Great Plains: America's Lingering Wild

First Air Date: 2013-09-03

Overview - Nature photographer Michael Forsberg examines the remaining “wildness” in the Great Plains of North America. Featuring stunning imagery, the program is based on Forsberg’s book of the same name. Less than 200 years ago, the Great Plains was one of the greatest grassland ecosystems on Earth, stretching nearly a million square miles down the heart of the continent. The prairie was a place of constant motion, shaped by an unforgiving cycle of the seasons. Huge numbers of bison, elk, pronghorn, deer, prairie dogs, prairie wolves and even grizzlies were common. There were massive migrations of birds and fish. But as America grew, and the land was settled and tamed, the wildness began disappearing. Today the Great Plains is a fragile and threatened ecosystem, home to a variety of wildlife and habitats. In this documentary, Forsberg examines the wildlife and native landscapes that remain, exploring the current condition of the plains.