Expeditions with Patrick McMillan - Season 2

Belize is the smallest country in Central America both in size and population. Nearly 75% of the forests here still stand. But this place has been impacted by man for thousands of years and despite that it still harbors incredible diversity. 1200 years ago, there may have been over 3 million people in Belize, today there are only slightly over 300,000. The wildlife managed to survive and many of the species have a seldom noticed connection to man. Even species we enjoy here like neotropical migrant songbirds depend on what happens in Belize. Join Patrick as he explores Central America's last best chance, Belize, a land of resilience.

This is a very special bit of land, it is a destination for millions…of visiting animals! Dolphins, sea turtles, Seabirds, shorebirds, even Piping Plovers, Curlew and Red Knots use this place. Most stay for part of the year and then move on to other lands but without this place of refuge they may not survive. This is a place where humans are only visitors too. Join Patrick as he explores Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge a safe Harbor for visitors and a land that despite being protected is increasingly threatened by change.

The Ivorybill Woodpecker is a legend in the Southern swamps, but for years, it was thought to be only that, a legend. Recently a small glimmer of hope has emerged to suggest that the largest woodpecker in North America might still haunt the floodplain forests of the South. Join Patrick as he explores the wild bottomland forests in a quest to find evidence of the "Lord God Bird," the Ivorybill.

When you think about prairie you probably at least indirectly think about grazing. If you think about cattle or cowboys, you're thinking about grazing. Grazing has been an integral part of what has happened in the Great Plains for eons. The ecology of this place originally developed around a native grazer. The web of life here revolves around the biology of Bison. Join Patrick as he seeks to find out if there is a place for a true American on the plains, the Bison.

Is it possible to enjoy a steak and at the same time heal the weary Great Plains? You might be shocked to find out that ranchers today must break the law to conserve the prairie on their own property. Join Patrick as he visits a ranch in western Kansas where a landowner is fighting to keep his prairie dogs, without which black-footed ferrets, burrowing owls, ferruginous hawks, mountain plovers and swift foxes might soon disappear. There is a silent war brewing on the Great Plains where tradition and politics are pitted against the survival of the prairie.

The lofty peaks of the Blue Ridge rise like islands in the sky. They provide unique habitats that act as ecological islands generating diversity and preserving fragments of the past. No peak has a more prominent position or poignant story than this one. Join Patrick as he takes a unique look at a very familiar place, Grandfather Mountain.

During a time when development reigns supreme in the Southeast, few places still exist where wild areas are conserved intact. With over 350,000 acres of protected land, the ACE Basin of South Carolina offers one of the best and largest pieces of protected land on the Atlantic coast. A unique management plan involving government agencies, private organizations and landowners has resulted in this huge protected area. Join Patrick as he explores the seaside habitats and wetlands of the magnificent ACE Basin.

What happens when large pieces of land are conserved? Amazingly enough, what we find is a congregation of some of the rarest species of wildlife – at least that's what happened in the Ace Basin. Large, intact sections of protected habitat bring common and seldom-seen organisms alike, and may depend on this area for some or all of the year. Long-distance migrants, beautiful songbirds, even the ubiquitous and often less-revered creatures all need this habitat to survive. We, in turn, are afforded an excellent opportunity to see not only the organisms that we know well but also those that occur nowhere else in our area. Join Patrick as he continues to explore the beautiful coastal ecosystems of the ACE Basin.

Join Patrick as he explores the Florida Scrub, one of the most unique and endangered habitats in North America. A place that is filled with bizarre plants and animals found nowhere else, some of which look as though they come straight from science fiction. As we learn about each species' engaging stories and histories the history of Florida, itself emerges. The pressures of man have all but erased this precious habitat but hope remains for the Florida Scrub.