Entry #75 – WISCONSIN – Y2V – August 2 – 23, 2021

We left Michigan & returned to Wisconsin in anticipation of two weeks volunteer time with the “A Year 2 Volunteer” project at Raptor Education Group, Inc (REGI) just outside Antigo, Wisconsin. REGI is a 501c3 organization that rescues & rehabilitates birds of prey as well as many other avian species. Marge & her late husband Don founded REGI in 1990 & set about building their lovely log home on several acres of land just outside Antigo, Wisconsin. They added a bird hospital, a huge bird flight rehabilitation building & much more. Marge Gibson is a highly regarded field biologist who participated as team captain in the Exxon Valdez oil spill cleanup in Alaska back in 1989. One of the injured bald eagles had a broken, unrepairable wing & Marge has provided a home & ongoing care for this bird ever sense. The bird’s name is Qush Quluk & she is thought to be the oldest bald eagle in existence – estimated to be over 20 years old at the time of her rescue makes her over 50 years old now! Qush lives at REGI in a very large fenced enclosure & has become the mascot for the rescue organization since it’s conception.

We arrived in Antigo a week before the volunteer project was to begin & set up camp at the city’s very nice RV park. There were only 13 full hook-up sites & the price of $20 per night was awesome. We explored the town during the first few days & even went out to REGI to see where the RVs would be parked – the group usually stays on the site of the project for convenience. However, the field the RVs were to park in was not adequate in our opinion so we arranged to stay at the city park for the duration of our volunteer time.

When Phil & Shar of Y2V arrived, they also decided the field was not going to work so they contacted the County & arranged to have the volunteers camp at the fairgrounds. It didn’t have anything except electric at each site but it was workable given that most of the volunteers have self contained rigs. They would still need to haul water to their rigs & move their RVs to the dump station once or twice during the stay. Perry & I were glad we had snagged one of the full hook-up sites not a half mile away.

Below are a few things we discovered nearby during our “prior to work” time we thought were funny.

A full size concrete statue in front of the Texas Jay’s Gentleman’s Club.

A HUGE badger looking over a 6’ fence at the above mentioned club.

And a garage at the bar made to look like a tree stump with a squirrel on top. Well done but I’m not sure of the correlation.

While waiting on the gang of volunteers to arrive, we did a little maintenance on our rig. A full wash outside & in. I even took down all of the spice jars from the mirror over the sink & cleaned the area & the jars. Everything was squeaky clean!

Our neighbor had the cutest britches – don’t you think? He danced to his own drummer – a recyclables collector with many black trash bags filled with cans & such at the back of his very nice RV. His wife said that was how he filled his time. Not sure where he donated the bags or even if he did.

One of the restaurants in Antigo was Culver’s – kind of a burger joint – that had a couple car shows while we were in town. This one had antique cars & motorized transportation as evidenced by the vintage snowmobiles. As southerners, we haven’t seen too many snowmobiles in our lives – well, none really.

On the first day of work at REGI we were given a tour of the facilities by Marge & got to see many of the birds who reside there permanently. From June – August, tours are offered to the public, educating the guests with information about each species. It was so inspiring to see the young interns interact with the birds & have such pride in their work at REGI.

This wild turkey developed a blue & red beard as the week progressed. Marge said that was caused by mating season.

This beauty was almost always near the guest parking, telling all newcomers Hello.

This is Qush Quluk, the oldest known bald eagle in the world. She is a permanent residence at REGI, having been rescued by Marge in 1989 after the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska.

The following BEAUTIFUL pictures were taken by the very talented Mark McWilliams, one of the Y2V volunteers.

One of the barred owls rescued & rehabilitated at REGI. This one is a permanent resident having an injury that prevents her from ever being released back into the wild. Another barred owl on premises was fully recovered. It had been found by members of a nearby Indian tribe & would be returned to them for release from the exact location it was rescued from soon after we left.

And another of the birds who make REGI their home.

This guy had such a strong gaze it was almost frightening. But he was well mannered.

This is another picture of the owl above.

And then we have the rescued buzzards. So dang ugly they were cute!

During our first week of volunteering we had a couple little hick-ups. Perry’s crown popped out as he was flossing one morning. He was able to get a quick appointment with a local dentist who reinstalled it & our dental insurance was accepted. Then Sugar had a rolling, sick tummy one morning so Beth stayed home to look after her. Having nearly lost her to bladder stones a couple years back, we are on high alert to nix that issue in the bud should it reappear. Fortunately, Sugar was back to her crazy ways by noon & Beth got back to work.

At one of our morning group meetings, a couple storm chasers drove right through our gathering. They were “admiring” the RVs they said. Later that day a sudden storm blew up that was quite frightening in it’s intensity. Makes you wonder …. But it was quickly over & we got back to work again.

After the first week of work, all volunteers take Saturday & Sunday off. It’s not even optional! So Perry & I headed out for some site seeing & our first stop was at the Antigo Museum.

The old train was extremely well maintained as was the clock right next to it.

Inside the very large museum were beautifully put together displays that told the story of this enchanting little city & it’s people. Everything from the Civil War to modern day conflicts, old school house rooms, artifacts about life in the brutally cold north & so much more. Nothing was crowded & all displays had written information to explain their significance. It was one of the best museums we have visited.

Back in the Victorian era, people would make beautiful flowers out of their loved one’s hair after their passing. Kind of creepy but also a loving tribute.

This water cooler / fountain was part of the “school house” room. I loved seeing the old “Dick & Jane” books on the antique wooden desks, too.

The military display room was full of very well preserved artifacts & these long guns were real gems!

We are always fascinated by whiskey stills. This was a first of it’s kind for us, made with plumbing parts & whatever else may have been handy at the time.

This was a horsehide coat worn by a currier who hauled supplies on his bobsled – back in the day.

After we left the museum, we drove northwest to Tomahawk to visit my friend Tricia Hoffman, a soap maker I met at a Guild Convention in Florida a few years back. The sisterhood of soap makers is everlasting. And Tomahawk is a cute little town! There was a BBQ contest in full swing when we arrived so we partook in the ribs & such while listening to the great live music. Tricia’s shop is located on the main drag where the festivities were so we got to see her studio & buy some of her awesome products during our visit.

This was a sign at the local hotel in Tomahawk – of course it features an Indian, but the butt cheeks made it special.

I did’t know what this very large bush was but the berries were abundant & so vibrant I had to get a picture. The bushes were everywhere in downtown.

An elaborate sculpture in downtown Tomahawk I thought was really neat!

Her is Tricia & I in front of her fabulous store “Scentability”.

I took a picture of the fire department sign simply because it was so well done. Kudos to the creator!

On the way back to Antigo, we came across this giant moose sculpture in front of a rather rough looking bar. Perry was game to have his picture taken with it but we scooted out of there fast when done. Kinda disconcerting as all the biker guys started spilling outside to see what we were doing.

On Sunday, the group had a potluck dinner at the fairgrounds. I made potato salad & hot pineapple casserole. I put bacon bits in my potato salad so I crunched up a few slices with my trusty rolling pin made by our friend Joe Walker. That tool is definitely versatile. It hangs over the door, ready for use as a weapon should we need to ever fend off boogie men.

On Monday we got back to work. I was on the sign painting team of three. Marge, REGI director, had asked that we spruce up the signs that were on the two can collection boxes placed at grocery stores in town. We removed the signs & took them to our painting location under the bleachers at the fairgrounds. Some signs we simply gave new coats of paint while others were completely revamped. We also repainted the bins as they were VERY faded. All signs got a coat of poly to help preserve them before they were rehung.

Driving back & forth to the REGI site from town was an opportunity to see the countryside & what makes it so special. This veggie stand in front of a farmhouse was one of my favorites. You could pull up & get fresh vegetables & leave your money in the box. It’s an honor system that seems to work perfectly. The corn we bought was awesome! And seeing more growing in the field just behind it was neat, too.

Not only do I love to see & smell freshly cut hay but these Wisconsin folks even had it wrapped in patriotic skins!

Although REGI is primarily about rescuing raptors, Marge & her team take in nearly every kind of bird needing a helping hand. This 4 day old Cardinal was one of them. Marge was feeding it with a syringe & said the bird had to have a nibble every 10 minutes, day & night. The commitment these folks make is amazing!

I’m not sure what species deposited these eggs but they were found right by the walkway, behind a bush. Hopefully, the mommy bird returned to care for them when our group left each day.

The gardens at REGI were VERY overgrown & we had a big team of gardening elves in our group that spent two entire weeks weeding, thinning & transferring plants, uncovering paths & mulching gardens. It was a mind-boggling transformation! The pictures below are a few of the flowering shrubs we couldn’t even see when we first got there. But aren’t they so worth uncovering? It was beautiful!

On Saturday’s, the city has a large Farmer’s Market set up at the pavilion. Not only can you buy fresh produce directly from the growers but you can get fresh meats, bakery goods, locally made BBQ & so much more. It was a fantastic place to spend an hour in downtown with the locals.

This absolutely magical playground was right next to the pavilion.

We passed this place daily on our way to & from REGI. I think it was a restaurant but it may have been a cannibus store. Either way, it was funny because of the pot reference.

And then we were done! Below are pictures of the REGI campus after the 40+ Y2V team finished the two week transformation! Marge says the staff referred to our time there as “before or after” the magic happened.

The fence was freshly painted & topped with bird wire to keep it from having streams of bird poop.

Terri was the sign painter extraordinare – she found this neat fence topper discarded somewhere in the bushes & revamped it. Is that not the cutest thing?

The bird flight building housed mostly bald eagles in various stages of rehabilitation. It had two huge areas the birds could relearn to fly & build strength before they were returned to the wild. The center hall provided a long stretch of enclosed space a rescued barn owl could fly & get ready for his immenant return to nature. I was given the opportunity to go in this building & see the birds interact with Marge. It was an incredible experience I will not soon forget.

This building served as the gift shop as well as a dorm upstairs for the intern students that spend a few months at a time learning, hands on, about bird rescue.

This is one of the signs we revamped in a garden that was so overgrown it couldn’t be seen when we arrived at the facility.

The back of the doom building had a deck that was unusable & collapsing at the steps. The team cleaned up the deck & reinforced the steps & ground so the interns can once again enjoy the space on their very limited off time.

One of the projects Marge really wanted to have done was the building of this shed. It was a kit but the platform & ramp were extra bits the team added to make it more useful. Now Marge has more storage space she will most likely move all the equipment to that was currently housed in her garage. A couple of the Y2V volunteers spent a good bit of time organizing the garage & shelves. There was actually floor space created when they finished & things that were thought to be lost were uncovered for future use.

This garden was way overgrown & the signs were completely covered over upon our arrival. Again, the garden elves made magic happen. The building behind the garden is actually the bird hospital. Birds were being brought in daily (hourly really) so this was the busiest building on the property.

This is the other side of the newly uncovered garden.

The pond & garden was made by friends of Marge & her husband’s as a tribute to him after his passing in 2018. Cleaning it up & replanting flowers was one of the many things that touched Marge the most.

The pond had fish & a large contingent of frogs, too.

I’m not sure who made the cool bench outside the bird hospital but I thought it was great.

This is Marge’s bird rescue wheels. Most of the birds are brought to REGI but sometimes she is called on to pick up a hurt animal.

This neat chair was outside of Marge’s log home. It was buried in “stuff” & overgrown vines that the garden elves removed. Pressure washing finished off the heavy duty cleanup.

This neat piece was another thing unearthed in the gardens.

There were 3 enclosed gazebos on the property that the large birds lived in – those who couldn’t be returned to the wild. The Y2V teams pressure washed, scrapped & repainted these large gazebos as well as a few other buildings. The structures were unrecognizable when finished – in a good way! Amazing work!

This is another permanent resident in yet another gazebo.

We didn’t do any work in the pond enclosure where swans, ducks & pelicans lived but I wanted to have pictures of these birds to remember them.

This is Qush Quluh on our final day. She was sure squawking at the volunteers who crammed into her private enclosure. They made her the covered roost below so she could easily get out of the rain. She would not go near the new structure while we were there but Marge has texted updates & said Qush was now using the shelter regularly. The log was from a tree our group cut down elsewhere & placed under the shelter. It is now Qush’s throne.

This is me behind one of the signs I painted along with the buzzard yard sculpture that I retouched.

The biggest project we were tasked to do was to create a passerine for various species of birds brought to REGI for rehabilitation. Perry was a big part of this project which I failed to get pictures of. Instead of the planned single cage within the existing enclosure, our group made it into six separate rooms with personnel doors. It was a HUGE undertaking that turned out better than could have been imagined & Marge was so pleased with the finished project. Those cages will give the birds room to stretch their wings daily & be able to return to their natural habitats sooner.

This large quilt board was flaking & terribly faded when we first arrived at REGI. I repainted the quilt pieces & Terri free-handed the bird in the center. It was finished with poly & rehung on our final day on the wall of the revamped passerine building.

Marge provided a great pizza lunch for our group on the final day, thanking us many times over for the volunteer work we did for REGI. There were a few tears & much laughter. It was a project well deserved for a woman with a pure heart.

The majority of the volunteers cleared out on Saturday morning, returning to their travels across the USA. Most are full-time travelers but some are seasonal. The various projects Y2V undertakes are varied & each project has different volunteers. It all comes down to who wants to join the project, where it is & who is available. Before we left Wisconsin, we committed to a second project in Oklahoma to be done in September – just three weeks away. The premise of the organization is about making a difference in our world, something Perry & I have always made a priory of in our adult lives.

We stayed at the city’s RV park until our preferred departure day of Monday. Three other couples from the Y2K project moved over there from the fairgrounds for a couple days, as well. So on Saturday, we all got together for a potluck & laughter. These are my fav people – Mark & Chris, Max & Ann, John & Teresa – all are really good people & we feel very lucky to have gotten to know them.

Here is a post from REGI’s founder, Marge Gipson, soon after Y2V departed …

“REGI’s most excellent adventure with Shar and Phil Roos inspired organization A YEAR TO VOLUNTEER … Over 2000 volunteer hours were logged, by 42 of the most terrific, generous, and hardworking volunteers imaginable. Not only did they offer to help, but they showed up with smiles on their faces, kindness in their hearts and an unparalleled work ethic.

“I struggle to adequately describe what this volunteer project meant to us and our patients. Each person involved not only talked the talk of volunteering but walked the walk as well. Beyond their skill and generosity, every person involved was someone you would invite to Thanksgiving dinner.

“We are so very grateful to Lori and Rocky Schubring, Wild Birds Unlimited Nature Shop in Wausau for all their help and donations. It was Lori that contacted Phil and Shar months before and suggested REGI as an organization that could use their help. Color us GRATEFUL!”

Not all who wander are lost …. #whereswaldocamping