Earth Day Programming

Posted on Mar 26, 2019

*__Journey of the Whooping Crane__*
Watch the efforts to conserve the wild population of the whooping crane, North America's tallest bird and one of the rarest animals on earth.
Friday, April 5 at 8 p.m. on KLRU Q

Plight of the Grassland Birds
Will Lange explores efforts to protect the animals and their rapidly disappearing field and meadow habitats.
Friday, April 5 at 9 p.m. on KLRU Q

National Parks of Texas: In Contact with Beauty
The creation of the national parks of Texas, which offer refuge and recreation to millions of visitors each year.
Friday, April 5 at 10 p.m. on KLRU Q

Natural Wonder of Texas: Palo Duro Canyon
The history of the valley from prehistoric times shows how it became a state park.
Friday, April 5 at 11 p.m. on KLRU Q

Rare - Creatures of the Photo Ark
National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore explores different countries and looks for rare and endangered animals, capturing their majesty through photographs. From mammals, fish and amphibians to birds, reptiles and insects, Sartore documents threatened species at zoos, in nature preserves and other locations around the world. Some segments include a search for key deer in Florida, looking for the Yangtze giant softshell turtle in China and documenting bizarre, rare insects in Budapest and Prague.
Friday, April 12 at 10:55 p.m. on KLRU Q

Follow the Water
This program is an adventure story with an environmental message. The North American Great Plains is an arid expanse of grasslands and rivers where the flow of water shows no respect for state boundaries. What do you learn if you try to follow that water? In this documentary, a photographer and a filmmaker follow a mythical drop of water 1,300 miles — on bike, on foot and in a canoe — to find out where our water comes from.
Sunday, April 21 at 2 p.m. on KLRU

Force for Nature: Lucy Braun
Join us for this one-hour documentary that explores the life and legacies of E. Lucy Braun (1889 - 1971), one of the foremost botanists and ecologist in American history. Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Lucy Braun was a trailblazer in the emerging science of plant ecology, and a leader in the early conservation movement. In 1950, she published Deciduous Forests of Eastern North America, a landmark book that documented forest communities from Florida to Canada. An extraordinary woman of science, Braun helped to preserve natural spaces in Ohio and Kentucky, including the Edge of Appalachia Preserve System in Adams County, Ohio.
Sunday, April 21 at 3 p.m. on KLRU

New Environmentalists 2018, From Hanoi to Paris
Robert Redford appears in the open and narrates this special featuring inspiring portraits of passionate and dedicated activists. These are true environmental heroes from Paris, to Flint, to South Africa, The Philippines, Columbia and Hanoi, who have placed themselves squarely in harm's way to battle powerful adversaries while building strong grassroots support. The New Environmentalists share a common goal – safeguarding the Earth’s natural resources from exploitation and pollution, while fighting for environmental justice in their communities.
Sunday, April 21 at 5 p.m. on KLRU Q

New Environmentalists 2017, From Guatemala to the Congo
Sunday, April 21 at 6 p.m. on KLRU Q

Pete Seeger's Legacy: If I Had A Hammer
Robert Redford appears in the open and narrates this special featuring inspiring portraits of passionate and dedicated activists. These are true environmental heroes from Paris, to Flint, to South Africa, The Philippines, Columbia and Hanoi, who have placed themselves squarely in harm's way to battle powerful adversaries while building strong grassroots support. The New Environmentalists share a common goal – safeguarding the Earth’s natural resources from exploitation and pollution, while fighting for environmental justice in their communities.
Sunday, April 21 at 6 p.m. & April 22 at 11 p.m. on KLRU Q

American Experience: The Swamp
The Swamp tells the dramatic story of humanity’s attempts to conquer the Florida Everglades, one of nature’s most mysterious and unique ecosystems. Home to a profusion of plants and animals found nowhere else on the continent, the Everglades was an immense watershed covering the southern half of the Florida peninsula. In the 19th century, however, most Americans believed swamps were filled with diseases and noxious reptiles and saw them as obstacles to the nation’s progress. The idea of draining the Everglades became the goal of many entrepreneurs, politicians and salesmen who saw great potential in turning the massive wetland into a profitable enterprise. Altering the landscape of the Everglades unleashed a torrent of unintended consequences, from catastrophic floods to brutal droughts. Told through the lives of a handful of colorful and resolute characters, The Swamp explores the repeated efforts to transform what was seen as a vast and useless wasteland into an agricultural and urban paradise, ultimately leading to a passionate campaign to preserve America’s greatest wetland.
Sunday, April 21 at 7 p.m. on KLRU Q

American Experience: Rachel Carson
When Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring was published in 1962, the book became a phenomenon. A passionate and eloquent warning about the long-term dangers of pesticides, the book unleashed an extraordinary national debate and was greeted by vigorous attacks from the chemical industry. But it would also inspire President John F. Kennedy to launch the first-ever investigation into the public health effects of pesticides — an investigation that would eventually result in new laws governing the regulation of these deadly agents.
Monday, April 22 at 8 p.m. on KLRU Q

Water from the Wilderness: Hetch Hetchy
Trace the extraordinary history of San Francisco's water system as well as the engineering and delivery of an urban water system in the era of climate change. Situated on a mostly arid coastal peninsula, the population boom that came with the California Gold Rush underscored San Francisco's need to develop a source of fresh water for the growing city. The 1906 earthquake finally spurred city fathers to create a public water utility. When the city chose a site in the pristine Hetch Hetchy valley, inside Yosemite National Park, an epic battle was led by John Muir. Today, with the impact of climate change keenly felt, the politics of water remain front page news.
Monday, April 22 at 9 p.m. on KLRU

The Reluctant Radical
If a crime is committed in order to prevent a greater crime, is it forgivable? Is it, in fact, necessary? Activist Ken Ward confronts his fears and puts himself in the direct path of the fossil fuel industry to combat climate change. The film reveals both the personal costs and also the fulfillment that comes from following one's moral calling. The film follows Ken through a series of direct actions, culminating with an action that shuts down all the U.S. tar sands oil pipelines and threatens to put him behind bars for 20 years. Ken Ward has no regrets, and his certainty leaves the audience to consider if he is out of touch with reality, or if it is the rest of society that is delusional for not acting when faced with the unsettling evidence that we are collectively destroying our world.
Monday, April 22 at 10 p.m. on KLRU Q

The Quietest Place on Earth
On the island of Maui, Haleakala rises 10,000 feet – nearly two miles – into the sky. The massive crater located at its summit carries the unique distinction of being “the quietest place on Earth.” The exquisite stillness of its stark volcanic landscape inspires a variety of experiences ranging from spiritual to philosophical. Featured are musical artist Keola Beamer, poet W.S. Merwin, cultural specialist Clifford Nae’ole, paniolo Wilfred Souza and others.
Friday, April 26 at 11:05 p.m. on KLRU Q