it was an awesome sight.
Kite yote was in a disarray.
>> It went after him.
>> He went from one extreme, this mild-mannered dog to a
vicious fighter in a matter of seconds.
And I've seen him chase bear right out of the pasture also
right on the bear's tail.
>> Wolves, the maremmas traditional foe, require a bit more.
>> A dog is not going to -- is not going to be able to fight
with a wolf and come out alive.
I don't care what kind of a dog you have.
That's not going to happen.
>> But a pack of dogs, big imposing dogs like these maremma,
deter the wolves by barking and charging, holding their
ground.
>> Before we got the guard dogs, I used to hear the sheep all
the time.
Wake up in the middle of the night.
Geez, what's going on out there or whatever?
And now I sleep through the night because I know I've got
protection out there.
>> The protection team.
>> It's a communication system.
They work as a team.
>> We saw some of that teamwork in action.
The maremmas were friendly enough toward us while we were
filming, and the family was around.
Jose settled down for a nap.
Moses hopped the fence to go off and patrol the farm.
But when Jose woke up and found us in the field with the sheep
and without the family, he sounded the alarm.
[dog barking] -
>> And Moses came running.
They joined forces, formed a barrier between us and the sheep,
and kept watch until we left the field.
>> They almost have the pack mentality themselves like wolves
do.
They have a wolf pack thing where they work together.
Wolves are extremely social and they work within that pack for
everything, raising their young and kills and everything else.
And I think these dogs did do some of that same thing.
They're communicating, they're wandering, trading back and
forth.
>> Maremmas can cost around $500.
At a time when the pressures between people and predators,
particularly wolves, are growing ever stronger, these dogs
offer a relatively low cost, no-kill solution for coexistence.
Gomfior and Fickbohm feel very strongly that the wildlife,
particularly wolves, is an essential part of the northwoods.
Wildlife is part of the reason why they live there.
>> I firmly believe that this is wolf territory.
This is bear territory that we've come into and chosen to be
in.
We need to learn to live within that system as best we can, and
the dogs help us do that and still farm without negatively
impacting our business.
>> I honestly don't think that we could be in business here
without these guard dogs.
>> Fickbohm believes the maremmas' instinct to protect could
also be used by dairy farmers to bond the dogs to cows and
cattle.
And in fact, has witnessed his dogs interact with his own
cattle.
As people like Fickbohm continue to search for ways to co-exist
with a growing wolf population, the government is moving ahead
with its proposal to take gray wolves off the federal
endangered species list.
Informational meetings and public hearings about the issue are
scheduled in may.
If you're interested in attending, there's a public hearing
scheduled in Duluth on May 8 and another hearing in Wausau on
May 10.
You can go to our website at wpt.org/inwisconsin for more on
locations and times.
In other news, the spring election is just days away.
The only statewide race on April 4 would have been for a
Wisconsin Supreme Court seat, but incumbent justice Patrick
crooks is running unopposed.
However, more than 30 cities and towns across Wisconsin will
have a special local referendum question on the ballot.
The wording of the question varies, but asks voters whether the
United States should start bringing its troops home from Iraq.
Reporter Frederica Freyberg went to Baraboo where voters there
will be weighing in on the question.
>> Baraboo is the Sauk county seat with a population of just
over 10,000, and in this small city the death of war is close
to home.
Flags are flying at half staff at the courthouse here in memory
of an area marine killed last week.
So it will be just days after a local soldier's funeral that
people here will vote on the question of whether to bring the
troops home now.
There are strong feelings on both sides about the war and its
progress.
>> What's the purpose of it, anyway?
All it is is killing our kids.
>> I feel that we started a job over there.
Let's finish it.
>> In Baraboo, the wording that voters will see on April 4
election day is simple.
The question asks, should the United States begin immediate
phased withdrawal of its troops from Iraq?
>> Our intention was really all along to have the citizens have
an opportunity to weigh in on the issue.
>> Baraboo resident rob Nelson organized the effort to get the
troop withdrawal question on the ballot.
He and supporters gathered more than 600 signatures, 20% more
than they needed.
>> I don't think any of us here in Baraboo or in any of the
other communities voting on this believe that on April 5 George
bush is going to wake up and see all these communities passed
the referendum and say oh, we have to pull the troops out now.
But I think it does provide really the strongest measure of
expression in the voting booth that people feel strongly about
cht -
>> I'm confident, or I believe, I'm optimistic we'll succeed.
If not, I'd pull our troops out.
>> I really do trust those that are in authority to do the
right thing.
>> Baraboo resident Mary dotson believes decisions about her
soldier sons should be made by commanders and not by balance
lots.
She and her husband, reverend Michael dotson, have two sons in
the Army National Guard.
They are members of the Baraboo-based company C, 128th sfrant
deployed to the war zone.
22-year-old Matthew is a grenade launcher in the Charlie
company.
His younger brother, 19-year-old Michael, is a gunner.
>> I pray for them, pray for their safety, pray for the safety
of all the soldiers that are over there.
>> Reverend dotson prays and believes in the mission, believes
we should stay and not leave.
>> And if we pull out now, I think we'll be back there again in
the near future.
It might be another 10 years, but we'll be back and have to
deal with the issues again.
I'd rather see us deal with it now, get it taken care of, and
then bring our boys back home so we don't have to go back to
war.
>> What's it like for you as a mom to have your boys over
there?
>> Sometimes kind of gut-wrenching, sometimes it physically
hurts.
>> And yet Mary dotson says as much as she wants her sons home,
she will also vote against the referendum.
She says the question itself calls into question support of the
troops.
Not so, say those in favor of a pullout.
>> Well, I think there's really a clear distinction that we try
to make between supporting the troops and supporting those who
are making the decision to put those troops in harms way.
>> Soldiers like Matthew and Michael dotson who also weighed in
on the referendum to bring them home.
>> I think their comment was, what good is that?
You know, what good is it going to do to have a referendum?
>> It's true, the outcome of the referenda is nonbinding, but
supporters hope it sends a message to politicians.
Meanwhile at the armory in Baraboo, yellow ribbons weather the
seasons until Charlie company ends its tour and comes home this
Christmas.
>> You can find out more about the war referendum and the
spring elections by checking out Wisconsinvote.org, our
election year online resource.
Again, the address is Wisconsinvote.org.
As many Wisconsin voters get ready to voice their opinion on
the Iraq war, it's a good time to stop and appreciate our civil
liberties, the right to vote, freedom of expression.
What would happen if those rights were stripped away?
Minoru Kiyota is a retired UW-Madison professor and knows
firsthand how precious civil rights can be.
Kiyota is an American citizen born of Japanese parents.
His story is one that reminds us that the rights of citizenship
should not be taken for granted.
>> Students at UW-Madison welcome distinguished guests from
Japan.
The visitors demonstrate the ancient art of Japanese
swordsmanship called Kendo.
The demonstration is a part of the Kendo class taught by Minoru
Kiyota.
Kiyota has been teaching Kendo for 16 years.
The Kendo class uses wooden swords and weapons made of bamboo.
The object of this exercise is to contact specific points on
your opponent's body.
Kiyota teaches his students both the physical and philosophical
aspects of Kendo.
>> I try to interpret Kendo from the perspective of a zen
philosophy and the focus is on realizing personal growth.
>> The practice of Kendo can help students transform challenges
into personal growth.
Kiyota knows this lesson only too well.
His challenges began at a young age.
Kiyota was born in America, but when he was 11 his mother sent
him to Japan.
She wanted him to learn the culture of her homeland.
To prepare him she signed him up for Judo lessons after
school.
>> I think I owe much to my mother.
Rather than playing basketball she told me that I should go to
Jew doe simply because boys there would not look down upon me
if I studied Judo.
>> Kiyota lived in Japan for four years.
He says it was hard at first, but his experience in Judo and
Kendo provided common ground with his Japanese classmates.
His Japanese teacher taught him an important lesson, don't
fight outside the classroom.
>> And that was a great message for me because it gives you an
inner strength.
Don't fight.
And since that time, whether I studied Judo or Kendo, I never
got into a fight.
>> This life lesson was put to the test after returning to San
Francisco.
Kiyota was in high school in 1941 when Japan attacked pearl
harbor.
Four months later the U.S. Army forced west coast residents of
Japanese descent into detention camps.
It didn't matter that many like Kiyota were U.S. citizens.
Stripped of his civil rights and surrounded by guards with
guns, Kiyota refused to sign what's been called the loyalty
oath.
The oath required that Kiyota promise to take up arms against
Japan.
>> Because I was educated in part in Japan, I knew that I
cannot take up to kill a person with whom I have studied.
Now, if I were in Japan and I got stranded there and the war
began, I would never take the arms to kill my American
friends.
>> In 1943 Kiyota's situation went from bad to worse.
The F.B.I. accused him of belonging to a reactionary
organization.
The organization was his high school Kendo club.
Afterward they moved him to a different type of camp, one
earmarked for Japanese labeled disloyal and dangerous.
>> And that was a horrible place, you know.
>> At the new segregation camp, Kiyota lived in fear.
He says other detainees beat him up and a guard shot at him.
In addition, he said he witnessed abusive treatment of other
internees.
>> They were dragged like an animal, put into a pen, and do you
know what?
The agent there, security agent, they hit the guy on the head
with a baseball bat.
>> At this point Kiyota made what he later called a stupid
mistake.
In 1944 congress passed legislation allowing U.S. citizens to
renounce their citizenship.
In anger at the injustice of his incarceration, Kiyota signed
away his American citizenship.
Kiyota wasn't released from the segregation camp until six
months after the end of the war.
It took almost another 10 years to win back his citizenship.
In the meantime, he earned an undergraduate degree in the
United States followed by a masters and doctorate in Buddhist
philosophy in Japan.
He moved to Madison to teach at the university in 1962.
He says the study of Buddhism helped him put his past into
perspective.
>> That was a more important phase of my life rather than
choosing sides on loyalty or disloyalty because war is nothing
but an extension of a state of power.
What is the most important is to enable the individual to
realize personal growth.
That is the essence of Kendo.
>> Kiyota enjoyed the benefits of Kendo as a child in Japan and
during every one of his 12 years in college.
>> I constantly attend both Judo and Kendo gym, so much so that
I sometimes wonder, how the hell did I get my Ph.D.?
>> Since beginning his teaching career, Kiyota has published
and lectured on both Buddhism and Kendo in the United States
and in Japan.
He has dedicated his life to creating understanding across
cultures and across generations.
Kendo has served as the key.
>> And that's our program for this week.
Join us next week when art Hackett will have a report on the
immigration bills being debated in congress and the potential
impact here in Wisconsin.
We'll also introduce you to a hip-hop musician who hit the
right note when he developed a special therapy for a girl
living with autism.
>> What has Annie's song meant to your mornings?
>> It has helped me so I get out in time for the bus.
>> But it's more than that.
>> For the last two years, her life has done nothing but
improve.
The only thing I can say concretely is there's a song that has
come into her life and she has become a different child.
>> That's next week.
We leave you now with a winter walk through blue mound state
park.
For "In Wisconsin," I'm Patty Loew.
See you next time.
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