[dramatic orchestral music]
- Announcer: The following program
is a PBS Wisconsin original production.
[birds chirping]
[Common Loon calls]
[wondrous orchestral music]
- Narrator: Towering pines.
The forest unfolds...
*
revealing a glimmering view.
*
Wisconsin's Northwoods hold treasures
of light, movement, sound.
*
[loon calls]
*
Season through season, an ever-changing view.
*
Tumbling waters,
expansive wilderness,
countless lakes.
Over land
or on the water,
a vast array of wonders and colors to explore.
*
"Wisconsin's Scenic Treasures: Northwoods"
- Announcer: Funding provided by
Greg and Carol Griffin,
the Bitzer Family Legacy Fund,
Roger and Lynn Van Vreede,
the Nature Conservancy,
Elizabeth Olson,
the Slater Family Fund,
the Wooden Nickel Fund,
the Eleanor and Thomas Wildrick Family,
the Greiling Family, in memory of Gary Greiling,
Dr. Henry Anderson,
the John J. Frautschi Family Foundation,
Wisconsin's Green Fire,
Oakwood Village,
donors to the Focus Fund for Wisconsin Programs,
and Friends of PBS Wisconsin.
[birds chirping]
[gentle orchestral music]
*
[crows cawing]
- Narrator: September morning.
Day Lake, Vilas County.
*
Autumn's arrival is in the air.
*
But there's still time for one more paddle.
*
With the turn of each season,
the Northwoods landscape
reveals an original panorama...
*
An invitation to new visions and views.
*
[birds chirping]
*
[birds chirping]
[gentle upbeat music]
*
[muffled gentle upbeat music]
[gentle upbeat music]
*
[insects droning, birds calling]
[energetic orchestral music]
*
From the clear waters of a northern lake
to a sea of rocks hidden
in the blue hills of Rusk County.
The forest opens,
revealing a trace of the last glacier.
*
[wind blowing]
*
[leaves rustling in wind]
*
[energetic music fades]
[soft upbeat music]
*
[frog croaks softly]
*
[water trickling]
[birds chirping]
*
As the days shorten and the weather cools,
the Northwoods unveil their finest display.
*
Red, yellow, orange.
An abundance of hues.
*
The forest becomes a spectacle of light and color,
with the rich tones of autumn.
*
A fleeting, yet spectacular moment
in the splendor of the season.
*
[leaves rustling]
*
[water rushing]
[flowing dramatic music]
*
[wind howling distantly]
[water trickling]
[gentle music]
*
The waters of the Bad River
tumble across the rocky riverbed,
surrounded by jagged canyon walls.
*
The river carves its course through the ancient stone
as the falls plunge into deep gorges.
*
[soft upbeat music]
*
[water trickling]
From tumbling waterfalls to golden tamaracks,
Wisconsin's Northwoods hold a variety of delights.
*
Here among the mossy peatland
of this undisturbed northern bog
lie delicate treasures
scattered through the landscape.
*
[birds chirping]
[gentle music]
*
[birds chattering]
*
[birds singing]
*
A walk within the Northwoods forest.
The scent of pines on the wind.
The sun's rays find their way to the understory...
*
Surrounded by the colors of autumn's end.
*
[water currents rustling]
[soft upbeat music]
Winter in Wisconsin's far northern reaches.
Tall evergreens move throughout this quiet season...
*
Where a cover of white reveals each small detail.
*
The crisp, chill air beckons to explore.
*
[snowshoes brushing softly]
Breaking new trail across the untouched expanse.
*
[birds singing]
*
Moving forward through this still space
framed by spruce and aspen,
Wisconsin's wilderness dressed in winter white.
*
[skis gliding through snow]
[bird calling]
*
[birds calling]
*
[footsteps crunching in snow]
[Blue Jay calling]
*
[current trickles gently]
Black-capped Chickadee calls]
*
Winter snow falls softly in the Northwoods forest...
*
Creating new shapes under the fresh cover.
*
Throughout this quiet place,
winter life endures...
a still life of muted tones
with few traces of the past season
among the blanketed boulders.
*
[brushing snow]
[water burbling]
While the river finds its way through the winter landscape...
*
Tiny moments lie nestled in the cold,
where light and shadow play upon the snow.
*
[birds chattering]
*
[Bald Eagle calls]
*
[Bald Eagles calling]
[peaceful music]
*
[wind howls]
*
[wolf howls]
*
[bird chirping]
*
[beak thumping on wood]
*
[wind blowing]
[soft upbeat music]
*
[fire crackling]
*
[owl hooting]
*
[geese honking]
*
[water trickling]
The melting snow moves us towards new beginnings
as the river streams beneath the ice.
*
Still a winter scene...
yet a spring awakening is in the air.
[energetic upbeat music]
*
[water flowing]
[soft upbeat music]
*
[energetic upbeat music]
*
[Ruffed Grouse flaps audibly]
*
[birds singing]
[porcupine munching]
*
[frogs calling]
*
[swans trumpeting]
*
[cranes calling]
*
[cranes bugling]
[thunder booming]
[sparse tense music]
*
The rains of spring bring new growth to the landscape.
Hues of renewal unfurl throughout the forest.
[rain pattering]
*
Each drop awakens new blooms...
*
as Wisconsin's cherished Northwoods spring to life.
*
[birds chirping]
*
[energetic upbeat music]
*
The rhythms of the season
bring a resurgence of life to Wisconsin.
*
Migratory travelers return to their northern habitats...
[birds calling]
Gathering together in a chorus of sounds...
[birds calling]
*
...as springtime moves across the landscape.
*
[birds warbling]
[birds chirping]
[frog croaking]
[birds singing]
[soft dramatic music]
*
The forest, too, welcomes spring.
[birds singing]
First buds begin to appear
and tiny life emerges.
[insect buzzes]
*
Birds dance along the branches...
as early ephemerals bring new color to the understory.
*
[Northern Flickers' rolling, piercing chirps]
[ears flop]
*
[bee buzzes]
*
Summer's warmth brings forth wild lupine blooms.
*
A carpet of blues and purples
spread across the woodland opening.
*
[birds chirping]
[wind blowing]
*
A strong north wind blows along this quiet creek...
*
bringing motion and movement throughout the forest.
*
[trees rustling]
The wind blows on to a curious collection
of Northwoods inhabitants...
nestled low among the mossy bog.
*
[hoverfly buzzes]
*
A deep cedar woods...
*
sheltered from sunlight.
*
And yet, a closer look reveals unique forest life.
*
[tree creaking]
*
[tree creaks]
*
[birds singing]
*
[upbeat classical music]
[dragonfly buzzes]
*
[trilling and croaking]
[bird singing]
[soft upbeat music]
*
[birds singing]
*
[wings flapping]
[birds singing, flapping]
[Indigo Bunting calls sharp high-pitched notes]
[current rushing]
[soft upbeat music]
*
[water rushing]
*
[reel ratchet clicking]
*
[fishing pole whipping]
*
[birds singing]
[soft dramatic music]
*
A summer paddle on a remote northern lake.
*
Moving through this rare wild place...
*
A limitless vision of remarkable beauty.
*
Clear waters framed in green.
*
A quiet moment in a secluded scene.
*
[birds singing]
*
A journey through Wisconsin's Northwoods,
a time of reflection and renewal
as the light through the forest
calls to new views.
*
A vast wilderness,
stretching for miles.
*
With each season, fresh scenes and sights appear.
*
An endless abundance of landscapes to explore...
*
[loon calls]
*
[wind blowing]
[water rushing]
Across the magnificent showcase of our Northern wonders.
*
"Wisconsin's Scenic Treasures: Northwoods."
[soft upbeat music]
- James Donovan: In three, two, one, action!
*
- Thomas Meyer: Let's pray it all works, people.
[air pump whooshing]
[loon calls]
- James Donovan: Come on, come on, come on.
- DNR biologist: The elk are chewing on those tree tops.
So, you might be able to pull in on one of these side roads
and just deploy. - James Donovan: Okay.
[fishing pole whipping]
[reel ratchet clicks]
*
- Emily Julka: Are you lunging? [laughs]
- Michael Frank: I think so. I don't know.
It just felt right! [Emily laughs]
*
[baby skunks squealing]
[drone buzzing]
*
- Announcer: Funding for "Wisconsin's Scenic Treasures: Northwoods"
is provided by
Greg and Carol Griffin,
the Bitzer Family Legacy Fund,
Roger and Lynn Van Vreede,
the Nature Conservancy,
Elizabeth Olson,
the Slater Family Fund,
the Wooden Nickel Fund,
the Eleanor and Thomas Wildrick Family,
the Greiling Family, in memory of Gary Greiling,
Dr. Henry Anderson,
the John J. Frautschi Family Foundation,
Wisconsin's Green Fire,
Oakwood Village,
donors to the Focus Fund for Wisconsin Programs,
and Friends of PBS Wisconsin.