- In Wisconsin, you're never far from water.
Water carves our borders,
defines our view.
Great Lakes horizons,
Northern oasis,
nation's mightiest river.
A place for play,
tremendous power,
unsurpassed beauty.
The variety abounds,
the vistas are endless,
Wisconsin Water From the Air
Funding provided in part
by Travel Wisconsin,
Ron and Colleen Weyers,
Roger and Lynn Van Vreede,
Francis A and Georgia F. Ariens Fund
within the Brillion Area Family of Funds,
Holiday Vacations,
Slater Family Fund,
Stanley J. Cottrill Fund,
with additional support from
Endres Manufacturing Company Foundation,
John E. Kuenzel Foundation,
The Focus Fund for Wisconsin Programming,
and Friends of Wisconsin Public Television.
*
- The Wisconsin River,
our state's defining waterway.
Springing from northern headwaters,
flowing ever south,
to a big meet-up with the Mississippi.
A journey through the heart of the state.
The Wisconsin River.
[birds and insects chirp]
From a remote northern edge of the state,
the waters flow.
A quiet beginning,
among the marshlands and the forests,
for our namesake river.
The Wisconsin River's journey will travel a course
longer than any other in our state;
a lifeline
stretching hundreds of miles.
And it all begins here.
Flowing from the waters of Lac Vieux Desert ,
a lake straddling the border with Michigan,
the Wisconsin appears more stream than river.
A seemingly endless ribbon of twists and turns
as it embarks on its journey,
a journey that weaves through
the entire length of the state.
Flowing south,
the river will grow in size, scope, and strength,
but its northern origins
remain wild and untamed.
*
[birds chirping]
*
[rushing water current]
*
[water roaring]
*
[music slowing down]
*
[music pace quickens]
[music slows and mellows]
[energetic music]
[water splooshes]
[screaming at top of lungs]
[paddle splashes against water]
[music tempo picks up]
*
[voices in background]
*
[motorboat engine]
*
Great waterway,
namesake river.
The Wisconsin has traveled a course
over 400 miles across the state.
A winding journey past prairie,
through forest,
flowing border to border.
It continues on south.
Continues on through a wide-bluffed valley
to its final destination:
Meeting the waters of the Mississippi.
Ever-flowing,
ever-moving,
this river,
this Wisconsin.
*
- Miles of shoreline embrace the inland sea.
A journey of harbor towns
and limitless views.
Wisconsin's eastern edge...
Lake Michigan.
The pull of an endless horizon,
the sweeping expanse of a big sky.
The Great Lake calls,
the water awaits.
From the harbor's edge
to the endless blue vista,
Lake Michigan's shoreline
creates Wisconsin's 'East Coast'--
home to a great city
on a great lake.
[rock music]
[whistle blows]
*
[excited chatter and screeches]
[engine rumbles]
*
[waves breaking]
*
[seagulls caw, children clamor]
*
[waves lap gently at the shore]
[waves splash softly]
[water gently burbles]
*
Shimmering reflections against an endless sky.
Exploring a world of ports and parks,
sandy dunes and rocky shores.
The lure of Lake Michigan's vast waters--
an adventure upon an inland sea.
*
Two great waterways define Wisconsin's western edge.
Carving through northern forests
to create a mighty channel--
The St. Croix and Mississippi Rivers.
*
This mesmerizing view.
This wild gem.
A dazzling array of emerald and sapphire.
Arising from one of the most scenic regions of our state,
the waters of the Namekagon, along with the St. Croix,
create a national treasure--
America's first wild and scenic River National Park.
A designation that protects and preserves
the beauty and free-flowing nature
of this precious waterway.
*
The St. Croix National Scenic Riverway--
over 200 miles of pristine water
gliding through a forested landscape.
Few dams, few diversions, encumber these waters
as they flow south
to form the state's western border.
*
[rushing water current]
*
[rushing water current]
*
[energetic music]
*
Prescott marks the journey's end
for the St. Croix
as it merges with the muddy waters of the Mississippi.
Here, the wild & scenic waterway converges
with the nation's mightiest river.
*
The towering bluffs of the Mississippi river valley
define Wisconsin's Western edge from Prescott on south.
A vital channel for trade and travel,
recreation and scenic escape.
From here, the big river flows on,
continuing a momentous journey
through the heart of the nation,
a powerful passage onward
for these great waters.
[water lapping at shore]
*
- Mike Eicher: Water is Wisconsin's identity.
It seemed like only a natural fit that we do a program
about this wonderful resource
that Wisconsinites have.
- Air Traffic Control: Clear for take-off.
- Pilot: Six-Golf-Lima is on the go.
- Grant Fenster: It's a chance for people
to discover something new,
go somewhere they haven't seen before,
and to see it in a new light.
- Pilot: A lot of sailors up here in Wisconsin.
- Laurie Gorman: You know we all have a connection to water
in Wisconsin,
whether it's the local fishing hole
or your annual getaway to Door County,
we all have memories and connections
to Wisconsin's water.
- Pilot: That's the shot.
- Laurie Gorman: So, I think
these aerial programs really connected
with our viewers
because of the way
we've been able to capture
these treasured locations
of the state of Wisconsin.
- Pilot: We'll call that good.
[water gurgling]
Funding provided in part by
Travel Wisconsin,
Ron and Colleen Weyers,
Roger and Lynn Van Vreede,
Francis A and Georgia F. Ariens Fund
within the Brillion Area Family of Funds,
Holiday Vacations,
Slater Family Fund,
Stanley J. Cottrill Fund,
with additional support from
Endres Manufacturing Company Foundation,
John E. Kuenzel Foundation,
The Focus Fund for Wisconsin Programming,
and Friends of Wisconsin Public Television.