Seas, Swamps, Shorelines & Summits

New Endowment Fund Honors Show Host Willem Lange

DURHAM, NH (January 26, 2023) – New Hampshire PBS’ award-winning program WINDOWS TO THE WILD WITH WILLEM LANGE is back for another season of inspired storytelling and visual feasts from the outdoors. Join host Willem Lange as he goes trail hiking with a cat, kayaking, rock-hounding, rail riding and sailing throughout New England. Season 18 also features a magical summertime journey across the Atlantic to Ireland.

The NHPBS favorite launches its 18th season online on Wednesday, February 1st with five new episodes. Using the NHPBS video on-demand streaming service, NHPBS members can binge-watch these new episodes via NHPBS Passport. Traditional viewers will be able to enjoy watching WINDOWS TO THE WILD WITH WILLEM LANGE on-air every Wednesday evening at 7:30 PM on New Hampshire PBS starting February 8th. The second slate of new episodes will drop on NHPBS Passport in March.

“What we hope to do with these programs and stories is illustrate how the outdoors connects with everyone and helps people with their challenges in life,” said Phil Vaughn, the program’s executive producer. Vaughn says one of the new episodes profiles a couple and their autistic son who spend a lot of time rock-hounding, looking for gems and minerals. The episode reflects on how this shared activity outdoors helps both the parents and child in living with autism.

The thoughtful, inspired storytelling of WINDOWS TO THE WILD WITH WILLEM LANGE is popular with viewers and supporters alike. New Hampshire PBS is proud to announce the creation of the Willem Lange Endowment Fund, made possible by a generous gift from a friend of New Hampshire PBS. The newly created permanent fund recognizes Lange’s contributions to public television and environmental and outdoor education by fostering an appreciation for travel, wild places and natural beauty.

“This first gift is a tribute to the time, talent and commitment Willem embodies through his work on WINDOWS TO THE WILD and his lifelong dedication to outdoor awareness” said Terry Douglass, NHPBS’ major gifts officer. “Care and concern for the environment and our precious natural places are increasingly on the minds of viewers and members of the public in New Hampshire. Willem was an early proponent of these efforts, and the creation of this fund celebrates his longtime advocacy.”

Income from the fund will support NHPBS as it produces and presents programming related to the environment and outdoors, beginning with production of season 19 of WINDOWS TO THE WILD WITH WILLEM LANGE, to air in 2024. It will also allow program producers and Willem the opportunity and creative freedom to develop other potential programs and educational activities related to nature and the outdoors.

“People love connecting with Willem. They know he’s authentic and is genuinely interested in people and their stories,” said Vaughn. “A lot of the feedback we receive is how inspired people are by Willem. ‘If he can do it, I can do it’ is a common reaction that seems to motivate people to get outdoors themselves.”

For the initial slate of season 18 episodes, program topics will include:

• Learn how one woman, a kayaker and photographer, gives support to and shines a light on the lobster industry off the coastal waters of Southern Maine.
• Explore how local groups worked together with the public to create an all-access trail in Manchester, New Hampshire that is designed for underserved communities.
• Take a nostalgic, personal and thought-provoking trip back to coastal Maine with Willem, as he returns to the island where he served as an outdoor educator in the late 1960s.

WINDOWS TO THE WILD WITH WILLEM LANGE – SEASON 18
PROGRAM GUIDE – FIRST FIVE EPISODES

EPISODE 1 – ALL PERSONS TRAIL
initial broadcast date: Wednesday, February 8 at 7:30 PM on NHPBS
Stream online with NHPBS Passport

In New Hampshire’s largest city, join us for a peaceful walk on a special 1.8-mile trail built by the community, for the community. The Cedar Swamp All Persons Trail winds through a 640-acre urban forest, with Atlantic white cedars, giant rhododendrons and a black gum dating from the 1500s among the sights. Professional trail builders constructed the pathways, and The Nature Conservancy partnered with local groups to gather input to make the trail design accessible and inclusive for underserved communities so all can experience the wonders of the outdoors in a safe and respectful fashion. Host Willem Lange chats with community leaders, folks who use the trail and Nature Conservancy staff to learn more about this neighborhood jewel, designed to be a model for other community trails.

EPISODE 2 – COASTAL TREK
initial broadcast date: Wednesday, February 15 at 7:30 PM on NHPBS
Stream online with NHPBS Passport

All aboard! WINDOWS TO THE WILD WITH WILLEM LANGE is taking to the seas off the coast of Rockland, Maine. Passengers and crew cast off for a six-day journey aboard the historic 76-foot schooner American Eagle. Cruising the islands and shores of Penobscot Bay, the seafarers explore a science and research institute, help the crew with their daily tasks and learn about the region’s rich maritime and Native American history. For host Willem Lange, it’s also a chance to revisit the island where he served as an Outward Bound instructor, helping kids and adults expand their personal limits through outdoor education.

EPISODE 3 – RECORD SETTER
initial broadcast date: Wednesday, February 22 at 7:30 PM on NHPBS
Stream online with NHPBS Passport

Meet Arlette Laan, a New Englander who is the first woman to hike all eleven of the National Scenic Trails in the United States. These designated trails range from the mountains and deserts of the multi-state Pacific Crest Trail to the highlands, river lands and historic sites of the Potomac Heritage Trail traversing Washington, D.C., Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia. Willem meets Laan as she leads a group of female hikers in the White Mountain National Forest and shares her perspectives on the highs and lows of her historic feat.

EPISODE 4 – KAYAKING WITH COOKIES
initial broadcast date: Wednesday, March 1 at 7:30 PM on NHPBS
Stream online with NHPBS Passport

Betsy Wish of Kittery, Maine has an unusual routine: she gets up early, bakes cookies and takes her kayak – and her dog! – out to sea. In this episode, Willem and the crew take to the water with Betsy as she greets local lobstermen with her goodies and photographs the work of crustacean catchers working in an industry rife with challenges. The episode will include interviews with local lobstermen and waterfront vistas of Pepperrell Cove.

EPISODE 5 – ROCK HOUNDS
initial broadcast date: Wednesday, March 8 at 7:30 PM on NHPBS
Stream online with NHPBS Passport

There’s gems in them thar hills! Steven Comeau, his son Nash and Steve’s partner Stacy Dale spend a lot of time outdoors looking for minerals and gems: topaz, amazonite, smoky quartz, microcline crystals. “Rocks in my cars, rocks in my bags, rocks in my pockets – we have rocks everywhere, literally,” says Stacy. Willem joins the trio near Conway, New Hampshire on a trek to Moat Mountain Mineral Trail in search of “treasures”. The story also focuses on how being outdoors helps Nash with his autism and attention deficit disorder and serves as a healing experience for all three mineral hunters.

HOW TO WATCH WINDOWS TO THE WILD WITH WILLEM LANGE

NHPBS Passport (on-demand)
Viewers can watch WINDOWS TO THE WILD WITH WILLEM LANGE and other NHPBS programming anytime, online and on their schedule via NHPBS Passport. Passport provides members with extended access to a comprehensive library of quality public television programming. Sign-up is a simple three-step process. Passport is available on most devices: Apple TV, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, iPhone, iPad, and Android. Members can binge-watch the first five episodes beginning February 1.

Broadcast
WINDOWS TO THE WILD WITH WILLEM LANGE airs Wednesdays at 7:30 PM on NHPBS, with repeats throughout the broadcast schedule. All episodes are archived online, available to watch anytime: https://nhpbs.org/windows/episodes.asp

Via Podcast:
Download Willem Lange’s podcast WORDS FROM THE WILD WITH WILLEM LANGE at nhpbs.org/windows or listen from your favorite podcast platform. The podcast encompasses short stories and essays from Lange’s book, Words from the Wild, and from his weekly column, Yankee Notebook. Hear Lange’s wisdom and perspectives, garnered from decades as an outdoor enthusiast. The podcast is a partnership with the Marlin Fitzwater Center for Communication at Franklin Pierce University.

WINDOWS TO THE WILD WITH WILLEM LANGE is generously supported by Alice J. Reen Charitable Trust and Bailey Charitable Trust.

Willem Lange’s wardrobe is provided by The Kittery Trading Post.

Closed captioning is provided by Proulx Oil and Propane.

Pressroom Contact

Carla Gordon Russell
Director of Communications
crussell@nhpbs.org
(603) 868-4339