I am a product of (probably) too much PBS as a child. When we were young, the only quality kids programming was on PBS, plus a whole lot of British imports. Not too many of my friends watched Monty Python or Masterpiece Theatre or Mystery, as much as our house did! Hence, I have an inate love for a really good documentary. And lo and behold, Kiddo is following along with me!
We watched this documentary yesterday (Kiddo actually watched it TWICE), and I wanted to spread the word about it, in case you missed it! It should be on again, is available 'on demand', and you can purchase the video.
Synopsis: More than 7,000 birds were killed as a result of the April 2010 BP oil spill that spread throughout the Gulf of Mexico. But after three months, cleanup workers at the Fort Jackson Oiled Wildlife Rehabilitation Center of Louisiana had rescued 894 surviving oiled pelicans.
HBO Documentary Films presents the story of the effort to save the 895th surviving oiled pelican in Louisiana, showing how conservationists, government agencies and wildlife activists joined forces to preserve this one life.
The state bird of Louisiana, the brown pelican has endured a turbulent history along the Louisiana Coast. In the mid-1900s, pollution pushed the pelican to the brink of extinction, and by 1963, it had disappeared from the state altogether. As a result, the brown pelican spent 45 years on the endangered species list, while state biologists worked tirelessly to reintroduce the species to its natural habitat. A major victory came in November 2009, when the brown pelican was finally removed from the endangered species list. Five months later, on April 20, 2010, BP's Deepwater Horizon oilrig exploded off the coast of Louisiana, spilling millions of gallons of oil into prime bird habitat in the Gulf of Mexico, and leaving the state bird in peril once again.
Check out the trailer:
Review: The film focuses on the Fort Jackson Oiled Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, and the volunteers and Lousiana WIldlife agents who helped to save not only the pelicans, but other oil covered birds. This film focuses on the one pelican, LA 895, from his rescue as a totally oil covered juvenile bird, his recovery and maturation at the center, and then his release back into the wild.
I was amazed at how well Kiddo stayed with the story, and the questions she asked. We did alot of talking and showing about animal recovery, at Audubon Zoo and Aquarium, and festivals after the spill, so it was great to see how much of that education stayed with her. She had been more concerned with the sea turtles, but she understood how the pelican recovery was pretty similar.
Kuddos to the director for a tight script and excellent cinematography, that really showcases Louisiana and the wonderful people, who used their human compassion to save these elegant birds, once again, from a threat to their being. In fact the center ended up rescuing 1,246 birds, and releasing them back into the wild. An amazing amount when you think about it!
For many people the Gulf Oil Spill was a remote incident that did not affect them. But this documentary does an excellent job in showing how intermingled Louisiana is, both with the oil industry, and it's wildlife. We greatly recommend this film as a way to educate kids about the tenuous link we share with our wildlife.
About the Director: Producer, director, writer and cinematographer Irene Taylor Brodsky is an Emmy® and Peabody Award winner, and an Oscar® nominee. Her first feature-length film, the HBO presentation "Hear and Now," won the 2007 Sundance Film Festival Audience Award and was also nominated for Documentary of the Year by the Producer's Guild of America. In collaboration with HBO, her 2009 film "The Final Inch" was nominated for an Academy Award® and three Emmy® Awards.
We watched this documentary yesterday (Kiddo actually watched it TWICE), and I wanted to spread the word about it, in case you missed it! It should be on again, is available 'on demand', and you can purchase the video.
HBO Documentary Films presents the story of the effort to save the 895th surviving oiled pelican in Louisiana, showing how conservationists, government agencies and wildlife activists joined forces to preserve this one life.
The state bird of Louisiana, the brown pelican has endured a turbulent history along the Louisiana Coast. In the mid-1900s, pollution pushed the pelican to the brink of extinction, and by 1963, it had disappeared from the state altogether. As a result, the brown pelican spent 45 years on the endangered species list, while state biologists worked tirelessly to reintroduce the species to its natural habitat. A major victory came in November 2009, when the brown pelican was finally removed from the endangered species list. Five months later, on April 20, 2010, BP's Deepwater Horizon oilrig exploded off the coast of Louisiana, spilling millions of gallons of oil into prime bird habitat in the Gulf of Mexico, and leaving the state bird in peril once again.
Check out the trailer:
Review: The film focuses on the Fort Jackson Oiled Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, and the volunteers and Lousiana WIldlife agents who helped to save not only the pelicans, but other oil covered birds. This film focuses on the one pelican, LA 895, from his rescue as a totally oil covered juvenile bird, his recovery and maturation at the center, and then his release back into the wild.
I was amazed at how well Kiddo stayed with the story, and the questions she asked. We did alot of talking and showing about animal recovery, at Audubon Zoo and Aquarium, and festivals after the spill, so it was great to see how much of that education stayed with her. She had been more concerned with the sea turtles, but she understood how the pelican recovery was pretty similar.
Kuddos to the director for a tight script and excellent cinematography, that really showcases Louisiana and the wonderful people, who used their human compassion to save these elegant birds, once again, from a threat to their being. In fact the center ended up rescuing 1,246 birds, and releasing them back into the wild. An amazing amount when you think about it!
For many people the Gulf Oil Spill was a remote incident that did not affect them. But this documentary does an excellent job in showing how intermingled Louisiana is, both with the oil industry, and it's wildlife. We greatly recommend this film as a way to educate kids about the tenuous link we share with our wildlife.
About the Director: Producer, director, writer and cinematographer Irene Taylor Brodsky is an Emmy® and Peabody Award winner, and an Oscar® nominee. Her first feature-length film, the HBO presentation "Hear and Now," won the 2007 Sundance Film Festival Audience Award and was also nominated for Documentary of the Year by the Producer's Guild of America. In collaboration with HBO, her 2009 film "The Final Inch" was nominated for an Academy Award® and three Emmy® Awards.
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