Wisconsin Life

The following program is a PBS Wisconsin original production.

upbeat music

Angela

Coming up on "Wisconsin Life": We meet the founder of a black bear education center, an Eau Claire luthier fine-tuning her creative side, an artist using words as her medium, and the owners of a vintage woolen mill. It's all next on "Wisconsin Life."

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Announcer

"Wisconsin Life"

is funded in part by

Alliant Energy, Lowell and Mary Peterson, American Transmission Company, the Focus Fund for Wisconsin Programming, and Friends of Wisconsin Public Television. Hello. This is "Wisconsin Life," and I'm Angela Fitzgerald. I've got my walking boots on today, as we tour the Shalom Wildlife Zoo. This private zoo is in West Bend. It has over 100 acres to discover. Guests will see a wide variety of wildlife, including buffalo, bears, and a camel. The zoo's focus is to preserve the animals' natural ecosystem, while providing an educational experience. Hey, Sonic. And there are plenty of opportunities for that, with over 400 animals on site. One of the species here is the albino deer. As you can see, they're pretty friendly. We'll check out more of the critters here later. But first, we meet an animal lover in Wausau who's built a sanctuary for a sometimes misunderstood animal, black bears.

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is funded in part by

Tens of thousands of black bears roam Wisconsin, and yet, to see one up close is rare.

Jeff

I was like, "Wow!" It actually ran by me 20 yards away, and I was so excited, I jumped from my tree stand to the next tree, and I shimmied down, and I ran after it. And most people, I guess, do the exact opposite, ya know.

Angela

From that chance encounter, Jeff Traska went from chasing bears to chasing a dream. I had to make a decision. If I was going to be hunting and harvest one of these animals, or if I was going to learn more. And I decided I'm gonna put my bow down, and I'm just gonna do my own research. More than 35 years later, the research continues, just steps from Jeff's front door.

Jeff

None of this was ever planned.

Angela

"This" is the Wisconsin Black Bear Education Center, a not-for-profit private sanctuary.

Jeff

They have approximately seven acres they can roam. There's ponds, there's meadows, there's trees.

Angela

With a kind heart for bears, Jeff converted his land into one of the largest, most natural bear facilities in the United States. We want to replicate as much of nature as possible. Look over here. See this kinda hole? I want people to come and see the animal in the most natural atmosphere that they can.

Woman

But you never actually go in the--

Jeff

Yeah, I go in there every day with them.

Woman

Oh, you do?

Jeff

Yeah, yeah. I've been bitten, scratched by all these guys. When I analyzed the situation, it's always been what I did.

Angela

Each of his four bears comes with a personality and a past. Vince was rescued from a breeding facility. From day one, he was always kinda shy, from when he was five pounds, and I bottle-fed him. Sunny and Moon, because they were brother and sister, created a kinda different atmosphere because they both had one another to look upon. And Sky, our latest bear, he came to us when he was only a year-and-a-half. You know this is Sky, because he's up in the tree. His mother was killed somehow, and we got him from a rehabbing place up in Rhinelander. Part of Jeff's mission is taking the fear out of a bear encounter. People have the impression that bears are walking around through the woods with blood dripping out of their mouth, waiting for the next hiker to come along. When somebody comes here, hopefully, they get to encounter a bear, but it's in a good situation. He was swimming in the pond just before you guys got here. And when they come across the bear, it's not so much, "Oh my God, there's a bear! "Let's run out of here!" A black bear is nothing more than a couple-hundred-pound gray squirrel. That's really all it is. It's just looking to find food to survive and make it through the winter; that's all it's doing....Bed and breakfast, and all that kind of stuff. Through the years, Jeff has learned to communicate with his guests and his bears.

high-pitched grunting

Woman

Wow. When they hear the vocalization of the bears, and when I can replicate those sounds, the mother will go

woofing

Woman

, or even call the bears, that's a big thing for the people. Instantly, the cubs will go up the trees. People think when they hear a bear go,

rapid grunting

Woman

they're going, "Oh my God, I'm gonna die right now." But, all the bear is basically saying is that there's a danger in the area, and they're uncomfortable with the atmosphere.

bear roaring

Angela

Tempers can flare this time of year when food is most important, especially when packing on the pounds to survive a long winter.

bears woofing

Jeff

If it's real, they'll stand their grounds, and normally, they kinda face off.

scratching

Angela

Jeff has had his own close encounters with hungry bears.

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high-pitched grunting

Angela

The bears come up to me; it ain't no big deal. They see me taking nuts out of a pail, especially Vince. I didn't see him over there, and I was throwing some stuff, and he grabbed the bucket with my leg... and he had his head in the bucket, and I'm going, "Vince, come on, now."

rapid grunting

Angela

And the harder I tried to pull, it just got tighter, tighter and tighter. I'm like, "Well, okay, finish them." Their sense of smell is 2,000 times better than ours, seven to eight times greater than a bloodhound, and they could smell a dead carcass up to 20 miles away. It's satisfying for me to have the people ask questions. Those are called smelling receptors. That's what makes me tick. Despite all he's doing for his bears and for the public, Jeff's not done, yet. I made this commitment to take care of these animals for the rest of their life. We have 40 acres, about six or eight miles from here. I'd like to create a rehab facility to where I can take care of injured and orphaned bears and then be able to release them into the wild. I've learned a lot so far, but just think how smart I'll be when I'm 100, 'ya know.

laughing

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upbeat music

Angela

Next up, we share the story of an Eau Claire violinist who uses her talents to fine-tune her creative side.

violin playing

Angela

Music... It's considered the universal language.

Rose

If you can communicate something without saying anything at all, it's just a magical world, I guess.

Angela

A world Rose Vincent's been in tune with for most of her life. I was 12 years old, and my parents said, "Well, you get to choose your instrument," and I thought violin sounded pretty cool, but after a couple days I told my mom, I said, "This is what I want to do for a living."

fast-paced violin playing

Angela

She laughed. It was the start of a lifelong dialogue for Rose.

Rose

I wanted to be a performer, and I wanted to learn to improvise.

Angela

Even if the conversation is always changing.

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gentle lute music

Angela

I got started in violin restoration when my violin in college started to have some structural problems, and a very kind person offered to teach me how to fix it.

tapping

Angela

Rose is a luthier,

tapping

Angela

someone who restores and rebuilds string instruments.

Rose

They have to function, not just paint a pretty picture, so they have to be able to express when they're done. That is the goal.

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scraping

Angela

She works alongside her husband John at their shop in downtown Eau Claire. Together, they've restored hundreds of violins, some centuries old. One of the oldest we've got rolling right now is 1711, Georg Aman from Augsburg. That's a really neat instrument, and it's really messed up.

laughing

dabbing

Angela

For Rose, it's like lending an ear to an old friend. It never gets old when you hear them for the first time. I can be the first one to hear it in maybe a hundred years, and that's pretty cool.

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Angela

But what happens when what you're hearing suddenly changes tone? Stay away from me Stay away from me You're causing me trouble You're causing me trouble It's been that way It's been that way Since from the start Since from the start Bluegrass is like playing Bach at 200 miles-an-hour and composing it on the spot.

bluegrass fiddle playing

Angela

Rose was recruited from the chamber orchestra by a local bluegrass band. Bluegrass was an absolutely new experience. I had never done anything like that before. It scared the heck out of me.

laughing

Angela

It's extremely complex. It's extremely difficult. It was, in a way, more difficult than playing classical music because it was set out there to react that quickly and interact with the harmonies that other people are creating. It's just a real complex dance, which is really, really neat.

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Angela

When she's not mending violins, Rose travels the country, now playing bluegrass. Well, I found out I loved being on the road. Absolutely loved it. We've met so many people along the way. And also, it made me a better violinist in general, because there's such an emphasis on rhythm and collaboration that it just rounded everything out.

classical violin music

Angela

Even when the tempo keeps changing for Rose...

scratching on wood

gentle lute playing

Angela

...the language stays the same. I think the best thing you can feel is that you've completely emptied everything out of yourself to give to the people listening.

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audience clapping in rhythm

Angela

Sometimes it just knocks you over. Like, wow!

laughing

Angela

This is really awesome.

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audience applauding

cymbal shimmering

Angela

The zoo is located in West Bend, and the story of how this beautiful attraction came to be all begins with a couple's love for the great outdoors.

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Angela

The Shalom Wildlife Zoo has more than 100 acres to explore. I met with co-owner David Fechter to learn more about how this expansive zoo got its start. My wife, Lana, and I both grew up on Shalom Drive. What is today Shalom Wildlife Zoo was actually part of a huge estate. I was the caretaker, and my wife was the housekeeper. Later on in life, we fell in love, and the property was sold and was gonna be subdivided. And so, we decided let's buy the land and preserve it. And so that's kinda how it started. That is amazing. So it's just grown from there. - That's correct. So, are you all both involved in the day-to-day operations of the zoo? Yes, we work about 20 hours a day.

both laughing

Angela

Seven days a week. So it is definitely a commitment to something that we find is enjoyable.

kids chatting

Angela

An experience that's enjoyable for guests too, as they engage with local, exotic and endangered animals. We have over 70 species. We have probably over 500 animals and animals from all over the world. But it mainly started with deer, bison, elk, native species, and this year we have tigers. Hi, hi, hi. Well, we have the lemurs; they are another endangered species. We have some red-footed tortoises from Brazil that are endangered species. So it's just to try to educate the people on the importance. They see how beautiful they are. And we see a big tiger, we go, "Wow," but there's a little turtle that we should go, "Wow," too, 'cause it's also endangered. It's important work that couldn't be done without community support. So tell me, how does the community support what you do? I understand there's a food donation process they can-- Right, yeah, we're really taken care of well by our community. Every day at our zoo entrance, people donate food. People just love coming to Shalom, and they just help keep it going. From big cats to small creatures, there are opportunities to interact with the critters here. There are hedgehogs. Hey! I'm guessing these animals can be petted.

Zookeeper

Yeah.

Angela laughing

Zookeeper

Large tortoises. So this is Littles. - So, I mean-- You can touch her back. - Can it feel when you do this? Yes, so the shell is actually a part of their body. - Okay. And I can't forget the hissing cockroaches. Do they fly? - They do not fly. They do not have any wings of any kind. - That's comforting. For David, the Shalom Wildlife Zoo is a special place, one that's been a lifetime in the making. The most amazing thing to me is all the people that come, that I see families coming out here, and it's almost, sometimes I gotta pinch myself that it's hard to believe that what started out as just preservation of the land turned into this huge community endeavor.

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Zookeeper

I don't have food for you. You're sweet.

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Zookeeper

The zoo is a wonderful place to learn about animals, up close and personal.

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Zookeeper

Now, let's travel to Milwaukee, where an artist is turning text into intricate art.

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Zookeeper

Words are powerful tools, and we are witnessing that. You can elevate someone with your words. You can crush someone with your words. Words have this great power. They are great tools. My name is Nina Ghanbarzadeh. I'm a full-time visual artist. I am from Tehran, Iran. Tehran is the capital of Iran. That is where I was born and raised, and I moved to the United States in 2001. I use specific words and phrases, and I write them repetitively on paper. So that is how I make compositions. So I would say that these words and sentences act as colors or elements of design in my art. So instead of color, I use words.

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Zookeeper

So, I would like my viewer to look at the whole composition, as in one unified piece, and enjoy the composition. But as the viewer gets closer to the composition, to the words, the words starts to reveal themselves. Then they find that, "Oh, so there is something written in this work." I usually write in my mother tongue, Farsi, and I don't write the translations. The reason is because I borrow from Persian poetry, and when you translate poetry, the sensibility of language is being lost. And I have to do a lot of thinking and brainstorming on how to write. How should I write specific words so they can make movement and pattern on the paper? I used to paint. My paintings, they're all representational, and they all had elements from my culture. But when I started to write, it made me feel good inside. Just being able to recite these phrases, it made me feel close to my birthplace, to my friends and family, in my head. So, it really helped me to settle down in this country. I want to show the beauty of Persian culture through the words that I pick. That is what, actually, I want my viewer to feel, is calmness, the quietness, because we have so much going on in our world, and I want my viewer to, when they stand in front of my drawings, I want them to be able to take a deep breath and say, "There's something that calms me, "and there is some peace in these pieces."

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Angela

From words to wool. We share the talents of a Valders couple with a vintage woolen mill and sheep, lots and lots of sheep.

sheep bleating

Carol

We started out with one sheep. And one sheep leads to another sheep, which leads to another, and here we are at multiple sheep.

Angela

Nestled in a valley by Valders is the Hidden Valley Woolen Mill. I grew up in this house and I was gone for about 20 years. The place had sat abandoned for two or three years. My uncle bought the farm, and he said he'd sell it to me. Threw me a price, and I told him I'd bring him a check tomorrow, and I bought it for no other reason than the fact that it was so cheap, and I knew I could make it livable. Told her I'd bought the home place, and she was pretty excited about it at the time.

Carol laughing

Angela

So, we had the house and two acres,

sheep bleating

Angela

and we started from that. Now we own 16 acres and run about 75, and right now, we're up to about 550 head of sheep with the lambs.

Carol

I read an article about the Coopworth sheep. They were developed in New Zealand. They had just been imported into the United States, and there still aren't many of them here. And they were long-wooled sheep that were supposed to be wonderful for hand spinning. So, of course, I had to get one.

Paul

These girls have been just fantastic. We learn more and more about them every day.

Angela

With so many sheep, there's a lot of wool. There was a little woolen mill about 10 miles from here, and they were ready to retire. I was there one day, and the discussion came around to getting rid of the mill. "Do you know anybody that wants to buy it?" And I said, "Well, I do." So I came home and told Paul that I bought a woolen mill,

laughing

Angela

and so we had to build a building, and it came at the right time. There used to be a variety of mills throughout the state. Most of them have since gone out of business. It's like years ago every medium-sized town had a brewery, and the microbreweries are coming back now, and hopefully, this type of industry will come back again. The woolen mill is an eight-ton, 1923 carding machine, which Paul is an expert at operating. I'm feeding the machine, and I have to control the rate of feed so that we have a consistent roving at the end, the size of what a hand spinner would want. The wool will get on the main drum, and then, as it goes around what we call the roll "workers," which are these right here, you can see the fiber being pulled and combed right there. And then the small rollers are called strippers. They take the fiber off of the workers and put it back on the main drum. And as it works its way over, there's eight rollers that work it, and then on the other end, it will come off on what's called a doffer. It will be combed off the doffer into the transfer unit to make the actual roving. As you can see, she rolls it into a half-pound ball, and she's really accurate.

chuckles

Angela

It's amazing. Dying wool is an art, which Carol has embraced from the start, being inspired by what she sees around her. I create colorways. When we started out, we would go to festivals and come home, and people would call and say, "Ya know, I bought this stuff, "and it's got some blue in it and some green in it, "and I want more." Well, that's nice.

both laughing

Angela

I can't picture, quite. "What do you want?" So we started giving everything a name, and that has made a big difference, because then, ya know, it creates a connection between the people that are purchasing it and what the inspiration was. A connection that is celebrated at farmers markets and wool festivals. We're really getting into a computerized world, with the Amazon attitude of buying and shipping, but fiber is a little bit different in the fact that people really want to feel it. And so, that's why I think the shows will always go... to some extent. My goal this year, of those 300 lambs that are down in the barn right now, is that not one single lamb goes into the system.

lamb bleating

Angela

Everyone will go with what they call the underground market, which is direct market to cuts, individual lambs...

lamb bleating

Angela

or of that sort. I was almost successful last year in marketing 100%, but that's my goal. And direct marketing is farmers markets, and Paul does the Downtown Appleton Farmer's Market while I'm doing the Downtown Green Bay Farmer's Market. So it's like nonstop marketing. I go to approximately 10 fiber festivals throughout the Midwest. I always laugh and say, "Have sheep, will travel."

Carol laughing

Angela

Our life has been a multitude of adventures,

both laughing

Angela

some good, some bad, some indifferent, but it has definitely not been dull. And we have our sheep to thank for that.

laughing

sheep bleating

Angela

I'm gonna take one more trip around the zoo. If you want to learn more about the Shalom Wildlife Zoo or any of the stories featured, visit WisconsinLife.org. And if you have a story or a favorite place to share, email us at [email protected]. Until next time, I'm Angela Fitzgerald, and this is our "Wisconsin Life." Bye!

upbeat music

Angela

Whee!

cameraman laughing

Cameraman

Oh, man.

Announcer

"Wisconsin Life"

is funded in part by

Alliant Energy, Lowell and Mary Peterson, American Transmission Company, the Focus Fund for Wisconsin Programming, and Friends of Wisconsin Public Television.