THIS AMERICAN LAND

#1001 Oregon’s Rivers, Wyoming Public Lands, Solar Power for Farms
As federal authorities revise management plans for public lands in southwestern Wyoming, conservationists want to make sure they protect the area’s natural and historic values. With key Oregon rivers lacking protection, a bill in Congress would designate many of them as Wild and Scenic – more mileage of such rivers than in any other state. Farmers in the Midwest are adopting solar power, covering their energy needs and increasing their bottom lines.

#1002 Renewable Urban Energy, Crop-Switching in the Megadrought, Highway Crossings for Wildlife
In Minnesota, Rochester is on its way to achieving 100 percent renewable energy generation by 2030. Farmers in Arizona are hoping that guayule, a hardy plant that produces natural rubber, can become a profitable crop requiring far less water than alfalfa, corn or cotton. In Wyoming, new crossings for wildlife across a busy interstate highway are saving the lives of animals, drivers and passengers.

#1003 Long Journey for Spawning Salmon, A Wildlife Photographer’s Lone Pandemic Ordeal, Restoring the Colorado Delta
Following the run of Chinook salmon for hundreds of miles from the Pacific to Idaho. How a determined wildlife photographer captured the salmon story during months of solitary travels along the spawning route. With authorities releasing limited water pulses upstream, conservationists and volunteers work to restore the native habitat of the Colorado Delta that has been dry for decades.

#1004 Outstanding Waters, Protecting the Texas Coastal Bend, Avoiding Deadly Bird Collisions
Under the Clean Water Act, grass-roots campaigns in New Mexico are urging state authorities to designate the Upper Pecos watershed, Upper Rio Grande, Rio Hondo and Upper Jemez River as Outstanding National Resource Waters deserving special protection. A similar campaign in Colorado succeeded in protecting Hermosa Creek and its entire drainage, the first stretch of water outside a wilderness area or national park to receive the Outstanding Waters designation. Following the catastrophic Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010, county authorities face the challenge of safeguarding and restoring the natural habitats of the Texas coast around the petrochemical port of Corpus Christi. In cities like Milwaukee, conservationists urge architects and developers to adopt window designs that deter birds from colliding with tall buildings, especially during migrating seasons.

#1005 Protecting Red Wolves, Eager Beavers, Monster Snapping Turtles
In North Carolina’s swampy Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge, wild red wolves cling to survival as one of the most endangered animals on the planet. Conservationists track their movements and support captive breeding programs. In a look back, wildlife authorities in Idaho recall when they airlifted beavers to remote mountainous areas where they were needed to manage ecosystems. On Florida’s Suwannee River, wildlife photographers follow authorities as they capture and measure giant alligator snapping turtles, gathering valuable data needed to protect the species.

#1006 (ENCORE) - Kalmiopsis Wilderness, Managing Farms for Bobwhite Quail, Outdoors in Colorado County, Lead Contamination
In southern Oregon, a little-known wilderness called Kalmiopsis is a source of clear water for downstream communities and a core for surrounding wildlands that conservationists want to protect from logging and mining. Changes in cropland management in Kansas can make a big difference for the survival of bobwhite quail and other wild species. Gunnison County in Colorado offers stunning mountain scenery, thriving agriculture, and outdoor recreation – and residents there support more wilderness protection for public lands including wilderness and special management areas. Following lead contamination of the water supply in Flint, Michigan, scientists in North Carolina reveal another dangerous chemical making its way through water pipes to thousands of homes.
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#1007 The Continental Divide, Escalante River, 3-D Science
On the Continental Divide in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains, residents support a plan to create new wilderness and wildlife conservation areas, including the nation’s first national historic landscape to honor veterans of the Second World War. In southern Utah, the remote and untamed Escalante River faces a major threat from invasive plants as it winds through spectacular redrock canyons; volunteers chop their way through choking stands of Russian olive to unblock the river and keep it wild and free. A training program in Georgia educates teachers in a new approach to science teaching called 3-D Science – getting teachers and students outside to observe their own surroundings and letting kids’ natural curiosity lead them to learn more.

#1008 Public Lands, Clean Water from Farmlands, Urine Recycling
In Montana, conservationists, landowners, business leaders and government officials consider the importance of the most important yet least-known and understood conservation and access program in the U.S. – the Land and Water Conservation Fund. Farmers in Oklahoma use cover crops and smart pasturing of livestock to reduce their use of chemical fertilizers, improve water quality, and increase their bottom line. Researchers are finding useful purposes for recycled urine.