“When’s the last time you got back to nature?” That’s the opening question posed to viewers of an upcoming episode of the nation’s longest-running tourism TV show, Discover Wisconsin. Beautiful aerial footage and close-up shots tease the audience with what’s ahead as the episode settles in at the Aldo Leopold Foundation.
“We are excited to partner with Discover Wisconsin to bring the beauty and history of ‘Leopold Country’ to Discover Wisconsin’s 600,000 plus viewers, and we hope they’ll consider adding this conservation destination to their list of upcoming travels,” expressed Buddy Huffaker, President & Executive Director of the Aldo Leopold Foundation.
The episode, aptly titled “Back to Nature,” premieres on several broadcast television networks in the eight-state region of the Midwest on Saturday and Sunday, May 18 and 19. Wisconsin cable subscribers can watch it Saturday, May 18 on Fox Sports Wisconsin (FSN Wisconsin) at 10 am. Click here for broadcast channels and times in your area, or view it now, streaming on Roku, Smart TV, Amazon Fire, Chromecast, Apple TV, and on DiscoverWisconsin.com.
In addition to the episode, Discover Wisconsin provides partners with a robust promotional package that includes radio, TV, web, digital, and social media exposure. As the Leopold Foundation works to foster a land ethic, reaching new and diverse audiences is key to heightening awareness and growing our thinking community. Partnering with Discover Wisconsin has provided the foundation with the valuable asset of the episode that attractively introduces Aldo Leopold, his ideas, the foundation, and our work to new people.
An interview at the Shack with Estella Leopold, Aldo’s youngest child, begins the episode as she shares charming memories that extoll the history of the place and the legacy Leopold left behind. Estella also so eloquently explains the purpose of it all, “We think it’s terribly important for the younger generation to become well acquainted with nature, so they learn to love it; because if there isn’t anybody that really loves the ecosystems, nature, who’s going to defend it?”
Highlighting the foundation’s work in reference to Leopold’s beliefs and what the destination has to offer visitors becomes the focus of the remainder of the episode. Scenes of prescribed fire training, a learn to hunt program, and the Leopold Center show off a sampling of what visitors can expect to find at the Aldo Leopold Foundation.
The foundation’s segment ends with, perhaps, the most tantalizing opportunity for visitors – witnessing the fall sandhill crane migration. Mariah, the show’s host attends a Crane Congregations tour and gives viewers a sneak peek of the annual spectacle. While the footage is impressive, it can’t beat the full experience on the ground paired with the connection to Leopold’s land ethic. And thus, the episode reminds everyone, “It’s important to understand our place in the natural world around us. There is an ethical responsibility to treat everything and everyone in our environments as part of the whole community.”
Missed the TV premiere? Watch the episode online now!