Wisconsin's Scenic Treasures

– The following program is a PBS Wisconsin Original Production.

[wind brushes prairie grasses] [birds chirping] – A flutter of wings… A glimmer of sunlight… A well-worn path… A secluded glen…

[bird chatters] The landscape calls… …with a beckoning to explore.

Out across Wisconsin lie valleys and prairies just within reach.

[bird calls] A richness of sights and sounds… [Sandhill Cranes make rattling bugle calls] …awaiting discovery.

Along the trail, beside the shore, beneath the open skies, Wisconsin Scenic Treasures: Wisconsin Scenic Treasures: Southern Vistas.

– Funding for Wisconsin’s Scenic Treasures: Southern Vistas is provided by Bitzer Family Legacy Fund, in honor of Lloyd and Jo Ann Bitzer, Greg and Carol Griffin, Elizabeth Olson, Colleen and Ron Weyers, Eleanor and Thomas Wildrick Family, the Nature Conservancy in Wisconsin, Roger and Lynn Van Vreede, Alliant Energy, Cherish Wisconsin Outdoors Fund, Jim Slattery, Focus Fund for Wisconsin Programming, and Friends of PBS Wisconsin.

– Southern Wisconsin holds a bounty of scenic treasures.

With each day, fresh views are revealed.

Behind each blade of grass, new worlds to explore.

A richness of sights, of sounds, of movement.

[water ripples] Vistas just within reach.

[peaceful accoustic guitar] [Swamp Swallows twitter in a high-pitch] [insects chirping] [water ripples gently] [Marsh Wren trilling, buzzing] [insects chirping] [Heron calling “roh, roh, roh”] [wind rustling in tall grasses] [Belted Kingfisher repeats rattle] [wind gently brushes grasses] The ease of a Wisconsin summer day.

Time spent near the water, restorative, no matter the catch.

[birds chattering] [bouncy melody] [river burbling over rocks] [paddling gently] [synthesizer tones weaving together] Though just a few miles away, the landscape here, a new vista holding unique treasures.

Within the tall tamaracks: an undisturbed bog– a Northern Wisconsin view in a southern locale.

[Green Frog croaks “ribbit, ribbit, ribbit”] [intricate synthesizer beats] [bird cheeping in high pitch] [Green Frog ribbits like a plucked banjo string] [ribbit, ribbit] [faint splash] [birdsong] [playful strings and woodwinds] The variety of vistas abounds as our view turns to Kettle Moraine State Forest.

Here, a prairie comes to life on a brilliant Wisconsin day.

A complex community of blossoms and grasses, home to a web of wildlife.

[Willow Flycatcher sings “fitz-bew”] [cheery instrumental] [footsteps treading on grass [Eastern Kingbird sputtering metallic calls] [playful plucked strings and woodwinds] [bee buzzing] [buzzing] [playful strings and percussion] [flapping wings] [American Goldfinch twitters and warbles] [Sedge Wren chips, trills] [poignant classical music] [Dog Day Cicadas chirping] Oak savannas once covered five-and-a-half million acres of southern Wisconsin.

This iconic landscape of scattered oaks among a sea of prairie grasses, a harbor for wildlife and uncommon plants, is now a rare sight, in danger of disappearing from view.

[poignant classical music] [dramatic classical music swells] [Eastern Bluebird warbles] [wind blowing grass] [heron squawks “roh-roh-roh”] [warm resonating melody] Thousands of acres of open water and marsh grasses.

Nesting area for waterfowl and resting grounds for migratory birds.

[cacophony of honking geese] [Bald Eagle flaps wings] [insects chirping] [bullfrog croaks a low two-part drone] [bullfrog bellows] [sandpiper chirps “wheet-wheet- wheet peet”] [warm resonating melody] [wind whispers through grasses] [Red-Winged Blackbird twitters in distance] [gentle current] [crickets chirp] [gentle weaving piano and strings] Rising high, above the surrounding landscape: a beacon of stone, holder of history.

[gentle weaving piano and strings] This rock, this place, served as a gathering spot, a conduit of messages through the ages.

[White-Breasted Nuthatch chirps] Native American rock paintings.

Ancient markings etched in the sandstone.

Traces of a mystery left behind.

[American Crow caws, Blue Jay whistles] [emotive piano chords] [American Crow caws] [gentle weaving piano and strings] [Great Blue Heron croaks] Nearby, a vision of the once vast Wisconsin wilderness.

[sparkly keyboard melody] As far as the eye can see only forest, wetlands, horizon.

[gentle rippling piano and guitar] [birds chirping] [plucked strings, percussion] [wind whispering] [music tempo accelerates] [waves crashing] [waves swash sand] [waves backwash] [waves breaking loudly] [haunting, atmospheric instrumental] We meet land’s end.

Wisconsin’s eastern shore.

A rugged stretch of undeveloped coastline.

Lake Michigan’s waves create an ever-changing view as the power of water meets the stillness of land.

[waves breaking] [wind rustles leaves] [slow wistful violin] [gull croons] [waves brush sand] [waves whoosh on sand and rocks] [soulful strings and piano] Dawn’s glow begins to find its way across the landscape.

A blanket of fog lifts, leaving a touch of morning dew.

Out across the Baraboo range, this rolling terrain of forest and ancient rock.

Nature stirs awake.

[leaves crunch] Moving into the new day.

[strings and percussion building] [optimistic instrumental] [high-pitched Tree Swallow chirps] [evocative piano] [rapid rippling piano] Formed through the ages and tested by time, these hills hold many treasures.

Here, soaring vistas atop steep slopes.

Nearby, more intimate riches are to be found.

[Acadian Flycatcher trills] [celestial instrumental] [creek burbling] Within this deep forest, a winding creek provides shelter for winged travelers.

Listen carefully, as their calls may be as close as they allow you to venture.

[Pileated Woodpecker clucks loudly] [Hooded Warbler sings “weeta”] [water babbling] [Winter Wrens sings cascade of bubbly notes] [current flows swiftly] Water plays across Wisconsin’s hollows and dells.

Shaping the landscape: drop [drip] by drop.

[drip, drip] [drip] [light-hearted piano melody] [Eastern Phoebe whistles] Carved in sandstone.

Dressed in moss.

The name “Fern Dell” emblematic of the encircling scenery.

[jolly, folksy melody] [Gray Catbird rasps “mew”] Above, towering cliffs stand watch along Dell Creek.

Where the waterway finds its path through the pines to Mirror Lake.

[paddle splashes water] [birdsong] [delicate piano] [American Woodcock buzzes and chirps] [paddle splashes water] [paddling] [warm rolling marimba] [Gray Catbird chatters “chek”] A short journey away, stands another marker of time.

And secrets locked in sandstone.

Created by forces of wind and weather, this breathtaking arch, the largest natural bridge known to exist in Wisconsin.

[wind whistling] [uplifting marimba] Roaming, from this lesser traveled landscape to a beloved destination.

The vistas are wide, the landmarks abound, and the water [motorboat rumbles] calls out to play.

[boaters chatting] [bright plucky instrumental] [ducks quacking] [paddling] [motorboat engine] [glistening instrumental] [cheerful chords] [pensive acoustic guitar] [waves swashing] [paddle splashes gently] Beyond the more frequented sites lie quiet worlds to explore.

A lush green canyon of tucked away treasures.

[Eastern Wood-Pewee and Eastern Phoebe chirping] [wistful acoustic guitar] Deeper still, here, where the light barely reaches, and yet, soft life abounds.

[light flowing piano] [Eastern Phoebe chirps “fee-bee”] [restful piano] [Eastern Phoebe chirps “chip”] [Eastern Wood-Pewee chirps] [Eastern Phoebe chirps “fee-bee”] In the warmth of the sun, the prairie comes alive.

And the pollinators take on their work.

[clock-like electric bass] Drawn to the bloom of color.

[industrious electric bass] [bee buzzing] [butterfly’s wings flapping] [White-Breasted nuthatch and Eastern Kingbird chirping] [Red-bellied Woodpecker chirps] [bee buzzing] [Red-bellied Woodpecker chirps “kwirr, kwirr, kwirr”] [geese honking] [warm piano] Nestled in the countryside, a ridge stands alone.

A path etched along its spine.

With wild colors… [Eastern Bluebird chirps] …and delicate wonders to explore.

[brushing prairie grass] [Common Yellowthroat chirps] [Eastern Bluebird chirps “tu-a-wee”] [camera shutter clicks] [wind blowing gently] [warm piano] [crickets chirping] [delicate piano] [uplifting percussion] [wind gusting] [Turkey Vulture flapping wings] [uplifting instrumental] Wisconsin’s natural areas, an abundance of treasures for the eye to behold.

Small wonders to stop and notice.

The curve of a branch, the texture of a tree.

Edges and hues in layers of stone.

Raptors ride the thermals as they glide across the sky.

Take note.

Be witness to the myriad of wonders of our state’s southern vistas.

[ethereal music] [Juvenile Red-Tailed Hawk calls “kee-eeeee-arr”] [American Robin sings] [poignant piano and strings] [water trickling briskly] [snake hissing] – Atop a bluff, overlooking the meeting of two great rivers… Wyalusing State Park offers a bird’s eye view at Wisconsin’s western edge.

[footsteps crunching] More treasures are to be found by venturing further into its deep forests.

[treading] [wind whooshes] [water trickling] [introspective piano] [water drizzling] [water cascading] [water streaming] [reflective acoustic guitar] [train chugging] [contemplative strings and piano] [paddling quietly] [Tree Swallow chirping] [uplifting acoustic guitar] [waterdrops plinking] Our journey continues to another state park.

Here, too, water sets the scene, as it falls along the fern covered canyon walls of this Driftless region delight.

[water rippling] [Red-bellied Woodpecker chirps “kwirr, kwirr, kwirr”] [water pitter-patters] [water drips noisily] [ethereal, meandering guitar] [water deflecting off rocks] [drenching water torrents] [voices chatting happily] [dog’s collar and tag jangle] [dog’s collar jingles] [water rains down] [cheering “Whoo!”]

[guitar melody] [quiet traffic sounds] Towering bluffs line the horizon.

Below, a Midwestern prairie harbors an abundance of activity.

[strings plucked playfully, energetically] [Dickcissel chirps] [Eastern Meadowlark whistles] [staccato strings] [Eastern Meadowlark calls “dzert”] [wings fluttering] [wind brushing grasses] Hidden among the prairie grass, Spring Green Preserve holds unique treasures.

A sandy floor and shifting dunes, create Wisconsin’s very own desert.

[plucky, driving instrumental] A place where desert, bluff, and prairie converge.

With the call to adventure ready for those willing to explore.

[inspiring piano melody] [sparkly piano] Traveling on, from open prairie to dense pine forest.

A different view, a new vista.

Here, in southern Wisconsin’s Driftless region stands a discrete vision calling to mind northern forests.

Beneath the thin layer of soil, bold colors of sandstone burst forward.

[interleaving piano and violin] [contemporary melody] [beat picking up] Gently rolling terrain at the edge of the Baraboo Hills.

Wetland, prairie, savanna… A balance of habitats creating a wildlife corridor to the Wisconsin River.

[breeze rustles grasses] [Song Sparrow chirps] [Sandhill Crane “snoring” chatter] [prairie grass shushes and murmurs in wind] [wind swishes grasses back and forth] [wintry acoustic guitar] [wind sweeps leaves] [bee buzzing] [bee’s wings hum] [warm acoustic guitar] [water gurgling] Along the river valley, water snakes its way through the landscape.

Something new is revealed with each twist in the river.

Sights only visible from a paddler’s vantage point.

[ethereal piano] [paddle sweeps water] [water sloshes] [paddle gently splashes] [White-Breasted Nuthatch chirps “wha-wha”] [Tufted Titmouse chirps “tsee-day-day”] [water bounces off rocks loudly] [breeze whispers softly] An endless vista of treasured lands.

Preserved and protected.

Explored and cherished.

[water current gurgles] [wind brushes grasses] [geese honking] All across Wisconsin lie scenic vistas and natural landscapes to explore.

Forests.

Prairies.

Wetlands.

[waves wash back and forth] Trails to wander, streams to paddle.

Journeys await, just there.

Nearby.

Steps outside your door.

With a new day and another adventure, on the horizon.

[free-flowing piano solo] – Ethan: It’s October and we’re looking for some bald eagles and flowers and flying the drone today.

Should be fun!

– James: Are we just going to run to the top then?

– Thomas: Yeah, ready?

– Laurie: I think “run” is the wrong word, but… – James: A little short, steep hike up to the top and then you’ve just got this amazing vista.

[water burbling] – Lina: Alright, I’m going to do some slow-mo now.

– Ethan: Just flying a drone from a canoe, you know.

Day at the office.

[laughs] – Thomas: Get a shot of him.

– Laurie: Wait, stay right there.

[group laughs] – James: Way too early in the morning.

I’m driving really long distances.

– Thomas: I’m just looking at these clouds.

– James: Hiking really far with heavy equipment to go get a couple of shots.

– Ethan: We hiked up and it was just surreal.

– Laurie: Shooting some pretty stuff.

– Funding for Wisconsin’s Scenic Treasures: Southern Vistas is provided by Bitzer Family Legacy Fund, in honor of Lloyd and Jo Ann Bitzer, Greg and Carol Griffin, Elizabeth Olson, Colleen and Ron Weyers, Eleanor and Thomas Wildrick Family, the Nature Conservancy in Wisconsin, Roger and Lynn Van Vreede, Alliant Energy, Cherish Wisconsin Outdoors Fund, Jim Slattery, Focus Fund for Wisconsin Programming, and Friends of PBS Wisconsin.