Saving Half the Earth

Jennie: IN THIS EPISODE OF ECOSENSE FOR LIVING.

>> EVOLUTION HAS EQUIPPED US WITH A TERRIBLE CAPACITY FOR DESTRUCTION.

WOW.

BUT ALSO, A SUBLIME ONE FOR COOPERATION.

>> I TRY AND CREATE BASICALLY AN INTERGALACTIC SUBWAY THROUGH NATURE.

>> I'VE ASKED THE PARK TO STOP EDUCATING THEM THAT THEY'RE AT THE INDIAN MOUNDS, THAT THIS IS THE ANCESTOR HOMELAND OF THE MUSCOGEE AND THE YUCHI PEOPLE.

THIS IS WHO WAS HERE, AND PLEASE SAY THEIR NAMES.

KNOW THAT THEY'RE A MODERN TRIBE.

♪ ♪ Jennie: THE FATHER OF BIODIVERSITY, DR. E.O.

WILSON, LEFT US THE HALF-EARTH PROJECT, A HOPEFUL SOLUTION TO HELP SAVE THE PLANET.

♪ ♪ >> THE HALF-EARTH PROJECT CAME OUT OF THE KERNEL OF AN IDEA, A CALL TO ACTION CALLED "HALF-EARTH."

IN ORDER TO UNDERSTAND WHERE WE HAVE THE BEST OPPORTUNITY TO PROTECT THE MOST SPECIES, WE NEED TO KNOW EVERY SINGLE SPECIES ON OUR PLANET AND WHERE IT IS.

RIGHT NOW, WE KNOW MAYBE 2 MILLION OF THE 10 MILLION SPECIES THAT ARE OUT THERE.

HALF-EARTH WAS CONCEIVED AS A BOOK AT FIRST.

E.O.

WILSON WROTE "HALF-EARTH" AS A CALL TO ACTION TO PROTECT HALF THE EARTH IN ORDER TO PROTECT THE BULK OF BIODIVERSITY.

AND HE KNEW AS A PRINCIPLE THAT IF WE PROTECT HALF, HALF THE LAND AND HALF THE SEA, WE WOULD HAVE SUFFICIENT HABITAT TO PROTECT PROBABLY ABOUT 85% OF SPECIES.

♪ ♪ >> OH MY GOD!

THAT'S AMAZING.

THIS COULD BE A NEW SPECIES.

AND LOOK AT THAT BEAUTIFUL ABDOMEN.

THIS IS A KIND OF SPORT, YOU KNOW.

IT'S THE BEST SPORT IN THE WORLD, PARTICULARLY WHEN YOU KNOW THE ORGANISMS.

THE SOCCER OF SCIENTISTS.

MORE AND MORE OF MY TIME AND WRITING HAS BEEN DEVOTED TO THE CAUSE OF BIODIVERSITY.

BACK IN 1986, I WAS, IN FACT, THE FIRST PERSON TO USE THE WORD.

THE WORD "BIODIVERSITY" THEN SPREAD AROUND THE WORLD AT AN ASTONISHING SPEED.

>> MANY OF E.O.

WILSON'S IDEAS HAVE ORIGINALLY BEEN CONTROVERSIAL, MAYBE PURPOSELY SO.

AND SO, WHEN HALF-EARTH FIRST WAS PUBLISHED, I WAS VERY MUCH READY FOR ONCE AGAIN, LIKE MANY OF HIS GREAT IDEAS, FOR THEM TO BE CHALLENGED, AND YET A FUNNY THING HAPPENED.

MOST PEOPLE LEANED IN IN AGREEMENT IN SAYING YES.

FROM EVERYTHING WE UNDERSTAND NOW AND EVERYTHING THAT WE'VE LEARNED THROUGH THE HISTORY OF OUR WORK AND SCIENCE CONSERVATION, HALF SOUNDS JUST ABOUT RIGHT IF WE TRULY WANT TO RAISE OUR AMBITION TO A NEW LEVEL AND ULTIMATELY, CARE FOR OUR PLANET.

>> IT ISN'T JUST A MATTER OF NUMBER OF SPECIES NOW, IT'S A MATTER OF THE IMMENSE NUMBER OF WAYS SPECIES INTERACT WITH ONE ANOTHER TO FORM ECOSYSTEMS.

♪ ♪ IN ALL MY WORK NOW, I WANT TO DRIVE HOME TO PEOPLE JUST HOW COMPLEX THE NATURAL WORLD IS AND JUST HOW PRECIOUS.

♪ ♪ WELL, I LOVE IT.

♪ ♪ >> IT WAS BY BRINGING TOGETHER PEOPLE UNDER THIS MOONSHOT AMBITION THAT INEVITABLY WE WERE ABLE TO HELP PEOPLE'S IMAGINATIONS EXPLODE AS THEY IMAGINED HOW WE COULD USE INFORMATION, KNOWLEDGE, AND SCIENCE TO ACHIEVE A GOAL THAT WOULD SOLVE THE PROBLEM.

>> AT LAST COUNT, THERE WERE 72,000 LARGE ANIMALS.

WE'VE DISCOVERED HUNDREDS OF NEW SPECIES OF INSECTS.

AND WE'VE JUST SCRATCHED THE SURFACE.

WHAT A GREAT DEMONSTRATION OF HOW LITTLE WE KNOW ABOUT THE NATURAL WORLD, HOW MUCH THERE IS STILL TO BE DISCOVERED, AND HOW URGENT IT IS THAT WE CONSERVE WHAT IS LEFT TO US.

>> IT'S AMAZING HOW LITTLE WE KNOW ABOUT OUR PLANET.

AND YET, WE KNOW THAT EVERY YEAR AS WE EXPLORE AND DISCOVER NEW SPECIES, THERE'S A CERTAIN RATE AT WHICH WE FIND THEM, PARTICULARLY IF WE'RE LOOKING.

AND SO, WE CAN PREDICT THAT THERE ARE MANY MORE SPECIES THAN HAVE ACTUALLY BEEN NAMED AND IDENTIFIED.

AND THAT'S IMPORTANT BECAUSE IF WE JUST LOOK TO THE PLACES WHERE SPECIES HAVE ALREADY BEEN IDENTIFIED AND PROTECT THOSE SPECIES, WE MAY INADVERTENTLY LOSE THE ONES WE DON'T EVEN KNOW ABOUT YET, AND THEY, IN TURN, MAY BE CRITICALLY IMPORTANT TO THE WEB OF LIFE THAT INEVITABLY WE NEED IN WAYS WE MAY NOT FULLY UNDERSTAND YET TO SUSTAIN OUR LIVES.

WITH THE HALF-EARTH PROJECT, WE'RE TAKING THE SPECIES THAT WE DO KNOW NOW, AND WE'RE PUTTING THEM ON THE MAP AT A HIGH ENOUGH RESOLUTION THAT WE CAN SEE WHERE WE HAVE THE BEST OPPORTUNITY TO PROTECT THE MOST SPECIES, AND WHERE THOSE OVERLAP WITH EXISTING CONSERVATION EFFORTS, HOW WELL WE'RE DOING RIGHT NOW IN PROTECTING THOSE SPECIES, AND WHERE WE SHOULD PRIORITIZE TO GO NEXT IN ORDER TO ULTIMATELY SUPPORT THE GLOBAL BIODIVERSITY OF OUR PLANET.

IN MANY CASES, WHERE INDIGENOUS PEOPLE ARE ALREADY LIVING AND CARING FOR A PLACE IN THE WAY THAT THEY HAVE FOR CENTURIES, THEY CAN USE THIS INFORMATION TO ALSO BOLSTER THEIR EFFORTS AND HELP OTHERS TO UNDERSTAND HOW WELL THEY ARE ALREADY NURTURING THE BIODIVERSITY OF THEIR PLACE.

>> OUR REDEMPTION, I BELIEVE, LIES IN UNDERSTANDING OURSELVES.

♪ ♪ EVOLUTION HAS EQUIPPED US WITH A TERRIBLE CAPACITY FOR DESTRUCTION, BUT ALSO A SUBLIME ONE FOR COOPERATION.

WE JUST HAVE TO DECIDE WHICH ONE WE WILL HONOR.

THE KEY, I BELIEVE, IS TO RECLAIM OUR PLACE IN THE NATURAL WORLD.

WE BELONG TO NATURE.

SAVE THAT AND WE CAN CERTAINLY SAVE OURSELVES.

>> WE HAVE A LOT OF INFORMATION STILL TO LEARN, AND WE STILL HAVE A LOT THAT WE NEED TO SHARE IN ORDER TO GET THIS CONSERVATION IN PLACE AND TO, WELL, REALIZE THE GOAL OF HALF-EARTH.

THAT SAID, I DON'T THINK WE HAVE A LOT OF TIME.

WE NEED VERY QUICKLY FOR US TO TRANSFORM OUR UNDERSTANDING OF OUR PLACE ON THE PLANET AND OUR ROLE IN CARING FOR IT.

>> I DON'T WANT TO LECTURE PEOPLE ABOUT SAVING THE PLANET.

I WANT TO SHARE WITH THEM THE JOY OF THE NATURAL WORLD.

>> E.O.

WILSON WAS AN ETERNAL OPTIMIST.

I DON'T REALLY KNOW WHERE THAT COMES FROM IN PEOPLE, IN US, BUT I KNOW THAT HE HAD A LIFE THAT IN SOME WAYS WAS INFORMED BY HARDSHIP THAT HE INEVITABLY DECIDED WOULD NOT BE WHAT DEFINED WHO HE WAS AND WHAT HE THOUGHT HE COULD DO IN THE WORLD.

AND I HAVE TO SAY I'VE BEEN AT MANY TALKS WHERE PEOPLE ASKED HIM THE QUESTION, "DO YOU REALLY THINK WE CAN DO IT?"

AND HE SAID, "OF COURSE, IF WE WANT TO."

>> IT'S WHERE WE BELONG.

BY LOOKING AFTER IT, WE'RE LOOKING AFTER OURSELVES.

♪ ♪ WE ARE BIOLOGICAL SPECIES IN A BIOLOGICAL WORLD.

IT'S PART OF US.

WE ADAPTED OVER MILLIONS OF YEARS TO WILD ENVIRONMENTS LIKE THIS AND WE REALLY NEED THEM BECAUSE IT'S HOME.

♪ ♪ Jennie: ALABAMA'S MOBILE RIVER BASIN IS THE MOST DIVERSE RIVER SYSTEM IN NORTH AMERICA.

IT HAS MORE SPECIES PER SQUARE MILE THAN ANY OTHER STATE.

♪ ♪ >> I CAME UP WITH THE TERM "AMERICA'S AMAZON".

LOOKING AT THE DIVERSITY THERE, IT TURNS OUT THAT THE MOBILE ALABAMA RIVER SYSTEM IS THE MOST DIVERSE RIVER SYSTEM IN NORTH AMERICA.

IN FACT, HAS MORE SPECIES OF FRESHWATER FISH THAN ANY OTHER RIVER SYSTEM IN NORTH AMERICA AND MOST IN THE WORLD.

FOR COMPARISON, THAT RIVER SYSTEM HAS 450 SPECIES OF FISH, THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA HAS 110.

THAT RIVER SYSTEM OF ALABAMA SYSTEM HAS 97 SPECIES OF CRAWFISH.

THE STATE OF WASHINGTON HAS ONE.

THAT RIVER SYSTEM IS THE GLOBAL EPICENTER OF TURTLE DIVERSITY.

IT HAS 17 TURTLE SPECIES, AND THAT'S THE MOST IN ANY RIVER SYSTEM ON EARTH.

SO, IT REALLY IS AMERICA'S AMAZON.

IT IS OUR MOST DIVERSE RIVER.

Jennie: TELL ME ABOUT YOUR BOOK, "SAVING AMERICA'S AMAZON".

>> SO, "SAVING AMERICA'S AMAZON" IS A LOVE LETTER TO ALABAMA'S WILD PLACES.

AND I WAS THE ENVIRONMENT REPORTER AT THE NEWSPAPER IN MOBILE, ALABAMA FOR 20 YEARS AND WROTE ALL KINDS OF ARTICLES ABOUT THINGS UNDER THREAT, COMPANIES COMMITTING CRIMES AGAINST THE ENVIRONMENT, ALL THAT KIND OF STUFF.

LIKE MANY NEWSPAPERS AROUND THE COUNTRY, MY NEWSPAPER, BASICALLY GAVE UP THE GAME, AND WE WENT FROM HAVING 91 PEOPLE IN OUR NEWSROOM TO HAVING THREE, AND ONE OF THE FIRST CASUALTIES WAS ENVIRONMENTAL COVERAGE, NATURALLY.

Jennie: SO, YOU'RE A FRIEND OF E.O.

WILSON'S, THE LATE E.O.

WILSON.

DID YOU SPEND TIME WITH HIM THERE?

>> I SPENT QUITE A LOT OF TIME WITH HIM THERE AND IT WAS ALWAYS A TREAT.

YOU KNOW, 84 YEARS OLD, HE'S OUT IN THE SWAMP IN KNEE DEEP MUD WITH A BUTTERFLY NET CATCHING BUTTERFLIES, AND SAYING, "IF I GOT TO START ALL OVER AGAIN, I'D STUDY BUTTERFLIES INSTEAD OF ANTS."

[CHUCKLES] THEN HIS LAST YEARS, HE BROUGHT GROUPS OF SCIENTISTS TO ALABAMA TO DO THESE BIO BLITZES AND TRY AND FIND NEW SPECIES BECAUSE HE WAS TRYING TO ATTRACT THE ATTENTION OF PEOPLE, AND, YOU KNOW, THE ACCELERATING RATE OF SPECIES DISCOVERY IN ALABAMA.

WHEN I STARTED WRITING "SAVING AMERICA'S AMAZON" THERE WERE 354 FISH SPECIES KNOWN IN ALABAMA.

FIVE YEARS LATER, THERE ARE 450.

YOU KNOW, THAT'S A STAGGERING THING TO DISCOVER THAT MANY NEW SPECIES IN THAT SHORT OF TIME SPAN.

ED SAID ONE TIME "IF YOU THINK IT'S EXCITING TO DISCOVER NEW SPECIES, YOU SHOULD COME TO ALABAMA.

WE DO IT ALL THE TIME HERE."

ALABAMA DID NOT FREEZE DURING THE ICE AGES.

WHILE MOST OF THE NATION WAS FROZEN UNDER A MILE THICK GLACIER, THAT KIND OF PETERED OUT AROUND TENNESSEE.

WHAT ALABAMA HAD WAS FREEZING TEMPERATURES, AND IT WOULD SNOW, BUT THE CLIMATE IN THE ICE AGES WAS MORE LIKE MARYLAND IS TODAY, THAT AREA, PENNSYLVANIA.

SO, ALABAMA ACTUALLY SERVED AS SORT OF THE REFUGE FOR ALL KINDS OF SPECIES THAT THEN CREPT UP THE APPALACHIANS AND REPOPULATED THE FORESTS OF THE EASTERN UNITED STATES FROM THE SPECIES THAT HAD SURVIVED IN ALABAMA.

Jennie: WHAT ARE SOME SPECIFIC SPECIES THAT WE KNOW THAT ARE THRIVING IN THE ALABAMA BASIN?

>> WELL, WE TALK ABOUT THE EXTINCTIONS, BUT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, 90 EXTINCT SPECIES, OUT OF TENS OF THOUSANDS OF SPECIES.

SO, THERE'S A SNAIL THAT WAS ON THE ENDANGERED SPECIES LIST, AND NOW NUMBERS IN THE MILLIONS BECAUSE THE STATE STARTED RAISING THEM IN A SNAIL HATCHERY THEY BUILT.

IT'S CALLED THE TULOTOMA SNAIL, AND IT WAS THE FIRST MOLLUSK EVER DELISTED FROM THE ENDANGERED SPECIES LIST.

SO, THAT'S A SUCCESS STORY IN ALABAMA.

AND I'LL HAVE PEOPLE ASK ME, "YOU KNOW, WHO CARES IF A SNAIL GOES EXTINCT?

WE GOT PLENTY OF SNAILS."

AND I WOULD POINT THEM TO THE SALT MARSHES.

THE OIL SPILL TAUGHT US WHAT HAPPENS IN SALT MARSHES, BECAUSE THE OIL WAS TOXIC TO THESE SNAILS.

IN A SALT MARSH, EVERY BLADE OF GRASS HAD ONE OF THESE LITTLE SNAILS ON IT.

WHEN THEY WERE TAKEN OUT BY THE OIL, ALL THOSE MARSHES DIED BECAUSE THE SNAILS ATE ALGAE OFF THE BLADES OF GRASS ALL DAY LONG, AND WHEN THE SNAILS WEREN'T THERE TO EAT THE ALGAE, THE GRASS DIED BECAUSE IT COULDN'T PHOTO-SYNTHESIZE.

SO, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE PULL A ONE SPECIES OUT, WE NEVER KNOW IF IT'S THE KEYSTONE THAT'S GONNA MAKE THAT WHOLE ECOSYSTEM CRUMBLE.

Jennie: SO, WHAT DO YOU THINK NEEDS TO BE DONE TO PROTECT ALABAMA FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS?

>> TWO BIGGEST THINGS.

ONE WOULD BE A WATER LAW THAT LIMITED HOW MUCH WATER INDUSTRY COULD TAKE DURING TIMES OF DROUGHT.

NUMBER TWO WOULD BE TIMBER LAWS.

[POWER SAW BUZZING] SO, ALABAMA HAS NO LAWS ABOUT CUTTING TIMBER, BUT IT'S THE THIRD BIGGEST TIMBER STATE IN THE COUNTRY AFTER OREGON AND GEORGIA.

OREGON AND GEORGIA BOTH HAVE LAWS ABOUT CUTTING TREES DOWN CLOSE TO WATER.

YOU CANNOT CUT A TREE DOWN WITHIN 25 FEET OF THE HIGH-WATER MARK OF ANY STREAM.

IN ALABAMA, WE HAVE A RECOMMENDATION THAT YOU DON'T CUT DOWN MORE THAN 50% OF THE TREES ALONGSIDE A STREAM, BUT YOU CAN CUT 'EM ALL DOWN IF YOU WANT.

SO, I HAVE BEEN ADVOCATING TAKING SOME OF THE BP MONEY AND USING THAT TO BUY RIPARIAN CORRIDORS ALONG EVERY STREAM IN THE STATE.

INCIDENTALLY, THE DIVERSITY IN ALABAMA IS SHARED BY THE NEIGHBORING STATES.

YOU KNOW, ALABAMA IS NUMBER ONE IN ALL THE AQUATIC SPECIES, NUMBER TWO IS TENNESSEE, AND NUMBER THREE IS GEORGIA.

[SOUND OF WATER] Jennie: WHEN YOU TAKE PEOPLE OUT ON THE BOAT TOURS, WHAT DO YOU TRY TO TEACH THEM?

>> I TRY AND EXCITE THEM ABOUT THE WORLD AROUND THEM AND SEE IT WITH NEW EYES.

SO MANY PEOPLE THAT COME WITH ME ARE HARDCORE FISHERMEN OR DUCK HUNTERS, PEOPLE WHO SPEND A LOT OF TIME OUTDOORS, BUT, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE LOOKING OFF FOR BIRDS IN THE DISTANCE ALL THE TIME, AND I'M HAVING A HARD TIME GETTING PAST THAT NEXT PLANT I WANNA LOOK AT.

SO, I TRY AND CONNECT THEM TO THAT.

WE BRING A LOT OF NETS ON THE BOAT, DIP NETS, AND CATCH THINGS.

MOST PEOPLE, THEY HAVE NO IDEA A DRAGONFLY LIVES MOST OF ITS LIFE UNDERWATER AS THIS FEROCIOUS AQUATIC PREDATOR.

SO, WE CATCH ALL THOSE KIND OF THINGS.

IF YOU'VE EVER SEEN THE MOVIE "CONTACT" WITH JODY FOSTER ABOUT SPACE ALIENS, THERE'S A SCENE IN THERE WHERE THEY BUILD THIS INTERGALACTIC SUBWAY, AND SHE SHOOTS FROM GALAXY TO GALAXY AND THEN STOPS, AND THERE'S THIS STUNNING, BEAUTIFUL VISTA SHE STARES AT, THAT'S HOW I MODEL MY TRIPS.

I TRY AND CREATE BASICALLY AN INTERGALACTIC SUBWAY THROUGH NATURE.

I NOW GET PEOPLE BOOKING ME FROM NEW YORK CITY FOR A WEEK STRAIGHT.

PEOPLE FROM SAN FRANCISCO COMING TO GO IN THESE ALABAMA WOODS.

THAT'S ALMOST UNIMAGINABLE THAT ALABAMA WOULD BECOME AN ECOTOURISM DESTINATION GIVEN HOW THE PUBLIC FEELS ABOUT ALABAMA.

TO SEE IT BEING TRANSFORMED INTO WHAT I SEE, WHICH IS THIS INCREDIBLE WILD PLACE IS JUST AWESOME.

THIRTY MINUTES FROM MY FRONT DOOR, I COULD GET EATEN BY A BULL SHARK IN THE GULF OF MEXICO, I COULD GET EATEN BY AN ALLIGATOR IN THIS BIG SWAMP, I COULD GET BIT BY FIVE KINDS OF POISONOUS SNAKES, I COULD GET ATTACKED BY A BEAR OR A BOBCAT, AND THAT'S A HALF HOUR FROM MY FRONT DOOR.

THAT TELLS YOU WHAT KIND OF PLACE IT IS THAT THERE'S THAT KIND OF NATURE THAT CLOSE.

I REALLY THINK PEOPLE ARE GONNA BE FLOCKING THERE FOR THE NATURE BECAUSE IT STILL EXISTS BECAUSE THE POPULATION'S BEEN SO LOW.

AND I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, CONSERVATION IN THE STATE WILL GET BETTER WITH MORE PEOPLE LEARNING AND LOVING THIS STUFF.

I REALLY WORRY ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENT IN THIS NEW MEDIA WORLD, AND KIND OF MY RESPONSE IS TO JUST POUR BEAUTIFUL STUFF OUT INTO THE WORLD TO MAKE PEOPLE CARE ABOUT IT, BUT ALWAYS WITH A LITTLE HOOK IN THERE TO CATCH 'EM AND SAY, "IF YOU LIKE THIS, YOU BETTER START TAKING CARE OF IT."

♪ ♪ Jennie: NEAR MACON, GEORGIA, GROUPS HAVE COME TOGETHER TO HEAL THE PAST AND PROTECT WILD LANDS FOR THE FUTURE.

THEIR PARTNERSHIP COULD BECOME A MODEL FOR HOW NATIONAL PARKS RESPECT THE ORIGINAL STEWARDS OF THE LAND.

>> IT'S NOT EASY TO CREATE A NATIONAL PARK.

I THINK THE MOST VALUABLE PARTNERSHIP THAT WE HAVE IS WITH THE MUSCOGEE CREEK NATION.

TRACY REVIS, WHO WAS THE FIRST FEMALE CHIEF OF STAFF OF THE MUSCOGEE CREEK NATION, SHE MOVED FROM OKLAHOMA, FROM THE MUSCOGEE CREEK RESERVATION, TO MACON TO HELP WORK ON THIS PROJECT.

THE ADMINISTRATION AND THIS DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR HAVE SAID THAT THEY ARE PRIORITIZING THE EXPANSION OF SACRED SITES AND THE PROTECTION OF ANCESTRAL HOMELANDS.

THAT IS A PRIORITY IN THE AMERICA, THE BEAUTIFUL PLAN AND THEY HAVE STUCK TO IT.

>> I SPOKE WITH CHIEF HILL, HE BLESSED IT, AND THAT THIS IS REALLY, TRULY THE TIME FOR SOMEONE FROM THE NATION WHO UNDERSTANDS THE NATION'S GOALS TO COME BACK TO THE HOMELANDS, TO BRING OUR VOICE INTO IT, AND TO REALLY MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE TRULY GROWING THOSE PARTNERSHIPS.

>> WE SHOULD HAVE NEVER LEFT THIS IN THE BEGINNING.

YOU KNOW, THINGS HAS HAPPENED BUT I'VE ALWAYS SAID, "IT'S NEVER TOO LATE TO DO THE RIGHT THING."

>> I AM TWO TRIBES.

I AM MUSCOGEE CREEK AND YUCHI.

OUR PEOPLE LIVED IN THIS AREA ALL IN THE SOUTHEAST PRIOR TO CONTACT WITH ANY OF THE EUROPEANS COMING INTO THIS LAND.

WE SETTLED IN DIFFERENT AREAS ALL AROUND THE SOUTHEAST FROM SOUTH CAROLINA, NORTH CAROLINA, FLORIDA, AND ALL THE WAY OVER INTO ALABAMA, AND TENNESSEE.

THE OCMULGEE, THE RIVER ITSELF, MEANS BOILING WATERS.

IT'S A MUSKOGEAN WORD.

THE NAME CREEK IS A BRITISH NOMENCLATURE THAT WAS GIVEN TO US BECAUSE WE ALWAYS LIVED ALONG THE WATERWAYS.

THAT'S HOW WE SURVIVED AND THAT'S WHAT WE VALUED.

>> I KIND OF HAVE TO GO BACK IN TIME 'CAUSE THIS IS WHERE OUR ANCESTORS CAME FROM.

YOU KNOW, WE HAD OUR HOME HERE, ATE OFF THE LAND, LIVED OFF THE LAND, AND THAT'S JUST THE WAY OUR CULTURAL AND HISTORY WAS.

AND AS WE WERE ON THE TRAIL OF TEARS TO BE REMOVED -- AND I GUESS THAT'S WHY IT'S IMPORTANT TO US WITH WORKING WITH THE PARKS HERE IN MACON, GEORGIA, THAT THEY WELCOMED US, "WELCOME HOME."

>> I WAS AT THE PARK WITH CHIEF HILL AND THE FORMER CHIEF JAMES FLOYD, I WAS WALKING UP TO THE EARTH LODGE, AND I COULD SMELL OUR MEDICINES, AND I COULD STILL SMELL THOSE ROOTS AND THOSE PLANTS AND THINGS THAT WE STILL USE TODAY, AND FOR ME, THAT BROUGHT ME ALL THE WAY BACK.

THE OLDEST INHABITANTS IN THIS LAND THAT THEY HAVE FOUND IS ABOUT 17,000 YEARS.

IT'S PROOF THAT THERE'S CONTINUOUS EXISTENCE OF WHAT HAS BEEN IN THIS REGION.

AND SO, OUR DANCES AND OUR SONGS, WE ACTUALLY TELL STORIES OF DINOSAURS.

WE TELL STORIES OF DIFFERENT ANIMALS.

WE TALK ABOUT BUFFALO A LOT, OF EVERYTHING THAT WAS IN THIS REGION HERE LONG BEFORE ANY OF THE SETTLERS OR ANYONE CAME THROUGH.

THERE ARE DIFFERENT TYPES OF MOUNDS.

A LOT OF PEOPLE WILL TALK ABOUT BURIAL MOUNDS, BUT THAT'S ONLY ONE TYPE OF MOUND.

THIS MOUND SITE IS CALLED THE GREAT TEMPLE MOUND AND RIGHT IN FRONT OF IT IS THE LESSER TEMPLE MOUND.

OUR LEADERSHIP WOULD'VE ACTUALLY LIVED DIRECTLY ON TOP OF THAT.

IT'S A VANTAGE POINT OF BEING ABLE TO SEE EVERYTHING, ALL THE WAY DOWN RIVER, TO SEE ANY OF YOUR ENEMIES.

IT'S ALSO THE HIGHEST AND CLOSEST TO THE SKY.

THIS MOUND, THIS IMAGE, THE EARTH LODGE HERE IS ACTUALLY THE IMAGE THAT THE NATION USES ON OUR CITIZENSHIP CARDS.

BUT WHAT THIS WAS, THE EARTH LODGE WAS USED AS A COUNCIL HOUSE.

SO, IT'S AN INTERIOR MOUND THAT THE DIFFERENT TRIBAL TOWNS ALL ALONG THE RIVER, WOULD ACTUALLY COME HERE AND THEN HAVE COUNCIL IN HERE.

THE OCMULGEE RIVER, IN THE MACON AREA WAS A CAPITAL CITY, AND THAT'S WHY IT WAS SUCH A LARGE MOUND THAT WAS BUILT THERE, AND WHY IT WAS SO CRITICAL THAT EVERY TREATY THAT WE KEPT SIGNING, WE ALWAYS PRESERVED THAT THE OCMULGEE OLD FIELDS WOULD NEVER, EVER BE CEDED OVER.

EVEN AS WE KEPT GETTING MOVED FURTHER WESTWARD, WE STILL PROTECTED THAT AREA UNTIL THE FINAL REMOVAL IN THE 1830S, AND THEN WE LOST THE OCMULGEE OLD FIELDS, AND WE WERE SUBSEQUENTLY MOVED TO OKLAHOMA.

>> NOT ONLY WAS THIS A MUSCOGEE CREEK CAPITAL CITY, THIS WAS ALSO A SITE OF MAJOR TRADING FOR THE BRITISH, AND THE SPANISH, AND THE ANCESTORS OF THE MUSCOGEE CREEK PEOPLES.

THE TRADE IN COMMERCE HERE, THE HEIGHT OF IT WAS ROUGHLY BETWEEN 1690 AND 1715, AND AFTER A SERIES OF CONFLICTS, THE ANCESTORS OF THE MUSCOGEE CREEK PEOPLE MOVED THEIR TRADE OVER TO THE CHATTAHOOCHEE RIVER.

THERE ARE A SERIES OF DOCUMENTS CALLED INDIAN GRIEVANCE JOURNALS THAT TALK ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED HERE.

THE PRICES OF GOODS WERE GOUGED BY THE BRITISH.

THERE ARE REFERENCES OF MURDER, OF TAKING CHILDREN FOR ENSLAVEMENT, AND RAPES.

SO, THE CIRCUMSTANCES WERE SO VIOLENT THAT THE PEOPLE WHO HAD TRADED HERE, AND LIVED HERE, AND WORKED HERE FOR CENTURIES, WERE FORCED TO LEAVE.

>> I'M TRYING TO GET PEOPLE TO STOP CALLING IT THE INDIAN MOUND BECAUSE YOU'RE ROBBING A HISTORY AND A CULTURE OF WHOSE ANCESTORS WERE THERE.

AND SO, WHAT HAPPENS FOR THOSE WHO GROW UP IN THAT AREA, THEY HAVE NO IDEA WHO THE TRIBES WERE.

AND SO, I'VE ASKED THE PARK TO STOP EDUCATING THEM THAT THEY'RE AT THE INDIAN MOUNDS, THAT THIS IS THE ANCESTOR HOMELAND OF THE MUSCOGEE AND THE YUCHI PEOPLE.

THIS IS WHO WAS HERE.

PLEASE SAY THEIR NAMES.

KNOW THAT THEY'RE A MODERN TRIBE.

>> EVERY TIME I COME BACK, SOMEBODY DOESN'T KNOW THAT WE WERE ONCE HERE, AND SOMEBODY DOESN'T KNOW THAT WE'RE STILL AROUND.

>> THE SECOND CHIEF SHARED A STORY WITH US THAT HE WAS ASKED, "IT'S SO BEAUTIFUL HERE, WHY DID YOU LEAVE?"

NOT KNOWING THE HISTORY.

SO, THAT'S A BIG PART OF IT, THAT WE WANT TO COME BACK TO SHARE OUR HISTORY, SHARE WHAT BEEN TOLD TO US.

WHO BETTER TO TELL IT THAN US?

[TRAIN WHISTLES] >> IN 1848, THE RAILROAD WAS BUILT THROUGH WHAT WE KNOW TODAY AS THE PARK.

AND THE RAILROAD ITSELF ACTUALLY BISECTED A FUNERAL MOUND, COMPLETELY JUST DEMOLISHING IN HALF THE BURIAL MOUND.

WE HAD BEEN REMOVED IN THE 1830S, AND SO THERE WAS NO TRIBES LEFT IN THIS AREA.

AND SO, WE WERE INSIGNIFICANT.

"WHY DOES IT MATTER?

THEY'RE GONE."

THAT BECAME EVEN MORE APPARENT, JUST THE WAY THAT THE REMAINS WERE TREATED, THAT THEY WERE JUST KIND OF SHOVELED ASIDE AND EVERYTHING WAS DUMPED INTO A PILE AND JUST DISPOSED OF.

THAT GOES BACK TO THE LACK OF RESPECT FOR WHAT WAS HERE AND THAT THE DEHUMANIZATION OF THOSE WHO WERE HERE AND WHAT REMOVAL REALLY MEANT.

>> HOW WOULD YOU FEEL IF A NEIGHBOR OR SOMEONE THAT BOUGHT YOUR LAND THAT YOU OWNED, THAT WAS IN YOUR FAMILY, IF THEY DUG UP A CEMETERY, YOUR ONLY REMAINS, YOU KNOW, HOW WOULD YOU FEEL?

THAT'S WHY WE WANNA PRESERVE, PROTECT THE PROPERTY HERE IN MACON, ESPECIALLY IN OCMULGEE, AND ALL THE OTHER PROPERTIES THAT WE'RE ABLE TO HELP.

>> THE MUSCOGEE CREEK NATION OWNS LAND IN THE CORRIDOR.

THEY ARE CURRENT STEWARDS OF LAND IN THE OCMULGEE CORRIDOR.

SO, THE LAST LAND MANAGER THAT WE'RE RECOMMENDING TO THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE IS THE MUSCOGEE CREEK NATION.

THAT THEY ARE A CO-MANAGER WITH THE NATIONAL PARK SERVICE OF THIS LAND.

>> THIS IS A BIG UNDERTAKING.

IT'S A BIG RESPONSIBILITY.

AND SO, IF WE CAN SHARE THAT RESPONSIBILITY, TO ME, THAT'S WHAT PARTNERSHIPS ARE.

AND SO, IF WE SHARE THE RESPONSIBILITY WITH OUR NATION, AND WITH THE FEDS, AND WITH THE CITY OF MACON, WE CAN ALL WORK TOGETHER, AND ACHIEVE WHAT WE WANT TO ACHIEVE, AND PROTECT THE LAND THAT'S HERE.

>> GIVING THESE SACRED LANDS, THE MOST VAULTED PUBLIC LANDS DESIGNATION IN THE COUNTRY, MEANS THAT WE HAVE TO EXPLORE AS A COMMUNITY AND AS A NATION, "WHY?

WHY DO THEY DESERVE THIS?"

AND IN THAT EXPLORATION, YOU LEARN ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED THERE, WHY THE SITE WAS SACRED LONG BEFORE MY ANCESTORS ARRIVED, AND WHY IT'S SACRED TO THE CURRENT STEWARDS.

THAT'S THE BEAUTIFUL PART OF THIS PARTNERSHIP WITH THE MUSCOGEE CREEK NATION IS THE ORIGINAL STEWARDS AND THE CURRENT STEWARDS COME TOGETHER TO PROTECT THESE ECOLOGICAL AND CULTURAL ASSETS THAT ARE COLLECTIVELY OURS.

AND THAT PARTNERSHIP OFFERS A HEALING.

IT GIVES A MEANING TO WORDS THAT OUR COMMUNITY MIGHT NOT HAVE UNDERSTOOD.

AND IT GIVES ACCESS TO THIS BEAUTIFUL ECOSYSTEM TO BE EXPLORED, AND TO BE UNDERSTOOD SO THAT IT CAN BE ETCHED ON THE BEING OF PEOPLE LIKE MY SON AND FUTURE GENERATIONS.

>> WE ARE TELLING OUR STORY, AND THERE ARE SO MANY INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE HUNGRY FOR THIS STORY.

THEY WANNA HEAR FROM US.

THEY WANNA HEAR FROM THE NATION.

AND THEY WANNA HEAR ABOUT WHO WE ARE TODAY.

[TRIBAL CHANTING] >> WE JUST WANT THE TRUTH TO BE TOLD.

[TRIBAL CHANTING] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪