THREATS TO SURVIVAL OF GRASSLAND BIRDS EXPLORED IN NEW NHPTV DOCUMENTARY
From the fields of New England and Canada to the vast plains of Montana to the deserts of Mexico, grassland birds are losing their habitats at an alarming rate. Host Will Lange travels to these places and explores efforts to protect the birds and their habitats. PLIGHT OF THE GRASSLAND BIRDS is the fifth of a series of NHPTV’s award-winning films about New England’s migratory birds; program premieres October 8th on New Hampshire Public Television.Screenings of the film and discussions are scheduled for 9/24 in Hanover, 9/28 in Concord, 9/29 in Peterborough, and 10/14 in Portsmouth. Screenings, preview and pressroom: www.nhptv.org/birds -----------------------------------------------------(DURHAM, September 9, 2015) — From the fields of New England and Canada to the vast plains of Montana to the deserts of Mexico, grassland birds are losing their habitats at an alarming rate. In PLIGHT OF THE GRASSLAND BIRDS, a new documentary from New Hampshire Public Television, host Will Lange follows the migratory path of these birds across the Americas to explore why these species are declining faster than any other group of birds, and what’s being done to reverse the trend. Premiering October 8th at 9 PM on NHPTV PRIME, PLIGHT OF THE GRASSLAND BIRDS shows how agriculture, reforestation and land development have depleted the nesting and breeding habitats for grassland birds such as bobolinks kestrals, Eastern meadow larks, upland sand pipers, and vesper sparrows. The documentary explores conservation efforts in the fields and meadows of New England; the Great Plains of Montana; rapidly developing areas of Ontario, Canada; and the Reserva Ecological El Una in Mexico’s Chihuahuan Desert. Experts, students and volunteers demonstrate how they are working to protect the habitat of grassland birds. The hour-long film will be screened in Concord, Peterborough and Hanover in September, and a discussion with Audubon bird experts and Will Lange will follow. Thursday, September 24 at 7 p.m. - Moore Psychology Bldg, Dartmouth College, HanoverScreening partners: Vermont Center for Ecostudies and Dartmouth College Panelists: Rosalind Renfrew, Vermont Center for Ecostudies; Pam Hunt, NH Audubon; Willem LangeMonday, September 28 at 7 p.m. – Red River Theatres, Concord Panelists: Pam Hunt, NH Audubon; John Kanter, NH F&G; Willem LangeTuesday, September 29 at 7 p.m. – Peterborough Community Theatre Panelists: Tom Sayers, kestral expert; Pam Hunt, NH Audubon; Willem LangeWednesday, October 14 at 7 p.m. – Portsmouth Public Library, Portsmouth Panelists: Pam Hunt, NH Audubon; John Kanter, NH F&G; Willem LangePLIGHT OF THE GRASSLAND BIRDS EXPERTS AND LOCATIONS:• Rosalind Renfrew, Vermont Center for Ecostudies• Pam Hunt, New Hampshire Audubon• John Kantor, New Hampshire Fish and Game• Tom Sayers, Northeast Connecticut Kestral Project• Jamie Sydoriak, Audubon volunteer, Connecticut, Vermont, New Hampshire• Joe Vaccaro, Ontario (Canada) Homebuilders Association• Ron Reid, Couchiching Conservancy, Ontario, Canada• Kevin Ellison, World Wildlife Fund, Montana• Dennis Jurgeson, bison management, World Wildlife Fund, Montana• Pete Curtis, sixth-generation farmer• Dale Veseth, cattle rancher, Montana• Arvind Panjabi and Erin Strasser, Bird Conservancy of the Rockies• Rodrigo Sierra Corona, biologist, MexicoPLIGHT OF THE GRASSLAND BIRDS premieres on NHPTV PRIME October 8th at 9 p.m. on NHPTV PRIME, with multiple airdates on PRIME and EXPLORE and online at video.nhptv.org. PLIGHT OF THE GRASSLAND BIRDS is the fifth in a series of award-winning specials (COUNTING ON BIRDS, BIRD TALES, SAVING SONGBIRDS, JOURNEY OF THE BROAD-WINGED HAWK) produced by NHPTV that explore and celebrate New England’s migratory birds. Those documentaries have received Telly, Boston/New England Emmy, and NH Association of Broadcasters awards, and have been distributed to PBS stations across the country. All five documentaries are available as a two-disc DVD titled COUNTING ON BIRDS: TALES OF MIGRATION, distributed by PBS. nhptv.org/birds
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