This week on "Wisconsin Life": Meet a group where every member counts, a muralist painting the town, a sewer stitching communities together, and a farmer of one huge pumpkin! It's all ahead on "Wisconsin Life!" Funding for "Wisconsin Life" is provided in part by Alliant Energy, Lowell and Mary Peterson, and Friends of Wisconsin Public Television. Hello, and welcome to "Wisconsin Life." I'm your host, Angela Fitzgerald. Today, I'm visiting the Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center in La Crosse. It's run by the United States Geological Survey. This 65-acre federal research facility is located on French Island in the Mississippi River and works with public and private organizations to address significant environmental issues. Scientists here conduct ecological research that informs decision-makers on ways to manage, protect, and restore ecosystems here in Wisconsin and around the world. There is work on fish and wildlife ecology, invasive species control and creating publicly accessible maps, databases, and other products. We'll get a chance to explore more about the research being conducted here and explore the grounds later on. But first we head to Madison to check out another ecological endeavor that turns community members into scientists. The University of Wisconsin Arboretum is 1,200 acres of land right in the center of Madison that's been protected since the 1930s. The Arboretum is a place for university professors and students to do research. It's a place to learn about how we can best restore nature. And it's a place where people from Madison, and from Wisconsin, and throughout the world can come to experience nature. The natural world is changing today at rates that are unprecedented. That means that it's really important that everybody gets engaged, at whatever level they can, in trying to preserve what's left and to restore what we've lost. And that's one of the things that happens through citizen science.
Professor Susan Carpenter
That's a good one. Oh, yeah, in flight you can see the features because the wings are up out of the way. Citizen science is the engagement of people who aren't professional scientists. I think everybody is a scientist at heart. But that can mean collecting data, coming up with questions and figuring out how the data should be collected, or analyzing data and sharing findings. What we'll be doing today is trying to take pictures of bumblebees. We want to take multiple pictures of each bee, assuming that one comes in. And then, we'll have a whole set of pictures for each individual and that'll give us the different views that we can identify the bees from. We know that bee numbers are declining. So the pollinator project is one of our focus projects at the Arboretum. What we're asking is that people take pictures of the bees, and they don't have to be super high quality. They just have to be enough for us to be able to zoom in and figure out what the species are. Understanding their distribution and abundance will help us build their populations back up to robust and sustainable levels.
buzzing
Professor Susan Carpenter
The Arboretum was one of the first places that Asian jumping worms were found in Wisconsin. So, we started doing this research here. And this project is really documenting the moving front of an invasive species. We'll pour half of it inside the frame. Then we'll look for some small wiggling masses. There we go. That's good. Here they come! These are the Asian jumping worms that we're concerned about in terms of their potential impacts to forests and to our gardens. We'll count the number that come to the top and that'll give us a number of earthworms by species per square foot. And we'll have a good idea how abundant they are in a given area. Whether it's birds or butterflies or worms, we can't study them without a lot of involvement on the part of people besides professional scientists.
And citizen science can be done anywhere
in schoolyards, in parks, in nature centers, in backyards. Citizen science provides the eyes and ears and boots on the ground that can help us answer specific ecological questions. Scientists track nature while some artists try to recreate it. Like the Door County muralist who brings a fresh perspective to the peninsula. And I'll keep that in the distance. I'll use more reds and intense greens, dark greens, as we get closer to the front just to separate, to create distance. Artists learn how to see things in a different way obviously. A trompe l'oeil is a painting that creates an illusion of a three-dimensional object, bringing life and depth to a flat surface. I'm pretty convinced that, from childhood, the world I look at is not the same world that everybody sees. But Ram Rojas doesn't just want to fool your eyes, he wants his art to inspire you. To see the presence of the divine all around you. Everything that you paint says something about the story. So nothing is disconnected. That's true for Ram's art and his life. I think the way you live your life influences your artwork. There's no question about it. Ram's story begins in his home country of Venezuela, where his talent as an artist was noticed early. I think art happened to me. I don't think I chose it. His mother enrolled him in art school around the time he started to question his Catholic faith. I started to be attracted to other philosophies. I read a lot. And I started to look for answers. A Hindu group had a chapter in Venezuela and came to the art school. When they saw Ram already drawing Hindu art, they asked if he wanted to come to the United States. They told me I was going to paint for their publications. I think there was an element of serendipity. What were the chances they will find me and I was painting-- happened to be painting a Hindu? At age 18, Ram came to a new country, learned a new language and converted to a new religion. I did become a very strong believer at the time. They believed that we must live a life of devotion towards God. My meditation was painting. My devotion, my prayer, everything was painting. The Hindu group sent Ram around the world to learn from the old masters in Italy and France. Basically Renaissance-style art, Classical rendition of Hindu art. His depictions of the Hindu gods became the new standards. For me, it was 100% diving into the philosophy. I was illustrating it and these books were distributed in every language all over the world. Eventually, the Hindu group splintered from within and Ram drifted away from Hinduism. A few years later, a gallery owner in Wisconsin asked him to come and paint some iconic scenes in Door County. Door County, when I came here 27 years ago, was a lot like a little village. It's very much an artists' community. Over time, Ram continued to travel but always returned to Wisconsin. Door County is unique, you know that. But it's got a beautiful setting, which I have lived in gorgeous settings all over the world, so that wasn't it. It has people that are very cultured and progressive living in a country setting. That's probably pretty unique. Ram went from painting gods to painting farmers and vacationers. I was fascinated with the Hindu paintings that I painted and reading the stories. So when I came here, I was just as amazed with the American life. This is the closest I've gotten to normalcy ever in my life. Ram has returned to his Christian roots but the Hindu influence is still there. I believe that everything is part of the one and I see it. That's how I see my paintings. If I'm painting this couple here as a wedding portrait, I'm thinking, "Well, these are parts of the whole." I'm not thinking, "It's just Martha and John." I see much more in them and I think that filters through my art. Ram tries to show the light in everything, from watercolors of Door County's hidden spots to his life-size mural in Baileys Harbor. Beautiful work. - Thank you. Absolutely gorgeous. - Thank you. We've been looking-- Every year we enjoy it and we see more and more. It's another trompe l'oeil and the illusion tells a story, bringing life and depth to the town's history. Looking at it from this side, when you're looking at it next to it, it's... but now I see the side of the building. Oh, my gosh, it's just brilliant! It's just amazing. No other art can speak the way a mural speaks to a community. It's a community that Ram now places himself in. Not just observing and painting but living. My name? Ram Rojas. I've been painting here for 27 years. Really? - I'm a local. His art has influenced people across the world but from Ram's perspective, he's just happy to have found a place to call home. I'm grateful that I found this town. I'm grateful that it gave me a home. These type of flowers are very common out there.
That's because everybody wants
to go and see the show.
Ram laughing
That's because everybody wants
If you were only smaller.
chuckling
That's because everybody wants
When the Upper Midwest Ecological Research Center first opened in 1959, their main focus was on controlling invasive sea lamprey and common carp. Today, research at the facility has diversified and expanded with more than 120 employees using state of the art equipment to provide accurate ecological data and analysis. The Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center is a busy hub of research activity. One of the largest and most successful projects at the La Crosse-based center is the Upper Mississippi River Restoration Program. Director Mark Gaikowski oversees the work. So the Upper Mississippi River Restoration Program is a program that was created by the hard work of the five upper Mississippi River states in collaboration with a number of federal agencies that work together collaboratively on the upper Mississippi River to meet the needs of the states and federal partners and the public to have a healthy and vibrant ecosystem. A goal shared by every scientist here, including Kathi Jo Jankowski who runs water quality testing on the river. Most of them are designed to evaluate the condition of the river in terms of habitat for organisms that live there. So we do a variety of tests in the field where we measure things like temperature and dissolved oxygen, pH, water clarity, and then we come back. We collect over 60,000 water samples a year and we bring them back to this lab where we test for things like sediment, so, any sort of soil that's running off the landscape. We test for how much algae is in the water column and then we do nutrient testing, too, to figure out how nutritious the water is for various organisms. With each test comes different results. Some positive and some identifying areas that need work. We've seen improvements as a result of things like the Clean Water Act that have reduced inputs of nutrients from point sources like wastewater treatment plants. So we've seen that improve over time. We've seen reductions in phosphorus and sediment running off farms into tributaries because of better improved management actions. But we still suffer from some high loads of nitrogen which runs down the river into the Gulf of Mexico. So I think there's still more work that can be done. Work that involves collaboration. Director Mark Gaikowski believes that building eco-alliances with like-minded organizations is the backbone of the work being conducted here. I find it very rewarding that we have conservation through collaboration here on the Upper Mississippi River System. We work together in partnership to find ways to implement ecosystem restoration, to conduct the science and monitoring that's going to inform how we manage the river and how our resource is utilized for the next generations to come. It's eye-opening to see the work here and its positive effects on our ecosystem. Now we travel to the city of Monona where we find a seamstress whose handiwork uplifts people here and abroad.
piano melody
That's because everybody wants
When I sit down and sew, my hands are busy with this thing that's so familiar.
sewing machine stitches
That's because everybody wants
It's some magical combination of the motor sound and the sound of the needle.
machine chugs rhythmically
That's because everybody wants
It allows my mind to open up and think about other things. I do a lot of problem solving when my hands are moving at a machine. Solving an unexpected problem set Margaret Jankowski on a course to help mend the world. To me, a sewing machine is so much more than just a tool. Margaret learned that lesson in 2004 when a tsunami ravaged Asia. The event made personal through a story about a woman in Sri Lanka who lost her sewing machine-- her only way to make a living. Something about that article really hit me. Initially, as a sewer, I thought, "Oh, I don't know what I'd do without my sewing machine." But reading further and thinking about it more, it was so clear that for this woman that sewing machine was a tool for survival. So, initially, I thought, "I'll collect some sewing machines and I'll send them over to Southeast Asia." At the time, Margaret worked at a sewing machine shop in Madison. She tapped the generous spirit of its customers to donate machines to what she named "The Sewing Machine Project." Sewing machines are so important to people that it's wonderful when people know that their machine will have another chapter and that it will go to help somebody else. The first donated machines were making their way to Sri Lanka,
ominous music
That's because everybody wants
when disaster struck closer to home-- Hurricane Katrina. I rented a van, and my daughter and I drove to New Orleans. I still deliver sewing machines to New Orleans, mainly to the Mardi Gras Indians. It's an amazing community.
rhythm & blues
That's because everybody wants
I think there was one year that Mardi Gras, the Mardi Gras Parade happened and would not have happened without Margaret taking those machines down there. Today, "The Sewing Machine Project" is more than just Margaret. The project holds sewing classes in the Madison area for under-served populations. Monica Mims took one of the classes taught by Rebecca Stanley and today is working with her as an apprentice. I'm just really happy to teach her what I know. And she's very fast. She's a very fast learner. Thank you. It's a great opportunity to learn something new and fun. We offer classes in different spots around Madison. And different groups around the country are interested in offering this, too. And we offer them machines, and then, they tailor the class to the population that they're serving. Margaret also found a storehouse for donated machines in a converted Lutheran Church Sunday School room, And as you can see, there are sewing machines everywhere. We try to make sure that every single machine, everything on it works. We want our machines to make people happy. We don't want it to be a headache in any way so our volunteers really carefully go through them and check everything out. We can't send it out like this. We certainly don't want to start a fire in someone's house. Margaret and The Sewing Machine Project's newest effort benefits the public, even if they don't want to touch a machine. All right. We're on it. Yep, no problem! My sewing skills are not good. I can do things by hand. I've never tried a machine, heaven help us all. Fortunately for Larry Orr, The Sewing Machine Project also offers free mending, It's first come, first served, every other Wednesday, at Madison's Goodman Community Center. These are some of the most popular ladies in the building.
laughter
That's because everybody wants
When I'm mending something for someone, especially people that I'm just meeting for the first time, to me, there's something almost sacred about it because so often these are things that are dearly loved. There's so much trust on the part of the person giving it to us. I would say "sacred" is the word that I would use. It's really something. Silk long johns, expertly repaired! Thank you ladies. I really appreciate this. Margaret has watched The Sewing Machine Project grow and diversify, and sees a common thread-- making a difference. Whether we are sitting at a table and mending things for people or we're sitting down next to someone who's learning how to use a sewing machine, I can't help but think that there's some little bit of mending going on. You know, it might ease somebody's... somebody else's struggle. It might make somebody else's life easier in some way. I think everybody has the power to do that. We just want to do something that's good.
sewing machine hums
That's because everybody wants
Our last story takes us to St. Cloud to meet a farmer preparing for a competitive pumpkin growing contest.
country music
rooster crows
That's because everybody wants
I am a fifth-generation dairy farmer. We milk about 100 cows and run about 1,000 acres. In my leisure time, I grow giant pumpkins. I enjoy doing it and I couldn't see doing anything else. We get seeds from all around the world. First week in April, we start them indoors. We bring them outside into little greenhouses. We start the growing process that way. This pumpkin is just over 10 days old. You just want to grow a massive root system underneath. The more roots you have, the more water you'll have pushing through. There's a lot pruning, a lot of burying. That's probably the most time-consuming part. When your vines are growing about a foot a day, they can get away on you pretty fast if you don't keep up on it. If you do that, you're going to have the best chance to grow a really big fruit. I take pride in it. I try to do it the best I can, you know. If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right I think. They're at about their prime growth right now. I'm estimating they're growing about 30 to 40 pounds a day. I like to keep the pumpkins covered so it shades them. They start growing so fast, they actually will split. Then you're disqualified from competition. So, down here is my best-looking plant. I knew that if I could set a nice pumpkin on this one that I'd have a good chance at growing a monster. So this pumpkin turned 40 days old today. Some people say that's kind of your halfway point. We measure success by weight. It's not color or shape. It's all pounds.
We take three measurements
137", 85" for side to side, and 84" for front to back. I have my wife with the calculator over there. She's adding up the total inches. All right, so we can estimate that it weighs 642 pounds. The sidewalls of the pumpkin can get about a foot thick. They're not too good to eat. That's a big question we get. We take 'em to competitions and show 'em off a little bit. So harvesting, obviously, a very exciting time. We bring in a big lift. We get it in place where we want it. So now, I'm going to cut the vine and get ready to pull it out of the garden. Okay, I think we're ready to go up. We lift it up. All right, hold on. kind of inspect the bottom. The main thing is probably a soft spot on the bottom that any more than an inch into the pumpkin, you're disqualified. When you look under and there's no soft spots, it's a relief. It looks good. Nice and flat. That's what we want. All right. We can go put 'er on the pallet. Little bit yet. I like it. It's solid. I've been watching them grow so fast. I really think it's pretty cool. The pumpkin growers are a close group of people. The last week we kind of do a little trash talking. I'm excited to go and see what they brought.
forklift beeping
We take three measurements
Last year, when I had my 2,000-pounder, I was very nervous, but this year, I know I'm not going to be quite that big but it's a little more relaxed and not quite as nervous. It is not about winning. It is not about the prize money that you can get. It's for bragging rights and just having fun. Mom, this is the biggest one in the world!
Announcer
Coming up here right now is Derek Sippel. He was the winner last year. How much was your weight last year at, Derek?
Derek
2,047.
Announcer
2,047 pounds. Yeah, I think my dad thought I was probably crazy and a lot of other family members. When I had that one weigh over 2,000 pounds, I think they're kind of like, "Whoa, that's pretty cool!" 1,450.
applause
Announcer
Good size, but not quite as big as last year. 1,450. I guess it's not always about having the biggest fruit. It's just about enjoying what you're doing, and enjoying being outside and in the garden. There's always next year. That's the thing. I'm already excited to grow next year.
country music
Announcer
Wisconsin has treasure troves of amazing people and resources, including the laboratories and work happening right here in La Crosse. If you'd like to learn more about the Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center or the stories you've seen here, visit WisconsinLife.org. And as always, we want to hear from you. Share your "Wisconsin Life" with us by sending an email to [email protected]. Until we meet again, I'm your host, Angela Fitzgerald and this is our "Wisconsin Life." Bye.
bubbling
boat motor
Announcer
Funding for "Wisconsin Life" is provided in part by Alliant Energy, Lowell and Mary Peterson, and Friends of Wisconsin Public Television.
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