CAST LIGHT FILMS

By the early 1990s, there were estimated to be fewer than 300 Louisiana black bears left in the world. More than 80% of their bottom land forest habitat had been lost, converted to agriculture and destroyed for development. Habitat fragmentation, human disturbance and over hunting decimated populations once abundant throughout Louisiana, Southern Mississippi and Eastern Texas. 

One of sixteen subspecies of American black bear, these shy but curious creatures were immortalized as the inspiration for the “Teddy Bear” during an infamous bear hunt in the early 1900’s.

Today, thanks to an aggressive, broad-based effort to reestablish this endangered animal and restore its habitat through improved land management, high-tech monitoring and public education, the Louisiana black bear is on its way to being removed from protected status. Find out why this bear has captured America’s imagination and adoration for more than a century, and the lengths some will go to save them.

Alive! In America’s Delta is an exciting six-part wildlife documentary series produced by Louisiana Public Broadcasting that takes viewers deep into the Mississippi River Delta and the northern Gulf of Mexico to experience one of the few remaining wild frontiers in America.  

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One of the most ecologically diverse regions on the planet, Louisiana is home to over 600 species of rare plants and animals and about 40% of the nation’s coastal wetlands in the lower 48 states.

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With a rich diversity of habitats from upland forests to the open waters of the Gulf of Mexico and everything in-between, this region provides homes for an abundance of migratory and year-round wildlife and reptiles. Nearly 40% of the nation’s shorebirds, raptors and songbirds and 70% of ducks move through this vital coastal delta.

But many species are on the edge of extinction due to loss of habitat and changes brought on by humans. 

Meet a few of the many relatively unknown creatures struggling for survival like the Louisiana pine snake and the gopher tortoise, and get to know the people behind the scenes working tirelessly to save them. Discover how two of America’s most iconic species, the American bald eagle and the American alligator were brought back from the edge, and why sustainable management is essential to the future of these and countless other species.

See how new technology and scientific understanding is helping to protect this wildlife and its critical habitat for generations to come, and how their survival is tied to our own. 

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Narrated by multiple award-winning actor John Goodman.

​Five years after hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Louisiana’s recovery is eclipsed by the largest environmental disaster in American history.  

LPB follows six very different survivors as they fight to keep their land, livelihoods and way of life from Washing Away. Their journey through setbacks, subsequent storms and new threats reveal a common thread shared by many of their two million coastal neighbors - determination, perseverance and resilience in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds. 

Their stories illustrate a microcosm of the larger challenges that Louisiana and the nation face as natural and man-made disasters continue to assault America’s Gulf Coast.

Two time Emmy-Award winner, Academy-Award nominee and New Orleans native Patricia Clarkson narrates the program, which also features the music of Emmy-Award winning composer Mike Esneault.

It is the largest coastal ecosystem in the Continental U.S. Yet, this fragile delta is experiencing the fastest rate of land loss on earth.  

Home to vital habitat for America’s birds, fish and shellfish, critical resources and industries, and millions of people, this endangered region faces challenges that will soon decide its fate.  Explore proposed solutions and proven strategies, along with bold engineering from around the world that can “Turn the Tide” on this national crisis unfolding at the mouth of the Mississippi River Delta on Louisiana’s Gulf Coast.

Return to the Forest Where We Live includes a look at the devastation of the urban forests in New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast caused by Hurricane Katrina. Prior to the storm, New Orleans was one of the most forested cities in the country. More than 70% of the trees in the Crescent City were damaged by the storm and the flooding that followed and one-fifth of the half million trees planted in the city’s public parks and other public spaces were destroyed.

“Just imagine what it would be like to live in a city without trees. If you lived in a forested city and all of a sudden all of the trees were gone, what a difference in that, just a sense of place,” David Nowak, a project leader with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forestry Service said.

Other featured cities include Los Angeles, Baltimore, Washington, D.C. and Charlotte, North Carolina.

“What’s happened in Charlotte is like the Joni Mitchell song, you killed paradise and put up a parking lot,” said Attorney Rick Roti, the Chair of the Charlotte Public Tree Fund. “That may sound humorous, that’s in actuality what has happened. It’s not only unique to Charlotte; it is happening all over our region, it is happening all over the country.”

Narrated by Academy Award and Golden Globe Nominee Nia Vardalos of "My Big Fat Greek Wedding."

A Summer of Birds details a relatively unknown chapter in the life of renowned naturalist painter, ornithologist and literary figure John James Audubon. Based on the acclaimed book, the documentary chronicles the formative summer Audubon spent in Louisiana in 1821, in the lush surroundings of Oakley Plantation in West Feliciana Parish. There, Audubon began or completed nearly half of the 435 pictures in his famous “Birds of America” collection.

Narrated by Emmy-winning actress Sela Ward (House; Once and Again; Sisters), the film explores the profound influence of Louisiana's natural environment and birdlife on Audubon’s development as an artist and writer, and conversely, Audubon's undeniable impact on the region and its cultural identity. Cameras accompany modern-day birding enthusiasts and naturalists through Louisiana's bayous and woodsy pathways to experience their "paradise of birds" the same way Audubon did nearly 200 years ago.