The TV Column

Rugged Justice returns with new state, tales

Cougar cubs are among the critters on tonight’s episode of North Woods Law: Washington State. The series, formerly known as Rugged Justice, airs at 9 p.m. on Animal Planet.
Cougar cubs are among the critters on tonight’s episode of North Woods Law: Washington State. The series, formerly known as Rugged Justice, airs at 9 p.m. on Animal Planet.

*CORRECTION:The name of the Animal Planet series "Rugged Justice" is not changing as reported in Thursday’s Style section. Animal Planet announced it was keeping the original name after press time.

If you enjoy those fish and wildlife officer shows on Animal Planet, then listen up.

The series formerly known as Rugged Justice now goes by North Woods Law: Washington State. The series returns with its new title at 9 p.m. today for a six-episode season.

This is not to be confused with North Woods Law. That offering followed the game wardens of Maine and has been canceled.

In May, Maine Public Broadcasting reported that the Maine Warden Service decided in 2015 to end its four-year relationship with Engel Entertainment, the company that produced North Woods Law, saying, "It's not entirely clear whether a controversial poaching raid staged two years ago or Gov. Paul LePage's objections to the program played a role in ending the show in Maine."

Maine Public Broadcasting quotes LePage as saying, "I, quite frankly, was part of being very critical of the show. I didn't like it. I didn't think it was giving Maine a good image. And I had more to do with it being canceled than any [poaching] sting operation."

North Woods Law: Washington State follows the adventures of the state's Department of Fish and Wildlife. Different coast, same danger.

And, yes, there is danger anytime an officer heads out to the woods or lakes knowing those he's checking on are armed with high-powered hunting rifles. Some of them are out there not following the rules.

And whether Maine likes the series or not, at least the wardens seemed genuine. Other "unscripted" reality shows, from truckers and pawnshop owners to crocodile wranglers and Big Foot trackers, can come across as manufactured drama. The game wardens, at least, seem like regular folks.

North Woods Law: Washington State, according to Animal Planet, "Follows the WDFW officers as they patrol more than 70,000 square miles of rugged terrain, half of it heavily forested and filled with wild animals and often dangerous people.

"Each day their goals include preserving and rescuing wildlife; protecting citizens from the dangers of the wilderness; and enforcing conservation of the state's fish and wildlife."

The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife receives more than 225,000 calls each year for everything from serial poachers along the Canadian border to going undercover to bust traffickers in the illegal animal parts trade, and tracking down and capturing nuisance bears and cougars.

That last adventure involves the state's unique Karelian Bear Dog Program which, according to the department, "was established to resolve conflicts between humans and cougar/bear in a nonlethal manner."

The muscular, intelligent, black and white Karelian bear dog (named after the region along the Finnish/Russian border) stands about 2 feet tall and weighs up to 50 pounds.

Tonight's episode, "Cougars on the Run," features officers helping stranded cougar cubs, arresting an unsuspecting rockfish poacher in Seattle, catching a hunter driving with a loaded weapon, and watching a family harvest crabs.

Arkansas barns. Sometimes the rustic beauty is all around us. We just have to stop and notice. What may seem like a tumbledown old farm building may be rich in history and shared heritage.

With that in mind, AETN presents a new original program, Backroad Barns, at 6:30 p.m. today and it features, well, the title sort of says it all.

AETN cameras traveled around rural Arkansas to visit historic barns "that have long since been a part of our culture -- barns that reflect what it means to be a farmer, and what a family farm is all about."

The barns to be featured and those interviewed are:

Violet Hill barn near Violet Hill.

Wiley's Cove barn near Leslie; Aaron and Sally Wilson.

Dombek barn near Fayetteville; George Dombek.

White barns, Hargrave Corner; Martha Jane Holifield.

Johnson barn, Washington County; Anne Prichard.

Branson barn near Dumas; Edwin and Jewel Branson.

Smith barn near Marshall; Judy Smith.

Driftwood barn near Mountain View; Nellie and David Branscum.

Hemingway Studio Barn, Piggott; Adam Long, director, Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum and Educational Center.

Widner-Magers Farm Historic District near Dell; John Holt, Drucella Duncan.

License Plate Barn, Ozark; Dennis Harris, Judy Thornton.

Old Hutchins barn near Jacksonville; Kim Henderson, Mary Hardcastle, Callie Henderson.

Boxley barns, Boxley Valley; Hubert Lee Ferguson.

Hummell barn, Lowell; Sonny Jones.

Did your favorite barn not make the cut? AETN asked viewers to submit photos on Facebook and the complete album is available at facebook.com/aetntv.

The TV Column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Email:

mstorey@arkansasonline.com

Weekend on 08/25/2016

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