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The Living Edens

Glacier Bay: Alaska's Wild Coast
TV Episode | Documentary
Southeast Alaska is a land still in the clutches of the last ice age. There are over a hundred glaciers here - massive rivers of ice that flow from the mountains down to the sea. They have shaped this wild land and help give rise to the ...See moreSoutheast Alaska is a land still in the clutches of the last ice age. There are over a hundred glaciers here - massive rivers of ice that flow from the mountains down to the sea. They have shaped this wild land and help give rise to the vibrant pulse of life here; dramatic cycles of feast and famine, death and renewal. In no single spot do the forces of ice and ocean come together as they do in Glacier Bay - a stunning formation of fjords that is the center stage for this great drama. The film follows the region's charismatic wildlife, including brown bears, bald eagles, humpback whales, sea otters and harbor seals, as they struggle to reap the brief abundance of food in spring and summer. Nearly all life here ultimately depends on the salmon and it is the heroic migration of these fish that provides the thread that weaves together the remarkable fabric of life in this story. The story begins as the last storm of winter dumps a fresh load of snow onto already laden peaks. High in a frosted spruce, a bald eagle shakes off the snow and takes flight. The storm clouds part -- it is time for life's reawakening in this land of extremes. We follow a pair of courting eagles as they bank and weave over snow covered peaks. The warming temperatures of spring loosen a huge drift, sending an avalanche of snow thundering to the valley below - adding to the weight that is gradually pushing a glacier out to sea. The glaciers of southeast Alaska ebb and flow with the seasons. But more than just ice is bound by these rhythms - they are the very shape of life in Glacier Bay. Ice melt from the glacier feeds an idyllic mountain stream. We descend beneath the surface and to find a clutch of pink eggs writhing in the gravel. Within, tiny salmon struggle to break free. Like the glaciers, they too will journey to the sea and back. Their heroic migration provides the thread that weaves together the remarkable fabric of life in this story. Through the spring and early summer we follow some of the region's most charismatic animals as they respond to a sudden availability of food: seals gather by the thousands to give birth to their pups in front of a thundering glacier; a pair of bald eagles raise their chick, high atop a towering spruce; hungry brown bears dig for clams on the beach and seek out mates; a pod of humpback whales scoop up tons of herring with the help of an ingenious hunting technique called bubble net fishing; and the tiny salmon make their way out to sea, past a gauntlet of predators. As the young salmon venture seaward, they cross paths with their elders - five and six year old salmon returning from the gulf of Alaska. Guided by the Earth's magnetic fields and a keen sense of smell, they seek out the river of their birth. Their journey upstream to spawn and die is the dramatic climax of the story. On a mission as old as time they must overcome rapids, shallow water, and hungry predators to fulfill their purpose. Throughout the film, the camera work of Emmy Award winning cinematographer Andrew Young places the audience inside the story with innovative shots that reveal the world of the subjects, whether they be herring darting to escape the talons of an approaching eagle or salmon struggling to elude the groping claws of a bear. As the first snows of winter fall, dead salmon line the river banks by the thousands. They have been a gift of life from the ocean that has sustained the creatures of the land. And now, the land shall give back, for buried safely in the gravel, nourished by the glacial melt, lie a new generation of salmon that will emerge to feed both land and sea. And the timeless cycle of life will continue in this Eden called Glacier Bay. Written by Andrew Young See less
Read more: Plot summary
Director
Andrew Young
Producers
Susan Todd | Andrew Young
Composer
Laura Karpman
Cinematographer
Andrew Young
Editor
Beth Spiegel
See all filmmakers & crew (10)
Status
Edit Released
Updated Nov 20, 2001
Release date
Nov 20, 2001 (United States)
Awards
Series awards
10 wins & 14 nominations

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1 cast member
Name Known for
Peter Coyote's primary photo
Peter Coyote
Narrator Narrator   See fewer
Bitter Moon (1992)
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