State’s Mandatory Reporting Bill, Virtual Devil’s Lake Tour, Science And Trump Administration

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After allegations of abuse at two of Wisconsin’s juvenile correction facilities, a bipartisan bill has been introduced that would require new reporting requirements for corrections officers. A state representative joins us to discuss the details and why he feels it’s needed. Many in the scientific community have been voicing concern over a perceived disregard for climate change science and speaking out to support fact-based decision making. We take a closer look at how science will fit in with the Trump administration. Also, the photographer who helped create an online, virtual tour of Devil’s Lake State Park talks about the project.

Featured in this Show

  • Rep. Joel Kleefisch On Mandatory Reporting Bill, And More

    A new bipartisan bill in Wisconsin would create new mandatory reporting requirements for juvenile corrections officers. It comes in response to allegations of abuse at the Lincoln Hills School for boys and the Copper Lake School for girls. One of the bill’s authors talks about what he sees as the need for the new requirements, as well as other current legislative issues.

  • Wisconsin Photographer Captures Devil's Lake For Google Street View

    Devil’s Lake State Park in Baraboo has been known to take visitors’ breath away, and not just because of the steep climbs up the bluffs.

    More than 3 million people visit the Wisconsin park each year to picnic, hike the trails and enjoy the scenic views and vistas atop the bluffs.

    Now, thanks to one Wisconsin-based photographer, people can take in the same views from the comfort of their home. With the help of a special camera attached to a 50-pound backpack, the virtual tour of Devil’s Lake is now available through the Street View function of Google Maps.

    “Whenever I can find time, I’m always looking for more ways to get more involved in photography,” said Christopher Pitts, the photographer behind the images.

    He got involved after learning about Google’s Trekker Loan Program, which allows select volunteers the chance to borrow one of Google’s special cameras. “I found the program, and I decided it would be a fun way to explore new technology while taking photos,” Pitts said.

    Pitts, who owns his own photography business in Wisconsin Dells, was accepted to the program, and soon after, had a Google Street View Trekker delivered to his door in November 2015, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

    The Trekker is a wearable backpack and functioning computer, with a camera head mounted on the top. That camera head, in turn, has 15 separate cameras, all meant to capture different images.

    “Every time I’m taking a step, it’s taking 15 pictures at the same time,” Pitts, of Cross Plains, said. “Over the course of maybe an hour-long hike, it’s thousands and thousands of photos that it’s capturing.”

    While other users can submit stationary snapshots to Google Maps, the Trekker allows for 360-degree continuous panoramas.

    Pitts started by taking the Trekker to Dells of the Wisconsin River State Natural Area in Wisconsin Dells and the ski resort Cascade Mountain in Portage, before taking it to Devil’s Lake, where he hiked the majority of the park’s trails. Pitts spent months hiking the trails, according to the Journal Sentinel, and in March sent the camera and images to Google and the view was launched by Google in January.

    Usually, the daunting work for a photographer is the post-shoot production. But, in this case, he didn’t have to worry about stitching together tens of thousands of photos by himself. “I do the dirty work of hiking, and everything that I captured gets sent back to Google,” he said. “It’s all on hard drives that are in the computer system of the Trekker pack.”

    That’s not to say the process was easy. Pitts said hauling the heavy Trekker backpack up the bluff for the first time was an exhausting experience.

    Pitts said he hopes to take the Trekker back to Devil’s Lake during other seasons, as well. Ideally, he said, a user could virtually explore the park in any season they choose.

    He said he also hopes the photos will make the trails of Devil’s Lake more accessible to those who are on the fence about hiking them.

    “Some of the trails … they’re difficult, steep climbs,” Pitts said. “If someone is thinking about going, now they have an opportunity to actually take a look and see whether they’re up for the challenge.”

  • You Can Now Take A Virtual Tour Of Devil's Lake Through Google Maps' Street View

    Thanks to one Wisconsin photographer, you can now take a virtual tour of Devil’s Lake State Park through Google Maps’ Street View feature. He joins us to discuss the process, as well as his experience of hiking through the park with a heavy Google camera on his back.

  • Science Under The Trump Administration

    Although they have yet to announce a date, a group of scientists say they’re moving forward with a plan to march on Washington. In the first days of the Trump administration, some scientists are concerned about the politicization of climate change data, the future of fact-based decision-making and the road blocks to international cooperation. We look at the future of science under the Trump administration.

Episode Credits

  • Rob Ferrett Host
  • Veronica Rueckert Host
  • Chris Malina Producer
  • Veronica Rueckert Producer
  • Joel Kleefisch Guest
  • Christopher Pitts Guest
  • Celeste Rohlfing Guest

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