Nature: American Arctic

Photo: Musk ox mother and calf. Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Credit: Courtesy of Florian Schulz / © Tom Campion Foundation/Terra Mater Factual Studios

Vast, wild, and remote, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) is where some of the world’s greatest wildlife spectacles unfold.

Situated in the northeast corner of Alaska, this refuge has long protected survivors of the Ice Age that still roam a frozen wilderness. The Porcupine caribou herd traverses all of it on the longest land-animal migration on Earth, witnessing extraordinary wildlife moments along the way. Now, this icy fortress is melting due to climate change. For the caribou, musk oxen, polar bears, and Arctic foxes, the Ice Age is slipping away. Nature: American Arctic airs Wednesday, December 28 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV.

For 40 years, Nature has brought the natural world to millions of viewers, pioneering a television genre that is now widely emulated in the broadcast industry. The series has won more than 700 honors from the television industry, the international wildlife film communities and environmental organizations, including 20 Emmys and three Peabodys. Consistently among the most-watched primetime series on PBS, Nature continues to innovate through original digital programming, such as the new podcast Going Wild with Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant and digital series Animal IQ and Crash Course: Zoology. Nature’s award-winning website, pbs.org/nature, features full episodes, short films, digital series, behind-the-scenes content, news articles, educational resources, and more.