Chris Morgan explores the world of black bears caught in the crossroads of urban development in Anchorage and the wilderness. This is a new normal for bears and for their human neighbors. Some bears are so comfortable living in urban surroundings that their primary habitat is a golf course. In residential areas, bears frequently raid garbage bins and birdfeeders for easy snacks. But these behaviors are less than ideal for bears and residents alike. Morgan heads north out of Anchorage to Denali National Park, where the mountains loom over treeless plains and bears get by on a diet of thousands of berries a day. The grizzlies share the enormous park with foxes, wolves and moose — and with one intrepid bear biologist and his team. Morgan continues his journey north on a bone-shaking, 610-mile motorcycle journey from Denali to Prudhoe Bay along the only Alaskan highway to reach the Arctic. Prudhoe Bay, a once pristine area at the edge of the Arctic Ocean, has been changed forever by the oil industry. Buy the DVD. This film premiered May 15, 2011.
For the past several years our TVs have brought us unthinkable pictures of the damage Mother Earth, and her sister, Mother Nature, have inflicted on the world.
Bears of the Last Frontier, with Chris Morgan and his photographer, Joe, have brought a pleasant diversion from those images.
Thank you both for sharing the wilderness with us through your commentary and beautiful photography. What I liked best is your simplicity in telling the story and showing us the beauty and color of a “land before time and people”. You travelled light and left no footprint, with total respect for the animals and environment.
Ive got to hand it to this guy. Navigating the whole of Alaska on a dual sport motorcycle, living and standing ground among wild grizzlies, and living close to the earth with the lightest of equipment; that’s the stuff of true American mettle. Chris and Joe are men of the wild, and outstanding artists to boot. Thanks for showing us Alaska!
Great show, but a tad overdramatized. Light out at 10 PM in late September in Denali? (Chris says he can feel the cold descending.) No. At the equinox, i.e. 9/20-22, the sun sets around 8:00 PM with civil twilight ending at 8:45. There is no way they were filming that scene at 10 PM. Also, the footage of the crews time in the national park shows buses plying the park road. The last date those buses operate each year is around September 11th or 12th. During the four days (a Friday through Monday, the second full weekend in September) that follow the end of the tourist season, private vehicles are allowed in by lottery. After that NPS only allows vehicles part of the way in and does not plow snow until the following spring.
By “late September” there is usually snow on the ground where I live in the foothills of the Chugach mountains, 180 miles south of Denali and on the coast. DENA is much higher, farther north, and hence colder. My guess based on the appearance of the tundra in the footage is that it was taken in late August — I could hear a snipe in the background and they migrate out by the end of August if not earlier. Likewise, I highly doubt Chris was motorcycling to Prudhoe Bay on a snow-free Dalton Highway in late September (after the Denali sequence), seeing Arctic foxes in their summer colors.
Alaska is plenty dramatic without needing to lie about what time of year it is. I kind of expect the unembellished truth from a science show like Nature. What’s next, Faux News reportage on NOVA?
Alaskan federal biologist is a typical hater, I’ve been to Denali in mid to late September back in 99 and it was very warm and the buses were still running. As for the Dalton Highway and Prudhoe, I have no comment since I did not venture that far north. Overall, the series is great and we shouldn’t focus on negative aspects.
Great job Chris and Joe!
I call foul – These jokers @ 32:45 CLEARLY DID NOT FOLLOW the CODE OF ETHICS for commercial photographers in Denali National Park “8. Allowing a wolf, fox, or bear to approach you or investigate property (i.e. your gear, tripods, cameras, backpack, food containers, or water bottles) increases the potential for them to obtain human food and the risk of these animals developing unnatural behavior . Attempt to dissuade the animal by yelling, banging pots together, and/or stomping your feet.” http://bit.ly/lBtFif
First off lets thank the producers for shows like Nature and Nova, the time spent on investigating certain areas to be filmed and explained. PBS is by far the BEST show on this planet for showing and educating us on all the wonders in our little worlds and from places so far off the beaten track.
This production is one of the gems in a long line of greater values that we should all cherish even if there might be a few non-truths or slightly exagerated information at times.
For the people who are lucky enough to live and work in these areas my hat goes off to all of you for taking the time to be cordial to the crews that come and film your environments so that the rest of us have that chance to see and learn something new.
I visited Alaska for the very first time in 1998 and absolutely fell in love with the place. Being a former backpacker and outdoor adventurist throughout the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s and having seen Hawaii as well as every state west of the Mississippi river….. by far Alaska is in it’s truest form “to die for”.
THANK YOU PBS for all that you do for the rest of us and keep that spirit alive for our future generations, so that they too are aware and informed. With any luck at all we can preserve our great outdoor heritage forever as we are very, VERY lucky that most of this hasn’t been destroyed beyond mankind’s ability to recreate it.
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Thank you for all your feedback. As the producer I just wanted to respond to the comments made by the Alaskan federal biologist. We made every attempt in our series to remain accurate to seasons, events, and behavior. We spent a lot of time filming in Denali National Park, both in June, and again in August and September (on the lottery system) to capture the seasonal changes, and diversity of the Denali National Park.
Footage from September and August made it into the final Denali segment you see.
The original narration refer to the time of year as “late fall,” but was changed at the last minute to “late September” by mistake. The particular shot was late August. But the shots that followed were late September.
I had no intention of trying to add any additional drama to our show. I made the mistake at looking at the wrong meta data on our footage to find the exact date it was shot.
In many ways the actual shoot was far more dramatic and challenging then it appears in the final show. We made more then one trip up the Dalton Highway in both Spring and late fall. Even in late September we did not encounter snow until we got closer to Prudhoe Bay.
I apologize for this error, but it was not made in any attempt to add drama to our show, as our real life adventure filming was dramatic enough.
I enjoy this show very much & appreciate all the effort required to produce it, Much thanks!
Also, I don’t feel it was over dramatized.
This show is amazing. It allows myself and probably many others to get a glimpse of the life we yearn to live and witness. And Joe, your camera work makes it even better.
Chris Morgan explores the world of black bears caught in the crossroads of urban
This part is no less enlightening than the first part and well done as the first part. Let me level with you. The urban sprawl and blacktop/concrete madness really sadden me. I could tell it did the same to you. The federal goverment will sell off our national parks little by little maybe faster. Then whats going to happen to the bears and the other animals. This bothers me greatly….and you because you have seen wild and free! Thabks to you Chris,Joe and PBS;I got to look at it through your eyes and for that I am grateful. Thank You
I did not read the comments above mine first. I had to stop. I’m HOT DON’T APOLOGIZE TO NO ONE! You worked hard to bring a message to people that care. This is a gift for people like me that will never get to see this. It also shows just how fast we are losing this wild and free land and grizzlies can not survive in urban sprawl. This piece of art should be enough to wakeup everyone. Thank You all that were involved.
Nice shot.Have a look at my droplets shot using a pocket camera.
If it takes a little added “Drama” to bring people in and enjoy a show so, not only educational, but inspiring or I don’t know the word, maybe influential! Anyway, any show that leaves the viewer wanting more nature and wishing the park was larger than it actually is and maybe even wishing that there were more parks and nature could return to parts of the Earth that are less fortunate… well that’s a good show. Man, you guys all know that some people are so Drama desensitized that they may not even watch tv without a good solid dose of it. With that said, yeah of course there was a little Drama in comparison to some other Nature shows, but who could resist with such scenery, such a character and even a motorcycle thrown in the mix. I don’t care what month it is… I’d like to see more shows like this.
Not only shot well, informative, but appeals to different viewers. There should be a Nature Show For Everyone!
Such fascinating programs these are. Breathtaking video. Thank you for sharing. I’m a bit fearful of viewing the Polar Bear segment as they are so magnificent & yet their lives are in danger…it breaks my heart.
Btw, to David the firefighter: how did you come up with the comment that Chris Morgan on his motorcycle was exhibiting “true American mettle”? He’s a Brit. Note the accent. The “GB” sticker. And the British flag bumper sticker. :-)
Although I found this to be a very well filmed and produced series, I feel it has advertised the north as the last frontier and now everyone and their dogs are flocking here in a mass exodus of thousands of expensive motorcycles to get their experience and personal adventure.
I come up once a year to service firetrucks all over the Yukon and northern BC and every year it has become more and more populous with incredibly naive human beings disrupting the natural balance of this fragile environment. many of whom are from europe and asia.
So much for the last frontier……………….godspeed mothernature.