After filming in the Malta, Montana area, the National Geographic Channel will feature their “American Serengeti” this Thursday. The show is based on an ongoing project of the American Prairie Foundation (APF). According to the APF website, one goal among many is to “acquire enough private land that, when combined with adjacent public lands already devoted to wildlife, will provide people with a unique experience reminiscent of Lewis’ and Clark’s.”
According to the Great Falls Tribune, “The nonprofit foundation has spent roughly $8 million buying 11 ranches to create the country’s biggest free-roaming buffalo range and a home to hundreds of other creatures. Combined with the 1.1 million acres in the Charles M. Russell Wildlife Refuge, the prairie reserve spans 125 miles from east to west.”
“American Serengeti” will air in primetime this Thursday. Here is a preview:
National Geographic has this summary of the show on their website:
“A team of dedicated scientists take on the historic conservation project of rebuilding the great American plains. More than 200 years ago, the Great Plains were an American Serengeti. Since then, human encroachment has slowly deteriorated the land and its wildlife. To rebuild an ecosystem on more than 3 million acres, conservationists must track and reintroduce populations of iconic American species, some on the brink of extinction. These include the bison, the pallid sturgeon and prairie dog.”
Haylie Shipp
