Wisconsin Public Television

Transcript: In Wisconsin #907

Original Airdate: 18 November 2010

Frederica Freyberg:

Welcome to “In Wisconsin.” I’m Frederica Freyberg in for Patty Loew. This week, people who live in tune with environmentally friendly values can now choose a green burial, but its not without controversy. Plus a look at a new recreational area near Waterloo.

Man:

The property has a beautiful topography, great views.

Frederica Freyberg:

See why it’s described as pearls on a string. And the inspiring story of Andy Janicki as he explores the wilds of Wisconsin.

Man:

No one from the shore would realize I have a disability.

Frederica Freyberg:

Those reports next on “In Wisconsin.”

Announcer:

Major funding for “In Wisconsin” is provided by the people of Alliant Energy who bring safe, reliable and environmentally friendly energy to keep homes, neighborhoods and life in Wisconsin running smoothly. Alliant Energy, we’re on for you. And Animal Dentistry and Oral Surgery Specialists of Oshkosh, Milwaukee and Minneapolis, a veterinary team working with pet owners and family veterinarians providing care for oral disease and dental problems of small companion animals.

Frederica Freyberg:

We begin this week with a controversy. For most people, dealing with death can be uneasy, uncomfortable and now unconventional. There’s a new option to consider when you or a loved one passes away. “In Wisconsin” reporter Liz Koerner shows you how green burials are changing the funeral business in Wisconsin.

Liz Koerner:

Consumer options for going green keep expanding, from hybrid cars to canvas grocery bags. There’s another green option that admittedly not everyone is comfortable talking about. It’s called natural burial.

David Brenner:

So what we’re talking about is, you know, a body, it’s un-embalmed, its shrouded or in a seagrass type casket, or in an unvarnished low metal content wooden casket that will all those products and the body will disintegrate with time, will go away.

Liz Koerner:

Waukesha’s Prairie Home Cemetery is one of the few cemeteries in the state that allows natural burial. They avoid the use of traditional caskets because many are made of metal. It’s estimated that in the United States every year 90,000 tons of steel are used in caskets. And 1.6 million tons of concrete goes into the ground as burial vaults. Although there’s no law that mandates the use of a burial vault, most cemeteries require one.

David Brenner:

Were you not to do that, that casket would deteriorate over time and collapse and that can create some cosmetic as well as safety issues in a cemetery.

Liz Koerner:

Prairie Home just added an even greener burial option, a four-acre prairie with no lawn chemicals and no mowing allowed.

David Brenner:

So that was completed earlier this year. We started selling earlier this year. Reception has been outstanding.

Liz Koerner:

Some feel that burial in traditional cemeteries is an unsustainable use of land, citing the 300 million plus population in the United States alone. Cremation is one answer, but even this option uses nonrenewable resources for combustion. Now there’s another option for natural burial in Wisconsin, one that protects the undeveloped character of rural land. It’s a wooded nature preserve north of Barneveld on land owned by the Circle Sanctuary, a Wiccan church.

Selena Fox:

We founded Circle Cemetery as part of our nature preservation work in order to combine an intentional focus on conservation with greening the end of life.

Liz Koerner:

Circle Sanctuary was granted a county zoning permit for full body burials in the summer of 2010, but has had a permit for cremation burials since 1995.

Selena Fox:

I can tell you when you have people gathered around a grave in a beautiful setting and the body of that loved one is lowered in, that brings a kind of closure for some people.

Liz Koerner:

The cemetery at Circle Sanctuary may be the first burial ground on a nature preserve in the state, but more of them are on the way. Like the one proposed by Dr. Gene Farley in rural Verona. Farley and his adult sons decided to pursue this option on their property after losing their wife and mother, Linda, to cancer in the summer of 2009. Farley and his late wife had worked as physicians and hoped to donate their bodies to the university medical school.

Gene Farley:

Because she had had cancer and had organs removed, they didn’t want her body for a cadaver and they didn’t want it for the organs because of the cancer. So obviously we thought, natural burial and feeding a tree or feeding plants was the next thing that we would do.

Liz Koerner:

When Linda died, after checking on the legality of home burial, the family worked together to dig her grave on their land.

Gene Farley:

And as they were digging, you know, they had the joy of sharing, the joy of working together, the tears over their mother, times when they’d stand silently and hold hands.

Liz Koerner:

Tillman is one of the Farley’s four sons.

Tillman Farley:

She came back from the funeral home, was wrapped in a sheet, and we just lowered her down in the sheet and then we had a blanket that had a picture of all of the four boys on it and we threw that down in there and it really felt right. Even a pine box seemed like too much.

Liz Koerner:

The Farley family wants to create a natural burial ground along the paths of their 25-acre woods. Some neighbors spoke in opposition to this proposal at the county zoning meeting in August of 2010. One concern is that the resale value of their homes would go down.

Man 1:

We’re talking about people’s buying habits and the stigma of it. We don’t like to sound like — we’re not against progress, but we’re the ones who are paying the bill in a way, and we didn’t have any — we didn’t ask for that.

Man 2:

It’s taken away from my lifestyle and I think it’s taken away from a lot of lifestyles of the neighbors around me.

Liz Koerner:

After a site visit and a consultation with the board of health, the county granted a permit to the Farleys’ natural cemetery. Because natural burials cost less, you might assume there would be opposition from funeral directors who offer embalming and options for high end products.

Michelle Rinehart:

Right now because it’s a change from what we’re used to, I think you may see a little bit of resistance, but yet they need to realize this is really what’s coming down. Funeral service is ever changing. So I think they need to — I think everybody needs to realize that, open your minds and everything will work out.

Liz Koerner:

A number of funeral directors offer some aspects of natural burial.

Michelle Rinehart:

When they call us, they’re asking us to provide a service for them, and we try and take care of them any way we possibly can.

Liz Koerner:

In times of deep sorrow, choices like this can be difficult. And while natural burials will not appeal to everyone, having this choice may help.

Gene Farley:

Burials should be whatever a person feels comfortable with because in life and death we have to worry about the psychological comfort of people. And this gives me great comfort and our sons great comfort.

Frederica Freyberg:

The Farleys’ Natural Path Sanctuary is only one aspect of the Linda and Gene Farley Center for Peace, Justice and Sustainability. As part of its sustainability mission, the center provides 40 acres of land to organic gardeners and small commercial growers. Proceeds from the cemetery will help fund the center’s activities. Well, exactly one year ago, the Wisconsin Natural Resources Board approved funding for a unique $125 million project described as pearls on a string. “In Wisconsin” reporter Art Hackett shows you why this recreational property between Milwaukee and Madison is so valuable to Jefferson County.

Dalhart Holzhueter:

I’m told it’s the third highest hill in Jefferson County.

Art Hackett:

Dalhart Holzhueter is talking about a 170-acre parcel of land south of Waterloo.

Dalhart Holzhueter:

My birthplace was right behind the hill here, and my folks moved along the Crawfish River. My grandfather’s owned land in the area since 1916.

Art Hackett:

Holzhueter rents out part of the land and maintains a grass course on the property for Lakeside Lutheran High School’s cross-country team.

Dalhart Holzhueter:

I purchased it probably about 20 years ago. This was my retirement fund.

Art Hackett:

Holzhueter decided to tap that fund when his strawberry crops were flooded.

Dalhart Holzhueter:

I had an offer on the property up here from a developer for a million dollars. And I thought it would be much nicer if more people could have the view that’s seen from up here than just a couple people.

Art Hackett:

And so the Wisconsin DNR is buying the property.

Steve Miller:

The property has a very beautiful topography, great views. It really fits a concept of a park property.

Art Hackett:

But the purchase of Holzhueter’s land in Jefferson County may be just the beginning of a much larger effort, an effort which began more than a year ago, and which could continue over 30 years into the future.

Joe Nehmer:

The state legislature said to the DNR, you’re not going to own the entire state. You need to do a plan and you need to identify the highest priority areas in Wisconsin for conservation, preservation and recreation.

Art Hackett:

The result was the land legacy report.

Joe Nehmer:

It really is a greenprint for looking ahead in Wisconsin to what ought to be protected.

Art Hackett:

Jefferson County began the first major effort to build from that greenprint. The result is the Glacial Heritage Area.

Joe Nehmer:

We said, we think we have some unique opportunities here in the Jefferson County area to meet the needs of Wisconsin residents. We are basically the last green space between Milwaukee and Madison, so as I like to say, it’s not that we’re necessarily that good, but it’s where we’re at.

Art Hackett:

The Glacial Heritage Area defies description. It’s not a county facility. It’s not a state facility. It’s not a bike trail. It’s actually all of the above working in conjunction with each other. The project actually begins in southern Dodge County, where the DNR already owns the Mud Lake and Waterloo wildlife areas. There are nearly a dozen other public conservation areas extending down into Rock County. The plan identifies half a dozen more properties to be considered for acquisition in the future. All would be tied together with a network of bike and pedestrian trails. The cluster is described as pearls on a string.

Joe Nehmer:

The pearls are our valuable natural resource areas here in Jefferson County, as well as Dodge, Dane and Rock counties. The string is the connection with the trail. You connect one natural resource area to another and connect our communities with our natural resources areas.

Art Hackett:

Jefferson County already has the Glacial Drumlin trail crossing it. The Wild Goose trail comes down from Fond du Lac, but dead-ends in Dodge County. The plan is to eventually extend it all the way to Fort Atkinson.

Phyllis Hanke:

Countywide, wed have a big system of trails that would be great for off the road for many people who don’t want to ride on the road.

Art Hackett:

And paddle support enthusiasts like John McKenzie of Fort Atkinson hope the plan will help organize a waterway which runs from Mud Lake all the way to Lake Koshkonong.

John McKenzie:

We’ve got some great paddle here and some great put-ins and take-outs, but nobody knows where they are. They don’t know how long it takes to get from one to the other, and what the amenities are. That’s what this is going to do.

Art Hackett:

The Jefferson County board endorsed the area by a lopsided 20-6 vote. Supervisor Jim Mode of Fort Atkinson was among the dissenters. Mode says his constituents, especially farmers, are concerned it would drive up the price of land.

Jim Mode:

I think appraisers appraise it and come up with a fair value, but when they’re paying up to $4,000 for some land that really isn’t prime farmland, that tends to run the price of the prime land up even higher.

Art Hackett:

DNR director of land Steve Miller disputes this.

Steve Miller:

It’s not a result of buying land for conservation or recreation purposes. It is the urban suburban development, rural development.

Art Hackett:

Mode says it’s also a problem of timing.

Jim Mode:

I think the state might be spending money on things like this rather than taking care of obligations that are with us at the present time.

Art Hackett:

The project would be funded from the $60 million a year the legislature has earmarked for the stewardship program. The project is currently estimated to cost about $125 million. But it’s something that will happen over many years.

Steve Miller:

All we can do is lay a vision for the future. If the money is there, we can move ahead. If for some reason the funding to implement this dries up because some other decisions are made about stewardship and future legislators, we can’t control that.

Art Hackett:

But the designation of the area makes it possible to buy properties like Holzhueter’s hilltop when they’re available to make them available to all.

Steve Miller:

It would be fairly easy when that moves in the public ownership to just put up a parking lot and sign, how to use it, and people can get out there almost overnight. In fact, Mr. Holzhueter wants us to buy the gas so he can keep mowing the trails, which would be great, we need the help.

Frederica Freyberg:

Money for the project will come from the Knowles-Nelson stewardship fund. It’s named for two former Wisconsin governors. The fund provides $60 million a year to purchase and preserve land for parks, wildlife areas and watersheds. Exploring Wisconsin doesn’t have to end at the water’s edge. There are those two Great Lakes, the mighty Mississippi and thousands of inland lakes. Our next report is about a new way to enjoy those waters as “In Wisconsin” reporter Jo Garrett discovers in Iron County.

Jo Garrett:

This is the Turtle Flambeau scenic waters area.

Man:

There’s an eagle right there.

Jo Garrett:

It includes 19,000 acres of water. 212 miles of shoreline. And 195 islands. A great place for kayaking.

Man:

When the three of us paddle together, no one from the shore would realize that I have a disability.

Jo Garrett:

Andy Janicki is kayaking with his dad, Bob Janicki, of Crystal Lake, Illinois.

Andy Janicki:

Tip you over.

Jo Garrett:

And his good friend and fellow kayaker, Phil Peterson of Washburn.

Phil Peterson:

Oh, yeah. That would be cool.

Jo Garrett:

It’s Dad’s first time out in a kayak. Andy and Phil have paddled together many times.

Andy Janicki:

I don’t feel like I’m disabled being out here.

Jo Garrett:

Janicki is a quadriplegic. A spinal cord injury left him paralyzed from the collarbone down. His hands, his triceps are paralyzed. He has full movement in just his shoulders.

Andy Janicki:

It feels a lot better than it did last night. Coming in with my wheelchair on the back and both my hatches full.

Jo Garrett:

Yes, Janicki and company paddle to their campsite, 1.5 miles, with gear stowed in their kayak and in Andys case, carting a wheelchair.

Andy Janicki:

Probably with my chair and everything, I’d say it was a good 60 pounds.

Jo Garrett:

He works as an accessibility coordinator for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

Andy Janicki:

It works out. I make it work. And I think a lot of people could. And that’s the whole idea behind getting more kayaks around that people can just kind of rent out if they don’t have their own.

Jo Garrett:

Part of his job is to spread the word around the state about this kind of kayak that makes it all possible. It’s called an adaptive kayak and through a program called Open the Outdoors…

Andy Janicki:

Oh, boy. Here we be.

Jo Garrett:

People with disabilities can check out an adaptive kayak at a very nominal cost at four different state parks. He shows us how the boat is adapted.

Andy Janicki:

This is the basic setup that’s all of our state parks as well. This seat is the main part of keeping someone stable basically who doesn’t have much trunk stability. So, for example, me being a quadriplegic, I’m paralyzed from about the collarbone down, so for me to be in a regular boat, I’m kind of flying all over the place. Depending on the level of your injury or disability, basically. This part, as you can see, folds back, so it’s easier for transferring into. Basically get my feet in there first.

Andy Janicki:

Nice. That was smooth.

Phil Peterson:

Man, it’s really easy with two people.

Andy Janicki:

Yeah.

Andy Janicki:

There’s the outriggers, the pontoons in the back here. These are the beef of the boat. It’s basically foolproof as far as tipping over goes. Virtually untippable. I can lean over as far as I can and this thing’s not going over. Yeah. It’s pretty — this is about as far as I can lean over, you know. This thing isn’t going to tip. Basically I can’t move my fingers at all. I can — through moving my wrists, I can move my wrists so I can grab stuff a little bit, but I don’t have enough of a grip to hold onto a paddle very well. When you’ve got the blade of your paddle in the water you don’t have to rely on grip anymore, because you just have the back of your hand holding on to this guy.

Jo Garrett:

Janicki was an active outdoorsman before his injury in college and he was determined to return to the outdoors. And he has. With trips to Lake Powell and the sea caves of the Apostle Islands, the Rio Grande and Glacier National Park with his fiancee. The adaptive kayak changes the playing field.

Andy Janicki:

Before I was in a chair, I didn’t think twice about curb cuts or anything like that. Now, obviously I’m real cognizant of where I’m going to roll next. And it’s something that’s constantly on my mind, you know. If I’m, you know, on a street, it’s like, how steep is this hill going to be? Is there going to be access, you know, up to this building? Am I going to be able to get through this door? That’s all a factor of being in a wheelchair. So to get out of that, you know, to get away from all that and be out on the water, just — it’s an amazing feeling. When you’re out here, you can get anywhere you want to. It’s just a whole different level of freedom.

Jo Garrett:

Janicki’s paddling partner, Phil Peterson.

Phil Peterson:

It’s a great equalizer. When you see Andy in the boat, you don’t see the man in the wheelchair. You see the man in the boat. That’s a powerful image.

Jo Garrett:

It’s an image most of us aren’t used to. Janicki recounts a paddling story from Lake Powell.

Andy Janicki:

When we got next to the houseboat that picked us up on Lake Powell, we got next to the boat and we’re slamming against it with those waves, and they’re like, Get up, man! I was like, I can’t, I’m paralyzed. They’re like, What the hell are you doing out here?

Jo Garrett:

Janicki and Peterson may have smooth sailing on these waters, but what about on shore?

Andy Janicki:

In the Apostle Islands it was just Phil and I for five days. Looked like he was dragging a dead body around.

Phil Peterson:

The Bernie’s vacation or whatever.

Andy Janicki:

Yeah. Got me by the shoulders, dragging me to the tent through the sand, it was hilarious.

Jo Garrett:

This crew had an easier time on this trip. Andys dad, Bob Janicki.

Bob Janicki:

We got in last night. It was almost dark. We found the site. And got him onto the shore and we were wheeling him right to the spot right away. It was easy to get here. I mean, the state did a great job here.

Jo Garrett:

Here is one of six campsites in the Turtle Flambeau that have been adapted to be handicapped accessible.

Andy Janicki:

This is the Taj Mahal of accessibility.

Jo Garrett:

Janicki was involved through his job as an accessibility coordinator for the DNR in advising on the design.

Andy Janicki:

We tried to keep the primitive feel, but make it accessible at the same time, and I think we’ve done a pretty good job of doing that.

Jo Garrett:

And it didn’t break the bank.

Andy Janicki:

There really isn’t a whole lot that goes into making a site accessible.

Jo Garrett:

First up, the bathroom. It’s certainly not palatial, but it’s also not as primitive as those at other campsites.

Andy Janicki:

Most of these sites is dig a hole or there’s a pit, but these are actually an enclosed building, meet standards with the Americans with Disabilities Act. It’s perfectly set up for various disabilities, basically.

Jo Garrett:

Campsites need campfires. This site has the traditional ground-based variety and one more.

Andy Janicki:

But this is more an accessible fire pit and grill. As you can see, it’s raised up to a higher height, which is nice, and the grill, you know, is basically at the height for someone in a wheelchair can adjust the thing if they have to. You know, you do it one side at a time. But I’m doing this as a quadriplegic without much grip in my hand, without triceps, so it’s a nice setup. It’s very cool. So basically it’s like someone in a wheelchair could operate this grill.

Jo Garrett:

But one of the most important modifications isn’t obvious. Look down. The grade on the trails is never more than 5%.

Andy Janicki:

Me as a quadriplegic, this really isn’t too bad to motor around on. There are 100 some sites on this flowage and why not make a few accessible?

Jo Garrett:

It’s important to note that these accessible campsites aren’t limited to people with disabilities, their friends and family. Anyone can camp here. It’s run on a reservation system. First come, first served.

Bob Janicki:

People ask me about him, how he’s doing. And some people have an idea in their mind that he’s sitting in a room looking out a window.

Andy Janicki:

Wow. Yeah. Look at those trees.

Bob Janicki:

And I tell them what he’s doing and they’re amazed and they realize, boy, he’s doing more than a lot of people. For the disabled, they just have to know that all this stuff is out there for them and just get out there and do it.

Andy Janicki:

Oh, man, the water’s awesome right now.

Frederica Freyberg:

Awesome indeed. As we mentioned, there are four state parks that have adaptive kayaks. They are Mirror Lake, Devil’s Lake, Buckhorn and Perrot state park. Just go to our website, wpt.org and click on In Wisconsin. Time now for a look at some of the reports we’re working on for the next edition of “In Wisconsin.”

Jo Garrett:

I’m “In Wisconsin” reporter Jo Garrett. It was called Camp Madison. It was part of the Civilian Conservation Corps. And they made history.

Man:

It’s an incredible undertaking, one that had never happened before.

Jo Garrett:

Find out how Camp Madison saved a precious part of Wisconsin’s legacy.

Frederica Freyberg:

This is “In Wisconsin” reporter Frederica Freyberg. The DNR is launching a multi-year study on whitetail deer.

Man:

This is a way to involve hunters directly in the field research alongside of us and that’s exactly what we want to do.

Frederica Freyberg:

Find out what’s needed and how you can help.

Andy Soth:

This is “In Wisconsin” reporter Andy Soth. Who was Increase Lapham?

Man:

He’s been described as a universal genus, a botanist, a meteorologist, an antiquarian.

Frederica Freyberg:

Those reports on Thanksgiving night at 7:30 right here on Wisconsin Public Television. Finally this week, we leave you with one of the last impressions of summer, from high above Maiden Rock on the Mississippi River. The valley provides wetlands for thousands of birds. Enjoy the view from Pepin County and have a great week in Wisconsin.

Announcer:

Major funding for “In Wisconsin” is provided by the people of Alliant Energy who bring safe, reliable and environmentally friendly energy to keep homes, neighborhoods and life in Wisconsin running smoothly. Alliant Energy, we’re on for you. And Animal Dentistry and Oral Surgery Specialists of Oshkosh, Milwaukee and Minneapolis, a veterinary team working with pet owners and family veterinarians providing care for oral disease and dental problems of small companion animals.