GEOFF:
GOOD EVENING. AMNA:
TRUMP''S PICK FOR DEFENSE SECRETARY
IS UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT
GEOFF:
PRESIDENT BIDEN
PARDONS
HIS SON DESPITE
REPEATED
THE PRECEDENT IT COULD
SET FOR PARDONS.
AMNA:
SYRIAN REBELS SEIZED
CONTROL OF ALEPPO, REIGNITING
LONG-RUNNING CIVIL WAR.
>> OUR ASPIRATION IS
TO BE A
NATION OF RESPECT, OF
FREEDOM, A
NATION OF FOUNDATIONS AND A
ITS CITIZENS.
♪
>> MAJOR
FUNDING FOR
THE PBS ROVIDED
BY
ONGOING SUPPORT OF THESE
S AND INSTITUTIONS
AND THE NEWS HOUR,
INCLUDING THE
JUDY AND PETER
N. >> TWO
RETIRED EXECUTIVES TURN R
FOCUS TO
GREYHOUNDS, GIVING
THESE FORMER RACE DOGS A
REAL CHANCE TO WIN. A RAYMONDJAMES FINANCIAL
ADVISOR GIVES YOU
A CHANCE TO
KNOW YOU,
PURPOSE, AND
THE WAY YOU
HEWLETT.ORG.
AND WITH THE
ONGOING SUPPORT
OF
INSTITUTIONS.♪
>> THIS CORPORATION WAS MADE
THIS PROGRAM
WAS MADE
ATION FOR BROADCASTING AND BY
TIONS TO
YOUR PBS
E YOU.
GEOFF: A
BURIED WHISTLEBLOWER
COME TO LIFE
RAISING ITNESS OF
TRUMP''S PICK TO
PTECH
SETH WAS ON CAPITOL
-- PETE
HEGSETH WAS ON CAPITOL
OK GUYS, WE ARE DONE WITH
HE
REFUSED TO
TAKE MEDIA MEETING
WITH
TUBERVILLE. THE NEW
YORKER''S JANE
MAYER HEADSET''S
TIME LEAVING TWO NONPROFITS FOR
LITARY VETERANS AND UNCOVERED
GATIONS OF
FEDERAL MISMANAGEMENT, SEXUAL
RIETY, AND PERSONAL MISCONDUCT.
W. GOOD
TO SEE YOU. THANKS
FOR BEING
WITH US.
YOU REVIEWED DOCUMENTS. YOU ALSO
SPOKE WITH HEADSETS COLLEAGUES AT THESE
THAT HE RAN.
WHAT KIND OF
PICTURE DID THEY
-- PAINT OF HIM
AS A LEADER? >>
IT WAS
A FUTURE
THAT WAS ING IN SOME
IT WAS A
PICTURE OF
A LEADER
ADERSHIP POSITIONS
IN TWO GROUPS
THAT WORK
FOR VETERANS BECAUSE THERE WERE
SO MANY
CONCERNS ABOUT
HIS AND
IN THESE RELATIVELY SMALL
GROUPS
BUDGETS, AD ONLY 10
IT , VETERANS
FREEDOM, AND IT RAISED A LOT
IONS ABOUT
HOW HE
WOULD MANAGE
THE LARGEST DEPARTMENT
IN GOVERNMENT, THE
MOSTLY FULL
AND LARGEST MILITARY WORLD.
THERE
ARE ALSO
SPECIFIC ALLEGATIONS
OF ALCOHOL
ABUSE, HEADSET GETTING SO
DRUNK HE HAD
BE RESTRAINED OR
CARRIED BACK
THERE
IS ONE INCIDENT FROM MAY
ON OFFICIAL BUSINESS TRAVELING IN
OHIO. HE
AND SOMEONE ELSE FROM THE
GET SO DRUNK THAT
THEY ARE CHANTING AND
YELLING AT
WHAT HAPPENS THERE? >> THIS WAS A LETTER
WRITTEN BY
OF A
GROUP, CONCERN
WHICH HEADSET WAS LEADING AT THE
TIME .
LETTER TO THE ARE SAYING
THAT
HIS BEHAVIOR
WAS DESPICABLE AND
E ENDED BAR
AT 2:30
IN THE
MORNING, CHANTING AND AMING
" KILL ALL
MUSLIMS." IT WAS SO
COMPLETELY BEYOND THE
PALE FOR THE
VETERANS THAT
I
THINK MAYBE ALARMING ALSO
TO ING THE
HAS VOICED SUCH
AND BEEN SO OUT OF
SAID PEOPLE WITH
L PROBLEMS
BE
AT THE TOP OF
OUR STRUCTURE
. OF
MR. HEGSETH''S
UES WITH ALCOHOL PERSIST TO THIS DAY?
IT IS
A GOOD QUESTION,
AND
MANY IS LAWYER.
NG ANY OF THE WERE REFUTED ANYTHING
THE STORY, THEY
SAID THEY MENT.
-- WERE REFUTING ANYTHING
IN THE STORY,
THEY SAID THEY HAVE NO ENT.
WE NEED TO KNOW IF SOMEONE
WHO WILL BE
THE TOP PERSON IN THE
RTMENT HAS A SERIOUS
AMNA:
THERE IS
NOW A BODY OF
INTO HEGSETH''
PERSONAL STORY,
MULTIPLE MARRIAGES
AND TROUBLING DETAILS POLICE
REPORT LOOKING
GATION FROM "THE NEW YORK TIMES" ALSO
PUBLISHED A LETTER FROM HIS MOTHER IN 2018, IN WHICH SHE
SAYS IN PART, ON BEHALF OF ALL
WOMEN YOU HAVE ABUSED IN
GET SOME HELP
AND TAKE LOOK AT
YOURSELF. HIS
MOTHER HAS SINCE DISAVOWED
COMMENTS IN
SPEAKING WITH TIMES,"
BUT WHAT
AS A PATTERN
OF
ALSO THE SEXUAL ALLEGATIONS
FROM 2017? >>
WE HAVE TO SAY THAT HE HAS
ASSAULTING
THIS WOMAN.
IS ANONYMOUS AT
THIS POINT. THE THING
THAT HAS BROUGHT TO THIS IS HE
FAILED DISCLOSE
TO THE TRANSITION
HE HAD SECRETLY STRUCK
UP A SETTLEMENT WITH THIS
WOMAN AND HAS
BEEN PAYING HER,
AND THAT THEY ALSO STRUCK UP A
RY
THE TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION HAS NOT TO HAVE THE FBI
INVESTIGATE A
POTENTIAL CABINET
OFFICER, SO THEY DID
NOT HAVE
CHECK
D
THIS
IT JUST CAME UP
BECAUSE A FRIEND
WOMAN ACTUALLY WENT TO
TRANSITION TEAM AND
SAID, YOU
REALIZE THIS ABOUT HIM? THESE TALES FROM THE
PAST IN
HIS JUST
SEEMED TO
BE SURFACING BY ONE.
AMNA:
THE TRUMP TEAM WAS
BLINDSIDED BY THE
DOES IT SEEM
LIKE ALL
THE LLEGATIONS
OUT IN THE
OPEN, THAT ORS NEED TO
WEIGH I
S OUT THERE AND REPORTED? I ACTUALLY
DO NOT
THINK SO.
OUT IN
"THE NEW YORKER" JUST
AROUND MIDNIGHT
AND
BY TODAY,
PEOPLE ALL DAY
LONG WITH
MORE EXAMPLES OF THIS OF
BEHAVIOR FROM PETE HEGSETH.
I DON''T THINK WE
TRULY KNOW THE YET.
AMNA: JANE, THANK YOU.
E YOU. JANE: THANKS SO MUCH FOR HAVING
ME.♪
GEOFF:
LAST NIGHT, PRESIDENT JOE
ISSUED A FULL AND NAL
BARGAIN --
PARDON WHO WAS JUST
POSSIBLE PRISON
SENTENCE IN TWO FEDERAL FELONY
IT''S A STRIKING REVERSAL OF THE
HE
TO HIS
PRESIDENT''S SON RECEIVING
THE MOST SWEEPING
RESIDENTIAL G
ENERATIONS , CAPPING
INY.
E
L
IN -- BACK IN
AS FOR SEPARATE
ADED
HE WAS SCHEDULED TO BE SENTENCED
TH.
,
S
TTED TAKEN
CADE
O
IDENT HAS
NOT
>> HAVE YOU RULED OUT THEY
PARDON FOR
YOUR SON?
I''M NOT GOING TO DO ANYTHING.
URY
NOW, PRESIDENT BIDEN IS
WAS Y
ERSON OF
H ANY
WAS
HE IS
'S
YOU CAN BELIEVE IN THE
,
T
WHAT THE
IT ALL COMES LESS THAN 2
N''S DENT-ELECT
S BEGINS.
ON SOCIAL MEDIA, MR. TRUMP
E MOVE, CALLING
IT "AN
THE PARDON CANNOT BE RESCINDED,
''D
TO , THE
OF
ANS LEADING THE
L INVESTIGATIONS
INTO BIDEN''S FAMILY, WROTE ON X
-- "THE CHARGES HUNTER FACED
BERG PRESIDENT BIDEN AND HIS FAMILY
EY
"
HE
S
IN G HIS
,"
DECISION "A
ND
AND
IT IS A PLEASURE. THIS
NOT ONLY SPARES HUNTER
ROM DOING
POSSIBLE PRISON
FROM FACING
PART IS FOR ANY
HE COULD HAVE COMMITTED
THE PAST DECADE.
>> YEAH, IT
IS HARD
TO COMPARE
TO ANYTHING IN THE RECENT ST.
IT I
S A BROAD
GRANT. I CAN
COMPARE IT TO
IS THE PARDON THAT PRESIDENT
FORD GAVE
PRESIDENT NIXON,
WHICH PARDON
. IN THIS
CASE, IT IS
A P O
OF 11
LY QUITE UNIQUE OTHER
THAN THE NIXON PARDON
. >>
THIS PARDON
IS A DEPARTURE
BIDEN, WHO HAS
INTERFERE WITH
THE DEPARTMENT''S
ACTIONS AND
HAS MOSTLY AVOIDED WEIGHING IN
ON HIS SON''S LEGAL ISSUES.
THERE
IS THIS QUESTION, THOUGH, THE
INTERVENING EVENTS, THE
REELECTION OF DONALD TRUMP AND THE POSSIBILITY OF HUNTER
BIDEN
BEING AT THE MERCY OF
A TRUMP
HERE BIDEN ITLY USES --
HE SAYS HE EXPLICITLY USES
DOES --
MEONE WHO
PROMISED TO GO AFTER THE
IF HE IS
CONFIRMED AS FBI
DOES ANY
OF THAT BOLSTER THE
ION FOR THIS PARDON? >>
OBVIOUSLY I
T WAS VERY SIDENT BIDEN.
I AM NOT
GOING TO COMMENT ON
T JUSTIFIES THIS KIND
NT OR NOT. I AM
MORE INTERESTED IN TALKING
THE VERY
ALMOST UNIQUE
NATURE OF THE GRANT ITSELF, WHICH COULD
BE QUESTIONABLE, TO
HE TRUTH.
THERE WAS A LOT OF CONVERSATION
AT THE TIME OF THE NIXON GRANT
, CONSTITUTIONAL
SCHOLARS HE PRESIDENT
POWER UNDER THE
DON POWER TO GRANT PREEMPTIVE
PARDONS .
ION AT
F PARDONS
AND A
DECISION WAS
MADE, NT THEM.
I THINK THE REAL INTEREST FOR ME
HERE IS THE
NATURE OF THAT
I GUESS IT WILL BE FOUND
WHETHER IS
APPROPRIATE USE OF THE PRESIDENT''S POWER OR
NOT.
GEOFF: HOW
DOES THIS
PARDON FIT
L CLEMENCY >>
HE DOES
NOT HAVE
A LENGTHY U THE
TRUTH. HE HAS GRANTED FEWER
PARDONS ERM
PRESIDENT IN AT LEAST 100
YEARS. AN
D HAS GRANTED A FEW SENTENCE
COMMUTATIONS , BUT IT HAS
BEEN A
LL
TRUTH.
-- HAS BEEN A PRETTY
SPARE
TELL YOU
THE TRUTH.
MORE CASES
HAVE BEEN
WAITING IN THE
YEARS, AND
IT WOULD IF
HE TOOK
THIS OME OF
AND SENTENCE COMMUTATIONS
THAT HAVE BEEN ACTION.
HE HAS NOT HAD A
GREAT DEAL OF
INTEREST, APPARENTLY, IN
ONING TO DATE.
THIS MAY JOG THINGS.
GEOFF: WHAT
PRECEDENT DOES A
PARDON LIKE THIS
SET, IN YOUR
>> I T
SUGGESTS THAT ANOTHER
IT IF IT IS
IS VERY INTERESTING BECAUSE
ESIDENT TRUMP HIMSELF IS
VERY IN HIS
USE OF A
HE
ENDED UP UPENDING MANY CASES
WAY NO PRESIDENT HAD DONE BEFORE.
BUT IN WHAT WAS CHARACTERISTIC
-- BUT
WHAT WAS CHARACTERISTIC
OF PRESIDENT TRUMP''S PARDONS IS
CHARGE.
ONE EXCEPTION TO
THAT IS
THE HICH GOT
ROTTER, PARDONING HAT
THE SPECIAL
COUNSEL MIGHT HAVE AGAINST HIM,
MORE DEFINED
JURISDICTION THAN THE HUNTER
BIDEN PARDON
OR THE
NIXON MATTER.
YOU NEVER KNOW
WHAT MIGHT HAPPEN URE.
IT IS A
POWER THAT HAS RARELY
COURT, BUT
I EXPECT PERHAPS
THAT THERE MAY BE
TY TO DO THAT .
GEOFF: MARGARET
LOVE, THANK YOU
ING. OUR GRID: YOU ARE MOST
WELCOME. THANK YOU.
-- MARGARET
: YOU
ARE MOST THANK YOU.
THE DAY''S
OTHER HEADLINES THE
WINTER STORM
IN
STATES THAT HAS LASTED ALL
WEEKEND AND STILL ET UP.
NEARLY 7 MILLION PEOPLE ARE UNDER
WEATHER ALERTS TODAY
AS LAKE EFFECT
SNOW CONTINUES TO PARTS
OF THE UPPER MIDWEST ORTHEAST.
MICHIGAN COULD SEE
ANOTHER FOOT
OF SNOW TODAY,
OF THE
STATE,
PENNSYLVANIA
, ARE DIGGING
OUT SNOW FROM
>> THIS WEATHER IS BUFFALO
THAT
DID NOT
STOP
O NS WERE PAID TO
DIG SNOW
THE KICKOFF.
IT DID NOT
DETER MOST AIR
!
MILLION PEOPLE
TOOK
RECORD TURNING NOW TO THE MIDDLE
ME
T
ED
D
AS A
CALLED
OF
NE WAS REPORTED HURT.
N
OURS
E
IN
PARTMENT
IRE IMS OF
BROADLY SPEAKING, IT HAS BEEN
ONS
HE
M UP
ION
NG
ITH
L
MEANTIME, ISRAEL''S MILITARY
SAYS AN
VE
EW
ON
'S ON TOP OF MORE THAN 680
HAT
CHOLZ A
AN
Y
OR
T
BER
END
IZED
MY VERY CLEAR MESSAGE FROM
TO PUTIN -- WE''RE IN THIS FOR THE LONG HAUL, AND WE WILL
AS
THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION HAS
EASED AID TO
UKRAINE IN THE
INCOMING TRUMP
ON HAS SAID IT WILL RETHINK
U.S. AID TO UKRAINE.
EN
NOW
IGHT.
T ENT''S
IONS
N
R OCTOBER
A
. AYS THE
OSCOW.
P
WORLD''S
FOUTH
S,
AM,
IS ONE OF
CEO CARLOS TAVARES IS STEPPING
IN O STEER
NG
AT
D. CHIPMAKER INTEL
EL
E
NDUCTOR MANUFACTURER GGLED FINANCIALLY TO
WITH RIVAL NVIDIA.
TOCKS
AW
RAGE
PED
.
500 CLIMBED HIGHER
STILL TO COME,
HOW THE CIVIL WAR
TED.
ST
T. NORS
THIS IS THE PBS NEWS HOUR
. FROM
THE DAVID
M RUBENSTEIN WETA
I N WASHINGTON,
WEST FROM THE
SCHOOL OF
ATE
IN SYRIA TODAY, RUSSIAN
D
OF
,
.
LS
T
WITH
ION
T.
WARNING,
SOME OF
THE IMAGES ARE DISTURBING.
NICK: IN
IDLIB TODAY, .
ATTACKS INSIDE A HOSPITAL. RUSSIA HAS LONG TARGETED
SYRIANS REGIME
. IDLIB AND
ALEPPO ONCE
WHO WERE THIS
BEGAN. THEY ARE
TERRIFIED AND FORCED
FLEE. BUT
TODAY, IT IS GOVERNMENT
ON
FRIDAY, NEWS HOUR''S SYRIA
PRODUCER FILM AS REBELS PREPARED
RPRISE ASSAULT. FOR
YEARS, THE OPPOSITION I
N
DLIB PROVINCE
IN NORTHWEST SYRIA.
KURDS, BACKED BY THE U.S.,
THE YELLOW.
THE REGIME
AND ITS ALLIES IN
POCKETS OF LAND
CONTROLLED BY THE ISLAMIC STATE
IN 2016,
AFTER FIVE YEARS
OF
ALEPPO
, SYRIA''S
CITY. WEEK, A PATCHWORK OF
TION GROUPS
. THE TWO FRESH BACKED SYRIAN
NATIONAL ARMY TOOK ALEPPO BACK IN DAYS.
ON FRIDAY MORNING,
WE FILMED
AS NED FIRE
SKIRTS. BY
10:00 P.M. THAT NIGHT,
CIVILIANS
CELEBRATED INSIDE
ALEPPO AFTER
LTED AWAY. THIS WAR
FORCED HALF
THE COUNTRY FLEE THEIR
HOMES, AND NOW OF THE OPPOSITION REUNITED
WITH FAMILY
THEY HAD BEEN
NEARLY A BY
DAY, REBELS TORE DOWN THE
T ER.
THEY ARE
UNITED IN
THEIR HATRED
N LEADER WHO
CHOSE TO
STARVE AND
ERVE HIS PEOPLE
. THEY UNFURLED THE FLAG OF
"FRE
E SYRIA."
AN ATTORNEY
RETURNED TO
HIS FOR
THE FIRST S.
WAS A
GOOD TIME TO
RETURN AND MILITIAS.
-- NOW IS A
GOOD TIME TO RETURN
OF THE MILITIAS.
R ASPIRATION IS TO
BE A NATION
FOUNDATIONS, TIZENS.
OPPOSITION FIGHTERS D ALEPPO''S MILITARY
EMY. >>
THESE ROCKET LAUNCHERS
YOU D BY
HEZBOLLAH ,
IRAN, AND ASSAD
FORCES TO
FIRE ROCKETS
THAT
CIVILIANS IN THE
OF ALEPPO
. DEATHS
AND INJURIES
OF HUNDREDS THROUGHOUT PAST FEW YEARS.
THE OPPOSITION''S SWEEPING
SUCCESS IN ALEPPO IS JUST THE BEGINNING.
I T STARTED WITH THE
ON OF ALEPPO.
WE LIBERATE
ALL OF SYRIA, SOIL
FROM THIS RULING
HAS SAT ON
SYRIANS'' CHEST 60 YEARS.
NICK: TODAY,
SYRIAN SOLDIERS RE REGROUPING AND
ING BACK. BUT THE
OPPOSITION EXPANDING ITS
TO
NEARBY, PROVINCE IN SYRIA.
THE ASSAD REGIME STRUGGLES, AS
ALLY RUSSIA IS BOGGED DOWN
IN ALLIES HEZBOLLAH AND
AVE BEEN DIMINISHED BY
THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION HAS
S ON FOR
TICAL ADE-PLUS
M JOINED
EAST
.
WELCOME BACK TO THE
NEWS HOUR. WHY
DO YOU
THINK THE SYRIAN
GONE ON THE
OFFENSIVE, AND WHY HAS IT BEEN
CHARLES: THE
CRISIS AND CONFLICT
HAVE BEEN
FAR FROM TIME.
YES, THE
LINES OF TERRITORIAL
CONTROL HAVE BEEN
FROZEN FOR
AROUND FOUR YEARS, THE
CONFLICT OT
DAILY ,
365 DAYS A
YEAR SINCE 2020 WHEN A
ASE-FIRE WAS ANNOUNCED.
THE ARMED OPPOSITION HAS
BEEN PREPARING
ITSELF FOR
EXACTLY E
LAST FOUR
TRAINING ,
ADDING TO THEIR
CAPABILITIES, AND R THE RIGHT KIND OF
TIMING. THE REGIONAL CRISIS HAS ADDED TO
THAT.BUT
ULTIMATELY SPEAKING, THESE
COULD TO THE REGIME,
ULD DEFEAT THE
TTLEFIELD. THIS
OFFENSIVE WAS
MEANT TO START
IN MID-OCTOBER. WAS
PAUSE FOR A
WHILE DUE TO
AN OVER
NICK: MOST
RECENTLY WE
SAW A
IN LEBANON
BETWEEN HEZBOLLAH AND
ISRAEL, BUT MORE
WE HAVE SEEN
GET PUSHED WE HAVE SEEN
RUSSIA GET BOGGED
DOWN IN HOW DOES THAT
PLAY INTO THE ?
ALL OF THOSE
THINGS ARE T
THE SAME
TIME, ON
THE GROUND
LAST 18
PLUS IS THAT NONE OF THOSE
S HAVE ACTUALLY
ON SYRIAN SOIL.
HEZBOLLAH REMAIN ON
ALL THE SAME
HAVE
RUSSIAN TROOP LEVELS REMAIN THE SAME.
THEY HAVE THE SAME
NUMBER OF ING ELSE.
IF THERE
IS A DIFFERENCE THOSE
E MADE, I
WOULD ARGUE
NOT I
THINK WHAT HAS MADE THE
RENCE IS
THAT THE
SYRIAN REGIME ITSELF HAS
OVER THE LAST FOUR AND
F SO-CALLED FROZEN
CONFLICT. IT
HAS BEEN INCREASINGLY
BY ORGANIZED CRIME
RIFE WITHIN THE CIVILIAN
RY AND THE INTELLIGENCE
HAVE
TO THIS. THAT IS
WHY WE
HAVE SEEN
A INES.
NICK: THE OPPOSITION GROUP
HTS
OFFENSIVE ON
THE U.S. CALLS THEM TERRORISTS.
THEY ARE A
FORMER AL QAEDA
AFFILIATE, BUT THEY
SAY THEY
MODERATED. CHARLES:
YES, THEY HAVE, BUT
REMAIN PROBLEMATIC.
E AWAY
WITH THEIR
AGENDA. Y WITH AL
QAEDA
, A VERY COMBUSTIBLE BREAKUP
IN 2016 AND 2017.
THEY HAVE TURNED INWARD TO
THEY HAVE
PORTRAYED THEIR HAVE DONE IT
OVER
IN .
BUT YES, THEIR RELIGIOUS
CONSERVATIV -
- RELIGIOUS AINS.
BUT IT WILL
TAKE THREE TO FIVE DOWN
THE LINE TO SEE IF
AS WELCOMING AND
INCLUSIVE AS THEY CLAIM TO
BE TODAY
WITH IT BEING
IN CONTROL
TH E
EARLY SIGNS ARE
POSITIVE, BUT THIS IS VERY EARLY DAYS.
NICK: WE
HAVE SEEN
RUSSIAN AIRSTRIKES AS WELL AS RUSSIAN
AND IRANIAN DIPLOMATIC SUPPORT
SYRIA.
WE ARE SEEING IRANIAN BACKED
NTERING DO YOU BELIEVE THAT WILL BE
ENOUGH TO SAVE THE REGIME?
>> ALL
THE MANPOWER THE REGIME
POINT WILL HELP. ONE
OF THE
MAIN PROBLEMS IS SOME
REGIME''S MOST CAPABLE
THE
WHEN
THE ELITE FOURTH
DIVISION ,
5TH
VISION, BOTH OF BEEN
DEPLOYED TO THE LINE
IN A
PROVINCE WHERE
FIGHTING HAS REALLY
INTENSIFIED PAST 48 HOURS.
ON THE OTHER
HAND, THERE WAS
THE
PICTURE, HTS AND
GROUPS ONLY POWER AT THEIR
IF THEY CONTINUE TO
TRY TO PUSH
DEEPLY
INTO SYRIA,
THEY MAKING
THEMSELVES VERY O A
COUNTERATTACK. NICK:
THE U.S. HAS MORE
THAN 800 IN
NORTHEAST SYRIA KURDISH FORCES.
SAW SOME OF THOSE KURDISH FORCES
CONTROL OVER
THE LAST
COUPLE OF DAYS.
.S. CHARLES:
FOR NOW, RELATIVELY
STATE
IN NORTHWEST
SYRIA. I SUPPOSE THE U.S.
HAS MORE TO
S OF THE
EFFECT THIS
IS LIKELY TO
HAVE ON ISIS''S RESURGENCE
S TAKING
PLACE IN CENTRAL
D EASTERN
SYRIA, TOTALLY IN PARALLEL TO THESE
DEVELOPMENTS. THE
REAL RISK IS
THAT THE
SYRIAN REGIME''S MOST CAPABLE UNITS THAT
DEPLOYED IN THE
DESERT THAT HAVE BEEN
TO CHALLENGE ISIS HAVE
SUDDENLY, IN
CENTRAL SYRIA,
WHERE ISIS
HAS BEEN
REBUILDING, A
TOTAL VACUUM, AND
O HAPPEN
-- TO
HAVE A VERY
POSITIVE EFFECT
ON ISIS, WHICH
K ON EFFECT INTO
SYRIA ,
WHERE SENT.
WE ARE
ALREADY STRUGGLING TO NGE THAT RESURGENCE.
THAT WILL BE ALL THE
MORE THE MONTHS.
NICK: CHARLES
LISTER , THANK YOU
CHARLES: THANK YOU.
AMNA: WHILE MANY
OF US WERE
BREAK THIS HOLIDAY
NGTON WAS STILL WORK EVERYTHING FROM
S TO CABINET NEXT.
HERE
TO GET
US CAUGHT UP HIS
F NPR AND LYONS
CABO FROM THE WASHINGTON POST.
-- LEON CALDWELL FROM THE
ON POST. WE
HAVE NOW SEEN IN THE ATH OF PRESIDENT
BIDEN HIS SON
HUNTER SOME S FELLOW
DEMOCRATS. WE
HEARD FROM COLORADO GOVERNOR
D POLIS EARLIER. SENATOR
BENNETT HAS WEIGHED IN,
BELIEVES
L INTEREST
AHEAD OF DUTY.
WELSH SAID AS THE NATION''S CHIEF
EXECUTIVE, IT IS UNWISE.
DOES YOUR REPORTING SHOW THAT PRESIDENT BIDEN
WADE THIS BACKLASH
AND THE
SETS MAKING THIS
>>
SEVERAL MEMBERS OF
HIS OWN
COME OUT
TO SAY
THAT EDING
THE GROUND
ON AN DEMOCRATS
HAVE HIT NT TRUMP ON.
WHAT I
WILL SAY IS THAT BIDEN
SPENT THIS LAST WEEKEND WITH HIS FAMILY IN
NANTUCKET. THIS IS A FAMILY
RETREAT. THEY GET TOGETHER THERE EVERY
THANKSGIVING.PRESIDENT
BIDEN HAS
ALWAYS HAD
A N IT
FAMILY, IN ON
HUNTER AND
TER HAS PRESENTED TO
BIDEN OVER THE
YEARS, THE CHALLENGES THAT NTER
BIDEN''S VARIOUS ISSUES
ED TO BIDEN
. HAS ALWAYS
BEEN AN AREA
CAL BLIND SPOT, ALMOST OFF-LIMITS FOR
BIDEN. I THINK
ANOTHER ISSUE THIS AS SIMPLY
THAT THE WHITE
HOUSE, PRESIDENT BIDEN HIMSELF
AND HIS SPOKESPERSON, KARINE JEAN-PIERRE
, REPEATEDLY SAID
WAS NOT GOING TO
A LOT OF PEOPLE
DID NOT
BELIEVE BIDEN
REALLY WOULD
NOT N,
BUT
THAT TY OF THIS
>> WENT ABOUT ON CAPITOL HILL?
ARE YOUR DEMOCRATIC
SOURCE -- ARE YOUR DEMOCRATIC SOURCES
TELLING YOU? GOOD DEMOCRATS
THAT HAVE COME
IN OPPOSITION TO THIS,
ELIZABETH OREN
TOLD S BEFORE I
THAT WHAT IS
WRONG IS
THERE
ARE SOME
SENATORS THAT
NOT RUMP''S
AND DONE
SOMETHING DONALD T DONE IN HIS
PRESIDENCY BUT
THERE ARE SOME
Y ARE NOT OUT
, SAYING, YOU KNOW IS I
S SOMETHING THAT WAS
T TO PRESIDENT BIDEN,
THIS MIGHT BE
SOMETHING THAT DONE
IN THIS
SCOPE HIS
AMNA:
CABINET PICKS CONTINUE OVER
THE WEEKEND.
SS PATEL
TO HE IS
A STAUNCH LOYALIST, HAS REPEATED THE
LIE OF THE
STOLEN CALLED JANUARY 6
-- RIOTERS PATRIOTS.
THIS IS
HIM AND
HIS OWN WORDS
I
WOULD SHUT DOWN THE FBI
BUILDING
ON DAY ONE
AND DAY AS A
STATE. I
WOULD TAKE
THE 7000 EMPLOYEES
BUILDING AND THEM
AS AMERICA TO CHASE DOWN TUNNELS.
>> W E
ARE GOING
TO COME AFTER
IA WHO HELPED
JOE BIDEN RIG
ELECTIONS, GOING TO COME AFTER YOU.
AMNA: HE
IS A
PUBLIC DEFENDER
EMENT OR LAW EXPERIENCE.
PIC SAY ABOUT HOW
FBI? >>
THIS PIC IS VERY
MUCH IN
LINE TRUMP''S
OTHER
CABINET NOMINEES, MEANING THIS
IS SOMEONE WHO
IS
.
HE DID WORK IN THE
FIRST TRUMP
ADMINISTRATION IN
SEVERAL ACTING TOWARD
THE END,
AND IN
RE
TRUMP''S EYES AND IN WEATHER
AGENCIES. WHEN IT
COMES TO
THE FBI,
AS YOU
ABOUT, PRESIDENT TRUMP
FBI WITHIN
DAYS OF ENTERING THE WHITE HOUSE, ESSENTIALLY.
AS YOU REMEMBER, HE FIRED THE
DIRECTOR ,
PUT IN PLACE
AND NOW HE IS
HE APPOINTED
BE REPLACED
WITH A LOYALIST, KASH
PATEL. PATEL
IS SOMEONE WHO HAS ECHOED
OWN WORDS ABOUT
THE HERS
TRUMP JUST FUNDAMENTALLY
BI
CONDUCTED LAW ENFORCEMENT
LAW,
ALSO AFFECTED HIM,
BECAUSE HE
WAS INDICTED
AFTER MULTIPLE INVESTIGATIONS,
CLUDING A SEARCH OF HIS
ARE AMNA:
A NUMBER OF REPUBLICAN TORS HAVE
BEEN ASKED ABOUT
THE SELECTION
OF KASH PATEL THIS
AD TO SEN.
CRUZ: ONE OF THE MOST
RRIS HAVE
ZED,
VERY
N THE
BI.
I THINK CASH DOES HAVE
O
UBLIC
ME
AT
ENED AT FORWARD TO
IT APART."
CHUCK GRASSLEY ALSO BELIEVES
THE CURRENT DIRECTOR
IN HIS
ROLE, AND KASH ROVE TO CONGRESS
WILL REFORM AND RESTORE
FBI. NOT
EXACTLY CRITICISM THERE,
NATOR ARE YOU HEARING ANY
CONCERNS
FROM REPUBLICAN SENATORS IVATELY ABOUT KASH PATEL?
YES, AND CHUCK GRASSLEY
IS TO
OVERSEE THE RINGS OF KASH
THIS IS
ANOTHER TOUGH
CHOICE FOR
S TO
THIS IS VERY NEW FOR THEM.
JUST GOT BACK INTO TOWN TONIGHT.
SENATORS ARE STILL TRYING TO DIGEST,
AND TO
BE CLEAR, A
LOT ACTUALLY
DID WAS
VERY MUCH HIS IS GOING
BE A NOMINEE
THAT REPUBLICANS TO HAVE TO GRAPPLE
WITH ,
ALONG THE SAME
LINES OF
GAETZ, WHERE I HEARD A LOT
MAYBE HE IS JUST NOT GOING
THROUGH THE PROCESS
HIS OWN, SO
DOES NOT
PUT THEM
IN A
VOTE.
STILL VERY EARLY
IN F
SENATOR ARE WANTING TO KEEP THEIR POWDER
DRY -- SENATORS
ARE OWDER
DRY NOT
PUT THEIR CART BEFORE HORSE.
AMNA: THEIR CONCERNS LOOMING
A NUMBER OF NOMINEES. WE WILL
NOT KNOW FOR A FEW
WEEKS DO
MOVE INTO NGS, BUT WE
EARLIER THE NEW
E HEGSETH
MENOMINI FOR SECRETARY OF
THERE ARE CONCERNS
AROUND TULSI AS WELL.
HOW ARE SENATORS LOOKING AT THIS
GHT NOW
IN TERMS OF
THIS MATRIX OF DECISIONS THAT THEY
ARE GOING TO HAVE TO MAKE?>>
WE DO
EXPECT THAT THERE WILL
CONFIRMATION HEARINGS THAT
BEGAN IN
EARLY JANUARY, AS IS TRADITIONAL
ONCE THE NEW
CONGRESS
IS SWORN IN.
IF YOU THINK ABOUT ALL OF THE
REPORTS AND OTHER ISSUES THAT
OUT WITH SOME OF THESE
NOMINEES IN A MATTER OF A COUPLE
WEEKS, IT IS POSSIBLE THAT
OF PUBLIC VETTING WILL
OCCUR BEFORE THEY GET TO A CONFIRMATION
HEARING. BUT
YOU ARE RIGHT
THAT SENATORS FIGURE OUT.
THEY HAVE TO DECIDE EXACTLY WHAT
ARE WILLING TO TOLERATE,
REPUBLICAN SENATORS
ARE T.
THEY ARE WILLING TO GIVE TRUMP A
LEEWAY
IN PART BECAUSE
ARE IN OFFICE TRUMP
, BECAUSE THE SENATE
IS NOW --
SENATE GELY MUCH
TRUMP THAN
THEY WERE WHEN HE
CAME INTO 2017.
I WILL
SAY ONE QUESTION THAT IS
LOOMING FOR ME IS THERE
STILL NOT
BEEN A MEMORANDUM
OF WEEN THE
JUSTICE AND
THE TRUMP
TRANSITION TO
BEGIN THE
PART OF THE CONFIRMATION
WE ALSO DO NOT KNOW
WHETHER THE
ADMINISTRATION IS
GOING E OFFICE
ETHICS AND
THAT SORT
OF CONFLICT OF INTEREST
G THAT IS NORMALLY A PART THE
PROCESS.
WHETHER SENATORS, REPUBLICAN
RS, WILL DEMAND THAT.
STILL REALLY
OPEN ROCESS.
WHAT IS YOUR TAKE ON THIS? >>
SENATORS ARE, AS TAM
SAID,
FILL THE CABINET
THERE IS A LOT OF
INCENTIVE TO
DO WITH THE
PRESIDENT WANTS. WILL HAVE
TO TAKE
IN THEIR
OWN POLITICAL
CALCULATIONS CAPITAL, INCLUDING IF
THEY
FOR REELECTION IN 2026.
IT COULD
BE TOUGH VOTES FOR
A MONTH IS A LONG
TIME. LEANNE CALDWELL AND TAMARA
OU
THANK YOU SO MUCH.
♪ GEOFF:
WE''LL BE BACK SHORTLY
AL
OF
BUT FIRST, TAKE A MOMENT
Ellingham plan and maybe youhave already
.>> Okay .
Hi, I'm James Steinbach. I'm a volunteer.
Hereat PBS Wisconsin. We're just taking a quick break
from theNewsHour . And I
know why youwatch
the news hour. It's
thesame reason I watch the newshour
. It's because we have tostay tuned
to what's happeningto the events that shape
ourlives. And it is not enough
tojust get headlines. It's
notenough to get people arguingwith
each other. What we need is
thoughtful conversation. People
who are really interested inunderstanding
what it is that's happening and helping
usunderstand it . And you
know, an
informed citizenry
, you and me, you and I, that's
critical todemocracy. And I
think the NewsHour is actually a critical
wayto make sure that that stays
alive. This program is somethingwhich
for decades and decadeshas been
something you can count on, and you
do count on it . Andwe count
on you to support PBSWisconsin. So
send yourcontribution now
to one(800) 236-3636. Well thank you James.
My nameis Kerman Eckes. I'm on the
staff here at Wisconsin PublicTelevision or P
BS Wisconsin. AndI'm
going to tell you about somegifts that
we will send your waywhen you j oin
us this evening as a member of
PBS Wisconsin. Let'sstart with this wonderful PBS
news mug . It's
at with a donation at the $10 level,
$10 amonth. And there's a great, nice
ceramic mug. It'll be a greatway to
enjoy your coffee or teaor whatever beverage
you'd likein the morning. But that is
witha donation of $10 a
month. Ifyou join u
s at $15 a month,we'll send you
this fabulous PBStote bag
. And I love the sayingit says
supported by viewerslike me
. So when you c
all and become a
member, you're actuallydoing your part to help
supportPBS Wisconsin . It's a great
thing to take to the farmersmarket, to
the library, whereveryou go and show your
support forPBS Wisconsin . If you would
likeboth of these, go ahead and join
us at $20 a month and
we willsend you both the mug and
thetote. So it's a great way to
doubly show your support for PBSWisconsin.
You'll go back to theNewsHour and know that you
helped to bring this program to
people. All across the state, so join us
now at one (800) 236-3636.
>> Hi, I'm David Hoffert. I'm a
volunteer here at PBS Wisconsinand
you know, I'm here i
n largepart because I grew up in
a household that the PBS NewsHour
was on every
night. And of course, back then it
was calledthe MacNeil Lehrer NewsHour. Andit's
gone through a few name
changes and host changes since.But but
that was my childhood. Igrew up
with the value of consistent
, reliable , trusted
information . And it's
been here for generations
because generations of
Wisconsiniteshave supported it. This
is yourchance to
continue that trend by
calling one (800) 236-3636. Andwhen
you do the best
way you canprovide that ongoing support
for PBS NewsHour is by
becoming a sustaining
member of PBSWisconsin
. That's when we takeout a
monthly contribution, andit just continues until you
askus to stop. You can
talk to yourphone, bank,
volunteer about it.When you call
one(800) 236-3636. I think you know,
this,that your support of
PBSWisconsin allows us to bring
youthe NewsHour. But also allows us
to bring you programs from
around the world, different parts of the world,
sometimesunderwater, sometimes on mountaintops
. It also allows usto bring you
programs fromWisconsin. We are PBS Wisconsin
.That's a critical thing. And
ifyou think about the shows tha t
we do that even have Wisconsinin the
name. So tonight comingup after this
, lighthouses inWisconsin
Wisconsin Lighthouses this is a world
premiere. I believe this is the
first timethis program has been on,
andit's a wonderful lyrical
look at these iconic
structures and not just structures. These
arethings which literally
savepeople's lives . And I know
you've gone and seen some ofthem and
driven by and said,that is really cool
. Well, theseare the
stories behind that and the people who made
theselighthouses work for years
forgenerations, for decades,
for150 years. So call
us now at
one(800) 236-3636. we'll be going back
tothe NewsHour in just a fewmoments.
But you have plenty oftime to call
. Join the people that have already called this
evening. If you're one of those,maybe
this is your first timecalling to suppo
rt us. Thank you so much. If
it's somethingyou've been thinking about,now's a
great time for you tocall
and talk to one of our volunteers. And when
you do, wehave
some wonderful thank yougifts to send
your way. Let merun through the se very briefly
once again, if you call and joinus
at that $
10 a month level,David mentioned the sustainerlevel. Well, this i
s for $10 amonth. We will
send you the PBS news mug. It's a
nice solid ceramic mug. It'll
hold a goodportion of your coffee or tea inthe
morning and show your support
for PBS, PBS news here on
PBS Wisconsin . You can also
join us at a $15 level, a
month,a level. And when you do, we'llsend you this wonderful
PBS news tote. And I love
the saying,supported by viewers like
me,I'm a member. This is somethingthat
I would be proud to carryand show
my support for PBS witha contribution at
the $15 level,a month
or more. So we have somewonderful
thank you gifts. Thephone, the
volunteer can runthrough those
again for you onemore time, but
please join
us at one (800) 236-3636.
know, as far as much
asthe PBS NewsHour has been
asteady presence in our lives
forgenerations , how we watch
TV h
aschanged over time, right? If
I'm being honest, when
I turn on my TV today, the default
is my Amazon Fire
Stick, and I have totoggle
over to get to the livetelevision
feed, which I do
, andI watch PBS Wisconsin just
likeyou do. But it takes that extra
step, right? Don't worry if you
have a streaming device like
that, you can still get your
PBScontent there as
well. By installing the
PBS app. And nomatter how
you watch TV, we want to
be a part of your lives. And we want you to
feel a sense of ownership about PBS Wisconsin,
which you can do by calling
one(800) 236-3636. know, if you think
about it, you rely
on PBS Wisconsin
tobring you programs
that really help you
understand the world
,whether it's the NewsHour orFrontline or
here and now . Andwe
rely on you
to make itpossible to
bring these shows to
you. So it's a it's a it's
apartnership between
PBSWisconsin and you
. I've been a member for a long,
long time.It's just
something that I am.And I do
. And it's something that as I think
about what Iwant to support
and of course,there's many things
we want tosupport , but this is
one ofthem. And I hope you feel
thesame way because this service issomething
really extraordinary ,not easy
to find. And it's righthere
for you. For us , right herein
Wisconsin. So call us
one(800) 236-3636. And thank you
. HOUR,
I N.
♪
GEOFF: OVER
120 FIVE PEOPLE ARE
THE
TO ADDRESS THAT EPIDEMIC THROUGH
ART, THE GUN VIOLENCE MEMORIAL
ILS
RE
OF
HOME, PROUD
STRUCTURES WITH PEAK
SMILING FACES.
YOUR GLASS BRICKS, THE F OF
HOME, A TREASURED ALL
BELOVED COMIC
BOOK HERO,
TOY TRUCKS,
BEHIND WHEN THEIR
R LIVES TO GUN
WE ARE ABLE
TO SEE
A LITTLE MORE
INTO THE PERSONALITIES, THE
S, THE PASSIONS OF THOSE
ER HERE
WHO HAVE BEEN TAKEN DO GUN VIOLENCE.
THE
GUN VIOLENCE MEMORIAL
A LIVING AND
EMORIAL TO LENCE.
JARED: JOHN IS ONE OF THE SIGNERS OF THE GUN VIOLENCE
MEMORIAL PROJECT, A TRIP -- A
MEMORIAL. IT I
S COMPRISED OF FOUR HOUSES
CH WITH
SEVERAL HUNDRED GLASS .
THAT WAS
THE NUMBER OF AMERICANS
ON
A WEEKLY BASIS 2018
WHEN THE MEMORIAL WAS CONCEIVED.
>> MY MOST HEARTBREAKING
ENCE OF THE MEMORIAL
WAS E LOOK
HOUSE, COME LOOK
AT MY CHILD, COME SEE WHAT I
BUTED. THAT LEVEL OF
ENGAGEMENT HAS BECOME
, AS IT
WAS
OR JARED:
THE MEMORIAL
HAS BEEN
RECEIVED AT NATIONWIDE COLLECTION EVENTS,
WHERE
FAMILIES CONTRIBUTED AL BELONGINGS.
I CHOSE THE COMPUTER MOUSE
HE I S
ALWAYS ON THE
HER ONLY CHILD, ROSS,
WAS N
THE 2007 VIRGINIA TECH
RAMPAGE.
S COMPUTER MOUSE
-- NEXT
TO HER
SON''S COMPUTER
REMAINS OF A VICTIM BY
-- OF
A DRIVE-BY INGTON, D.C.
>> I CAN CALL ANYONE AT ANY
I HAVE MET A LOT OF
PEOPLE FROM MASS SHOOTINGS AND
THINGS, AND I CAN JUST
SAY HEY
, UP?
YEP
. THAT HELPS A LOT.
DO YOU DO THAT A FAIR ?
YEAH. I
HAVEN''T SLEPT. >>
THERE IS A
NATURAL P
ATH OF
. RUTH
IS THE
CURATOR OF STITUTE OF
THE
MEMORIAL, SHE SAYS, IS A
WAY TO
UNDERSTAND GUN VIOLENCE CTIMS AS
PEOPLE, MORE THAN THE
POP U
P IN THE W
E TALKED TO
THE FAMILY
THOSE
OBJECTS EXPLAINED, WHAT THEY
HEM TO CONVEY. SOMETIMES
THE JERSEY WILL BE
FOLDED IN A WAY
SO THAT KID''S
LOGO CAN BE
SHOWN, OR THE
GUITAR CAN BE ANGLED IN SUCH A
WAY THAT GUESTS CAN SEE THE ANGLE OF
THE GUITAR.I TAKE
IT AS A PORTRAIT. THEY
CAN NO
LONGER SPEAK, SO
CLEMENT
TINA''S SON LEWIS UGHT
IN FATAL CROSSFIRE IN
BOSTON, ON HIS WAY
TO A TEENS
VIOLENCE -- TEENS
VIOLENCE MEETING.
HIS BREAK INCLUDES A CHRISTMAS
H
LOVED. WAS
THE EXPERIENCE OF
OMES? IT
IS A MIXED EMOTION. IT IS
SADNESS, IT IS ANGER THAT
O HAPPEN
. AT THE
SAME TIME IS A SENSE OF,
I WANT TO SAY CELEBRATION,
THAT THEY ARE NOT FORGOTTEN.
>> INSTALLATIONS LIKE THIS ONE
MARKET EVOLUTION AND WHAT PUBLIC
BE
. THE
GUN VIOLENCE MEMORIAL PROJECT WAS
A COLLABORATIVE
EFFORT, INCLUDING ARCHITECTS
AT DESIGN
GROUP, THE ARTIST WILLIS
THOMAS, AND VICTIMS''
MEMBERS. WE
ARE RESPONDING TO
CALLS DO
WE TELL THIS
A WAY THAT ALLOWS
US TO
REPRESENTED IN IT.
>> MASS
DESIGN GROUP IS
ALSO THE THE
NATIONAL AND
JUSTICE ,
VISITORS IN
THE LYNCHINGS.
IT TEAMED WITH HANK
WILLIS
FOR THE
EMBRACE, BOSTON''S
RTIN LUTHER KING ETTA SCOTT
KING, WITH LOVE.
THE FIRM IS
NOW WORKING
ON TO
BOTH EMMETT TILL
AND THE
PEACEFUL PROTESTERS
Y NOW BEGAN
90 --
THEY BEGAN A
NOW HISTORIC .
JOHN, WHO
LEADS THE
PUBLIC
SAYS THESE
SITES SHOULD
BE GALVANIZING
Y FOR FUTURE
GENERATIONS, IN THIS CASE
TO SEE AN END TO GUN
VIOLENCE. >>
WE CONTINUE TO INSERT THESE HOUSES
IN THE PUBLIC
SPHERE SO G A
ABOUT THE
IMPACT OF GUN
VIOLENCE SO THAT PEOPLE JUST
DEMAND MORE.
>> FOR
THE PBS NEWS HOUR,
I''M TON.
GEOFF: THAT
IS THE NEWS
HOUR FOR
AMNA:
I''M OMNIBUS.
NTIRE TEAM, INING US.
>> GAUGER
FUNDING FOR THE PBS
EN PROVIDED BY --
♪
SUPPORTED BY THE JOHN D. AND
COMMITTED TO
BUILDING A MORE
JUST AND
PEACEFUL WORLD. TION
AT
AND WITH THE
ONGOING SUPPORT OF STITUTIONS.
♪
>> THIS
PROGRAM WAS MADE
POSSIBLE BY THE CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC
BROADCASTING, AND BY
CONTRIBUTIONS TO YOUR PBS
E YOU.
>>
[inspirational music]
- This program is brought to yo
u
by the combined resources
of the Wisconsin Historical S
ociety
and PBS Wisconsin.
[waves crashing]
[delicate piano]
[seagulls calling]
- Brendon Baillod: Lighthouses
occupy that sort of wistful part of ou
r imagination.
- Kevin Osgood: There's a my
stique about them.
There's an aura about them.
- Neil Howk: A magical place.
- Narrator: Soaring towers.
Rugged landscapes.
Wisconsin lighthouses st
and watch
over Lake Michigan and La
ke Superior.
- Kevin Osgood: The Great Lakes
are inland seas.
They are massive.
- Monumental beacons.
Shining light on a bygone
era.
From the first people to
venture the lakes
to the dedicated keepers wi
lling to risk their all.
- Neil Howk: The aspect of da
nger.
The aspect of sacrifice.
- Ken Wardius: People depended
on them day in and day out.
- Icons of Wisconsin's ri
ch maritime past.
- Cathy Green: Lighthouses ar
e inseparable
from the history of the state
- Brendon Baillod: Without li
ghthouses,
Wisconsin doesn't happen.
- Marvelous construction.
Breathtaking views.
- Barb Wardius: They're really
something to behold.
- Kevin Osgood: There's nothing
else like them.
- Wisconsin Lighthouses.
[waves breaking]
♪ ♪
- Announcer: Funding for Wisc
onsin Lighthouses
is provided by
the David L. and Rita E. Nelson
Family Fund,
Dr. Henry Anderson and Shirle
y Levine,
the Ruth St. John and John Dunha
m West Foundation,
Jan Botz and Tom Lippert,
the Dwight and Linda Davis Fo
undation,
A.C.V. and Mary Elston Family,
Slater Family Fund,
Barb and Mike Madden,
Obrodovich Family Foundation,
The Great Lakes Foundation,
Ruder Ware,
the Fund for Lake Michigan,
Trust Point,
Wisconsin Coastal Management P
rogram,
and the National Oceanic and At
mospheric Administration,
donors to the Focus Fund for Wi
sconsin Programs,
and Friends of PBS Wisconsin.
[waves brushing shore]
[pensive piano music]
N- Narrator: The crashing waters
nof Lake Michigan
surround a small, forested is
land
with steep dolomite cliffs.
Deep within the rustic l
andscape
lives a pioneer nof Wisconsin
's maritime history.
- Tina Jacoby: You're walking th
rough the woods on the trail.
You come right over that last
crest,
and you see this picture-perfect
lighthouse standing there.
It's pretty amazing to see.
♪ ♪
- The Pottawatomie Lighthouse,
located at the tip of the Door
nCounty Peninsula on Rock Island.
Built in 1836 nand then rep
laced 20 years later
with the existing structure
seen today:
a 41-foot tower nwith attache
d keeper's quarters.
- Tina Jacoby: As it stands t
oday,
the house is set up around 1
910.
So, you can kind of picture the
lighthouse keepers at that point
living there.
As you're walking through the
house,
you get to see the kitchen, th
e parlor, the bedrooms.
You kind of feel like you're
at home, which is kind of fun.
And then, the best part is go
ing up to the lantern room.
- A view of the water re
aching beyond the horizon.
A summer day.
Whitecaps flashing on the s
urface.
♪ ♪
An idyllic location,
Nhome to Pottawatomie Lighthouse.
Chosen not for its grand view
but for its utter necessity.
- Mark Kuehn: It was a matter
of life and death.
[waves breaking, ominous music]
[ring-billed gull makes high
-pitched squeals]
- Ted Karamanski: Well, it'd
be a big mistake
to underestimate the Great Lakes.
[waves blast lighthouse]
- Cathy Green: These are just
as treacherous as the oceans.
- Brendon Baillod: Violent
storms blow up, and, you know,
if you don't run for your life,
you're gonna be in trouble.
- Surging waters and rocky
formations
make the Great Lakes
a perilous force of nature.
- Katrina Phillips: Unless you'v
e been there
or you've lived there,
you don't really understand
the power that these lakes hav
e.
[strings and percussion buil
d in intensity]
- Cathy Green: It's estimated
that there are
well over 6,000 shipwrecks in
the Great Lakes
- Brendon Baillod: The Great
Lakes
are really a nautical graveya
rd
compared to anyplace else in
the world.
[intense strings and percussion
]
[bubbles in water column]
[waves brushing shore]
- A tiny, secluded island
in that nautical graveyard
would become pivotal to t
he story of Wisconsin
and home to the state's ve
ry first lighthouse,
Pottawatomie.
- Kevin Osgood: In the early
1800s,
before Wisconsin was even a state
,
the stone that was coming out o
f the quarries here,
the lumber that was coming out
of the forest,
all of that needed to go other
places on the Great Lakes
for the construction of citie
s.
The schooners
moving the stone and timber
around the Great Lakes
would have to go through Death
's Door.
- Death's Door Passage is
a narrow channel
of shallow waters and st
rong currents
between the mainland peninsula
of Door County
and Washington Island.
A notorious waterway that
lived up to its ominous name.
[foreboding strings]
- Kevin Osgood: The shipping
industry was losing too many ships,
and it was costing 'em money.
So, it was critical to get a l
ighthouse built
in this particular location.
- Tina Jacoby: In 1834,
the mariners had requested an
d petitioned
the federal government
to build the Pottawatomie Lighth
ouse on Rock Island
that would mark the safe passa
ge.
That safe passage became known
as "Rock Island Passage."
- Situated just northeast
of Washington Island,
the deep waters off Rock Isl
and
held the potential for a nsafe
route around Death's Door.
However, in the early 1800s,
Nthis region was still considered
America's frontier.
NBuilding Pottawatomie Lighthouse
would be a venture into t
he unknown.
[dire piano music]
- Ted Karamanski: This was a
time when
there was absolutely no charts
of Lake Michigan.
- Kevin Osgood: Captains had to
navigate without the lighthouses.
And they're carrying the material
s to these remote places
to build lighthouses.
It was absolutely no easy task
.
- Tina Jacoby: The stones were qu
arried from the island itself.
They would haul them up to th
e site.
They used wood from the island.
And just with manpower,
they put that lighthouse together
.
- Kevin Osgood: That human
spirit of just pushing forward
and knocking down the darkness
and moving ahead.
[fast, tense piano]
[water lapping shore]
[pensive music]
- Inaugurated in 1836,
Pottawatomie Lighthouse wa
s a trailblazer.
The very first lighthouse
on all of Lake Michigan.
Remaining in operation un
til 1988.
- Tina Jacoby: The Pottawatom
ie name
comes from the Native America
ns
that were living in the area.
Pottawatomie means "keepers o
f the fire."
The mariners would connect wi
th that light
as they were going through th
e passage
and relying on that to be ther
e every night.
- Waiting just on the horizon
was a golden era nof Wisconsin
's maritime history.
- Kevin Osgood: Pottawatom
ie Lighthouse
lit a way to growth and develo
pment.
It would provide that beacon in
to the future,
for the entire state of Wisco
nsin.
[plucky guitar and banjo]
- Brendon Baillod: Lighthouses ha
d opened up the state for settlement,
and people began to bring their
families west.
You had to come by boat.
There was no other way.
- Ted Karamanski: Schooners were
literally
the covered wagons of the Gre
at Lakes frontier.
- The Great Lakes were
the superhighways of the past.
Forming one of the highest
concentrations of lighthouses
anywhere in the world.
- Brendon Baillod: In the 180
0s,
the volume of vessel traffic
on the Great Lakes
was easily 20, 30 times what i
t is today.
[waves lapping gently]
- Most Wisconsin lighthouses
began service between 18
50 and 1900.
From Lake Michigan's Sout
hport Lighthouse
in bustling Kenosha
to Wisconsin's northernmo
st point --
Devils Island Lighthouse on
Lake Superior.
These beacons lit the way
for mariners
for nearly 150 years.
Burning brightly due to a t
echnological leap
in the 19th century.
- Ken Wardius: Fresnel lenses
revolutionized lighthouses
throughout the world.
Engineering marvels.
- Barb Wardius: It's a series
of polished glass prisms
that bend and refract the ligh
t
in and then out onto the bod
y of water.
- The Fresnel lens projec
ted further and brighter
than ever before.
The powerful beam was inst
rumental
Nin the creation of an integrated
network of lighthouses
along Lake Michigan,
linking them like a chain
.
- Mark Kuehn: All lighthouses
on Lake Michigan
are all within sight of each
other.
Each beam crosses over,
so you never lose sight of a
lighthouse
as you're coming down the lake.
- Tasked with keeping this
innovation working smoothly
was the lighthouse keeper --
Nan employee of the United States
Lighthouse Service.
- Barb Wardius: Early lighthouse
keepers were called "wickies."
- Ken Wardius: They trimmed
a wick in the lantern
to keep the flame the right heig
ht
so that it would burn evenly and
brightly.
- The wick and lantern we
re fueled by oil,
which the keeper repeatedly
ncarried to the top of the tower
in buckets.
NA counterweight mechanism would
then rotate the Fresnel lens
around the burning wick.
- Barb Wardius: It was a gian
t cuckoo clock mechanism
that would have to be wound
every three to four hours.
So, you would never get a fu
ll night's sleep.
- Mark Kuehn: You were busy
all day long.
You just weren't working at night
.
The lens had to be spotless to
the touch of a glove.
They would have to record the
weather.
They'd have to record ship p
assings.
And then do any kind of mainten
ance
on the house or the grounds.
- Tina Jacoby: The lighthou
se keepers had
an ingrained sense of service
because that's what it was.
It was the lighthouse servic
e.
They were in service to the fed
eral government
and to keep the mariners safe
.
- The keeper and the mariner
shared a sacred trust --
Nthe light would remain steadfast
in its duty.
Beacons of hope in a ragin
g storm.
And treasured works of art
decorating the shoreline.
- Bob Mackreth: The leadin
g American historian of lighthouses
in the 20th century,
F. Ross Holland, wrote,
"Nation's largest and finest c
ollection
"of historic lighthouses is con
tained within
the boundaries of the Apostle
Islands National Lakeshore."
Absolutely.
- Off Wisconsin's north shore
in Lake Superior
Nlies a group of islands adorned
with otherworldly beauty.
The Apostle Islands Nati
onal Lakeshore.
Twenty-one islands, eigh
t lighthouses
surrounded by deep forests
and natural wonders.
- Neil Howk: The Apostle Island
s, they are remote.
You are definitely away from
the hubbub of everyday life.
- Brendon Baillod: They're
not little port town lighthouses, rig
ht?
They tend to have to be tall.
They have to be, you know, pr
etty conspicuous
because they have to be seen fr
om a distance.
- Punctuating the horizon,
Nthe Apostle Islands lighthouses
historically guided large
vessels
along the shipping lanes of
Lake Superior.
Today, they keep watch over
a public treasure.
- Neil Howk: The best place
to view the islands from
is the top of a lighthouse to
wer.
Places like Devils Island and
Raspberry Island
and the north end of Outer Islan
d,
those give us a look at what
perhaps
northern Wisconsin looked lik
e 300 years ago.
A pristine area.
On someplace like Raspberry I
sland,
you can easily be the only pe
rson that's on that island,
surrounded by acres of wilde
rness.
[gentle waves]
♪ ♪
- In the late 1800s, a ke
eper named Francis Jacker
lived alone nat Raspberry I
sland Lighthouse.
- Bob Mackreth: He liked it.
I mean, it gave him plenty o
f time
to pursue his artistic interes
ts.
He was a talented artist.
He was a composer.
- Jacker, a German immigrant,
married an Ojibwe woman named
"Ikwesens,"
who later went by "Catherine."
A committed partner,
Catherine stayed back on the m
ainland with their sons,
while Jacker lived on Raspberry
Island
to tend the light.
- Bob Mackreth: He also wrote
articles on Ojibwe folklore
that were published in anthr
opological journals
over in Germany.
He was absolutely a Renaissanc
e man.
But the one thing he wasn't very
good at was operating a boat.
[thunder crashing]
- Neil Howk: In September of 188
7, a storm blew up.
And he had left the boat tied u
p to the dock.
He hadn't put it away in the b
oathouse.
So, he jumped out of bed, runs
down to the dock,
and he jumps into the boat
with the intention of sailing
it to the boathouse.
The problem is that
he got pushed a little bit t
oo far offshore.
- Bob Mackreth: He loses con
trol of the boat.
Next thing you know, he's washed
up on the beach at Oak Island.
- Neil Howk: The wind wrapped
around
and it swamped the boat on t
he beach
and filled it up with sand.
It was unusable.
- Marooned on nearby Oak
Island,
Jacker was surrounded by
an uninhabited,
densely wooded no-man's land.
- Bob Mackreth: So, he's out
there all by himself,
wet and cold in his jammies.
- Neil Howk: He had no shoes. He
had no shirt.
He had no food. He was in a
pickle.
- The storm raged for thre
e days.
- Neil Howk: Meanwhile, his
wife and one of his sons
made an unexpected visit to Ras
pberry Island
to see their father.
It's a real fluke
because she only did this, li
ke, once or twice a year.
And they get there, and there'
s nobody there.
- With a darkened tower
looming over her,
Catherine had no time
to contemplate her husban
d's disappearance.
She knew she had to act fas
t.
- Bob Mackreth: She took charge.
She went up the tower stairs
and figured out how to light
the lamp.
Even there, in the dire dist
ress
of thinking her husband is lost
somewhere on the lake,
her first thought is really,
"We need to get the light go
ing again
for the safety of the mariners.
"
- Neil Howk: By day three, Fr
ancis is figuring out
that if he was going to be seen
,
he needed to get to a differ
ent part of the island.
- Jacker bound up his feet,
bushwacked across the island,
and tied what was left of
the sail high in a tree.
Desperate, alone...
Jacker's last bit of hope
was fluttering in the storm.
[thunder roars]
NBut in that dark, tempest night,
hope prevailed.
Jacker's signal was spotted.
♪ ♪
NTaken back to Raspberry Island,
Nthe warm glow of the lighthouse
nwelcomed the ragged Jacker home.
nWaiting for him with open arms,
the ever-vigilant Catherine.
[tender piano]
- Neil Howk: Must have been a mag
ical moment.
A really lucky break.
The lighthouse keepers were o
ut there
in order to prevent accidents.
Catherine, she understood the
importance of the light,
and she did what she could
in order to, you know, to make
it right.
- Bob Mackreth: I think that
shows the level of dedication
that was fostered in the cultu
re.
The keepers and their famili
es,
the wife came in, stepped in,
and says,
"That's my responsibility,"
even right there with the prosp
ect of, suddenly, widowhood.
So, it's a reason I admire the
se people.
N- Entrusted nto protect Na
treasure,
Wisconsin lighthouse keepers
would soon build a legacy
of stewardship,
pride,
and family.
[water flo
a
ny one of
the 100.
>> Hi , I'm James Steinbach.
I'ma volunteer here at PBS Wisconsin
. Taking just a quickbreak from this
remarkable program. And you
know, thelighthouses have a
special placein our imagination of
course,and also in the history of the
state. And this is somethingwhich I
thought I knew a littlebit about
lighthouses. Butwatching this program
andlooking at the book that it was
based on is really a great way
to understand much more aboutnot just
the lighthouses, but the people who kept
them, thefamilies that lived there, the
people who made this work, thepeople
who were dedicated to saving lives. And that's what
it's all about. And
this programhere is an important thing.
This program was made right here at
PBS Wisconsin with a producerfrom the station
, which isroutine of
course, for us to dothese great
shows. But everytime a new one
comes up, likethis, which is about
Wisconsin, I think this is only going
tohappen here at PBS Wisconsin . Noplace else
is going to do this.And for that,
it's worth mysupport. And I think
yours too.Call us at
one (800) 236-3636.>> Well, thank you James. I'm
Kerman Eckes I'm on the staffhere at
Wisconsin PublicTelevision and I am so
excited to be part of
bringing thisWisconsin Lighthouse s
to youthis evening and to give you
this opportunity to show your support for us
here . And when
you do, we have some wonderful,wonderful
thank you gifts. Letme run through those
briefly foryou right now. If you can
joinus at the $15 a month donation
level, you have your choice ofthree. Absolutely
fantastic items.
First of all, you canchoose the
copy of the show
thatwe've just that we're watchingright now. Wiscon
sinLighthouses. So you can go back
and see that wonderful footage again and
hear those storiesagain that James was talking
about, about the people thatmade lighthouses
so real and so important for us here
at theState of Wisconsin
. Or you can choose the book
that the show is based on. Again, that's
Wisconsin Lighthouses by Ken.And
Barb Wardius, and
fantasticbook. I've been
paging throughit and there are t he
photos arewonderful. There's
so many different stories. So
much morein depth
information that youcan get. So that's a wonderful
thing that you can choose or finally,
the third thing is this
great tote bag and it's a nice large
sized tote bag. It's veryheavy
weight and it has the CanaIsland
Lighthouse in the day inthe
daytime on one side and
thenin the evening when it's lit
upon the other side. So it'sperfect
for the beach or whatever you want to
do. If you would like all three
of thesethings, then call and become a
member. This evening at the $25a month
level, and we will sendyou the DVD.
The book, and the tote bag. So we
have many waysto say thank you to
you forjoining us, but now we need
youto go to those phones and dial
one (800) 236-3636. , I'm David Hoffert,
a volunteer here at PBS Wisconsin,
and I want
to pick up onsomething. James just
said about no one else besides
PBSWisconsin would make
a show likethis . I'm sure there
aredocumentaries about lighthous es
out there right? But thereprobably, I
don't know, New England lighthouses. And yet
, asthis show talks
about the great Lakes, really these
inland seas ,right, are are
such an importantpart of the history of
thiscountry and such
an importantpart of the
story of Wisconsin .And so what
this program isreally doing
is, is capturing
that history that story
for us to remember and
enjoy andappreciate for generations
tocome. And it's a lot of
work,right? This this program tookyears
to make between theresearch and the
filming and theinterviewing , the experts
andthe editing, it's
a big deal to get something like this
over thefinish line and
we're able to do that at
PBS Wisconsin because weknow tha t
you have our back
and that's what happens when
you call
one (800) 236-3636 .
>> One of the things that Ireally
love about PBS Wisconsin is that
we can take you
places that you wouldn't be
able to getto. Perhaps
on your own either,because you have
little childrenthat can't get in there or
because you're not able yourself.And the
lighthouse on RockIsland is a
great example ofthat , because
you may not makethat
trek. You may not be ableto do
that, but you can go therewith PBS
Wisconsin and you cango
there with this terrificbook, wh ich
is from the from from Ken and Barb
Wardius. Andthis book is the basis
for theprogram that you're watchingnow. It's
a beautiful book
,beautifully researched, really
in-depth research. You
know, afriend of mine
talks about TV shows as the executive summary
of a book sometimes, and in a
way that's true. The show,wonderful as it
is, doesn't go into anywhere near the detail
that it does because
it can't.But it can still bring
you to a place,
invite you to share it,and you can
share it with your kids
and with your family. Sothat's w orth
something . Call usnow at
one (800) 236-3636.>> Hi, I'm Eric Greiling,director
of friends of PBSWisconsin
. Ken and Barb , thanksfor coming
to in the PBS
Wisconsin studios. Thank you Eric. We've been enjoying
yourbook Wisconsin Lighthouses
aphotographic and historical
guide . So tell us
what inspiredyour
interest in lighthouses .>> Oh my
goodness. Over 40 yearsago
we visited Cana Island Lighthouse
in Door County, andwe were hooked on the
place.Just a magical
place. We wantedto learn
more about the historyand the
people, especially who tended the light. So
it allstarted for from
a request fromour friends
, go visit Cana Island
and we did .
And we've
been back dozens and
dozens oftimes since.
>> So it started with Cana
Island. Do you know how manylighthouses you've
visited ?>>
Well, all of them inWisconsin,
all 48.>> And how many times?>> Some
only once . And
some .
Oh,multiple times multiple
times,yeah .>> And how
did it become a
shared project for both of you?Was it
just something youarrived at together
?>> Yeah, it kind of was byaccident.
Barb and I neither oneof us are
writers . We always hada camera when
we traveled aroundthe
state , just mostly snapshot
for family type p
hotos . As we
visited a lighthouse or
two, wetook some pictures, some friendsof
ours said , hey, you got
really nice pictures here. Whydon't you
write a book
? We knewno better
again, neither one ofus are
experts in that. But
Barband I have always been a team
ona lot of things that we do
, andit just went went from there.
>> Well, that's great
. Was itvery difficult to research thisbook
?>> The research took a lot
oftime. We were still working atthe
time when we did all the
research, so it would be after work
at night, doing that. Andthe int ernet isn't what it is
now, which is fine
. We had moreluck and more accurateinformation from
descendants ,historical
societies , librariesthat would
furnish us withinformation
great great .>> Well, we're
going to hearmore from Barb and Ken
throughout the program. Andright now we're goi
ng to go backand
please make a call and showyour
support for WisconsinLighthouses
and we'd like to say
thank you with a gift of
Wisconsin Lighthouses .>> Well, it
was absolutelyfabulous to hear
that. That partof that interview
with Ken andBarb Wardius
, the authors of thebook Wisconsin Lighthouses therewill b
e hearing more from them
later on. But in the meantime,we have
plenty of time for youright now to
go to the phones and
talk to one of ourvolunteers and also take
takepart in some of these wonderfulthank you gifts
that we can send you when you join
us as a member of PBS Wisconsin.
So if you join us at the $15
a month level, you have your
choice of one of threeitems
you can pick up the DVD orBlu
ray of the show that we'vebeen watching
. WisconsinLighthouses. Or you can
take acopy of the book that everythingis
based on. With all thosegreat illustrations
and extrastories or for your thirdchoice,
you can take the wonderful tote bag that
we have.The nice large sized tote bag
with illustrations of the CanaIsland Lighthouse
at night and during
the daytime. So wonderfulgifts at tha
t level. You could
also join us at the
$25 a monthlevel. And we
will send you all three of those. So
you'll getthe book, the DVD, and
the totebag. But I want
to spend alittle time talking about a veryspecial gift level
that would beperfect for the
young. Theyoungster in your life, andthat's if you join
us at the $20
a month level. We will send youa
copy of the book. Hellolighthouse. This is
by SophieBlackall and it is an
absolutely gorgeous book. I've been
havinga chance to page through it.Wonderful
, wonderfulillustrations in this book. A
perfect to fire the
imaginationof the youngster in your
life .But to come
with that we alsohave this
wonderful night light.And if you
look at thatnightlight, you can
see it hasthis wonderful illustration of alighth
ouse in the daytime. Butthen at night
the lights come on and the lighthouse and I just
love this. And then again
in thedaytime it will go
back to thedaytime view
. Wonderful for anyyoungster
in your life. So again, that's at that
$20 amonth level. So we have many
different things to encourage you to join us
this evening.Like the people that already
have. If you're one of those
thank you. So much. If
you'renot, if you haven't done that
yet, please give us
a call at one (800) 236-3636. You
know, Ihave to say, I have a youngsterin my lif
e and Berman wasletting me page t
hrough the bookearlier.
, I happen to be a
sustaining member at the $20 a month level. So this
this seemslike this could be kismet,right?
But but I'll I'll dealwith that after
I'm done. I'mdone talking to you.
You know, Ithink what matters most about
aprogram like this and a pledgebreak
like this, is that you
feel a sense of ownership of this
kind of programing on PBSWisconsin, and
you want tosupport it, and
you find thelevel that's right for you
.Maybe it's one of the giftpackages
. Kerman Eckes was talking about. Maybe
it's justmaking a donation to
PBSWisconsin. What matters is th atyou give us a
call and show that support at
one (800) 236-3636.[MUSIC]
[peaceful, flowing piano]
- Narrator: Intricate
layers of sandstone. [bird calling]
Rough pine and birch trees
blanket rocky bays.
Sea caves smoothed nby centu
ries of rippling waters.
- Barb Wardius: Sand Island
is on the western edge of the Apostl
es.
So, it's way out there.
If the weather conditions aren
't right, you aren't landing.
And if you need to get off t
he island, you're not getting off.
The lake is the boss, defini
tely.
- Bob Mackreth: The lighth
ouse at Sand Island
was there primarily to give wa
rning to ships
to stay off the Apostles.
- Built in 1881, the Sand I
sland Lighthouse
stands on a red jagged sho
reline.
Walled in by a fortress of
stone.
- Bob Mackreth: Sand Island
Lighthouse
was fashioned from the fabri
c of the island.
It's a beautiful building,
which was built from the roc
k where it sits.
And I can't think of a more
intimate way or profound way
that a building can be connected
to its environment.
- Made of brownstone
in the style of Norman Go
thic architecture,
Sand Island Lighthouse pr
ovided a picturesque setting
for a keeper's quiet life o
f solitude.
[evocative harp]
- Bob Mackreth: The second ke
eper at Sand Island
I find an interesting fellow fo
r a number of reasons.
His name was Emmanuel Luick.
He came there for the 1892 s
eason,
and then stayed 28 years
until the lighthouse was auto
mated in 1920.
- Barb Wardius: Mr. Luick
enjoyed lighthouse keeping.
- Bob Mackreth: Loved it; he
thrived in the lighthouse life.
He spent his first couple of year
s
out at Sand Island all by him
self.
Then, in 1896,
he married a young woman named
Ella Gertrude Richardson.
She was from Providence, Rhode
Island.
N- Ella was n16 years old
Nwhen she married nthe 29-year-
old NEmmanuel.
NJoining him to live nat Sand
Island.
- Bob Mackreth: She was enra
ptured
by his promises to live in a l
ighthouse.
And I'm sure it sounded very ro
mantic.
- Neil Howk: Being in a beau
tiful setting,
in a lovely building, it's g
reat.
But solitude can be a double
-edged sword.
- Bob Mackreth: Guess what?
She wasbored out of her sku
ll.
♪ ♪
- Barb Wardius: All lighthou
se keepers
were required to keep a daily
log book,
and it was supposed to be one li
ne
of what the weather was,
ships that had passed.
Perhaps what they did that day
,
if there was painting or gar
dening going on.
- Bob Mackreth: Ella, on the
other hand,
used it basically as a persona
l diary.
We have a very complete pict
ure
of the Luicks' marriage fall
ing apart.
- In one entry, Ella wrote,
"Mr. Luick hasn't anythin
g to do,
and so he can help me do
nothing."
- Barb Wardius: But again, sh
e was 16 years old.
She just found lighthouse life
very lonely.
- After ten years, Ella m
oved on.
Heading back east,
she became a nurse and la
ter remarried.
Leaving behind Sand Island
Lighthouse and Emmanuel Luick.
- Bob Mackreth: Emmanuel is
not Mr. Charm. [chuckles]
It appears he was hard to get
along with.
He went through assistant keep
ers at a fairly rapid clip.
And he didn't have a really goo
d reputation.
But on the other hand,
he was an incredibly talented
photographer.
Several years ago we discovered
a treasure trove of photos
that Luick took.
They'd been sitting in a bar
n.
And this would be the first ti
me
anyone had eyes on those photos
in decades.
- Neil Howk: Several hundred
images.
Some of the images are from
the lighthouse on Sand Island
and what it was like to be a
lighthouse keeper.
- Bob Mackreth: Excellent shots
of the lighthouse and the surroundings,
which are quite artistic.
- Luick also explored ne
arby communities.
Capturing photos of neighbo
rhoods,
family farms,
and fishermen repairing
their nets.
He meticulously documented
life along Lake Superior.
- Bob Mackreth: He had a ver
y good eye
for catching a personality.
And they are so sharp and viv
id.
- Luick was able to evoke
a sense of beauty
and convey emotion in a s
ingle image.
Capturing vibrant lives,
inhabiting a rich world fr
om a bygone era.
- Bob Mackreth: They provide
d excellent detail
about what daily life was like
around the turn of the 20th
century.
- Through his photography,
Emmanuel Luick preserved
a moment in time
in a unique and personal
way.
- Bob Mackreth: This man definite
ly was an artist.
Life is not all black and wh
ite.
There are shades of gray.
- Shades of gray, in a w
orld full of color,
resided inside the Wiscon
sin lighthouse.
- Neil Howk: What is a lighth
ouse?
Well, on the one hand, it's t
he light,
and it's all of the aspects
that go into keeping the ligh
t lit.
But it was also a home.
People lived there.
- Linda Faust: Our Great Lake
s lighthouses,
most of them were really family
homes.
You can really see that
as you walk through the ligh
thouse.
- A bedroom adorned with c
hildhood memories.
Lighthouse-issued chinaware
still waiting on the din
ner table
for the keeper and their
kin.
Family homes brimming wi
th the presence of the past.
- Linda Faust: A lot of people th
ink, "Oh, it was a easy life,"
but it was a difficult life.
The families were actually fa
rmers.
When you think about growing
your own food,
canning it, storing it, and pr
eparing it,
they had to be self-sufficient.
- Barb Wardius: Mom's taking
care of the kids.
There's the cooking, the cleani
ng, the sewing.
It was constant work, which am
azes me.
- Linda Faust: People had to su
rvive and fight the elements.
All of those things are true,
but not all of them were in
isolation.
Especially up here in Door Co
unty.
[hopeful, reflective cello]
- Life at the lighthouse wa
s a family affair.
No truer than in Door Count
y.
[energetic violin, bird calli
ng]
Often referred to as the
"Cape Cod of the Midwest,"
Wisconsin's eastern peninsula
is notable for its scenic
shoreline,
towering bluffs,
and 11 historic lighthouses.
- Kevin Osgood: Door County
has the largest concentration of lig
hthouses
per mile of shoreline than
anywhere else in the United States.
- Beacons such as Sherwood
Point,
Baileys Harbor Upper Range,
and Pottawatomie
all served as homes to g
enerations of families.
Today, in Peninsula State P
ark,
people flock to the popular
Eagle Bluff Lighthouse.
Built in 1868 to light u
p busy Strawberry Channel,
Nthe lighthouse sits 76 feet high
upon the bluff.
There, visitors walk in th
e footsteps
of Eagle Bluff's most memor
able inhabitants,
the Duclon family.
- Linda Faust: The Duclons,
William and Julia, lived here,
but they weren't alone.
They had seven sons!
- The family of nine nmoved
to Eagle Bluff Lighthouse
in 1883.
Keeper William Duclon, a
veteran of the Union Army,
oversaw its daily operation.
His sons pitched in,
helping to maintain the bu
ildings,
grow food, and assist in
rescues.
A tightly-run operation,
the family was awarded se
veral commendations
for the nbest-looking lightho
use grounds
in the Great Lakes area.
- Linda Faust: The home today
,
it still looks pretty much how
it looked
when our Duclon family was livi
ng here.
It was full of life and full
of laughter,
full of music.
- The music room was the heart
of the Duclon home.
[phonograph starting up, old-time
y piano]
- Linda Faust: When they move her
e to Eagle Bluff,
William surprised the family
with a piano.
Julia grew up playing piano.
And she wanted a piano for he
r seven boys.
All seven boys learned how to
play piano.
They also played violin, cello,
bass fiddle,
accordion, harmonica, and gu
itar.
They were extremely talented.
- The Duclon boys ntook the
ir talents on the road,
performing around Door County
nin dance halls and at weddings.
They also played in some ro
ugh venues,
holding their own in the o
ccasional fight,
Neven brawling once with the sons
of a rival lighthouse family
over a group of young ladies.
- Linda Faust: One of the Duc
lon boys
threw the first punch.
[joyful chortle]
A big scandal back then!
- At Eagle Bluff, the fami
ly bond
was tied to their love o
f music.
Opening their home to ent
ertain anyone who would come.
- Linda Faust: People were li
ving in little log cabins
or little shanties by the water
if they were fishermen.
So, to your neighbors, this pla
ce was a mansion.
And, of course, they were all
interested in this home.
- At times, 40 people
would huddle together
for a potluck and a musi
cal melody.
- Linda Faust: For the Duclons,
the piano was an important piece
in their lives; it was.
It connected them, really, wi
th the rest of the families
living in the area.
This was quite the party house
back in the day!
- The sound of the piano fi
lled the air at Eagle Bluff
for decades.
Bringing friends and neighbors
together at the lighthouse.
[warm, uplifting strings]
- Linda Faust: The Duclon fam
ily was here for 35 years.
This was a gathering place fo
r these communities.
- Though not Door County's
oldest or tallest lighthouse,
Eagle Bluff was perhaps
the liveliest --
Nthanks to the spirited Duclons;
their family home still
welcoming people today.
- Ken Wardius: We call the
lighthouse "the heart."
But the soul of the lighthouse
are the people that tended it
,
the families that spent deca
des of their lives
making sure that mariners out
on the lake were safe.
Dedicated, hardworking people.
♪ ♪
- On the eastern edge of
the Door Peninsula,
a trek across a limeston
e causeway
leads to the nearly nine-acre
island in Lake Michigan.
The tiny isle is home to
a giant
among the Door County beacons,
and one of Wisconsin's most
celebrated:
Cana Island Lighthouse.
- Kevin Osgood: It's one of th
e jewels of the Door County lighthouses
.
- Ken Wardius: Cana Island is
iconic.
It has the tall white tower.
It's got the attached house
next to it.
It stands for security.
It stands for safety.
- Barb Wardius: Cana is a be
autiful lighthouse.
- Surrounded by shallow reefs
and rugged shoreline,
Cana Island Lighthouse
has stood as a sentinel ov
er Lake Michigan
for more than 150 years.
A witness to daring rescues
and numerous shipwrecks
along the lake's dangerous
shoals.
- Kevin Osgood: Probably t
he most memorable shipwreck at Cana
Island
would be theBartelmein 192
8.
TheBartelmewas a steamer
loaded with coal
that ran aground
just a few hundred yards from the
Cana Island Lighthouse.
- Stuck in shallow water
and thick fog,
everyone on the ship was br
ought safely back to shore.
The ship itself was damage
d beyond repair
and would remain there fo
r nearly two years
as it was cut into scrap.
Though salvaged long ago,
theBartelmestill makes
her presence known today.
- Kevin Osgood: Depending on
how the waves are coming in,
you can still find some coal
on the beach
from the wreck of theBartelme
.
♪ ♪
- Cana Island Lighthouse
was constructed to be a ti
tan
among the Door County li
ghthouses.
Its tower reaches 89 fee
t into the sky,
with its walls nearly 4
feet thick at the base.
Built from Milwaukee Crea
m City brick,
the lighthouse stood firm
on the exposed island
while repeatedly put to the t
est
by fierce and unpredicta
ble storms.
- Barb Wardius: Ten years into
the life of the lighthouse,
they noticed it was weathering
much faster than was anticip
ated.
In the early 1900s, they put
the metal cladding around it
to protect it.
And it's still there today,
so it worked.
- The powerful structure re
mains a distinctive landmark
along the Door Peninsula,
making it one of the area's
most popular attractions.
Its historic and scenic a
ppeal
calling visitors to take a
journey back through time.
- Kevin Osgood: Cana is a specia
l place,
and if you walk out there, then
you feel it.
- Barb Wardius: People go inside
and realize this is a piece
of history.
- At the base of the tow
er,
a doorway beckons into t
he past.
A climb up the spiral stairc
ase.
Step by step,
102 cast-iron stairs
stretch toward the top of
the tower.
- Kevin Osgood: Feel that ac
he in your calves
as you climb those steps in the
lighthouse,
and think about what those li
ghthouse keepers had to do
to keep that lamp lit.
Wow!
- Marching upward,
the open stairwell allows air
to flow through the tower.
Portholes mark the progress
of the ascent.
Waiting above, a treasure of
Wisconsin's maritime history.
- Barb Wardius: As you get into
the actual lantern room area,
you can look up and see the Fr
esnel lens.
It's still there today.
- Still in operation, nth
e Fresnel lens at Cana Island
is one of a select few
to remain lit in all the G
reat Lakes.
- Kevin Osgood: The fact that
it is still a navigation beacon today
speaks volumes about it.
It's well over 150 years old an
d still guiding ships.
- Barb Wardius: It's phenomenal.
- Finally, step outside on
to the gallery deck.
A breathtaking panoramic view
of Lake Michigan and the Do
or Peninsula awaits.
[thoughtful strings and horns]
- Kevin Osgood: You look at
that vastness of Lake Michigan
from the top of the tower
and imagine it's at night, and
it's a dark, moonless night.
And the only light you see is
this one.
- Ken Wardius: You see the li
ght.
You have a sense of, "We're goi
ng to be okay."
The lighthouse is a beacon to
history.
It's a monument
to bravery, to stability, to
security.
If you close your eyes
and you dream about this per
fect lighthouse --
Cana Island is, to me, that p
lace.
[crickets chirping]
[water lapping, birds callin
g]
Business, Badgers, and% Beyond.
Lots of
.% >> Hi. I'm
James Steinbach. I'm% a
volunteer here at
PBS% Wisconsin. We're taking
just a% quick
break. Well, actually
,% this might be
a little bit% longer.
Break, because it's
a% challenge break. This%
traordinary
program that% you're watching
now
, made here% at the station
, made here
in
this is
the premiere. So this
isreally something to see. And
this is a critical t
ime to callus at
one (800) 236-3636. And make your pledge of
support because it's a
challenge breakand your pledge will be doubled
.Call us now. One (800) 236-3636and is
a reason to call us now,partly
because it's a challenge break, but also because
thisprogram, I hope, is really
inviting you to explore Wisconsin
in ways you may nothave
thought of. You've probablydriven by lighthouses.
You'veprobably maybe even seen a bookabout
lighthouses. Maybe you've visited 1 or 2.
But to be able to see so many
in this oneprogram is really an
extraordinary opportunity. And that's why
we're asking you to call
one (800) 236-3636. >> Well, hello, I'm
Kerman Eckesand I'm on the staff here
at PBSWisconsin. And now
is the perfect time as James mentioned,
for you to call
and become amember of PBS Wisco nsin becauseyour pledge,
your donation willbe matched dollar for dollar
.It's a great time for you to
call and really, really have awonderful impact. A
nd show your support for us here
at PBSWisconsin. And of course, whenyou do, we have
some thank yougifts that
we'd like to send your way at a
$15 level. That's$15 a month. You have
yourchoice of three different items.You
can decide to choose
a copyeither
in DVD or Blu ray of
Wisconsin Lighthouses . The showthat
we've been watching as James
mentioned, that's a PBSWisconsin
production . Wonderful
people from the station herehave
worked on this show . It's areally beautiful show that
'sbeen put together and again,
that's at $15 a month or
you canchoose a
copy of the book thatthe show is
based on. Wisconsin Lighthouses. That's by
Ken andBarb Wardius, a beautiful book
with wonderful illustrations.It's
really more much more indepth
information about the lighthouses
. A great thing foryou to add
to your library orfor your third
choice, you canchoose this huge t ote that
wehave right here. It's got
theCana Island Lighthouse in the daytime, and then
on the otherside, the Cane Isla nd Lighthouse
at night . So those are allfantastic.
If you can't choose between those, go
ahead and joinus at
$25 a month and we willsend you
both the DVD, the bookand the tote.
So we have many,many ways to say tha
nk you whenyou join us here at
PBSWisconsin. Now go to thosephones and
call us at one (800) 236-3636.
, I'm David Hoffert, avolunteer here at
PBS Wisconsin,and I don't think we've actually
said this yet. We've said it's achallenge
break, but our goal is50 calls during this
break . Now,that's that's
a pretty audaciousgoal , right. But we
have thatgoal because we
know that a program like this
means so much
to so many people in this state,because
it's personal. This is our
story brought
to your airwaves
because of our collective
work together now,now,
Kerman was just talking about those gift levels, and you
and you noticed she kept saying,
$20 per
month or
$25 per month.That's because the best way
thatyou can support programing
likethis is to become a sustaining
member of PBS Wisconsin
. Give onthat monthly basis. So
that your support doesn't run
out. Justlike this incredible
programing won't ever run
out. Give us a
call one (800) 236-3636.>> Helping
you explore Wisconsinis really
at the heart of ourmission. It's
built into what
PBS Wisconsin is about. And
always has been from thebeginning
. And if you thinkabout that
, not every PBSstation
is able to do this kindof work.
Everyone would like to. But not everyone is
able to. And the reason that we're
able to isbecause we have your support.And
for generations, people havesupported
PBS Wisconsin and that's what makes the
difference. That's what makes itpossible for us to do this
program a
nd all the programsthat you enjoy . Some
are national that we
bring in, butmany of them are local
programs ,whether they're
documentaries or histories
or news and public
affairs, like here. And now.This is something
which every week you can count
on programsfrom PBS Wisconsin that
will take you
places you may not havebeen
. We'll reveal things youmay not have
thought about.That's really worth something,especially
during this challengebreak
. We want 50
calls. We'reat 11. We can do better
thanthat. Give us a
call one(800) 236-3636.
thank you James. And don't forget when you
do calland join us as a member
of PBSWisconsin this evening. We have
some. Thank you gifts that wecan send
you your way at. If youjoin us
at that $15 a monthlevel, you
have your choice of three different items. You
cantake a copy either in DVD or Bluray of the
show that we've been watching. So a
great way to go back and visit the
visit. Thoselighthouses once again. Or youcan
take a copy of the book byKen
and Barbara's WisconsinLighthouses. And this i
s thebook that everything
is basedon. So much more in depth
.Writing about the different lighthouses. There's some
greathistorical and current daypictures
of the lighthouses. So that's a wonderful addition
toyour library . Or you can
choosethis beautiful tote. It's a nice
large sized tote, a heavy canvas,and
it's a great way to showyour support.
So talk to one
ofour volunteers about that andthey can
help you on your way tobecoming a
member. In the meantime, we're going
to go backand see some more of
theinterview with Ken andBarbatteius. They have
somegreat more great informationabout the creation
of their book
.Wisconsin Lighthouses . So here'sKen
and Barb .>> Hi, I'm
Eric Greiling,director of
friends of PBSWisconsin. We're back
in thestudio with Ken and
Barb . Yourbook
was really
important to ourresearch, to make thisdocumentary
WisconsinLighthouses, and it really
is a companion
to the documentary.Can you give us a
bit of anoverview of your book?>>
Oh, it's broken down
geographically to different
sections of Wisconsin Lake
Superior Lake
Winnebago. We had no idea there were
lighthouseson Lake Winnebago when we
beganour research. And
then all therest
of the lighthouses are onsome
portion of Lake Michigan
. One one portion is
called the Bay of
Green Bay , and
then therest of the
coastline all theway down to the state line inLake
Michigan are there some
highlights of the book you'dlike to call
out?>> Any special features?>> One of our fa
vorite stories involves the Lueck family
atSand Island Lighthouse . EmmanuelLuke
was the keeper there, andhe brought his
bride , Miss Ella,
at 16 years of
age , to live on
the island with him. Well, lighthouse
life was difficult.She
lasted about ten years and
left Mr. Lueck went out east,remarried
and became aregistered nurse, but don'tdespair
, Mr. Luke found love anddid
remarry and have two children on sand Island
, andthat's not the only
story abouta
woman being in a
lighthouse ora lighthouse keeper.>> Is it
? No, no, it's not Barband I grew up
in Milwaukee
.There's a lighthouse in Lake
Park , Milwaukee, North Point
Light. When we went there to
doresearch, we learned of a lady
by the name of Georgia
Stebbins .Once we
learned a little bit ofher story
, fascinating woman, ahead
lighthouse keeper for over
30 years at Milwaukee NorthPoint. That was
very, very rareduring
that era . Just
a fabulous
,hard working mother
, wife andlighthouse keeper and
we'regoing to hear more about GeorgiaStebbins
in this next segment. >> So let's
go back to theprogram
. We'll come back to Barband Ken
later. And if you wantto have
a copy of WisconsinLighthouses as your tha
nk yougift, please give
us a call at one (800) 236-3636.
gain, this is a challenge break
. Our goal is
50calls. We're at 31. But I bet
we're actually at more than thatbecause the
phone lines arebusy. If you are currently
waiting to get through
pleasestay on the line. You
can alsogo to pbswisconsin.org , but your
call will be answered and itwill count
towards thatchallenge break. We
just need a little patience because there
isa great response , which ofcourse
is incredible. We just heard a bunch of
informationabout the stories in this
book.I want to point out. It's
alsojust a great like road tripguide
, right ? My wife and
I havehosted exchange students for afew
years, and we've planned these epic road trips
and we'vebeen saying
we should do more inWisconsin
. What a great opportunity to kind of
have ahave ideas
planted of where weshould
go and what we shouldexplore right in
our ownbackyard. But whatever your
motivation , maybe it's
the book,maybe it's
supporting a programlike this
. We are now up to
36calls going for 50. Give us a
call one (800) 236-3636.>> You
know, PBS Wisconsin is
all about Wisconsin. That's
whatwe're here for. That's why it'sin
our name . And
you know, ifyou think
about the programsthat carry the name
, you know,Wisconsin
from the air Wisconsin Hometown Stories Wisconsin
odie , that's
not an accident.It's
because we are focused
resolutely laser focused
onWisconsin stories. And in fact
,Wisconsin stories. There we
go.So that's something which youcan
really count on. And isdifferent from
any otherstation. Certainly becausethey're not
in Wisconsin. Buteven with that, we do
anextraordinary amount of
localproduction and production thatis
for us by us, about us
. Thisprogram is a
terrific example of that. And it's
made possiblebecause generations of
folkshave supported
PBS Wisconsin and I kind of think
of it becausethere
was a time when I was
notable to support something likethis, and
now I can and I thinkabout the people now who
are watching and enjoying, and
they'd like to do it, but
maybethey just can't do it
now. Andso my contribution is sort of
away of paying it
forward for, for the time that they will do
it. So meet us at
this challengebreak. If you
can, at
one(800) 236-3636. now, I like what
Jameswas just saying about paying itforward.
I like I'm a
member of PBS Wisconsin and I
like tothink that when I do that,
I'mhelping to bring all of theseshows to people all
across thestate. And
to me, that'ssomething that's very important.
So if that's something that'simportant to you
, call us right now
during this challenge breakand we will
put your your pledgeof support
to work immediately.And we'll
also send you somewonderful thank you gifts
andlet me run through these again
briefly. If you join us at that$15 level,
a month, the
$15 amonth level, you have your
choice of three different items.
You can have a
copy of the DVD or
Blu ray of the show thatwe've
been watching. Or you canhave a c
opy of the book , whichagain, is
this fabulous book. Wisconsin Lighthouses by Ken
andBarb Wardius. We've been hearingfrom
them and the book I likewhat David
said about it being ait could be
a road guide for youas you're t ouring
Wisconsin andlooking at lighthouses, but no
matter how you use it, it's afabulous
book and it's something you'll want in your
library. Oryou can choose to take
thisbeautiful canvas tote. It's anice large
sized tote on one side side. It has
the CanaIsland Lighthouse at night
andon the other side is
the CaneIsland Lighthouse. At daytime.So
these are all great. Or youcan
take all three of
these ifyou call and become a member
atthe $25 a month level
or so.That's something you canconsider
. Then we also have
onespecial level that I'd like
totalk to you about. And this isfor
$20 a month. And we'recalling it kind
of thechildren's level because itincludes a
fabulous book calledHello Lighthouse
withillustrations by Sophie
Sophie Blackall
and the illustrationsare
absolutely beautiful, butthe
story is beautiful too. Ittells about
a lighthouse keeperthat comes. It t
alks about theday to
day life in the lighthouse, the lighthouse
keeper's family comes . There aregood
things that happen and badthings that happen.
So this is a fabulous book. But we
alsoinclude this wonderfulnightlight
and the nightlight isin the
daytime. It's a lighthouse in the daytime
. Andthen when the lights go out
, thelights come up on the on
thelighthouse in the in the
nightlight. So I think it'sabsolutely any
child would love this. I would
love to have this nightlight at my house.
I justthink it's absolutely wonderful.But
you would get that that bookand
the and the
nightlight for$20 a month.
So we have manyways to say thank you to youwhen
you join us here at PBSWisconsin
. But it starts with
you going to the phone anddialing
one (800) 236-3636.>> So I don't know if
you caughtthat right. As the camera cutaway from Kerm
it, but we havereached our goal of 50 ca
lls. We're
at 52. That's okay. Thechallenge break
continues andyour
donation will still bematched
. We're going to we'regoing to bump
up the goal. Let's say 70 calls during this break
.It's really
incredible to see the level of
excitement that we
have for such a unique
programlike this . Now I
have to admit, one
of my favorite experienceswatchi ng
PBS Wisconsin is I
comehome . I just, you
know, sit downon the
couch, turn on the TV. Ihave no idea
what to expect, butI turn to PBS Wisconsin and
justI just get sucked in. Right.There's
something so compelling,so interesting that I'm
justthere . That's a pretty
coolexperience. It's also
a coolexperience to have known inadvance.
So , for example, if
youhad your "Airwaves" magazine,you
wouldn't even have to openit this time. You'd just be
on the cover. You would
know thatthis premiere was happe ning
tonight. That's one of the member benefits you get
when you donate any amount to
PBSWisconsin of course, you mightalso
be interested in thosethank you gifts,
but we aregoing for 70 calls. We're
at 55.Give us a call
one(800) 236-3636. we're going to be
back tothe next segment of the
lighthouses show WisconsinLighthouses
in just a minute. But
one thing that you may notknow is
that even after the program is done, there's
anopportunity to explore in depth.If you
go to the PBS Wisconsin
website , you'll be
able to see a virtual tour of the
Cana light,which lets you
inside the light
,and also you can walk up the
stairs without actually walkingup the
stairs, which is kind ofcool
, especially if you're notgoing to be
able to get there.Maybe tomorrow. So you
can goand check that out. This is
thekind of thing that is importantto
us at PBS Wisconsin . Theprogram is
important, but the program is a way
for us to give you something of
value. And when there are things
in additionthat we can do, like that,
likethis virtual tour or the
educational programs that wethat
we provide for schools andteachers, whether it's
homeschool or public schools orprivate schools or
parents athome , these are really
importantpieces of what
PBS Wisconsindoes. It's not it's not just
TVanymore. It's pretty broad, but
at the heart of it, at the heart
of it are these extraordinaryprograms and right n
ow, duringthis challenge break, and we're
at 63
on our way to 70, keep
oncalling. If you get if you don't
get through right away, stickwith it.
Call us at
one(800) 236-3636. when you do call
us andbecome a member here at PBS
Wisconsin, we have some fabulousthank you gifts
. Let me very quickly run through these
foryou. If you call and become
a member at the $15 a month level,
you have
your choice of threedifferent items.
You can take a copy of either a
DVD or Blu rayof
Wisconsin Lighthouses. Thewonderful
program that we'rewatching this evening, or you
can take a copy o
f the book Wisconsin
Lighthouses by Ken and Barbatteius
. This is where
everything came from. This isthe inspiration
for the programthat we've been
watching or youcan also have thi s
wonderful canvas tote
, and it's a niceheavyweight
canvas tote. Butwhat really makes it stand
out are these beautiful
illustrations. These are also by
Sophie Blackall
, the wonderfulartist that has done so
much forus here at PBS Wisconsin.
But onone side
is the Cana Island Lighthouse in the daytime
and onthe other side is
the CaneIsland Lighthouse at night. So
it's an absolutely beautifultote. If you
would like allthree
of those items, call andbecome a member
at the $25 amonth level
and we will send youthe DVD. The
book , and the tote.And don't
forget, we have that special children's level as
well that features the copy of the
book. Hello Lighthouse. Againwith
those by Sophie Blackall ,and that
nightlight. So
many,many thank you gifts. Ourvolunteers can go ove
r thoseagain with you
. So give them acall
at one (800) 236-3636.>> And
we are about to go back
to the program to the
to thefinal segment of the prog ram
tonight we just hit our goal of70
calls. But keep calling
aslong as you are
waiting to talk to a volunteer. When
the programresumes
, your gift will
bedoubled . Making a program
likethis is a risk , right? What if
people don't want it? Well,clearly you
do. That's reallyimportant to know. Give
us a call
one (800) 236-3636.[MUSIC] And
thank you .
[playful, rhythmic strings]
- Ken Wardius: The thing that
strikes me about Wisconsin lighthou
ses is
the variety.
Different sizes, shapes, colors
.
There's a lot of really uniq
ue lighthouses.
[bird calling]
- Narrator: Stationed in
quaint port towns.
On breakwaters marking harb
ors,
like Kewaunee
and Sturgeon Bay.
And along the shoreline
like the state's tallest li
ghthouse,
Rawley Point, at 113 fee
t.
These aids to navigation ar
e connected
to a legacy of travel al
ong the Great Lakes.
Starting with the earliest
travelers to mark the way,
the First Nations people.
- Katrina Phillips: If you t
hink about how people
look at landmarks when you're on
the road,
they had landmarks on the lak
e.
- Kevin Osgood: They would c
limb trees
and they would cut maybe half
the branches off
from the ground up.
Those are known as "lob tree
s."
Each of those meant something:
either turn left here or tur
n right there.
Go east, go west, go north.
- Katrina Phillips: These tr
ees are, essentially, their lighthou
ses.
[fire crackling] - Fires were
utilized for travel at night,
often lit on large tree stumps
near the shoreline
or placed high on a hill
top.
Mirroring these signal f
ires,
the region's early lighth
ouses
were positioned on elevate
d points.
Their design was short in
stature
yet built for function.
Paving the way for a more
stylistic approach
to lighthouse architecture
on the Great Lakes.
- Barb Wardius: They finally
evolved
to the tall brick and metal
structures
we know today with Fresnel l
enses in them.
[birds chirping]
- Bob Mackreth: Some of them are
magnificent works of the archi
tect's art.
They're beautiful.
- A giant sentinel
stretches 108 feet into t
he sky.
Its stark white tapered to
wer,
prominent against the sh
oreline.
Wind Point Lighthouse,
located near Racine in s
outheastern Wisconsin.
[warm, mellow melody]
- Ken Wardius: Wind Point rea
lly is a gorgeous work of art.
- Barb Wardius: It's strong,
it's majestic.
It's very graceful.
It's just simply beautiful.
- Michael Gasperi: Pretty much
the defiti
on of picturesque,
Wind Point Lighthouse.
- Built in 1880,
Wind Point's architectura
l design
is known as the Poe-style l
ighthouse.
A style attributed to Orlan
do Metcalfe Poe,
a veteran of the Civil War
who served under General
William Shern.
After the war,
Poe was the Chief Engineer
of the Upper Great Lakes Li
ghthouse District
and oversaw the construction
of numeroube
acons along the Great Lakes.
- Michael Gasperi: What Poe r
eally brought was
a much more substantial, bright
er, taller structure
than what had been here before
.
- The soaring tower at W
ind Point
is indicative of Poe-sty
le lighthouses,
which are recognizable
by their distinct cylinder
shapes.
- Michael Gasperi: The base is about
twice as big as the top.
And it h
just the right taper
to really make a hundred-foot t
ower look right.
[playful, dreamy melody]
- Barb Wardius: At Wind Poin
t,
you can stand at the base and lo
ok up,
and it just seems to go onfore
ver!
- Near the top of the tow
er,
an ornate detail naccents the
base of the balcony.
Corbels, or
brackets,
designed in the Florentine
-inspired Italianate style.
- Michael Gasperi: They could hav
e just been
straight pieces of triangle,
but they're actuallyli
ghtly shaped.
It's unexpectedly simple,
but yet it's beautiful and it
has an elegance to it.
N- A callback to the Renaissance,
a rebirth.
Wind Point Lighthouse
marked a time nof progress
and hope in America
post-Civil War.
- Barb Wardius: The time that Wi
nd Point
was built in the 1880s and pu
t into service
was a boom time for Wisconsi
n.
- Brendon Baillod: On the Gre
at Lakes,
there were more vessels per
square mile
than any place else in the w
orld.
- Lake Michigan was filled
with steamships
and enormous straight-dec
k freighters.
They were overflowing wi
th a new export:
grain.
- Brendon Baillod: "Prairie G
old," as they called it.
That was where the money was.
Almost all grain that was being
consumed on the East Coast
was coming out of Wisconsin.
Lighthouses were just essential
to protect those investments.
- Wind Point was chosen
for its strategic location
between Milwaukee and Chic
ago.
The rapidly developing region
was attracting more than ju
st commerce.
It was welcoming scores of ne
w residents.
- Brendon Baillod: Lake Mic
higan was an early target
for immigrants from Europe.
- Albert Muchka: You had ships fu
ll of immigrants
coming from Buffalo, New Yor
k.
They arrived on paddlewheel
ships and steamers.
You know, the immigrant story
of the late 19th century.
They would come to Wisconsin
.
- Seeking freedom and oppo
rtunity,
the journey to Wisconsin was
challenging.
After a harrowing trip ac
ross the Atlantic,
many immigrants still had
to brave
the crowded and dangerous
Great Lakes.
- Brendon Baillod: With tha
t volume of vessel density,
you're going to have accident
s.
- Ted Karamanski: Some ships
didn't make it.
- Ships like thePhoeni
x,
considered one of the worst
disasters on the Great Lakes.
[flames burning] About 200 Du
tch immigrants
lost their lives
when thePhoenixsank
off Sheboygan in 1847.
[blowing ship horn]
But for the many immigrants
who did find safe passage,
a lighthouse meant reassurance
in a new land.
- Albert Muchka: The lighth
ouse was that feeling of safety.
[uplifting piano]
- Ted Karamanski: When you s
aw the lighthouse
at Manitowoc or Sheboygan,
you had reached your destinati
on,
and there had to be a sigh of
relief.
- Albert Muchka: The idea that t
he ship captain
knew where he was going.
In a storm, you knew there w
as land here.
And as an immigrant coming in
on one of those boats,
being afraid and having the cr
ews then tell you,
"Don't worry, the shore's ov
er there.
See the light."
- Waiting on the shoreline
outside Racine,
Wind Point Light.
Classic Old World design in a
new world.
- Barb Wardius: Your first g
limpse is this majestic tower
leading you to your new home.
I think it would stop your hear
t
just because you think, "I'm
finally here.
I've made it."
[waves crashing against the
shore]
[tender piano, water current]
- In nearby Milwaukee,
on a wooded bluff 107 fe
et above Lake Michigan,
sits the city's famed La
ke Park.
NA hundred and thirty-eight acres
of winding paths, deep r
avines,
and panoramic views of t
he water.
The park's centerpiece: a
beacon like no other --
North Point Lighthouse.
- Ken Wardius: North Point Li
ghthouse
is actually a compilation
of parts of three different lig
hthouses.
- Originally constructed in 1
855,
severe erosion to the bluff
it stood on
Njeopardized the brick structure.
In 1888, a new cast-iron tower
nwas built a hundred feet inland,
Nwith the lantern of the original
lighthouse placed on top.
But by the turn of the 20t
h century,
North Point needed yet a
nother upgrade.
- Mark Kuehn: What do you do
when you design a park?
You plant trees.
Well, by 1911, the treeline's t
oo high.
You can't see the lighthouse
anymore.
- The solution was a thir
d tower
built in the same location,
with the previous tower
and lantern
fitted on top of it.
- Ken Wardius: If you look at
the current lighthouse
at North Point today,
there's actually a seam in the
middle
that differentiates the new
base,
which has circular windows,
from the top half,
which has rectangular windows
from the tower built in 1888.
- The unconventional history
of North Point Lighthouse
made it a fitting home
for its most famous reside
nt.
A keeper who would challenge
the social norms of her era.
A keeper named Georgia Stebbi
ns.
- Mark Kuehn: In 1873, Georgia wa
s living in New York.
She gave birth to two daughters
,
but she lost them in childbirt
h and illness.
Then, she was informed that s
he had tuberculosis.
The doctor said, "The only chance
you have
"is to get out of New York
and get some fresh air."
- Georgia Stebbins' father
was the lighthouse keeper
at North Point in Milwaukee.
The fresh breeze off Lake M
ichigan
was just what the doctor
ordered.
- Mark Kuehn: She decided th
at she would go out there
to recuperate and hopefully ge
t better.
Her husband, Lemuel, who was
a watchmaker,
she left him back in New York.
She didn't realize how long
she was gonna be out there.
- Barb Wardius: Just for someone
to leave your home state
where you were born and wher
e you know everything,
and to come alone to the wild,
wild West
that was Wisconsin even then.
[chuckling] I can't imagine!
- In Milwaukee, Georgia
Stebbins' aging father
was declining in health.
The family feared
he was unable to continue
his duty to the lighthouse,
risking his job and their
livelihood.
Georgia stepped up and to
ok over
as the unofficial keeper at
North Point Light.
- Barb Wardius: She freely
was willing to learn
all the trade of the lighthouse
-keeping duties,
and she just stepped in, and sh
e just did it.
- Mark Kuehn: She was active
,
she had to climb stairs, she wa
s outside, she was busy.
In those days, you're talking
long Victorian dresses, pett
icoats, button-up shoes.
- Barb Wardius: I'm picturin
g her holding up the skirt,
and then, having some fuel in h
er other hand
to go up the stairs and tend
to her light.
Don't forget Georgia had tuberc
ulosis.
Just her will must have prop
elled her up those stairs.
- Georgia Stebbins's health
improved.
Reinvigorated, she embarked
on a new life for herself
at North Point Lighthouse.
She had found her purpos
e.
- Ken Wardius: She took the j
ob seriously.
Did the job exemplary
and was just a dedicated pers
on.
Steadfast, like the lighthous
e itself.
- Mark Kuehn: There was time
s
when she would see a ship that
ran aground below the bluffs.
She would go down there, get ou
t in a rowboat,
and row out and rescue the c
rew.
- Barb Wardius: The lighthouse
and tending to it
seemed to be her life.
She was always here, always o
n duty.
- Committed to North Point
Lighthouse,
Georgia Stebbins built he
r life around it,
rarely leaving its grounds,
even with her responsibi
lities growing
as she welcomed a son, Albe
rt.
- Mark Kuehn: Her son was bo
rn at the lighthouse.
She gave birth at home
because she had to keep up he
r duties.
There was no such thing as ma
ternity leave in those days.
You just gave birth and got
right back to work.
N- With her beloved bullmastiff,
Tappan, by her side,
NGeorgia raised her son alone
at the lighthouse.
- Barb Wardius: She was just
a really, really strong woman.
Georgia Stebbins was definitely
a portrait of dedication.
- In 1881, her dedication p
aid off.
After seven years of serving
in an unofficial capacity,
the U.S. Lighthouse Service
named her the official hea
d keeper
of North Point Lighthouse.
- Ken Wardius: For a woman in tha
t era,
it was not common at all
to have the official head ke
eper title.
Officially, she was head keepe
r for more than 20 years,
but with helping her father,
she was here for almost three d
ecades.
- Mark Kuehn: It was amazing.
She retired before women had th
e right to vote.
- Georgia Stebbins retired
in 1907
as the longest-serving li
ghthouse keeper
in North Point's history.
- Barb Wardius: She was a wo
man definitely before her time
working in a man's world,
running the entire show for
all these years
as a lighthouse keeper.
[pensive piano, crickets chi
rping]
[slow, tranquil piano]
- Ken Wardius: It's important
for people to know
the stories of the people
that ran these lighthouses, fo
r many times, decades.
They had pride in their job.
They had pride in their famil
ies.
They had pride being a lighth
ouse keeper.
[wind blowing]
- Though beginning in the
1920s,
the winds of change
Nstarted to descend upon the role
of the lighthouse keeper.
- Ken Wardius: In their wildest d
reams, they had no idea
what the future might bring wi
th technology.
- The innovation of elect
ric-powered beacons,
followed by radar and radi
o communication,
would transform the state's
maritime landscape forever.
- Neil Howk: Over the years
, the advances of technology
allowed the lighthouse service
to automate the lights
and did away with the need fo
r having keepers.
- Ken Wardius: These advanc
es in technology
really put the lighthouse keep
ers and the lighthouses
out of business.
The 1940s and '50s would have
been the time
when most lighthouses were s
tarting to be phased out.
♪ ♪
- Often abandoned,
lighthouses quickly fell
into disrepair.
- Ken Wardius: There are ma
ny lighthouses
that do not have a happy ending
.
Some lighthouses were intention
ally demolished,
never to return again.
The Racine Reef Lighthouse
was a unique light on the Gre
at Lakes.
One of a kind.
Victorian style.
Gorgeous.
Gone.
- Today, very few lighthouses
remain in operation.
Their sweeping beams nreplac
ed by flashing LED lights,
new cost-effective steel-
framed towers,
and GPS navigation.
Often reduced to lonely
landmarks,
lighthouses remain in var
ious stages of ruin
in a test against time.
- Kevin Osgood: Preserving a
150-year-old lighthouse
has its challenges.
- Ken Wardius: Lighthouse pre
servation today
is a difficult job.
It takes tremendous resources --
people, time, money --
to refurbish a light that has n
ot been in good repair
for, many times, decades.
[ripping tape off]
N- In 2006, the sound of pounding
hammers and buzzing saws
reverberated throughout
a tranquil island in Lak
e Superior.
Wind, weather, and time
had all taken their toll on
Raspberry Island Lighthouse
in the Apostle Islands Na
tional Lakeshore.
- Neil Howk: Anybody who owns a h
ouse
knows just how much maintena
nce
goes into keeping a house livabl
e.
We had to refinish the floors,
fix all the plaster walls,
fix the windows, fix the doors,
put a new roof on,
refurnish the kitchen.
- From painters to plaster
ers,
over 50 different types of t
radespeople
plied their talents to this
complex and exacting project.
A rehab a hundred years in
the making.
- Bob Krumenaker: Raspberry'
s been gradually falling down.
The last time it had a major
renovation, a lot of work done,
was 1906.
- A federal grant awarded
to the National Park Service
assured that Raspberry Island
nLighthouse would not go extinct.
- Bob Krumenaker: These places
don't just survive on their own,
they require, in this case,
legislation,
they require committed people,
they require a fair amount
of public money and private
money --
and the dedication of hundred
s of people.
- After two years of har
d work and dedication...
- Tour Guide: Welcome to Ras
pberry Island!
- Raspberry Island Lighthouse
was ready for its grand reop
ening.
- Bob Krumenaker: Okay, thre
e, two, one, cut!
- Crowd: Yay! [cheers and ap
plause]
- Bob Krumenaker: Raspberry
in a lot of ways
is the showcase of the Apost
le Islands.
It's not the biggest lighthouse.
It's not the most dramatic sett
ing,
but it has a human side of it,
I think, that really resonates
with people.
[uplifting synthesizer]
- Today, boatloads of visitors
nstill ferry across Lake Superior
to explore Raspberry Isla
nd.
- Tour Guide: Welcome to Ras
pberry!
- The quaint charm of the
lighthouse
drawing them in.
- Neil Howk: The white buildi
ng, the red roof,
the blue sky, the blue water
.
It's just a beautiful location.
- Ken Wardius: It's one of
the best-restored lighthouses in the
state.
It's gorgeous.
- Barb Wardius: You walk in
the lighthouse.
It's like you've been transfer
red back in time
to the 1920s.
- The lighthouse is preserved
and curated
to reflect the year 1924.
Chosen to honor nRaspberry's
keeper, Lee Benton,
who kept vivid notes
detailing his family's life
nat the lighthouse in the 1920s.
A roadmap outlining Rasp
berry's rich history.
- Neil Howk: We reestablished th
e dining room,
dining room chairs, dining room
table, pictures for the walls,
the sewing machine that Lee B
enton used to use.
- Tour Guide: This is the keeper
of this light.
- Neil Howk: The fun part ab
out taking people on tours
is a lot of the older folks,
it kind of reminds them of wha
t they saw
when they went to visit thei
r grandmother growing up.
Just reminds them of their you
th.
- Even outside, the ligh
thouse grounds
are authentic to the past.
- Fred Schlichting: We have
a vegetable garden.
We also have flower gardens.
They're in the exact same loc
ation
and are the exact same speci
es
that were here back in the '20s
.
- Barb Wardius: When Lee Benton
and his family were there,
they would have taken great
pride
in keeping the grounds and th
e home neat and tidy.
- Ken Wardius: They were working
every single day
at some sort of maintenance,
painting, cleaning.
- Their hard work would
not be in vain.
The pride of place nthe Bent
ons imbued in Raspberry
is a legacy that continu
es today.
- Barb Wardius: Raspberry Is
land is a tribute
to the keepers that came before
.
They were stewards of the li
ght, the tower, the home.
So, I think they would be pleas
ed to know that
it's been well taken care of,
it's been restored,
and company is welcome 'cause t
here's something to see.
- Given a new purpose, a
second life,
lighthouses themselves
have now become keepers of
history.
- Ken Wardius: It's important
to preserve
that maritime legacy and her
itage.
It gives you a connection to t
he history, the people.
Really takes you back in time.
♪ ♪
Ken Wardius: Lighthouses have
a connection
to an era that is long gone,
but it's important to keep th
at history alive.
- Cathy Green: Whether it's indi
viduals or the Park Service,
there are custodians of these
lights
who continue to maintain them
for the historic resources they
are.
- Neil Howk: Being able to see
this span of a century and a
half
of the history of Wisconsin
all encompassed in the buildin
gs.
- Barb Wardius: Those people
are gone,
but the stories still remain
.
- Stories of courage, dut
y, and family.
NLighthouses continue to inspire
and capture the imagination.
- Mark Kuehn: I think what draws
people to lighthouses
is their uniqueness and what t
hey stood for.
They're monumental in a way.
- Bob Mackreth: A lighthouse i
s a guiding post.
A lighthouse is a beacon to sho
w people the true path.
It's become ingrained in our
culture.
- Brendon Baillod: Probably f
or a hundred years,
that maritime culture was a
huge part of our state,
and it molded our character
as a people.
- Cathy Green: It's really at the
heart
of who we are here in Wiscon
sin.
- Pillars of strength.
Guardians of history.
The power and appeal of the
Wisconsin lighthouse endures.
The spirit of the state
embodied in these iconic st
ructures.
- Ken Wardius: They stand tod
ay still
as symbols of dedication, hard
work.
They are a beacon of hope.
A beacon of security.
That's the essence of what a li
ghthouse is.
♪
.>> Thank you .
>> Hi, I'm James Steinbach. I'ma volunteer.
Here at PBSWisconsin
. And this
extraordinary program, which Iknow. I know
you're enjoyingbecause here you are at the
endof it and you're still listening
to us ask you for money, whichis a
good thing to do because itisn't just
about the money we need that
. Absolutely need that.That's why we ask. But it's
alsoabout the support, the mostimportant thing
you can do as aperson in Wisconsin
is to watch PBS Wisconsin
and to share thatwith other
folks, to tell them about the show you watched, to
sit down with other folks and
watch it. That's really whatwe're about. It's
community.It's about Wisconsin . We are
here because of you
. We are here because you and
I support
PBSWisconsin and we support it withour
dollars. We support it with
our thoughts. We support it with
our eyeballs. It's all animportant part of
PBS Wisconsin .So keep
on doing those things.
Keep on, keep on sending themoney, keep on sending
yourselves. Keep on sharing withyour kids
and call us
at one(800) 236-3636.
thank you James.>> I'm Kerman Ec kes on
the staffhere at PBS Wisconsin. And if
you've already called us this
evening, thank you so much. Ifit's
something you've beenthinking about
doing, now's the perfect time to go
to those phones and talk to
one of ourvolunteers . And of course,
don'tforget , when you do join us
hereat PBS Wisconsin this evening.We
have some fabulous thank yougifts that,
and I'll run throughthese briefl y
for you right now.If you call and become
a memberat the $15 a month level,
youhave your choice of one of three
items you can take a copy of on
either DVD or Blu ray. WisconsinLighthouses
. The fabulous show that
we've just finished watching, so you
can go throughthat again. Or you
can get a copy
of Wisconsin Lighthousesthe book by Ken and
BarbWardius. So a great way to
goback and get some more in-depthinformation
about those lighthouses
. And finally , foryour third
choice, we have thisabsolutely fabulous tote and
Ilove this tote. It's a niceheavyweight
canvas tote. Butwhat really makes it stand
outis the artwork. That's
on thetote itself. The artwork i s
doneby artist Sophie
Blackall andshe has
done a beautiful illustration of
Cana IslandLighthouse in the daytime
on oneside, and then on the other
side is the Cana
Island Lighthouse.At night . So
absolutely beautiful tote
a great way if you're into lighthouses. This
issomething that you're going towant to
add to your collection .Or you can
get all three ofthese
with a commitment at
$25 amonth here for PBS Wisconsin
. Soit all starts with you
going toyour phone and dialing
one(800) 236-3636. I'm
David Hoffert. I'm avolunteer here at
PBS Wisconsin,and I get to say, but
wait,there's more because there'sanother gift
level that I didn't have time to talk
about. They're right in between the
two. At $20a month, where you get
more ofthat. Sophie Blackall Art. So
this is a children's book. Hello
,lighthouse, with a lot of herillustrations
and also
a nightlight
. And this is the thisis the
same artwork that was onthe tote
bag that Kermit wasjust showing you. This
one'spretty cool though, because it'sthe daytime
artwork now, and I can't show this to you in the
moment, but if it got
dark, itwould be the nighttime artworkon
that same bag . And this isart
that that Sophie Blackallmade
for PBS Wisconsin for
this,that tote bag and thatnightlight.
You cannot get that anywhere
else. So this is agreat time
to show your support. Give us a call
one(800) 236-3636. in this
last segment wewere watching, we heard the
story of Georgia Stebbins and
this is a woman you
saw theshow. You know that. Who dedicated her
life to keepingthe
light. And she stayed there.What did
it say? She stayed there
never spending a nightaway from the
lighthouse. Never spending a night away
from thelighthouse. Is that thededication
of that is really
worth knowing
and telling these stories. Telling these
storiesabout Wisconsin folks
who youmay never have heard of, who
have done these extraordinary things.
It's one of the
thingsthat I really value about
PBSWisconsin. It's great to have the celebrities and all
thethings that we do when we do
music. But the greatest thing iswhen
we see our neighbors
andour friends and the historiesfrom the
past that really reveal to us something about
wherewe've come from and perhaps
where we're going as well,because it
all connects. And I think that that's something
thatPBS Wisconsin really
celebrates and encourages
you and engagesyou
and invites you to
share. So give us,
give us a call.
One(800) 236-3636. s
, James. And when youcall us this
evening here at PBS Wisconsin and become a
member,we have those. Thank you gifts.
Let me run through thesebriefly. One more time for
you.If you call and become a member
at the $15 a month level, you
have your choice
of one
of threeitems you can take a DVD or Bluray copy
of the program that we've just watched, so
thatfabulous show on WisconsinLighthouses
. Or you can take acopy of
the book that everything is based on. Wisconsin
Lighthouses by Ken and Barb Wardius. So that's a
great indepth look at at
otherlighthouses . More information
.Fabulous photographs
are also included and
your third
choiceat that
$15 a month level isthis tote
bag by with
art bySophie Blackall. A
beautifultote , a nice heavy
weight, buton
one side it has the Cana
Island Lighthouse and that Sophie did specifically for
ushere at PBS Wisconsin. We have
it at night or during the
day,so talk to one of
ourvolunteers. They can run throughthose levels
and thatinformation for
you once againin the meantime, we're going
togo back one more time to talk
toKen and Barbatteius again. Theauthors of
the book that end thebook
of Wisconsin Lighthouses
and the inspiration for
the show. So enjoy hearing
from Kenand Barb
.>> Hi, I'm Eric Greiling,director of
friends of PBSWisconsin. We're
back with Barband Ken
now .
You two areprobably the experts on
Wisconsin Lighthouses for folkswho are
just inspired by the
program, they just watched, what
kind of tips do you have
forvisiting lighthouses aroundWisconsin
?>> Lighthouse festivals are agreat
time to go the ApostleIslands has
one in the fall around labor Day and
Door Countyhas one in
the spring and in thefall, and there
are lighthousesthat are often open th
at are notopen to the public during th
erest of the year.
It's a goodchance to go and a
lot of thoselighthouses are not open to
thepublic, but some are.>> What kind
of guidance do you have of
the 48 lights in thestate?
>> Eric? Less than a
third ofthem are open to the public
andonly a portion of those are in
any kind of form of
, you know, good
restoration where you'dwant to go
in and really look atwhat life was
like back in the1800s. For
example , there's anumber of
lighthouses that havefriends
, organizations involvedwith
them. Those are very, very
helpful to check their resourcesout
as well .>> Speaking of
resources, inaddition to your boo k, what
kinds of additional resourceswould you
recommend? >> Oh my goodness
, we were so blessed by so many people and so
many organizations
helping withresearch, public
libraries ,historical
societies . There's a
number of lighthouse researchers throughout the United
States, acouple names come to mind
TerryPepper . Com
and Lighthouse
Friends dot
org are a
wealth of information of
lighthousesthroughout the Great Lakes, aswell
as the entire country, andwe
should say you also have a
lecture on our
university place series, which folks can
findonline .>> We do
. That's great. That's great.
you so much for
coming into the studio . Thankyou for
watching. I hope you've enjoyed
Wisconsin Lighthouses.If you
want to make a gift tosupport this
program, takeadvantage of some of our thank
you gifts . Like this bookWisconsin Lighthou
ses . You canmake
that call right
now at one(800) 236-3636.
now I'm going to say butwait, there's
more . Again
, youknow , the
program is over and maybe you'll be getting
a Bluray or
DVD of it with your withyour thank you
gift. But we actually are going
to havecoming up here a behind the
scenes of how this
program wasmade . I mentioned this
at an earlier break. It took years
tomake this between the researchand the
filming and the interviewing, I
mean, this is a major undertaking
, and you'regoing to get to see
kind ofbehind the scenes how that all
works. So stick for
around that .But
you know, it's important
toremember that a program likethis is
a big risk for
PBSWisconsin again, took
years tomake this
. We need to know that
it matters to you. We need to know
that this is the thing thatyou want
us to keep doing, andwe're going to
know that whenyou give us a
call, one(800) 236-3636, you know, tomake a
show like this takes
a lot of people.
clearly the peoplewho you see in the
show, thepeople who make the show and
Kerman has been very modestabout this because
Kerman, whoyou've been hearing from, was
akey part of the crew that made
this show. I'm just going to say that
because she won't she didall the sound
work on it. Thank you. Kerman, but
it also takespeople who give the financial
support, which is why we havethese pledge
breaks. There are some folks who are
in a positionin their lives
where they canmake a really gen erous donation,and
perhaps that's true for younow. And if
you are in a position where you could
give$1,000 a year as part of our
leadership circle, this is agreat time to do it. There'
s never been a better
time toexpress your support for PBSWisconsin
now , whatever you
give, whether
it's $20 or $1000,that's
what is correct for youto do.
And that's what the
bestthing to do is. But if you' re
ina position where you're able togive
it that higher level ,please think about
it. It'ssomething really , I believe,worth
supporting. And I hope youdo too. So
call us at
one(800) 236-3636. no matter what level
you can join us this evening,whether it's,
as James said,that $1,000 level or any
otherlevel that you that you can
manage to do , it is a
wonderfulthing for us here at PBSWisconsin.
And it's so very important and when you
do that,we have some thank you gifts
that will send your way. Let me run
through these again for youbriefly. If you
call and becomea
member at the $15 a monthlevel, you
have your
choice ofthree items. The DVD or Blu
rayof the show that we've justwatched
. Wisconsin Lighthouses .Or you can
take a copy of theWisconsin Lighthouses book
byKen and Barbatteius
. Or you can have the fabulous tote bag with
that art by Sophie Blackall
.That has the
Cana IslandLighthouse in the daytime.
Onone side, and a beautiful
Cana Island lighthouse
at night . Ifyou would
like all three of these, call
and join us at the$25 level. A
month. A monthlevel
a month point and we
willsend you
all three of theseitems. So that's
a fabulous wayto say
thank you. We also have
one more special group that I'dlike to
tell you about. And this
is at $20 a month. We will
sendyou a copy o
f hello lighthouse.This is a Caldecott winning bookby S
ophie Blackall. The
art inthis book is
absolutely fabulous. It is
absolutelygorgeous to look at, but
also ittells a wonderful story ofpeople
trying to tend the lighthouse and keep the
lighthouse going. Plus, we'll
send you this wonderful
night,nighttime Nightlight that
has the
called the lighthouse in
thedaytime and then it
lights upand you see the lighthouse at
night. And again, the art isalso
by Sophie Blackall. Sothat's at
$20 a month. So wehave many
wonderful gifts thatwe can send
your way. You cantalk to
our one of our volunteers and get some
moreinformation about them. And itall starts
by dialing one(800) 236-3636.
you know, I know thatthat last
package that Kermitwas just talking about with
thewith the children's book and thenightlight,
I mean, it sounds like it's geared for
kids, right?But like, let's be
honest, Ihave a nightlight in mybathroom,
r ight? So that
when Iwake up in the middle of
thenight, I can see something
andlike, yeah, I can g
o on Amazonand I can buy like one of thosejust
blank circular lights. Butbut th is is
a piece of art. Thisis a way to have art i
n mybathroom. As well
as thefunction of a nightlight. So I
think all of those gift levelsare really appropriate
foranybody at any phase of life
.And of course, that's the point ,is
that we're talking about things that are
meaningful across generations
. A programlike this brings
us together asa state
and a community. Jameswas talking
about people who can afford to give a
larger gift. If that's out of reach
for you,right now , maybe you can
put usin your estate plan and become
apart of the Heritage Society.There's
all sorts of ways to bea part
of the PBS Wisconsin community. What
matters is thatyou call and start
that process. One (800) 236-3636 we've talked
about about all the work thatgoes into
making a program like this.
, it takes y
ears ofresearch
, production , editing
,writing , re-editing
, sometimes it really is a
labor of love and ,you know, in
your own life that things that are good
take time.Things that are
good are not easy.
And that's something whichwe kno w
here. And we appreciate
,we appreciate in craftspeople.We appreciate
it in our own crew
.It's something that really makesa difference.
We think and so wewant to take
just a few minutesnow to show you
a behind thescenes look at
some of the workthat went
into making this a really extraordinary show that
brings a show like WisconsinLighthouses
to life, made it come to life because
of you. Sothank
you for that. Take a look
.>> All right, man
, all aboard ![MUSIC]
! Today we're going
to.[MUSIC] it is
.>> Setting up the gimbal.[MUSIC]
And it allows me to move thecamera
around without gettingany big shaky
movements .[MUSIC]
Yeah. this speed righthere
.[MUSIC] >> Okay. Driving
over the causeway here
.>> It's another day at theoffice
.[MUSIC] [MUSIC]
That's good .>> You can
go ahead and hold herthere
.[MUSIC] you go.>> Look
at that . We've hired
.
A .[MUSIC]
Crew . Go
.>> Yo, we just bushwhacked
.>> We have had
to don mosquito
clothing .>> I gotta
say, I've never had anything this
ridiculous on mybody before , but, man, this
is alifesaver .
It's that easy, kids
. >> Well, we hope
you enjoyedthat. Behind the
scenes look,giving you just a little
tasteof some of the work that thefabulous
field crew that went out and brought back
theseimages and these sounds of theselighthouses
just to give a
shoutout, you saw the two primary
videographers, James Donovan and
Mike Barron, and then
also EmilyJulka, who did some ad ditional
photography on the show. You sawJeff Pfeiffer, he
is theproducer of the show. And of
course, there were many otherpeople that
were so involved in the, the, the post-production
work grant Fenster and so many
others that were were involved
.So but this fabulous show ishere
because of you and otherpeople from
around the state whosay
PBS Wisconsin is something that I value. I
love seeingshows that are so Wisconsin
specific and that's because of
your support. So if it'ssomething you've been
thinkingabout doing, now's the perfect
time for you to call us right now
and join us here duringduring our last
minute or twohere
before we go on to our nextshow
and talk to one of ourvolunteers. Don't
forget, wehave some fabulous thank yougifts
for you. We have. If youjoin
us at that $15 level, amonth, you
can take your choice
of the DVD or Blu ray of the show that we've just
watched.You can take the book WisconsinLighthouses
or the absolutelybeautiful Tote with the artwork
by Sophie Blackall, or you cantake
all three if you join us atthe
$25 a month level. You canhave both
the book, the DVD andof course
the beautiful canvas tote
. Don't forget, we also havethat children's
level. If that's something that you're interested
in and that's at $20 a month.We'll
send you the copy of theFabulous
book hello , lighthousesor
the wonderful Night Light
that you can enjoy . So
we hopethat you've enjoyed this
show .We were
so pleased. Thank you for everybody that has
joined usthis evening . But please give
usa call at
one (800) 236-3636.[MUSIC]
♪ ♪
- Announcer: Funding for Wisc
onsin Lighthouses
is provided by
the David L. and Rita E. Nelson
Family Fund,
Dr. Henry Anderson and Shirle
y Levine,
the Ruth St. John and John Dunha
m West Foundation,
Jan Botz and Tom Lippert,
the Dwight and Linda Davis Fo
undation,
A.C.V. and Mary Elston Family,
Slater Family Fund,
Barb and Mike Madden,
Obrodovich Family Foundation,
The Great Lakes Foundation,
Ruder Ware,
the Fund for Lake Michigan,
Trust Point,
Wisconsin Coastal Management P
rogram,
and the National Oceanic and At
mospheric Administration,
donors to the Focus Fund for Wi
sconsin Programs,
and Friends of PBS Wisconsin.
(water bubbling) (ethereal music)
(ethereal music continues)
- [Karen] There's always somethin
g new to see
in Lake Superior.
Just swimming at a new beach
or going a little bit further
down the beach in my training
and seeing what's around that ne
xt corner.
I can find myself pretty far aw
ay from my towel
before I'll turn around.
It's a resource and a wonder.
- [Interviewee] The river fl
ows seamlessly out
and becomes the lake.
And all of our rivers around
Lake Superior become the lake.
- [Wayne] Gitchi-Gami.
The Fond du Lac people were
known as Gitchi-Gami-Anini,
the people of Lake Superior.
There's a spirit in the lake.
A lot of people feel that sp
irit.
The Anishinaabe realize that
as well.
- [Karen] There's no place li
ke Lake Superior.
It's just a beautiful, beauti
ful place
and incredibly precious.
I think it's really important
for everyone who comes
to this lake to really unders
tand how precious it is,
how unique it is.
It carries 10% of the world'
s fresh water.
(waves crashing)
And water is becoming the most
precious resource there is.
(ethereal music continues)
- [Interviewee] It's just so
big and so cold and so pure.
This huge pool of fresh water.
It makes you pause, it makes
you think.
It's just part of the soul o
f this region.
(water splashing)
- I'm Karen Zemlin.
I'm a lifelong Minnesotan.
I started swimming in open water
with my dad when I was 14,
and we did a lot of swims toget
her.
We started swimming in Lake
Superior
and when he was training to
swim in the English Channel.
You have to train your body
and your mind for open water,
cold water swimming.
(light dramatic music)
We're lucky to have such a big b
ody of water
for open water swimmers to tr
ain in.
- Woo!
- [Narrator] Karen and a team of
five seasoned
marathon swimmers devised a
plan to attempt
a distance record relay swim for
Lake Superior
in late August, 2023.
Their idea was to swim nonstop
without wetsuits
from Split Rock Lighthouse t
o Duluth.
The swimmers would swim one hour
rotations
over the 46 miles.
When not in the water,
they would rest and warm up aboa
rd the 68-foot Soulmates 2.
The 36-foot Imagine would le
ad the way with Paul Vogue
in his kayak as a safety escort.
In preparation, they held a
practice session in July.
- For today, our goal is to
swim that shape of a box.
So there's three GPS coordinates.
- [Narrator] On the team wit
h Karen
was 62-year-old Jeff Everett,
64-year-old Craig Collins,
51-year-old Casey McGrath,
28-year-old Seth Batezold,
and 57-year-old Mike Miller.
- We're no spring chickens h
ere except Seth.
- [Karen] So they come with a
lot of experience of their own
and we're gonna lean into that.
- Super toasty in this wetsuit.
- [Narrator] On practice day,
wetsuits were allowed;
a luxury that the swimmers wo
uldn't have a month later.
- Today is a a good proof of
concept that this time of year
during this swim window at the e
nd of August,
that this is achievable.
It's a slow, subtle process,
but it's getting warmer.
So we're one of those invasi
ve species
as the lake warms up, the open w
ater swimmers.
- [Karen] This is the first
long relay in Lake Superior.
In an event that's over 45 m
iles, it's substantial
because we know how fast thos
e conditions can change.
(light dramatic music)
(light dramatic music continues)
- [Reporter] Okay, ready? -
[Karen] Sure.
- Okay, so the day's here, ho
w are you feeling right now?
- I'm super excited.
I think that the water is a great
temperature.
I guess I didn't get a read o
n it.
I heard it was maybe 65 even.
So that's plenty warm.
Plenty warm.
- [Reporter] All right.
(horn blowing) (water splashi
ng)
(light dramatic music)
(light dramatic music continues)
- [Karen] Any big body of water,
you have to invite its cooper
ation sometimes I think.
'Cause no matter what, it can
win.
(light dramatic music continues)
(light music)
- [Narrator] We live on a blu
e planet.
Though 97% of the Earth's wa
ter is salt water,
making up the world's oceans.
And it's not readily availabl
e for our use.
Only 3% is fresh water
and only a third of that water is
accessible.
Almost all of the rest is ei
ther frozen in glaciers
or unreachable below ground.
That makes surface fresh water
such a precious resource.
And among the world's freshw
ater lakes,
Superior's vary name suggests
how extraordinary it is.
It is the largest lake in the
world by surface area.
It contains 84% of North Ame
rica's
surface fresh water reserves.
- Lake Superior is the greate
st of the Great Lakes.
The Great Lakes watershed ho
lds 20%
of all the fresh surface water on
the planet.
And Lake Superior alone hold
s 10%
of all the fresh surface water on
the planet.
It has enough volume or capa
city to absorb the waters
of all the other Great Lakes
and still have room to spare.
It's truly a superlative, global
ly significant water body.
- The fact that we here in th
e middle
of North America here in Dul
uth, Minnesota
can look on our windows and
see ships,
which may have come from real
ly anywhere on Earth,
is a really remarkable thing.
- This is the largest freshw
ater port in the world.
Routinely moving goods across
the globe out of the center
of the United States to far
flung countries in Europe.
They ship to Australia.
They ship to parts of Asia.
So it's really a remarkable
connection for our people,
but also to a global economy.
(boat horn blowing)
(light music)
- The thing about Lake Super
ior is
it's just loaded with superlati
ves.
It's just so big, so vast, so
beautiful.
It's the wildest of the Great
Lakes.
It has the most wilderness-l
ike shorelines.
And it is the one lake that p
eople can visit
and get a glimmer of what it
might have been like
to be here pre-European settleme
nt.
It is the most intact of the Gr
eat Lakes ecosystems
that we have here in North A
merica.
(waves crashing)
- [Narrator] In many ways, Su
perior is like an ocean,
and while her power is nothin
g to be taken lightly,
the lake can have a gentle side,
especially in the warm summe
r months.
- There's something about La
ke Superior
that can connect with everybody,
whether they like to swim in
the lake or fish in the lake
or kayak in the lake or boat
in the lake.
(light music)
I'm Katya Gordon.
I am a contented resident of T
wo Harbors, Minnesota.
I live there with my husband
Mark and my two daughters,
and we sail on Lake Superior.
We've had a charter sailing
business since 2010.
We love to bring people to Lake
Superior, learn how to sail
and get more in touch with t
he the lake itself.
In 2014, we started taking yo
ung adults with us
as crew on Lake Superior, visi
ting schools and doing
educational programs about La
ke Superior.
I love our rugged shoreline
and all the drama that comes
with that,
but I also just love the sensatio
n of leaving it behind.
The water is incredibly clear
and there's just a little soun
d of the waves lapping
on the hull of the boat,
and it's incredibly peaceful.
- [Narrator] But as Katya an
d her family know well,
Lake Superior's many moods in
clude some that are fierce.
And the lake has very few saf
e harbors
where you can ride out a storm.
Conditions can change in minu
tes,
and huge swells build very q
uickly,
much faster than on an ocean.
Some 600 ships have been lost t
o Lake Superior,
and the biggest storms have s
unk multiple ships.
The lake's frigid waters have ma
de wrecks
particularly deadly.
By one estimate, more than 1,
000 lives have been lost.
(light eerie music)
(waves crashing)
(thunder booming)
- In Lake Superior, the Grea
t Panther,
the guardian of the copper a
t Isle Royal
has his lair underwater,
and is always associated wit
h water.
They used to have ceremonies
to the Great Panther
where they would make offerings
and sink them to the Great Pa
nther
that was down under the water.
Because of course he controll
ed the storms.
So that if you are a commerci
al fisherman
or just even traveling on Lak
e Superior,
you did that in order to ens
ure safe travel.
You never take Lake Superior
for granted.
You never trust it.
It can be dangerous, can be d
eadly.
(waves crashing)
(static crackling)
- After hearing a little more
stories about the Great Lakes,
(bells chiming)
I always just thought it was rea
lly intriguing
to think about that because
I lived right next
to Lake Superior. (static crac
kling)
And anytime that I was near it,
I felt the power and the energy
of the lake itself.
(bells chiming)
In my mind, Mishi Bizhiw was
a protector of the water.
Big giant cat, you know, sort
of embodies that spirit.
Given that it's a protector of t
he water,
to me that sort of makes it a lit
tle noble.
So even if it's presented in
some stories as being kind of
a menace, I see it as having
its own story
and its own reasoning.
One of the themes in my work is t
hat I like to look at these
characters at a different pe
rspective
and I want to frame the Mish
i Bizhiw that it can be
a parent to a cub.
- A lot of Ojibwe medicine ba
gs have the image
of the panther with a kind of
zigzag line on top,
meaning it's underwater.
And they show often two of th
em in two different colors.
So one panther is evil and ca
n poison you,
it can blow pestilence out of
its mouth; kill you.
But the other one has all ki
nds of knowledge
that if you give him the right
gifts and the right honor,
he'll give you all kinds of wis
dom.
(drum beating)
(Lilly singing in Ojibwe lan
guage)
(singing in Ojibwe language c
ontinues)
(singing in Ojibwe language c
ontinues)
(singing in Ojibwe language c
ontinues)
(singing in Ojibwe language c
ontinues)
- [Wayne] Gitchi-gami-Ziibi.
That's what our name for the
river is.
The river of the Great Lake.
And the bridge right over he
re is named after Bayaaswaa.
Bayaaswaa was a war chief of
the Ojibwe who said,
"You couldn't convince me to
move
anywhere else in the world.
This is the center of the un
iverse for me."
And that pretty much summarizes
what this area means to the O
jibwe.
- [Narrator] The river is al
so known as the St. Louis,
the largest Lake Superior tribut
ary in the United States.
And deep within the St. Loui
s estuary,
where the river's nutrient-rich
waters mix
with those of the lake,
there is an island of special
importance
to the Fond du Lac Band.
It's called Manidoo-minis, or
Spirit Island.
- [Jeff] It's like the heart,
the heart of a larger entity.
'Cause it's not just about th
e island.
It's about everything that co
mes out from that island.
The spirituality, the careta
king of the environment.
It's inseparable from each other.
The water flows, passed it th
e water.
That's the lifeblood of Mothe
r Earth
and lifeblood of the human ra
ce is that flowing water.
It flows by the heart like that.
It's going out into the grea
ter world.
All that water flows by that hea
rt, the island,
and goes out into Lake Superior
and through the other lakes
and out into the ocean again.
(soft ethereal music)
That's one of the reasons to
that island is so important.
It isn't because it's just a
piece of land,
because it's a symbol and a c
enter,
a center of a culture and a cent
er of a world.
And that's why it's importan
t to us.
(soft ethereal music continues)
(light music)
- This whole area is part of t
he prophecies of where
the Anishinaabe would live f
orever.
This would be our perpetual
homeland was in these areas
where the food grows on the wate
r, the Manoomin, is relevant
to all of us, all of us huma
n beings.
If you look at the beauty of this
estuary,
all we need to do is be grateful
for these surroundings
in order for us to have a re
ciprocal relationship
with all that provides for us.
- So when you're in the estuary,
you're gonna see wetlands,
forested islands, incredible
bird diversity,
waterfowl migrations that are
really singular and important.
You're also gonna see a lot of m
ammal, reptile
and amphibian diversity here
too.
You get a sense that it's ful
l of life.
The marine estuaries, or the
estuaries
on the saltwater coasts,
have one big difference and that
's salt.
But here we still have many c
hemical differences
between Lake Superior and the
St. Louis River, for example.
(water crashing)
The St. Louis River comes do
wn, it's warm, it's dark,
it's nutrient-rich, it's flo
wing out
of wetlands and forests, it's
carrying a lot of nutrients
and small sediment particles
with it.
The lake is really clear, it's
cold.
It doesn't have many differen
t kinds of life in it
because there's just not enou
gh nutrients
and energy to support that.
And so those two ecosystems a
re overlapping
in the St. Louis River.
And that provides a space for
all of these creatures
in the lake, all of these cr
eatures in the river
to live together in a really pro
ductive place.
(light music)
- People ask me how I got into
it or wanted to get into it
and I just say there's some c
razy Nordic
genes running around this body.
And I was always drawn to it.
My name's Stephen Dahl,
I commercial fish out in Knif
e River on Lake Superior.
I've been doing this for 30 p
lus years.
(gulls cawing)
I am up at 4:00 a.m. and you
want to get out on the lake
before the sun comes up.
It's a perishable product out
there.
My herring net is about a mile a
nd a half out
and a mile and a half from the
marina, give or take.
The herring nets are semi-per
manent.
They're out there through th
e season.
It's an efficient system
because you just go out there
when this fish are around
and lift one end of the net
up, plop it over the bow,
and then just slide along an
d pick the herring out.
And then the net goes right b
ack in.
It's really nice 'cause you shut
the motor off
and it's quiet and it's just
a world of herring gulls
and me and water. (gulls caw
ing)
Knife River was, and still is
a commercial fishing town
and the rest of the towns up
the shore are very much so.
First people that got here,
they would get a chunk of land
and then they would normally go,
there aren't many harbors at
all.
So they would build skids.
And again, that's why it was a s
kiff fishery.
They'd just push a homemade
wood boat off the shore.
It's tough sometimes, but that
's what they would do.
We can lift it, those herrin
g nets in pretty stiff
northwest wind 'cause it doesn't
create a sea,
it's just blowing off the shore.
And the biggest thing is you
always go with the wind
when you lift the net.
And it just shoots you right
down the net.
So when you get to the outside
of the net, you're done.
I never, never, never let go
of that net
until the motor started up and i
t sounds...
So everything sounds okay and the
n I drop it.
'Cause otherwise, if I have m
otor failure,
I'm out in the middle of the
lake within two, three minutes
and I'm in trouble.
I just heard a story.
These guys, it hit and they
couldn't roll back into it.
You know, this is 1900 or 1920.
They tied themselves into the
boat
'cause they knew they were do
omed,
but at least people could find
them frozen to death.
It actually really hasn't cha
nged a lot.
We're not Luddites,
but there's really no other
way to do it.
There's not enough money in t
his system
to warrant $500,000 boats.
I want to be out and it real
ly is enjoyable to harvest
a wild product.
I don't know, it's just some
thing that gets into you.
You know, seeing a net come u
p full of fish
is pretty enjoyable.
(horn blowing)
(water splashing)
- All right. - Welcome.
- I thought it was good. - Well d
one.
- I'm gonna take my goggles off.
Oh, so did everything go wel
l here?
- [Swimmer] Yeah, 62, warmin
g up to 64 recently.
- Yeah, no problem, you guys.
- [Swimmer] How so?
- If we could get a little s
unshine
it'd be like being at the beach.
If we get a little chop later,
maybe it'll slow us down a l
ittle bit.
But right now this is, like,
smooth sailing.
(upbeat music)
- It feels good to get the bu
tterflies out the first leg.
(water splashing)
- This is Soulmates, we're ca
lling Imagine.
- [Captain] Imagine, over.
- We are celebrating halfway
by opening our candy bag.
We welcome you to open yours
and enjoy.
- [Captain] Thank you.
Congratulations, everyone.
- Oh, thank you.
Halfway! (swimmers cheering)
(boat creaking) (indistinct
talking)
- Hold on, hold on, hold on,
hold on.
- You all right? - [Karen] Yeah
.
- [Narrator] In the afternoon,
a tailwind kicked up
with gusts greater than 20 kn
ots.
The National Weather Service decl
ared a small craft advisory
that kept Paul Vogue and his
kayak out of the water.
The waves grew to five feet a
nd began pushing
the sailboat ahead of the swimm
ers.
- It's looking pretty choppy
to me.
So we'll see how it goes, ma
n, you just don't fight it.
Don't fight the lake.
So, try and find a rhythm wh
ere you're in sync
with what's going on and keep
swimming.
(light dramatic music)
I might feel like I'm in a w
ashing machine,
but I don't feel uncomfortable.
- [Narrator] As darkness app
roached,
the wind and waves persisted.
Out of concern for the swimme
r's safety,
the captains began discussing
the possibility
of aborting the swim.
(light dramatic music continues)
- Just a black abyss that you loo
k down into.
You gotta pay attention and see
everything.
See the boat and make sure yo
u don't run into anything.
(horn blowing)
- [Captain] Neutral, you're g
ood to go.
(water splashing)
Swimmer on deck.
- I gotta get some rest.
That was a long hour. - [Swi
mmer] Yeah.
- Fatigue is settling in.
The air temperature is colder.
So the variables are, yeah,
it's challenging now.
Pretty challenging.
(light dramatic music continues)
>> Hi. I'm James Steinbach. I'ma
volunteer here at
PBSWisconsin. We're taking a breakfrom
this show. This is reallyan extraordinary
show because
itnot only tells you
the story ofthe lake, but it tells
you thestories of the
lake and thatlast
guy, the fisherman . I wasthinking
about that and thinking about. He said
this wonderful statement about how
you alwayswork with
the wind. You know
, Idon't have it exactly right
, butit was such
a great reminderthat everybody
, everybody whoknows the
outdoors, which is so many people
in Wisconsin, know that you you can
never fightthat. You have to understand
it.You have to live in it.
You haveto be
respectful of it and this
program is all about being
respectful. It's all about that
.And speaking of that, we
have achallenge break coming up. Sothis is a really important
timeto call. And pledge becauseright now
your your support yourpledge has doubl
ed dollar fordollar. Call
us at one(800) 236-3636. And
make yourpledge of support
. >> Well, hello, my
name is Kerman Eckes
a nd I'm on the
staff here at PBS Wisconsin. AndJames
mentioned that this is achallenge break. And
we have a goal
of 20 people calling induring this break.
So it's theperfect time for you to
showyour support for PBS Wisconsinand
for quality programing
,like, like the show that we'rewatching
right now, this this ispossible
because of people likeyou
that call in and say, yes,this
is something I value. AndI'm willing to
make a financialcommitment to support. And when
you do that, we also have somewonderful
thank you gifts for you. Let me run through those
for you. If you call and
becomea member at the $10 a month
level, we will send you thiswonderful iHeart
PBS Wisconsin Cap
. It's in the blue and white,which
are the colors
for PBSWisconsin. So
i t's a great way
to show your support. Plus,we'll send a
vinyl window cling that shows the outline
of theGreat Lakes . So that's
really ,really a nice
thing. At the
$10a month level, if you
call andjoin us at the
$14 level, a month level, we
will send youthe copy of the book,
The Deathand Life of the Great Lakes.
Andthat's by author Dan Egan. Thisbook
is absolutely wonderful and
again, to really go into some ofthe
concepts and the ideas andreally keeping a
tab on what'sgoing on
with the great Lakesand
especially Lake Superior. Sothat's
at that $14 a monthlevel.
And then we also have
the $20 a month level
in which we'llsend you the cap, the
decal, andthe book . So many
ways to saythank you to you. But
now weneed you to go to this
phone anddial one (800) 236-3636.>> Hi, I'm
David Hoffert, a volunteer here at
PBS Wisconsin .This program is
kind of kind of cool for me in
particular, Icouldn't I honestly can't tellyou
why . I've always
had a thing for
Lake Superior. It's there'slike a lore.
There's a myth of it. I was doing
some hiking afew years ago in the
Porcupine Mountains and on
day two, wehiked up to the lake
and thenall the way along the l ake,
andI just, I got to Lake Superior,
and I just had
this, like, spiritual moment of, like
, wow.Right. And honestly
, that's Ithink what
PBS Wisconsin captures
for me so often is
thatthat just sense of awe
and wonder. Right. And,
and I wasfortunate enough to be up thereand actual
ly see it and put
my toes in it.
But like PBSWisconsin
takes us to these places, even if you
don't havethe luxury of driving up there
and doing it yourself , that'sthe
kind of programing that you're supporting when you call
during this
challenge break.Give us a call one(800) 236-3636.
this program comes from
usfrom PBS North
, which is inDuluth. And
that's one of the strengths of the
PBS system isthat is it stations share with
each other. Speaking of sharing,can I have
that hat ? Carmen,
would you please give me that
hat? Thank you. I had no hat
. Ihave a hat now
. I feel better. Ifeel
better, I do ,
and this isone
of the things about PBS isthat each
station is responsible to its
community. So PBS North
what they focus on is a Dulutharea
and that we focus on thestate
of Wisconsin. But we
recognize that there areprograms
that cross over , and it
isn't something where then somebody just hangs on
to it anddoesn't let anybody else haveit. And
the lawyers go get at it.It's really a question of
whatmakes sense for our community.And this
program clearly makes sense for us as
much as it does
in Duluth, which is why we'reasking you
to support us duringthis challenge break. So
call us. We're at
five calls. We'reon our way to 20.
I know we can do that.
Call us at one(800) 236-3636.
And I'm going togive Carmen
back her hat .>> Well, thank
you , James.
Andagain this hat
is something thatwe can
send to you when you joinus here at PBS Wisconsin.
This evening
, if you call
it that, $10
a month level, we will sendyou not
only the very stylish
hat that you saw, James wearingthat says,
I heart PBS Wisconsin ,but we also
have a wonderfulvinyl decal. It's a window
clingthat it says it's for cars
, laptops and water bottles,
butit shows the outline of thegreat Lakes. So t
hat's a greatsomething
, especially if you
youlove the great
Lakes. And ifthey're important to
your lifethat might be a wonderful thing
for you to have. If you call andbecome a member
at the
$14level, we have the absolutely fabulous book The Death and
Lifeof the Great Lakes. This is
byauthor Dan Egan. He's aMilwaukee reporter
, has this.The
book was actually a finalistfor the Pulitzer
Prize, whichtells you
something of the impact that this book
has andthe information that's there.And
the stories that it'stelling.
It's certainlysomething that if you'reconcerned about
the environmentand the Great Lakes, it'ssomething
that you're going towant, want t o
have in yourlibrary
. If you would like allof these
items, call and become
a member at $20
a month andwe'll send you the hat
, thewindow cling, and the book
. Butwhatever level you
choose, itall starts with a phone
call toone (800) 236-3636.
You know, if you watch thenews
regularly and probably you watch PBS NewsHour
regularly,you know , they're always talking
about ecological crises
in inbodies of water
in particular,you know, coral reefs dying
and,and pollution. And so
on . What Ithink
is so powerful about aprogram like
this is it makes it
personal. It reminds us thatit's not
just out there in theocean somewhere
. It's
our lakes,right here in the
Midwest , right
.And you
know, studies have shownthat
when the news is personal
,when it matters to you
, that'swhen we do something about it.And so we
need programs likethis to kind of keep
us grounded .And you're only
going to findthem on PBS Wisconsin.
Give us acall one (800) 236-3636.>> Every
gift is an important gift. And
whatever you feel
isthe appropriate amount
for you,that's that's what you should
do .
Whether it's $20 a month or. Butbut
I do want to talk aboutpeople who
are in a position intheir lives where
they can makea really generous gift every
gift is generous, but a verygenerous
gift of $1,000, a year.These supporters, the
leadership ,supporters
, make it possible forus to
have that much more toinvest i n our
programs. Now,that's not going to be
everybodywe totally get that. But if
you're in a position whereyou're saying, you know, we
could do that now, we
couldn'thave done it 20 years, or we
cando that now. Consider makingthat gift
, especially during a challenge thing. We're not
goingto be able to well, I don' t
knowif we can get you. That's a
goodquestion. If you make achallenge gift of $1,00
0 rightnow , I guess
we put in $1,000more. That's pretty good. Call
us at one (800) 236-3636.>> And
remember as Jamesmentioned, this is a
challengebreak. So far we've had sixpeople call
us this evening. Thank you so very
much . Weappreciate your support. But
wehave a goal of 20 people callingus
and becoming members. So please step forward. If
you canand call the number on your
screen and talk to one of ourvolunteers.
They'll tell youabout our thank you
gifts. Ihave them here and I'll talkabout
them very briefly. If youcall and
become a member at the$10 a mont h
level, we'll sendyou the iHeart PBS Wisconsin
cap. It's a nice warm it's goingto
keep you warm on those thosecold winter
days. But it willalso show your support
for PBSWisconsin and along with that,we'll
also include a vinyl decal. It's an outline
of theGreat Lakes . Again, it's a
greatway to show that this issomething
that's important toyou in your life. With
both ofthose items. So
that's $10 a month if you call
and join us at the $14 a month
level, we havethe fabulous book, The Death
andLife of the Great Lakes. Andthis is by Milw
aukee JournalSentinel reporter Dan Ega
n . Andit was
the book was also afinalist for the
Pulitzer Prize.And it's going through and
talking about some of many ofthe stories
about the greatLakes, the environmental
impacts, things that are
affecting the Great Lakes. Rightnow, things that
will take usinto
the future with our greatLakes, a
great addition to yourlibrary and
then again, that's
$14 a month or if you wouldlike,
all of these, call andbecome a
member at the
$20 a month level and we'll
send youthe hat. The decal, and the
book. So we have many
ways tosay thank you to you when youjoin us. This
evening. But nowwe need you to take the step of
going to your phone and dialing
one (800) 236-3636. now
, I feel like a
program like this kind of defies
categorization. But if I had
topick one genre, I would probablycall
this an educational
program. Right? And what what
PBS Wisconsin is so
good at isthe
variety of educationalprograms
that that honestly don't feel
educational, like ,like you're just
as entertained and enthralled
by this asanything else you're watching on
TV. And yet you're also walking
away learning something . Andwhen you
support PBS Wisconsin,you're
not only allowing foreducational programs, but
alsoour educational mission in theclassroom
and beyond . What
matters is that we continue to do that. With your
support. One(800) 236-3636 thank you
. (light music)
- [Narrator] Lake Superior's
unequaled legacy as famously
frigid, clear and clean, does hav
e a darker side.
Though the lands surrounding
the lake remained largely
undeveloped, and today have
few sources of pollution,
for 25 years, taconite tailin
gs dumped into the lake
by the Reserve Mining proces
sing plant
in Silver Bay, Minnesota, contam
inated Superior's waters.
Public opposition and a lawsuit
halted the practice in 1980.
Ballast water from oceangoing
vessels
introduced invasive species
such as the sea lamprey,
which reduced native fish pop
ulations.
Solutions were found to redu
ce those impacts too.
But today, the lake faces ne
w challenges.
The increasing presence of micro
plastics,
even on the most remote beache
s, is one concern.
Even greater are the multiple
effects
of our warming climate.
Lake Superior is now one of the
fastest warming
of the world's largest lakes.
- Lake Superior is a remarkab
ly cold lake
compared to small lakes arou
nd it.
But also Lake Superior is signifi
cantly colder
than the other Great Lakes.
It's actually a lot further
north
and sits in a much colder cli
mate
than the other Great Lakes.
The other really important aspect
is that it's just really deep.
And so, in the spring when th
ings are warming up,
you have to warm up that entire b
ulk of the water
and it just takes a very lon
g time.
My name is Jay Austin.
I'm a professor at the University
of Minnesota Duluth.
I work in the Department of P
hysics and Astronomy,
but also here at the Large Lakes
Observatory,
which is a group of scientis
ts on campus,
all committed to developing
a better understanding of
how large lakes around the wo
rld function.
Winter conditions play a huge rol
e in determining
what happens the following su
mmer,
as much as whether we're having a
warmer or cold summer.
Basically since about 1980,
we've seen a dramatic increa
se compared to
what happened the previous 8
0 years.
The lakes are four to five de
grees Fahrenheit warmer now
in the summer than they were 40 y
ears ago.
And a lot of that is driven b
y the fact
that we are having much milde
r winters,
which means less ice.
And again, those winter condi
tions end up rolling forward
into what happens in the summer.
And so it's a combination of
milder winters
and warmer summers that are
causing surface temperatures
to be measurably and statisti
cally warmer
now than they were 40 years ago.
(light music)
(thunder rumbling)
(rain pattering)
- What we've seen under clim
ate change is not only
is the lake warming, but we're se
eing an increase
in large storm events.
In 2012, we had a 500 year storm
event in Duluth, Minnesota.
Animals were swimming out of
the zoo.
You had photos of people in k
ayaks at ATM machines.
Just extraordinary storm event
that gutted the street system
and broke different parts of
the sewer system.
It was a really extraordinar
y storm event.
Then in 2016, just four years
later,
and 60 miles to the east along th
e south shore
of Lake Superior, we have a
1,000 year storm event
that strikes Ashton, Wisconsin.
Blew out federal highways, bl
ew out all sorts of culverts
and bridges throughout the area.
And then two years later, 2018,
we have another 1,000 year s
torm event
that hammers Ashland, Wiscon
sin again,
and then stretches all the wa
y to the upper peninsula
of Michigan and pounds Hought
on, Michigan,
Hancock, Michigan.
And these storm events created se
diment plumes
that were so large that they
're visible from space.
(light dramatic music)
These are storms that are on
ly supposed
to happen every 500 years, o
nly supposed
to happen every 1000 years,
because of their severity.
And the south shore of Lake Super
ior had three
of them in six years.
We felt like we were seeing c
limate change right
before our eyes.
(water rushing)
(water bubbling)
- [Narrator] The storm of 201
2 also impacted
the lake's ecology, causing the
first documented appearance
of a large harmful algae bloom.
- Algae are these very small
organisms that live in water.
They're an important function
of any food web,
however they can grow in abun
dance.
And that's when you have an
algae bloom.
So it's when you just have a
really an explosion of growth.
You can see this when you lo
ok in, you know,
a pond or a lake.
You see all this kind of scum
my green looking water.
And so algae play an importan
t function,
but when they grow in abundance,
they can actually become
very problematic for the ecos
ystem
in areas like Western Lake Erie
that has a really strong agricu
ltural presence.
And it's also a much shallower
basin than Lake Superior.
You see these really extensive,
really intense cyanobacterial
blooms.
(light dramatic music)
Lake Superior is not where yo
u would typically see
cyanobacterial blooms or algal bl
ooms in general.
Anybody who's gone swimming i
n Lake Superior,
even in the hottest months,
knows it's still quite cold.
- We have been surprised in
seeing blue-green algae blooms
or cyanobacterial blooms in Lake
Superior.
The first documented example
was 2012.
- So following that storm, a
bout 30
or so days afterwards,
there was a massive algal bloom
that appeared in the lake.
And nobody really knew what t
o make of this.
We thought, gosh, that's rea
lly crazy.
It's kind of a one-off thing,
but weren't thinking this is
a problem in Lake Superior.
It was probably related to this
crazy storm
and that shouldn't be happeni
ng again.
And then in 2018, once again,
we had one of these really,
really large flood events.
And then we had a cyanobacte
rial bloom
that stretched hundreds
and hundreds of meters along
the shoreline
and went more than a kilomete
r offshore.
And so it seems that this is
becoming
a more prevalent thing.
In years where we have blooms
no matter what the size are,
there are warm temperatures
for long periods
or essentially like a longer
growing season.
And in years where you also
have these big flood events
and more nutrients, that's when y
ou get really big blooms.
- We're seeing cyanobacterial
blooms
in big, beautiful Lake Superior.
It's a huge scientific surprise a
nd a mystery.
- [Narrator] The mystery is t
hat most Lake Superior
algal blooms aren't appearin
g where scientists
expect to see them.
The nutrients that feed alga
l blooms typically come
from agricultural and urban
runoff.
And the south shore locations
where the blooms have been m
ost evident
have little of either.
Solving the mystery of what's
causing Lake Superior's
algal blooms has become a pr
iority for scientists
with the Environmental Protec
tion Agency.
(light music) (water splashi
ng)
(light music continues)
- This is the Lake Explorer
II that we're on today
on our way to Bayfield and the
Apostle Islands,
we've been interested in Lake
Superior with these occurrence
of occasional occurrences of
algae blooms along the south
shore.
We're trying to be ahead of t
he curve
and really get this baseline
data now
before maybe future blooms d
evelop.
So on the back deck,
we'll lower down a device we
call a CTD Rosette.
And it collects water at dif
ferent depths
through the water column and
it has some sensors on board
that helps us characterize th
e plankton community.
And we can look at the differ
ent types
of algae that are there.
- Here we have an opportunity
to really get at the beginning
of a problem in Lake Superior
because we are just starting to
have blooms,
we have fairly clean water.
We can kind of look at what's
changing along
with the change in the freque
ncy of blooms.
So the initial hypothesis is
it has to do something
with rainfall coming off the land
scape through
the tributaries and out to L
ake Superior.
Whether it's bringing in the
organisms off the landscape,
cyanobacteria are all over, they
're prevalent.
So are these streams bringing
those
organisms into Lake Superior?
Are they bringing in nutrients?
Are they bringing in warmer
waters?
'Cause as the landscapes war
m up,
the water coming off of that
also warms up.
Which of these factors could
that be?
(light dramatic music)
(light dramatic music continues)
- I am on board to help with the
glider work,
and we'll be deploying our au
tonomous underwater glider,
probably outside the Flag River,
near Port Wing, Wisconsin this m
orning.
With the sensors that are on
the glider,
we can cross compare what th
e glider is detecting
and what we've sampled from t
he CTD Rosette.
It's where the glider really
is a useful device.
We can put it out for long p
eriods of time.
We don't have to have a shipp
ing crew.
We can come back at the end of t
he mission,
pick the glider up, go throug
h all the data
that's been collected contin
uously while it's been out.
(light music)
(light music continues)
(water splashing)
(light music continues)
If a bloom occurs, we'll try to f
ly into it.
Try to measure the extent of
the bloom, both horizontally
and then vertically with the
glider.
The glider collects data just abo
ut every second.
So it's a huge amount of data
that we're collecting in thi
s area
to help us better understand
the conditions
that might be leading up to thes
e blooms when they do occur.
- [Narrator] While EPA researcher
s explore the origins
of Superior's algal blooms, othe
rs are studying the impacts
of climate change on the lake's f
ish populations.
Clues are being found under
the ice.
- When you step out on a lake
in winter, it's dead quiet.
The snow is completely decking
the entire lake.
And you think, okay, if it's
quiet up here,
it's gotta be quiet down there.
(ice crunches)
As more researchers are find
ing out in the winter,
there's actually a lot going on u
nder the ice.
(drill whirring)
All right, let's see what we got.
With time, the amount of ice
that's on the Great Lakes
and the length of time that
that ice is out is changing.
When it's uncovered by ice an
d snow, you get a lot
of sunlight that regulates
where the phytoplankton are in t
he water column
and that kind of structures t
his food web.
So what we're doing in this w
inter project is
collecting samples from diffe
rent depths in the water column
that will be able to tell us
where are those phytoplankto
n sitting
and what types of zooplankto
n are there.
You got some copepods in there, s
ome cladocerans.
Lots of interesting question
s can be answered
using these little creatures.
With time, the amount of ice
that's on the Great Lakes
and the length of time that
that ice is out is changing.
So we're seeing extended ice-free
seasons.
That could mean big changes
in biogeochemical cycling.
When the ice is free, when t
he ice is off
and that water is open.
How does that change the physics
of the lakes?
How does that change mixing?
That affects all aspects of the l
ake functioning.
- So if you have an ice cover,
there's usually some algae gr
owth underneath the ice.
Some of those algae cells se
ttle, allow
enhanced productivity of inve
rtebrates in the winter
that are then available when
those fish swim up to feed.
So losing ice is kind of a bi
g deal.
- [Narrator] The loss of ice
cover
and warming of the lake have
created additional challenges
for those whose livelihoods depe
nd on Superior's fisheries.
- Cold is beautiful.
Uniformly cold water out ther
e, no trouble.
The top water gets warm, it'll
get up to 60, 65 degrees,
you know, and it's 39 degree
s down in the bottom.
So you get some really weird
currents.
And quite often we see it win
d's one way
and the currents another way.
So when the net comes up, it
'll start spinning on you
or the net will be way out th
ere in front of the bow
and the wind's pushing you back t
he other way.
And it's frightening sometimes.
On the end of each net, I carry
large floats.
They're about this big.
It helps the trawlers see it,
but also it holds that end up.
And when a current hits, you get
out there
and you realize they're unde
rwater.
Say a little prayer, you stay
there net,
hold on, go back home.
And if it's been blowing nort
heast for, especially in July
and August, when that top wa
ter's warm for a while,
it's gonna be three or four
days before you can get it up.
When the water's cold
and uniformly cold, you don'
t get those problems.
You don't get the currents.
(light dramatic music)
We've had warm water hold on
longer in the fall.
That warm surface water pushes
into October quite a bit.
It was 57 degrees surface wa
ter pushing November 1st.
That's really late.
Cold is beautiful.
- Lake Superior is unique among
the Laurentian Great Lakes in
that it's dominated
by native species.
Most of the other lakes are
dominated by invasive species.
Prey species like alewife, rainbo
w smell, huge populations
of round goby.
And they go along with other
invasives like zebra mussels
and quagga mussels.
So those food webs are so alt
ered
by invasive species in the o
ther lakes.
The conditions in Lake Superi
or sort of preserve it.
It's really cold and not a lot
of those invasive species ca
n deal with the cold.
So this cold water preserve
that Lake Superior represents
for native species seems to b
e changing.
Now, I don't think we've hit
a threshold
where they're gonna be able
to become hyper abundant con
sistently,
but if climate continues to chang
e as it is,
you're gonna see some of these
invasive species
that are on the edge of thei
r range start to expand
and increase, especially in area
s like
the St. Louis Estuary, which
not only gets
the most ship traffic in the
Great Lakes,
but we also have plenty
of invasive species here in
the estuary
that potentially could spread
to other river mounts
and wetland areas as as you
move up the shorelines.
And if warming continues, th
ey'll spread naturally.
- [Narrator] As Lake Superior
's waters have warmed,
the impacts of climate change
have become visible
in the sky as well.
Increasing droughts and exce
ptionally hot summers
have brought unprecedented fo
rest fires.
The smoke-filled skies above
Duluth inspired a new work
by Jonathan Thunder.
- Uncle Harvey's Mausoleum is
a relic of industry.
This story of a guy who want
ed to outsmart the lake
by putting a structure in the
lake.
The lake made quick work, yo
u know, the structure
and this guy's business didn't
really pan out after that.
Summer of 2021, seeing some
pretty serious climate change
week after week of record br
eaking heat waves,
smoke coming from Canada, I
just wanted
to do a painting that talked
about how we're sort
of swan diving into this new
era.
So the lake is melted ice cr
eam in the painting,
the lighthouse just seemed like
a fun character to have playing t
hat drum.
The crane in the painting re
presents my wife's clan.
Central figure in that piece
is a bear.
And the identity of the bear
in the Ojibwe clan system is
that of a protector, someone
who keeps the medicine for th
e people.
Climate change has been a dis
cussion.
There have been scientists sa
ying this will happen.
(waves sloshing)
(gulls cawing)
(light music)
(light music continues)
- All right, it's a great mo
rning.
Look at how sunny!
- [Narrator] The wind died down i
n the early morning hours
and the swimmers were able to
continue through the night.
(horn blows)
Wind, waves and cold water we
re the biggest challenges
anticipated by the team.
The first two tested them,
but water temperatures had re
mained in the sixties
for the entire distance.
This fact underscored one of
the primary goals of the swim;
to raise awareness of Lake Su
perior's warming waters.
(people cheering)
- We're in Duluth!
(bell dings) (boat horn blows
)
- [Spectator] Way to go.
(people cheering)
- [Narrator] The story of th
e swimmer's accomplishment
and the warming of Lake Superior
was big news regionally
and reached a nationwide public
radio audience.
- We're excited to do it and
complete
the swim for ourselves.
But really the reason this is
being organized is to
draw some attention to the fact
that the lake is warming at a r
eally rapid rate.
And it's good for me, just in
my own personal life,
I guess to really think about th
ese things.
(light dramatic music)
- [Wayne] We have to share t
he earth,
but we should share it in a
reciprocal way
where we respect one another
and respect all of the gifts of
God's creation.
(light music)
- The estuary that we see no
w is a changed place.
During the colonization process,
so the 1854 treaty was signed,
the settlers really started
to move into this region.
What they were originally interes
ted in
was minerals and timber.
First Superior became a city,
and then Duluth as well real
ly started to expand.
As they were developing,
they really used the river as
a way
to flush out things we didn'
t want
on the ground near our houses.
Things like wood waste, indu
strial effluence, PCBs
or dioxins or furans.
- Late 1800s early 1900s,
steel plant began working
and they were dumping everyt
hing that come outta
that steel plant right into t
he lake.
And that wasn't just the steel
plant, United States Steel,
that was many other corporat
ions, manufacturers
and so on that were extracting
resources from the land
and just dumping it into the
river.
It's caused a big sore here.
- We probably lost over 60%
of wetlands in the mouth of the
St. Louis River.
The St. Louis River was dead.
It was effectively dead.
It didn't have oxygen.
Life requires oxygen.
That's a profound impact on
a system.
There's a lot of diversity th
at was lost in that time.
The forests were dramatically
changed.
Wetlands are very hard to re
store.
It takes a lot of work
and a lot of follow through
that sometimes we don't have eno
ugh money for.
- Some of the things I've hea
rd from people
who were here when the estuar
y was at its worst,
their parents said, don't go nea
r the water.
It's not healthy.
The fish skin would slide of
f the
fish when they touched it.
Their mom would make them th
row their clothes into the
washing machine because it stunk
so bad.
People turned their backs on
the river
because it was so horrible.
(light music)
- [Narrator] By the 1970s, st
ronger protections
for the environment emerged
as a national concern.
In 1987, the United States
and Canada signed the Great
Lakes Water Quality Agreement,
which designated the St. Louis Ri
ver Estuary
as one of 43 areas of concern
in the Great Lakes region,
each of which had been signif
icantly impaired
by human activities.
With the help of many citizens,
several local, state,
federal, and tribal organiza
tions began a huge restoration
and remediation effort.
- The states and the federal
government worked
through the Great Lakes Water
Quality Agreement to list
the most polluted, most degraded
areas on the Great Lakes.
- We apply different sorts
of remedies depending upon w
hat the problem is.
So in the slips where we wanna
maintain uses for shipping,
we've kept the contaminants
to a certain footprint
and then applied caps to them.
That way the contaminants cannot
move
up through the food chain.
In some areas, we will take
all the
contaminated sediments out.
The third type of remedy
that we apply is putting in
pelletized activated carbon
amendments, specifically tar
geting
dioxin and furan contamination.
So we know it works for that
contaminant.
- Around the turn of the cen
tury,
we had very active sawmills
here that left sawdust
and slab wood in the river,
completely choking out the ha
bitats.
So we've had projects that ac
tually address removing
that milling waste and restor
ing the sheltered bays
and the coastal wetlands that w
ere there before.
We know anecdotally that the St.
Louis River
was once just filled with wil
d rice.
It was an ideal habitat.
Our goal is to work towards
275 acres
for the area of concern.
But you know, we see wild ric
e restoration
as an enduring effort in the
St. Louis River
- [Barbara] No matter where
people live,
whether they're inland or wh
ether they live on the
lake shore, their drainage is
getting to the lakes.
- [Narrator] In urban areas, wate
r from people's yards flows
through the storm drain syst
em and into the estuary
and lake without being treated.
During the winter, reducing the
amount of salt on sidewalks
and driveways helps reduce runof
f pollution.
In Duluth, Superior and North
Shore communities,
you can adopt your storm drain,
pledging to keep it free of p
ollutants and debris.
- [Barbara] The more people c
an control things
in their own yards and pick u
p litter,
rake up their grass clippings,
rake up their leaves,
prevent any dog poop from ge
tting into the storm sewers.
- We can make sure that we do
n't dispose
of household hazardous chemic
als improperly,
but we don't want them going
down our kitchen sink
and we don't want them going
down a local storm drain.
- We've worked really hard to ma
ke it cleaner
and we need everybody to hel
p keep it clean.
- Our future vision for the rive
r is a river
that people want to use and want
to be near.
- As we've been making progress,
people are returning to the r
iver.
- [Interviewee] Birdwatching,
paddling, boating, fishing,
all these opportunities are goin
g
to just get a little better
and a little better as this
river heals.
- [Interviewee] It will rema
in changed in some ways,
but it will also thrive in as
a new place, as a place
that is revised from what it was
in the past
through efforts to restore.
- I think it's also a a place
that will bring all of those
prophecies and considerations
and conflicts to the forefront,
and we have to resolve them.
That's the significance of this
place.
(light music) (water trickli
ng)
- [Interviewee] When you look at
who is gonna
solve climate change
and who is really gonna make the
difference,
it's the young people, the folks
who have not ever experienced
life without climate change.
They're the ones who are gonna
be solving this.
(light music)- [Inter
viewee] I mean, it's really hard to liv
e on our boat for weeks at a
time and not be changed in some way
.
- [Interviewee] We take on a
crew of young adults,
college aged kids, and we sai
l from port to port
and we visit different schools.
- Who can tell me what invasi
ve species is.
My name is Brandi Shapland a
nd I'm 25.
I was interested in doing Sea
Change because I love sailing
and because I also am very pa
ssionate about the environment.
So this seemed like a really
good opportunity to kind
of tie those two things together.
- The crew, they're doing th
eir presentations,
they're helping with the cleaning
and the cooking
and all that kind of stuff,
and sailing the boat.
(light dramatic music)
Okay.
- [Brandi] I have a really d
eep connection
with the lake just because I
see it's
such a powerful being.
It's alive.
Being able to see it every si
ngle day is powerful.
And watching it change and wa
tching the weather roll in.
See how the waves can pick up
so quickly just in an hour.
And we've had days where we've ha
d six foot waves
and you're crashing around and
people are getting seasick.
- You start pulling, D.
- [Brandi] It can be a very
scary experience at first.
- I have no sailing experience.
(water splashing) (light dra
matic music)
- All right, Finlay, let's go
ahead
and go around to this side.
- [Brandi] To have your house
moving all
different directions and up a
nd down
and you're feeling nauseous and m
aybe cold
and tired and scared
and it can be a little overw
helming.
- Forward. - Yep.
- [Brandi] But I think having
a captain like Mark,
who's always calm in those s
ituations
and really knows what he's doing.
- All right, hang on.
I'm gonna be back in a minute.
- [Brandi] Learning how to walk i
s a really big thing too.
And there's lines and wenches
and kayaks, everything you can
imagine on top of the boat.
And so when you're out there
in high seas
and being able to navigate t
he boat,
and that is a really big skill.
- All right, we're sailing.
- Woo!
- Having that connection and that
closeness,
one with the crew, and then t
wo with the students,
was really powerful.
Thank y'all for listening.
We work mainly with fifth and si
xth graders
and do a lot of education on
how climate change,
plastic pollution,
and aquatic invasive species
are affecting Lake Superior.
And really try to focus on
what the kids can do in thei
r own
lives to make a difference.
- [Interviewee] We show them
a map of Lake Superior
and we invite them to commit
to some change they're gonna
make.
And if they do, they get to s
ign the map.
- Avoid single use.
- [Brandi] Avoid single use plas
tic? I love it.
- Plant more trees.
- Drive electric cars.
- Never use a single use water bo
ttle again.
- No idling cars.
- Replant trees.
- Toss something in the trash.
You look at the number and it
's like, can I recycle this?
- [Brandi] Try not to make it
too scary
because climate change can be
a very scary subject for a lot
of students, for a lot of you
ng people.
- One way we help them to talk
about it in a really fun way
is to get them on the local
radio stations.
Each group will either be working
on plastics,
invasives, or climate change.
And you write down who's gonna sa
y what here.
And then when you're ready,
we bring a recorder in and w
e record it.
And then we will send it
to the radio station at the
Two Harbors Community Radio
and they play them just at od
d moments
during their day on the radio
and they'd love doing this.
- Hello, our names are...
- Lyla, - Dominic,
- Daxton, - Laura,
- And Gina.
- And today we're gonna talk abo
ut the climate
change on Lake Superior.
- We record them doing little
two minute snippets,
- Fires, floods and drought,
as well as invasive species
and warmer temperatures are taki
ng their toll
on the forests and it shows.
- Wow.
- Do you think that's good?
- I think that was great.
We record those as podcasts
and send them to the Two Harbors
Community radio station
where they play them througho
ut the summer.
>> Hi, I'm James Steinbach. I'ma
volunteer here at
PBSWisconsin . And you know
, it's so fun
to see those kids doing that
radio show . And who
knows with any luck, they'll be
part ofWisconsin public media down the
road. But, well, they are sortof
right now doing this , andthey're doing
something reallyimportant becaus e
they're doingsomething for their
community.And that is exactly
why PBSWisconsin is here.
Now thecommunity is the state
, but it'sstill our community
and theprograms that we do
programslike this, which which actuallywas done
by the folks in Duluthand they shared
it with usbecause we knew that you
wouldcare about it . The programs that
we're able to bring, you are
programs that are reallydesigned their only
purpose is to bring
you somethingworthwhile . We want to
make surethat we're respecting your
intelligence. We're respectingyour
thoughts and a program likethis
really is part of that.It's
part of how we I
think, canreally make sure that we're
giving you something worth yourtime. So
if you think so, and Ihope you
do call us at one(800) 236-3636.
thank you James. I'm Kerman Eckes on the
staff hereat PBS
Wisconsin. And when youcall us this
evening and showyour support for programs
likethe one that we just
watched,you'll talk to one of ourvolunteers
and we have somelevels at which we'll
send you athank you gifts. Let me
runthrough those for you right now.If
you call and become a memberat the
$10 level, we'll send youtwo different things.
We'll send you a PBS Wisconsin I heart
PBSWisconsin cap. It's
great forthe winter months. They'll keepyou
warm if you're up by LakeSuperior, you're
going to need something like this, but
it'llshow your support for PBSWisconsin.
We'll also send you avinyl decal that
you can put on your car or your laptop, or your
water bottle, and it shows
the outline of the great Lakes. So
if the Great Lakes are
importantto you in your life, that'ssomething
you might want to consider. You could also
join usat the $14 a month level,
andwe'll send you a copy of the
book, The Death and Life of theGreat
Lakes by Dan Egan . He's aMilwaukee Journal Sentine
lreporter and has written a very
comprehensive book here about the Great Lakes.
It's reallysomething a great addition toanybody's
library. And then if you would like all
of these,call and become a mem ber at
the$20 a month level and we'll send
you the cap, the decal, and
thebook . So
many ways to say thankyou to you
, but it all startswith a phone
call at one(800) 236-3636. >> Hi, I'm David
Hoffert. I'm avolunteer here at
PBS Wisconsinand I want you to pay
attentionto two things
that Kerman justsaid. The
first was differentpledge amounts . There was
$10 amonth, $14 a month,
$20 a month.There's no one amount that
is the
membership level for
PBSWisconsin . The amount that
is right for you
is the amountthat's right for us. There
are 75,000 families in Wisconsin
that contribute to make
PBSWisconsin possible. Some of themgive a
lot, some give a little,and it
all adds up to thequality
programing that you'reenjoying h ere
t onight.
Thesecond thing I want you to pay
attention to is the
fact thatshe said $10 per month, $14 permonth,
$20 per month. That's because the best
way to support PBS Wisconsin
is by becoming a sustaining
member, giving that monthly
gift and having it
continue until you ask us
tostop. That's how these programs
keep coming to
you reliably.Give us
a call one(800) 236-3636
. >> One of the
best elements inthis in this program, I
think,is the way it weaves together
these diverse , differentstories, whether
whether it'sabout the fond du Lac band
orfishing or sporting
swimming,certainly into
a , a program, a
tapestry that has all these
different s
trands, all of whichfocus on the lake
and on theneed to care about the
lake. Andthat, that that I think
isreally critical. I also want to
mention the volunteers that wehave here tonight,
the volunteers are from the
ersity League. We could notdo
these programs without the volunteers because who
would beanswering the phones
, which you should be calling
right now
tothank? Yep, yep
. There we go. Wegot a
call. You could be next
. Call
us at one (800) 236-3636.These
people are giving their time
and it is part of what
makes it possible for
PBSWisconsin to keep doing what wedo
. So give us a
call one(800) 236-3636.
be going on to our nextprogram in
just a few minutes. But you still have
plenty oftime, as James said, to give usa call
, talk to
one of ourvolunteers and
they will takeyour information and
help youbecome a member of here at
PBSWisconsin. You can also
goonline and you can take a look
at our thank you gifts and ourdifferent
levels that we have,where you can show
your supportor you could scan the QR codethat's at
the bottom of yourscreen right there
. If that's something that you would
like todo. So there are lots
of ways to join us, but it all
starts withyou going to the phone and
giving us a call when you do, we
have some thank you gifts thatwe can
send your way. Let me runthrough those
once again,briefly for you at the $10
amonth level. We have this wonderful I
heart PBS hat. It'sin PBS blue
and white are kindof our unofficial
colors here atPBS Wisconsin
, and we will alsosend you a
vinyl decal thatshows the outline of the
GreatLakes. So again, if the Gr eatLakes
are important to you,that's something you might wantto consi
der. If you join us at
the $14 a month level, we
willsend you a copy of the book, TheDeath
and Life of the GreatLakes by Dan
Egan, a MilwaukeeJournal Sentinel reporter. Andit
was also a finalist for the
Pulitzer Prize. So a fantastic book then, if you would
like allof these, call and join us
atthe $20 a
month level and we'll send you the cap,
the decal, and the book
. So again, we have
manyways to thank you , but it all
starts with you. So please dialone (800) 236-3636.
>> And at any of those levels
ofgiving, you get additional
membership benefits for
PBSWisconsin, you get the monthly
"Airwaves" magazine , which willtell
you about what's coming uplive on the
air, and you get access to PBS Passport.
So , youknow,
"Airwaves" is good for what's going to be
on TV tonight. But in this modern
age of streaming, you
know, maybeyou're watching
Superior LakeSuperior and you're like, youknow,
I never got around towatching the Ken
Burns NationalParks documentari es
. Well,actually, right now for alimited
time, that's availableon PBS,
Passport, and you can stream it on
demand as part ofyour membership benefit with
P BSWisconsin
. What matters is thatyou are
contributing to this community and making
all ofthese things possible by
givingus a call. One (800) 236-3636.>> You
know, another way that you can
support PBS Wisconsin isthrough a
state plans . This is a
great way for people who havesupported
PBS Wisconsin, perhapsfor a
long time. Or maybe itisn't a l ong time. But say
you've been supporting
for 30 or40 or
50 years. You can ensurethat tha t
legacy will continuethrough
your state plans. And that's
something which, if that interests you, give
us a calland we will make sure
to hookyou up with somebody who can
kind of walk you through the insand
outs of that. It's notsimple, but it's
not hard . Andthis is something which
reallyjust requires simply making a
decision and saying you know, I supported PBS Wisconsin for
along time. It's something thatmatters to
me . This is
anotherway that I can guarantee thatthis is going
to continue intothe future. So
something to think about. But
in the meantime, call us
now at one (800) 236-3636 and make your
pledge of support because however you decide
to support PBS Wisconsin
, that's that'swhat's important. However
youdecide to do it in terms of
yourgift, the most important thing
is that you're watching and thatyou share
what you see with somebody else
. Talk about it . Isaw this
great show on PBSWisconsin last
night, or theother
day , and here it
is .Here's the
name . And as
we justtalked about with
P assport, youcan even see it agai
n. But callus
now. One (800) 236-3636.>> Thank
you James. And of course when you do
call us,you'll talk to one of our
volunteers. You can also
takepart in one of our thank you
gifts. Let me very briefly runthrough those
one more time for you. If you call
and become amember at the
$10 a month level,you
can take the wonderful PBS Iheart
PBS Wisconsin Cat hat andwe'll a lso send you
the vinyldecal that shows the outline
ofthe Great Lakes. So that's at
$10 a month. If you
call andbecome a member at $14 a
month,we'll send you a copy of the
book. The Death and Life of the Great
Lakes. This is by authorDan Egan, who's
a reporter forthe Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
As I mentioned earlier, it was a
finalist for the Pulitzer Prize,a very c
omprehensive book talking about the
some of the many, many
elements that arefacing the great Lakes today
. Orif you would like all of
these,call and become a member at the
$20 level and we'll send
all ofthese to you. For those of youthat have joined us
this evening, thank you so
much. Weappreciate your support. So
verymuch. You still have time
tocall and talk to one of our
volunteers. So please dial one(800) 236-3636.
Thank you so much
. (static rustling)
- [Radio MC] Thanks for list
ening.
This is- - [Lyla] Lyla,
- [Dominic] Dominic, - [Daxto
n] Daxton,
- [Laura] Laura. - [Gina] And
Gina.
- [Dominic] From the North Sh
ore Community School.
- [Students] Till next time!
(light music)
- [Interviewee] I really hope
that people can fall in love
with Lake Superior and use it
as a way to inspire them
to do something about climat
e change.
(light music continues)
(gentle music)
(gentle music continues)