Wild America

- Season 12

(1999)

Marty rides the flowery Great Divide from Mexico to Canada. Marty Stouffer rides the Great Divide from Mexican to Canadian border in search of beautiful and unusual wildflowers. Along the route, we learn how Native Americans used wildflowers for food and medicine. Cactus of Arizona, Yucca of New Mexico, Columbine of Colorado, Paintbrush of Wyoming, and Bear Grass of Montana all play a part in this adventure.

Five hundred years ago, Spanish Conquistadors re-introduced the Horse to the Americas. A handful escaped and grew into vast herds by the 1800's. These "Mestanos" or Mustangs, inspired Native Americans to develop an elaborate horse culture on their "Sacred Dogs." Raven, a Mustang stallion, leads his band through the Arrowhead Mountains in this true story of survival.

As our fascinating story of a band of Wild Mustangs continues, Raven, the Mustang stallion, and his son Diamond are released with what is left of their decimated band. They battle mare-stealing "bachelor" stallions, and witness the birth of the extraordinary colt named Cloud. We travel along with this courageous band as their incredible adventures unfold.

The mother Polar Bear is admired for her beauty, ferocity and patience. In a frigid landscape, a Polar Bear emerges from her maternity den with cubs. The Innuit people call this largest predator on earth "Nanook" and bestow upon it spiritual power. Most admired by the native people is the mother Bear which, over the course of two or three years, will fearlessly protect and patiently teach her cubs how to survive in their beautiful, high Arctic home.

Come along and trace the misadventures of America's wildlife aliens. Throngs of European Starlings, hordes of Norway Rats, scores of South American Nutria and millions of Middle Eastern Mussels displace native species and weaken Nature's well-woven fabric. Not all are unwelcome. Hunters prize Chinese Pheasants and birders feed flocks of Monk Parakeets.

Birds come in all shapes and sizes and share the power of flight. America's Birds come in all shapes and sizes, and they range from homely to breathtaking. But they share one thing in common -- the awesome power of flight. The airborne freedom which sets Birds apart from other creatures has been envied by man for centuries. All the diverse Bird types are seen -- powerful predators, melodious songbirds, and graceful water birds.

Bison once grazed America in herds so vast the prairie appeared a moving blanket of deep brown. The native people of the Great Plains molded their culture around the shaggy beast they called "Tatonka."

Marty and Diane Stouffer's children, Hannah and Luke, narrate a charming romp. Grizzly, Polar, and Black Bear cubs learn how to fish and forage, swim, climb and just have fun. We see Hannah and Luke's encounter with a pair of Black Bear cubs near their Colorado home. Never-before-filmed scenes of Wolverine cubs top off this delightful and heartwarming tribute to childhood.

Our cameras study all of these under-appreciated little critters. Ground Squirrels would not win a popularity contest; unless, of course, you're a hungry Hawk, Fox or Black-footed Ferret. From the Arctic Ground Squirrel of Alaska and the Golden-mantled of the Rockies to the ubiquitous Prairie Dog, our concealed cameras shed light on why these under-appreciated little critters allow us all to enjoy Nature's most magnificent species.

Whether it chisels, pecks or cracks, a Bird's bill plays a big part in what unique Ecological Niche it will fill. With sturdy conical bills, a Grosbeak crushes the hardest seeds. Using the notch on a hooked beak, a Falcon snaps the neck of prey. Limpkins slide their long curved bills into snail shells and, with spatula-shaped mandibles, Spoonbills seine southern waters.