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 Video - FilmsRegional: North AmericaSee Endangered Species--General, "America's Endangered Species--Don't Say Good-bye" and other categories, such as Birds, Mammals and Reptiles for North American wildlife species focused on.
Note: The title is followed by the length, producer, distributor (if different from producer), and year film was made. Unless otherwise noted, the videos listed below are VHS format. Many are available in Beta, 16mm and other formats. Some are on laser disks.
+ Indicates video sold or rented with teacher’s instruction guide.
"Cadillac Desert." Four parts; 4 1/2 hours. PBS. San Jose Television (KCET). 1997.
The first three parts of this dramatic and fascinating series are based on the book of the same title by Marc Reisner concerning the massive water projects constructed to supply the Los Angeles area and agricultural projects with water, and the environmental and social consequences. The fourth part, entitled "The Last Oasis," is based on a book by Sandra Postel and Worldwatch on water overuse throughout the world and the coming scarcities. Because of the apparent lushness of the Los Angeles area, with its palm trees and tropical vegetation, swimming pools and well-tended lawns, most people assume that it is a natural oasis of greenness. In fact, this megalopolis is located in a desert, and the immense quantities of water needed to create this image have been piped into the city at the expense of entire lakes and rivers elsewhere in the West. The largest lake west of the Mississippi River, Lake Tulare, was once an immense, shallow and seasonal wildlife haven in Central California, teeming with waterfowl. An endemic Elk, known as the Tule Elk, was native. The lake was entirely drained for agriculture to supply Los Angeles and other parts of the country. Another California lake, Lake Mono, an extremely ancient and biologically important waterbody, was used as a Los Angeles water supply until its level fell dramatically, almost turning it into a dry bed. After a lawsuit by biologists studying this lake, the state was forced to end its depletions. Many wildlife species have become endangered as a direct result of dams and other such water projects. Worldwide, dams and other water diversions have caused extensive damage to the environment, and the needs for drinking and irrigation water far outstrip the supply. This is an important and well-written series, full of dramatic visual images of this destruction and lively interviews. Although many of the biological consequences, such as endangered fish, are discussed, these are not stressed as much as they could be, nor are many biologists interviewed, while an endless stream of bureaucrats endorsing water projects are heard.
"Endangered Species of New Jersey." 20 minutes. New Jersey Network. 1989.
The species endangered in this state and the programs to help them are the focus. The state has worked effectively to reintroduce Peregrine Falcons and preserve rare reptiles and amphibians, among other projects.
"Islands at the Edge." 60 minutes. Nature of Things. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 1986.
The magnificent virgin cedar and hemlock forests of the Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia, Canada, and their endemic species are threatened by devastating clearcutting. These islands are teeming with wildlife, and the beauty and ecology of the old-growth temperate rainforests are explored intelligently. This makes their impending destruction by logging all the more dramatic and the need to protect large portions more urgent. British Columbia has not effectively protected these magnificent forests, but since the film was made, activists have become more effective in opposing the granting of commercial logging concessions.
"Land of the Eagle." Eight one‑hour segments. Nature. PBS. BBC. WNET. 1991.
This series attempts to see the United States as the first explorers saw it, followed by the changes wrought by Europeans on the wildlife and the land, beginning with the Atlantic coast region and gradually moving west to Alaska. Many fascinating insights are given, along with spectacular photography. The tone is muted at times when it should show some indignation at the unrelenting slaughter of wildlife from the 17th century onward. The near-extinctions of the Beaver and other wildlife by trappers and hunters are mentioned only in passing. Only when discussing the Sea Otter trade in Alaska by the Russians does the narrative allow the cruelty and devastation to be shown. The native Aleuts refused to kill the Sea Otters because they believed the souls of their ancestors were reborn in these endearing creatures, but they became enslaved by the Russians and forced into killing these animals along with Northern Fur Seals and other marine mammals. The extinction of the Steller's Sea Cow is described. Endangered species, such as the California Condor, San Joaquin Kit Fox, Spotted Owl and Joshua Tree, are featured in "Searching for Paradise," the California segment. The environmental effects of our changes on the environment through agriculture, wetland drainage, river damming and industrialization are discussed in detail, and the message of the series is that if we do not treasure America's wildlife and nature, we, too, will disappear. A book of the same title provides additional information.
"Prairie Waters." 60 minutes. Nature of Things. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 1984.
The prairie potholes of Canada are rapidly disappearing, plowed for agriculture. This ecosystem is crucial to the vast majority of the continent's waterfowl.
+ "A Swamp Ecosystem." 23 minutes. National Geographic Society: Educational Services. 1983. Grades 7‑12/Adult.
The Okefenokee, a vast cypress swamp in southern Georgia, and its ecology and protection are the focus. Winner of A.L.S.C. Notable Film for Children in 1985; Cine Golden Eagle.
"The Wild Colorado." 60 minutes. Wolfgang Bayer Production. 1990.
This excellent film traces the once untamed Colorado River from its source in the Rocky Mountains to its delta in the Gulf of California. The beauty of the river is contrasted with the effects on wildlife of the dams and diversions. Endangered birds, fish species and ecosystems, such as the Cottonwood riparian woodland, are threatened by the environmental damage caused by man's manipulations. The river's delta was once a vast wetland in the midst of desertland in northwestern Mexico, harboring a great array of wildlife, but today it is a mere trickle.
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