Susan Bence
Environmental ReporterSusan Bence entered broadcasting in an untraditional way. After years of avid public radio listening, Susan returned to school and earned a bachelor's degree in Journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. She interned for WUWM News and worked with the Lake Effect team, before being hired full-time as a WUWM News reporter / producer.
Susan is now WUWM's Environmental Reporter, the station's first. Her work has been recognized by the Milwaukee Press Club, the Northwest Broadcast News Association, and the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association.
Susan worked with Prevent Blindness Wisconsin for 20 years, studied foreign languages at UWM, and loves to travel.
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Mineral Point is a small town in southwest Wisconsin with a population of about 2,500. It has a rich history of lead mining and Cornish immigrants who settled there in the 1800s, and many of its historic buildings remain. Family histories stretch back generations, but people continue to be drawn to put down roots and work there. We meet three of them—a bookstore owner, a pastry chef, and a publisher. Their shared passion for supporting their adopted community and region resulted in a book, "The Wisconsin Whey: Cheesemaking in the Driftless." -
Trees provide lots of benefits to us and our environment, from capturing carbon to fueling ecosystems. We look at initiatives in Walworth County and Waukesha that aim to cultivate healthy and productive canopies. -
The Climate Accountability Act is proposing cutting Wisconsin’s greenhouse gas emissions in half by 2030. -
We’re about to bump into spring, but you might still see crews on city streets and boulevards pruning trees. Winter is prime pruning season. It’s one of the ways people are working to a maintain a sustainable canopy. -
A play that delves into how people respond to personal and professional challenges—in this case, a looming environmental one—is being staged at Next Act Theatre in Milwaukee. It’s called "The Children." -
Managing water — or attempting to — in our urban and rural areas is a complicated task. That includes controlling stormwater, treating wastewater and managing farm fields to reduce runoff into rivers, lakes and streams. Wisconsin’s erratic winter weather is making those efforts tougher. -
As warmer winters threaten Northwoods tourism and winter recreation, WXPR News Director Katie Thoresen shares her outlook from Rhinelander with WUWM environmental reporter Susan Bence. -
The roots of iceboating in Wisconsin date back to the 1860s. People continue to gravitate to the winter sport — no matter how challenging conditions might be. -
It’s ice fishing season, and for Door County anglers that means catching lake whitefish. But warmer winters are impacting the iconic species' life cycle and reproduction. -
We’re part of an intricate web of life. But climate change is stressing that web, including the Wisconsin's wildlife. We explore how warming winters factor into their lifecycle.