Alaska's Bald Eagle: New Threats To Survival

Network: Discovery Channel

Awards:

  • Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival: 1st Place-Best New Wildlife Production
  • 
Jackson Hole Wildlife Film Festival: Finalist-Best Conservation Program International 
  • Monitor Awards: 1st Place-Best Photography

A co-production with Duncan Entertainment

In the heart of the pristine Chilkat River Valley in Alaska, a rare wildlife phenomenon occurs. Each November as many as four thousand bald eagles gather to dine on a late season salmon run in this small section of southeast Alaska.  A three square mile stretch of the Chilkat River remains ice free thanks to a handful of warm water upwelling’s, giving the eagles an entre to their abundant prey. It's called the Chilkat Eagle Phenomenon and this incredible gathering is among the finest natural wildlife spectacles in the world. This is the first in-depth look at this phenomenon ever produced for television.

Alaska's Bald Eagle: New Threats to Survival chronicles the environmental threats to the eagle population. Narrated by acclaimed actor Richard Kiley, Alaska’s Bald Eagle delves into the controversies surrounding the economic development of southeastern Alaska and neighboring Canada. The drama of the development vs. conservation struggle is at the heart of the production.

A Canadian company has plans to begin mining in nearby British Columbia, a mining project that would include transporting pure copper and toxic chemicals directly through the Chilkat Eagle Preserve. This enormous project, the second largest in North America, could become the first development in a 2.5 million acre wilderness. What will be the outcome of this pitched battle? Viewers found out during its national airing on Discovery.

Running time: 28 minutes