Return Flight: Restoring the Bald Eagle to the Channel Islands

Gr 6 Up—This informative and inspiring film opens with a stirring quotation from Rachel Carson superimposed over footage of the Channel Islands off southern California. Peter Coyote narrates, and clips of interviews with scientists involved in the restoration project are interspersed. Stunning video of the scientists working with the eagles in the wild and the fauna and flora in this diverse ecosystem will captivate viewers, as the facts presented grab and keep their attention. The near extinction of the eagles, the contaminating effects of the pesticide DDT, and the scope of the restoration effort from inception to success are engagingly presented and quite moving at times. (Archival footage of children happily being doused with DDT will surprise students.) The National Park Service has set up webcams so that anyone can watch live feeds of the eagles on the Internet and thus can be used as an ongoing resource for classes. This DVD could be used in biology, environmental science, chemistry, history, and video production classes to great effect. The longer version contains greater depth and detail, including footage of an interview with Carson, but the shorter version delivers equal impact for classes with less time.—Cynthia Ortiz, Hackensack High School, Hackensack NJ