Producer/Director/Writer: Kevin White

Origin:

The Montrose Settlements Restoration Program originated with a major litigation settlement between the Montrose Corporation and the Environmental Protection Agency because of the deliberate DDT contamination by Montrose along the coast of Southern California. The contamination had a major impact on many species within the coastal areas, including the Bald Eagle which was endemic to the Channel Islands. As part of the settlement, funds were dedicated to produce educational videos documenting their work, including the restoration of the Bald Eagle to the Channel Islands.  

Return Flight is one of eight award-winning films we produced for the Montrose Settlements Restoration Program profiling their restoration work. The film is featured in the Channel Islands National Park Visitor Center, and aired nationally on the PBS series Natural Heroes. Taken as a campaign, the videos helped inform the public of the habitat contamination issues impacting many species.

Story:

Narrated by Peter Coyote, this film chronicles the journey of the bald eagle’s recovery from disappearance on the Channel Islands in the 1960s due to DDT contamination, overhunting, and egg collecting to today’s population of about 80+ birds on six of the eight Channel Islands, including 18 pairs that are successfully breeding.

Client:

Montrose Settlements Restoration Program (composed of NOAA, US Fish & Wildlife Service, National Park Service, CA Dept. of Fish and Wildlife and several other agencies).

Goal:

Highlight the positive story of the efforts of scientists to successfully restore the Bald Eagle to the Channel Islands off the coast of Southern California.

Strategy:

By telling compelling successful species restoration stories, viewers can see for themselves the benefit of addressing challenging environmental issues with imagination, dedication, and cutting edge science to conserve and restore listed species as an integral tool in maintaining the rich diversity and functionality of our coastal ecosystems. We maximized our reach to viewership by producing both a short and a PBS version of the story.

Audience:

Private landowners and public resource managers in California coastal areas, affinity nonprofits engaged in restoration work, engaged citizens, teachers and students.

Approach:

The video integrated interviews with scientists and resource managers along with stunning footage of the eagles to show positive stories of collaboration and the beauty of the species. The shorter video was posted online by the participating agencies and other stakeholders, while the PBS version was shown nationally on the series Natural Heroes.

The 12-minute film can be seen here on YouTube.

Impact:

Over 50,000+ views on YouTube and 500,000+ viewers on PBS.