PBS to Present AMERICAN SPRING LIVE

Spring is one of nature's greatest performances - a time of rebirth, renewed energy and dramatic transformations. For three consecutive nights, Monday, April 29 - Wednesday, May 1 at 8:00 p.m. ET on PBS (check local listings) and Facebook, Nature: American Spring LIVE presents the change from winter to spring in real time from iconic locations across America.

Acclaimed news anchor Juju Chang will host the multi-platform event, with on-camera experts, including biologist Thor Hanson and entomologist Phil Torres, showing springtime phenomena in various locations across the country, in ecosystems ranging from the Rockies to the Everglades, from inner-city parks to remote wilderness preserves. The series will include a mix of live and pre-taped footage highlighting some of the most pivotal events in nature's calendar.

A diverse group of researchers and citizen scientists will investigate how a wide range of organisms respond to the change of seasons. They will share their insights into the natural world, reveal new technologies that make their discoveries possible and encourage audiences to join the adventure of science.

"Nature throws a party every year, and it's called spring. It is the most active time in the natural world for plants and animals, from birth and rebirth to migrations to pollination," said Nature executive producer Fred Kaufman. "In addition to witnessing incredible wonders, the goal of Nature: American Spring LIVE is to inspire people to go outside and get involved with science. Everyone can play a part in our natural world."

Each episode is built around a central theme chosen to reveal how the new season triggers extraordinary biological change. Tentative live locations include California's Sequoia National Park and Point Reyes National Seashore, Florida's Everglades, the Eastern shore of Virginia, a sheep farm in Maine, a black bear den in rural Western Maryland, and Texas's Bracken Cave and Gulf Coast.

Episode 1: "Birth and Rebirth" (w.t.) premieres Monday, April 29 at 8:00 p.m. ET on PBS (check local listings) and facebook.com/PBSNature

Tracing the green wave that sweeps across the continent in spring, see how the rising temperatures and longer days spur plants to awaken and flower. Animals go through their own transformations, seeking out newly abundant resources, moving from winter homes to summer breeding grounds, or emerging from hibernation. Learn how both plants and animals have incorporated seasonal change into their life cycles and successful reproductive strategies - all demonstrated by the birth of a lamb in Maine.

Episode 2: "Migration" (w.t.) premieres Tuesday, April 30 at 8:00 p.m. ET on PBS (check local listings) and facebook.com/PBSNature

Breeding and the greening of the landscape are tied to another major spectacle of spring: the mass movements of animals as they take advantage of spring's bounty. Meet the scientists who track these journeys, often over vast distances, from winter refuge to spring nesting grounds. As they attempt to uncover the precise triggers and timing of migration and its impact on other animal species, the scientists grapple with how these patterns and behaviors may shift due to climate change.

Episode 3: "Connections" (w.t.) premieres Wednesday, May 1 at 8:00 p.m. ET on PBS (check local listings) and facebook.com/PBSNature

Nature's perfect partnerships, precisely synchronized, have evolved over thousands of years. Learn how plants and animals depend on each other to survive. See first-hand how climate change can break those connections, altering the timing of weather and plant growth, and disrupting the delicate relationships between plants and pollinators such as bees and butterflies.

To encourage citizen Science participation during the broadcast and beyond, Nature: American Spring LIVE has partnered with the Bird Cams Lab and Celebrate Urban Birds projects (Cornell Lab of Ornithology), The Great Sunflower Project (San Francisco State University), The Monarch Larva Monitoring Project (University of Minnesota Monarch Lab), Track-a-Lilac with Nature's Notebook (USA National Phenology Network), SciStarter (Arizona State University), Next Avenue (Twin Cities PBS), and the National Park Service.

WNET Community Engagement will work with PBS stations in communities across the country in partnership with local Science and community-based organizations to encourage diverse audiences to participate in citizen Science through a series of training workshops, family events and more. A robust collection of classroom resources produced by WNET Kids' Media and Education will be hosted on PBS LearningMedia with activities to help TEACHERS get students involved in hands-on Science research.

Nature: American Spring LIVE is the finale of Nature's 37th season on PBS. The series has won more than 700 honors from the television industry, the international wildlife film communities and environmental organizations, including 18 Emmys and three Peabody Awards.

Nature is a production of THIRTEEN PRODUCTIONS LLC for WNET and PBS. For Nature, Fred Kaufman is Executive Producer, Bill Murphy is Series Producer and Janet Hess is Series Editor. American Spring LIVE is a production of Berman Productions, Inc. and THIRTEEN PRODUCTIONS LLC for WNET. Al Berman is Executive Producer and Ann Johnson Prum is Senior Producer.

Major support for Nature: American Spring LIVE was provided by the National Science Foundation and Anne Ray Foundation.

Additional financial support was provided by the Arnhold Family in memory of Henry and Clarisse Arnhold, Sue and Edgar Wachenheim III, the Kate W. Cassidy Foundation, the Lillian Goldman Charitable Trust, Kathy Chiao and Ken Hao, the Anderson Family Fund, the Filomen M. D'Agostino Foundation, Rosalind P. Walter, the Halmi Family in memory of Robert Halmi, Sr., Sandra Atlas Bass, Doris R. and Robert J. Thomas, Charles Rosenblum, by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and by the nation's public television stations.

Photo Credit: Ann Johnson Prum/ © THIRTEEN Productions LLC

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