>>> IN A LANDS OF MIGHTY RIVERS, LAZY BAYOUS, WOODLANDS, WETLANDS, AND UNDERWATER GARDENS, THE BOUNTY OF NATURE COMES ALIVE IN AMERICA'S DELTA.

SPECIES THAT HAVE SURVIVED FOR MILITIA ARE SLIPPING INTO EXTINCTION, WITH CONSEQUENCES SCIENTISTS ARE JUST BEGINNING TO COMPREHEND.

MEET A FEW OF THESE CREATURES.

>> THEY ARE A HUGE MYSTERY.

>> AND THOSE FIGHTING FOR THEIR RECOVERY.

>> ONCE THEY ARE GONE, AND THEY ARE GONE, WE'LL NEVER HAVE THEM BACK.

>> WITNESS NEW DISCOVERIES.

>> THIS IS ACTUALLY HISTORY IN THE MAKING.

>> AND INSPIRING SUCCESSES.

AND THE EXTRAORDINARY EFFORT TO SAVE THIS LIFE ON THE EDGE.

>> THERE PROGRAM WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF WILDLIFE AND FISHERIES, KEEPING OUR WILDLIFE RESOURCES HEALTHY FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS.

WILDLIFE MATTERS.

AND BY THE FOUNDATION FOR EXCELLENCE IN LOUISIANA PUBLIC BROADCASTING.

>> AS CIVILIZATIONS FLOURISH, THE ANIMAL KINGDOM FADES FURTHER FROM YOU.

WORLDWIDE, MORE THAN 800 ANIMAL SPECIES HAVE BECOME EXTINCT.

DOZENS NOW EXIST ONLY IN CAPTIVITY, AND NEARLY 10,000 ARE ENDANGERED, AND THOUSANDS MORE ARE AT RISK.

LOUISIANA IS HOME TO OVER 600 SPECIES OF RARE PLANTS AND ANIMALS, AND NEARLY 40% OF THE WETLANDS IN THE CONTINENTAL UNITED STATES.

FROM LONG LEAF FORESTS TO THE GULF OF MEXICO'S SANDY SHORES.

THIS DIVERSE REGION ONCE HOSTED AN ENDLESS ARRAY OF WILDLIFE.

TODAY, IT REMAINS A HAVEN FOR THOUSANDS OF SPECIES BUT MANY ARE ON THE EDGE OF EXTINCTION, DEVASTATED BY HABITAT LOSS AND HUMAN DISRUPTION.

NEW TECHNOLOGY IS UNABLING SCIENTISTS TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THEIR PLIGHT AND HOW THEIR SURVIVAL IS EX TRICKABLY TIED TO OUR OWN.

AS MANY AS 100,000 NESTING PAIRS OF BALD EAGLES SOARED THE NATION'S SKIES WHEN THEY WERE ADOPTED AS OUR NATIONAL BIRD IN 1782.

LESS THAN TWO CENTURIES LATER, ONLY 400 REMAIN.

DECIMATED BY HABITAT, DESTRUCTION, OVERHUNTING AND RESIDUAL POISONING FROM PESTICIDES.

>> THE ADULT BALD EAGLE, THAT WAS FOUND, IN SOMEBODY'S YARD, WE HAD HER [INAUDIBLE] OVER THE WEEKEND TO MAKE SURE THAT SHE WAS STRONG ENOUGH, THE ANESTHESIA CAN BE ROUGH ON BALD EAGLES.

>> THESE POWERFUL BIRDS HAVE A WING SPAN OF SIX TO EIGHT FEET, WEIGH 14 POUNDS AND CAN LIVE UP TO 25 YEARS IN THE WILD.

>> BALD EAGLES USUALLY MATE FOR LIFE, AND SPEND YEARS UPGRADING THEIR HOMES.

>> THEY ARE THE BIGGEST BIRD NEST ON THE PLANET BUILT BY A SINGLE BIRD SPECIES.

THEY CAN WEIGH MORE THAN A COUPLE OF CARS, THEY GET SO HEAVY OVER TIME.

>> BALD EAGLES LAY ONE TO THREE EGGS A YEAR, EAGLETS GROW QUICKLY AND FLY OFF ON THEIR OWN AT FOUR MONTHS OLD.

APPROXIMATELY 70% SURVIVE THEIR FIRST YEAR OF LIFE, BUT SCIENTISTS ESTIMATE ONLY ONE IN TEN MAKE IT TO ADULTHOOD.

OR FIVE YEARS OF AGE.

>> THERE IS SIGNS THAT SHE SHOT UP AT ONE POINT, AND THEY ARE TRYING TO REMOVE THIS RIGHT NOW.

>> IN 1940, CONGRESS PASSED THE BALD EAGLE PROTECTION ACT PROHIBITING THE KILLING, SELLING OR POSSESSING OF THE SPECIES AND THEIR NESTS.

BUT EVEN TODAY, THOSE THREATS REMAIN.

>> WE HAVE A SET OF THINGS THAT WE DO ON EVERY BALD EAGLE THAT GETS DONE THE SAME WAY, AND WE HAVE BEEN GATHERING THAT DATA WITH THE HOPES THAT WE CAN LEARN MORE ABOUT THEIR DISEASES AND, AND DISEASES IS A BIG ONE.

>> IN 1972, THE EPA BANNED DDT AND OTHER PESTICIDES THAT ACCUMULATED IN FISH.

CAUSING REPRODUCTIVE FAILURE FOR SEVERAL BIRD SPECIES.

>> THE GOVERNOR WAS SEEING THAT WE HAVE THE THREATS TO THE SPECIES, AND THEY ARE DECLINING, AND THEY ARE GOING EXTINCT, AND WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING.

>> THE FOLLOWING YEAR, THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TOOK ANOTHER STEP, PASSING THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT.

AMERICA'S STRONGEST ENVIRONMENTAL LAW.

99% OF THE APPROXIMATELY 1500 SPECIES UNDER ITS CARE HAVE SINCE ESCAPED EXTINCTION.

>> THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT THAT WE KNOW TODAY WAS PASSED IN 1973 TO CONSERVE THE ECO-SYSTEMS UPON WHICH FEDERALLY LISTED SPECIES DEPEND BUT ALSO, IMPLEMENT PROTECTION AND RECOVERY FOR THOSE SPECIES.

>> IN 1978, THE AMERICAN BALD EAGLE MADE THE LIST.

>> WE WERE VERY CLOSE TO LOSING THE BALD EAGLE.

>> ENDANGERED THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY, THEIR SURVIVAL LIKE THIS EAGLE'S WAS ON THE LINE.

>> ENDANGERED MEANS A SPECIES IS IN DANGER OF BECOMING EXTINCT THROUGHOUT ALL OR A SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF THE AREA, AND THE THREATENED SPECIES IS ONE THREATENED WITH BECOMING ENDANGERED THROUGHOUT ALL THE SIGNIFICANT PORTION OF THE RANGE.

THEN WE HAVE CANDIDATE SPECIES, WHICH ARE SPECIES THAT WE KNOW NEED TO BE LISTED.

>> FROM THE SYMBOL OF OUR NATION'S FREEDOM SOARING HIGH ABOVE, TO A LITTLE KNOWN SNAKE SLIVERING BELOW, THIS COMPLEX LIFE IS NOT FULLY UNDERSTOOD.

BUT AN ARMY OF GREAT MINDS AND PASSIONATE INDIVIDUALS ARE JOINING FORCES TO FIGURE IT OUT.

AND TRY TO SAVE THE MOST OF THESE CREATURES.

>> THE LOUISIANA PINE SNAKE HAS BEEN CALLED BY SOME ONE OF THE RAREST VERT BRATS IN NORTH AMERICA, AS A CANDIDATE FOR THE FEDERAL LIST OF ENDANGERED SPECIES.

>> FEW WOULD BE WILLING TO STICK THEIR HANDS IN A SNAKE-FILLED TRAP BUT FOR THIS BIOLOGIST FROM LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF WILDLIFE AND FISHERIES, IT IS JUST ANOTHER DAY AT THE OFFICE.

>> I WOULD TAKE A SNAKE BITE OVERDOING PAPERWORK.

>> HE'S PART OF A DEDICATED GROUP OF EXPERTS WORKING OVERTIME TO SAVE THESE RECLUSEIVE REPTILES.

>> WHEN WE STARTED WORKING ON THESE ISSUES IN 1993, THERE WERE ONLY 60 KNOWN RECORDS OF THE SPECIES.

AND OUR ONLY METHOD TO DATE OF ESTIMATING POPULATION IS TRAP SUCCESS, WHICH HAS SOME PROBLEMS.

>> LOUISIANA PINE SNAKES, SPEND MORE THAN HALF THEIR LIVES UNDERGROUND.

BIOLOGISTS INSTALL STRATEGICALLY LOCATED DRIFT SENSES, SNAKE TRAPS, AND MICROCHIP READERS INTO THE NATIONAL FOREST, FORT POLK AND [INAUDIBLE], AND MONITOR THEM WEEKLY FROM APRIL TO OCTOBER IN HOPES OF FIND, THESE RARE SNAKES.

>> WE HAVE PARTNERSHIPS WITH THE U.S.

FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE AND THE LOUISIANA WILDLIFE AND FISHERIES, WHICH HELP WITH A LOT OF THE MANAGEMENT OF THE SPECIES, BUT IT JUST HAPPENS TO BE OUR PIECE OF LAND THAT WAS CHOSEN FOR THE REINTRODUCTION SITE, BUT IT IS A MASSIVE PROJECT WITH LOTS OF PARTNERS.

>> AND AN EXPERT TRAPPER FOR 13 YEARS, GREGORY HAS ONLY FOUND 20 OR SO IN THE WILD.

STILL, EACH TRAP HOLDS HOPE.

>> PINE SNAKE.

OH, TWO PINE SNAKES.

THAT DOES NOT HAPPEN EVERY DAY.

OH, MAN, THAT'S GREAT.

THIS IS A FAT ONE.

THAT'S WHAT I LIKE TO SEE.

HE'S DEFINITELY OVER.

WELL OVER FOUR FEET, AND AS YOU COULD SEE, HE'S NOT BEING AGGRESSIVE AT ALL.

AND THEY ARE REALLY -- PINE SNAKES WILL RARELY ATTEMPT TO BITE.

>> WHEN I TAKE DATA FROM THEM, AND MEASUREMENTS, DETERMINE THE GENDER, INSERT A PIT TAG, WHICH IS A MICROCHIP, VERY SIMILAR TO WHAT YOU WOULD PUT IN THE NECK OF YOUR PET, AND THAT CAN BE SCANNED WITH A PIECE OF EQUIPMENT, AND IT WILL GIVE US A UNIQUE NUMBER FOR EACH SNAKE, AND THAT WAY WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE CAPTURED IT BEFORE.

>> TO MY KNOWLEDGE, TWO LOUISIANA PINE SNAKES HAVE NEVER BEEN CAPTURED IN THE TRAP AT THE SAME TIME.

SO, THIS IS, ACTUALLY, HISTORY IN THE MAKING.

>> ONLY ABOUT 215 ARE CURRENTLY KNOWN TO SCIENCE.

AND A CONSORTIUM OF ZOOS LED BY MEMPHIS ZOO IS, PLAYING A CRITICAL ROLE IN HELPING TO REPOPULATE THE SPECIES.

>> HERE AT THE AUDUBON ZOO AS PART OF THE NATURE INSTITUTE, WE ARE PROPAGATING THE ANIMALS FOR RELEASE.

IT'S THE LARGEST SNAKE IN LOUISIANA, AND THE LARGEST SNAKE IN NORTH AMERICA, AND IT EATS PRIMARILY GOPHERS IN THE WILD.

>> HERE IN CAPTIVITY, HOWEVER, DEAD MICE WILL HAVE TO DO.

>> THE LOUISIANA PINE SNAKE PROGRAM HAS BEEN IN EXISTENCE WITH A CAPTIVE POPULATION FOR, I BELIEVE, TEN YEARS.

WE HAVE NO IDEA WHAT HAPPENS TO THE EGGS IN THE WILD.

I'M NOT SURE THAT ANYONE HAS FOUND A WILD COLLECTION OF LOUISIANA PINE SNAKE EGGS.

THEY ARE A HUGE MYSTERY.

>> WITH THE HELP OF TECHNOLOGY, A CLEARER PICTURE IS EMERGING.

LOUISIANA PINE SNAKES GENERALLY LAY BETWEEN ONE TO SEVEN EGGS IN CAPTIVITY, THEY USUALLY HATCH IN ISOLATION AND IN TOTAL DARKNESS, RARELY IF EVER HAS A FULL HATCHING BEEN WITNESSED, BUT THANKS TO DAVID AND OUR CAMERA CREW, WILDLIFE BIOLOGISTS CAN SEE IT FOR THE FIRST TIME ALONG WITH US.

>> WHEN THEY HATCH THE FLIP THE EGG AND SIT THERE WITH THEIR HEADS POKING OUT, AND THEY ABSORB THE YOLK.

THE UMBILICAL CLOSES UP, AND AFTER A PERIOD OF TIME, ONLY THAT SNAKE KNOWS, BUT GENERALLY 24 TO 38 HOURS THEY CRAWL OUT AND COIL UP.

AT 80 DEGREES, IT TAKES THEM ABOUT 70 DAYS TO HATCH, PLUS OR MINUS FIVE DAYS.

YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN THEY ARE GOING TO COME OUT.

IT'S ALL RELATED TO THINGS THAT WE CANNOT NECESSARILY CONTROL.

>> THEY USUALLY RANGE FROM FOUR OR FIVE FEET IN LENGTH.

THEY LAY EGGS AS BIG AS BAKED POTATOES, AND PRODUCE THE LARGEST HATCHLINGS OF ANY NORTH AMERICAN SNAKE.

>> WITHOUT A DOUBT, MY FAVORITE PART OF THE JOB, AND HOPEFULLY EVERYBODY INVOLVED WITH THIS PROJECT, IS RELEASING THE SNAKES BACK INTO THE WILD.

>> THE FOLLOWING SPRING, PROGRAM PARTNERS MADE IT TO THE FOREST TO BRING THESE CAPTIVE BRED SNAKES HOME.

>> OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS WE RELEASED A TOTAL OF 29 SNAKES, AND WE ARE RELEASING AN ADDITIONAL 14 TODAY.

>> AND IT SEEMS TO BE WORKING.

>> THAT'S FANTASTIC.

WE'LL HAVE THE DATA AND WE HAD A SNAKE THAT HAD LIVED FOR TWO YEARS, AND WE HAD RELEASED AS A ONE-YEAR-OLD SNAKE, AND WE HAD A SNAKE THAT WE RELEASED AS A BABY SNAKE, AND IT HAD ALSO LIVED FOR TWO YEARS.

SO IT MAKES IT WORTHWHILE, IT'S A LOT OF WORK BUT IT MAKES IT WORTHWHILE TO SEE THAT EVERYTHING IS WORKING AND THE SNAKES ARE SURVIVING OUT HERE.

>> THE LOUISIANA PINE SNAKE IS AN INHABITANT OF THE PINE FOREST ON SANDY, WELL DRAINED SOILS, THAT ARE BURNED VERY FREQUENTLY, WHICH WAS A NATURAL REGIME, 100 YEARS AGO, AND THE FIRE SUPPRESSION, BY VARIOUS LAND AGENCIES AND LANDOWNERS, HAS RESULTED IN CHANGES TO THE ECO-SYSTEM, AND THE TYPE OF HABITAT THAT YOU SEE BEHIND ME IS VERY RARE NOW.

>> HISTORICALLY, LOUISIANA PINE SNAKES LIVED IN PINE FORESTS IN WESTERN LOUISIANA, AND IN EASTERN TEXAS.

>> BY 1935, ABOUT 97% OF THESE OLD GROWTH FORESTS WERE HARVESTED BY THE TIMBER INDUSTRY.

>> THE BIGGEST PROBLEM FOR THE SPECIES IS PROBABLY HABITAT DESTRUCTION.

>> THE MAIN THING IS THAT WE HAVE GOT TO, TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF HABITAT THAT'S OUT THERE OR THEY ARE NOT GOING TO MAKE IT, AND IT'S THE SAME WAY WITH ALL THE OTHER SPECIES THAT WE DEAL WITH.

THE NUMBER ONE THREAT IS HABITAT LOSS.

>> PRESCRIBED BURNS, LIKE THIS ONE, AT SANDY HOLLOW WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA, ARE PART OF EFFORTS TO RESTORE THE FRAGILE SAVANNAS FOR THE HUNDREDS OF SPECIES THAT RELY ON THEM.

>> IF YOU TAKE THE FIRE OUT OF THE SYSTEM, IT'S GOING TO CHANGE INTO HARDWOODS, AND YOU ARE NOT GOING TO GET LIGHT ON THE GROUND EVENTUALLY YOU WILL HAVE NO GRASS, AND THOSE ARE THE SORTS OF THINGS THAT THE QUAIL AND THE TORTOISE NEEDS.

NOT JUST THOSE SPECIES.

THERE ARE OTHER RARE SPECIES, REALLY JUST EVERYTHING HERE IS ADAPTED TO THIS, SO YOU HAVE GOT TO HAVE FIRE IN THE SYSTEM, OR YOU ARE GOING TO LOSE THOSE ANIMALS THAT, THAT ARE, ARE SUPPOSED TO BE HERE.

>> ANIMALS LIKE THE GOPHER TORTOISE.

FEDERALLY THREATENED HERE IN LOUISIANA, BIOLOGISTS BELIEVE THAT ONLY ABOUT 300 OF THESE CHARISMATIC CREATURES REMAIN IN PARTS OF WASHINGTON, ST. TAMANY AND OTHER PARISHES.

CARY LANDRIEU FROM THE NATIONAL HERITAGE PROGRAM IS CONDUCTING BURROW COUNTS TO ASSESS THE STATE'S POPULATION.

GOPHER TORTOISES SPEND MOST OF THEIR LIVES IN THEIR BURROWS THAT CAN RANGE UP TO 50 FEET LONG AND 10 FEET DEEP.

THESE TUNNELS PROVIDE HOMES TO 360 SPECIES.

>> EVERYTHING FROM SNAKES TO, TO SMALL MAMMALS, LIZARDS, AND FROGS, AND THERE IS MANY SPECIES THAT USE THEIR BURROWS, AND SOME OF THOSE RELY PRIMARILY AND ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY ON THE GOPHER TORTOISE BURROWS.

WITHOUT THEM, MANY OTHER SPECIES WOULD BE IN JEOPARDY.

>> THAT'S REALLY COOL.

>> THAT'S THEIR DEFENSE, JUST LIKE WHEN THEY START BOBBING THEIR HEADS AND THEY FEEL THREATENED.

>> HARMING OR POSSESSING GOPHER TORTOISES IS ILLEGAL BUT SOMETIMES, PEOPLE UNWITTINGLY TRY TO HELP THEM AND TAKE THEM IN AS PETS.

A CALL TO THE DEPARTMENT OF WILDLIFE AND FISHERIES CAN HELP COORDINATE THE CARE THROUGH THE WILDLIFE REHABILITATORS OR LOCAL ZOOS.

AND ASSURE THEIR, THEY ARE RELEASED INTO SUITABLE HABITAT.

>> THEY HAVE CHARMING, WINNING PERSONALITIES, AND THEY ARE OFTEN KEPT ALONG WITH BOX SQUIRRELS IN SUBURBAN BACKYARDS.

THEY MAY HAVE INITIALS CACHED IN THEM AND MAY BE SPRAY PAINTED, THEY MAY HAVE HOLES DRILLED IN THEIR SHELLS, ALL KINDS OF THINGS ARE DONE TO THEM FOR ONE REASON OR ANOTHER.

>> MANY SUFFER FROM RESPIRATORY AND OTHER DISEASES.

OFTEN, IT TAKES MONTHS TO REHABILITATE THESE ANIMALS AND COORDINATE THEIR RELEASE, WHICH IS A COSTLY PROCESS FOR ALREADY OVERBURDENED WILDLIFE AGENCIES.

FINDING THEM A GOOD HOME PROVIDES ITS OWN SET OF CHALLENGES.

>> TORTOISES, THEY REQUIRE A HAVE SPECIALIZED HABITAT, AND OFTEN, WHEN YOU IDENTIFY THAT HABITAT, IT'S ON PRIVATE PROPERTY.

>> RESTORATION EFFORTS LIKE THESE AT SANDY HOLLOW ARE VITAL, BUT MORE THAN 80% OF LOUISIANA IS PRIVATELY OWNED.

SO PARTNERING WITH LANDOWNERS IS KEY FOR THE SURVIVAL OF THIS AND COUNTLESS OTHER SPECIES.

>> WE HAVE SOME GRAND MONEY TO WORK WITH LANDOWNERS TO GET IMPROVEMENTS AND TORTOISE HABITATS SO THAT THE TORTOISES CAN MOVE IN OFF THE RIGHT OF WAYS INTO THESE HABITATS AND START REPRODUCING BECAUSE OTHERWISE, WE'RE GOING TO LOSE THEM.

IN A COUPLE DECADES THEY WILL BE GONE.

A LOT OF OUR TIME IS SPENT ON THE ROAD TRAVELING FROM, FROM SITE TO SITE.

WE HAVE A BIG, ADULT FEMALE THAT WE ARE RELEASING TODAY, THERE IS A MALE GOPHER TORTOISE IN THERE RIGHT NOW.

AND HOPEFULLY, THIS WILL GO WELL AND SHE WILL TAKE TO IT PRETTY GOOD, AND THEY WILL LIKE EACH OTHER.

>> THIS TWO-ACRE PEN WAS CONSTRUCTED TO HOUSE THESE REHABILITATED ANIMALS.

THEY HAVE AN UNSTOPPABLE HOMING INSTINCT.

WITHOUT THIS BARRIER, THEY MIGHT WANDER UNTIL THEIR DEATH SEARCHING FOR THEIR HOMES.

IF YOU BUILT A HOUSE YOURSELF, YOU KNOW, IT TAKES A LOT OF ENERGY AND TIME, SO YOU ARE GOING TO WANT TO STAY IN THAT HOUSE.

AND SO, WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU TAKE THEM FROM THE WILD AND YOU HAVE TO, TO PUT THEM BACK OUT SOMEWHERE ELSE, WHERE THEY ARE NOT FROM, THEY, BASICALLY, WANT TO FIND THEIR HOME AGAIN, SO THEY WANDER ON AND ON AND ON.

>> GOPHER TORTOISES GROW 15 INCHES LONG AND WEIGH EIGHT TO 15 POUNDS.

>> THEY EAT PRIMARILY A BASIC VEGETATION.

THEY ARE REALLY GOOD [INAUDIBLE] SO THEY ARE REALLY GOOD AT SPREADING SEED FROM ALL THESE PLANTS AND EPG KEEPING THE GROUND COVER INTACT.

>> WHILE THEY CAN LIVE 100 YEARS IN CAPTIVITY, THEY DON'T REACH MATURITY UNTIL THEY ARE 10 TO 20 YEARS OLD, AND HAVE A LOW REPRODUCTIVE RATE.

ONLY 3% TO 5% OF THE YOUNG SURVIVE.

MOST FALLING VICTIM TO PREDATORS.

>> WHAT WE HAVE NOW IS A LOT OF OLDER TORTOISES NOT REPRODUCING BECAUSE THE HABITAT IS NOT SUITABLE.

SO BASICALLY, THEY ARE PERSISTING, AND OVER THE YEARS WE WON'T HAVE ANY RECRUITMENT.

THE ONLY SITE IN THE STATE THAT WE HAVE REPRODUCTION IS ON SANDY HOLLOW, WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT AREA, AND THAT'S IT.

>> MANY SPECIES, ABUNDANT FROM MILLENIA ARE FACING EXTINCTION DUE TO HUMAN INFLUENCE, PRIMARILY.

THE AMERICAN ALLIGATOR HAS SURVIVED FOR 200 MILLION YEARS.

BUT BY THE 1960s, UNREGULATED HUNTING, REDUCED POPULATIONS SO DRASTICALLY THAT SOME BELIEVE THEY WOULD NEVER RECOVER.

>> THE NUMBERS HAD GOTTEN SO LOW, THAT THE WILDLIFE AND FISHERIES HAD CLOSED THE SEASON FOR, I THINK IT WAS LIKE 15 YEARS, AND DURING THAT TIME, THEY DEVELOPED A PROGRAM TO, TO ALLOW PEOPLE TO, TO HARVEST ALLIGATORS, AND FUEL THE MARKET.

MY BROTHER AND I, AS A SIDELINE JOB, STARTED AN ALLIGATOR BUSINESS ABOUT 25 YEARS AGO.

WE ARE STILL IN IT, STILL DOING IT AND STILL HAVE ALL OF OUR APPENDAGES.

>> THE LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF WILDLIFE AND FISHERIES SUSTAINED USE PROGRAM NOW SERVES AS A MODEL FOR SERVING CROCODILIAN SPECIES AROUND THE WORLD, ONE NOT ONLY SELF SUSTAINING, BUT QUITE LUCRATIVE.

>> IF YOU LOOK AT JUST THE FIRST SALES OF ALLIGATOR SKINS AND MEAT, THAT GENERATES 60 TO 70 MILLION PER YEAR TODAY INTO LOUISIANA'S ECONOMY.

>> WE HAVE GOT A SIX OR A SEVEN-FOOT, THE IDEA IS TO GET HIM TO COME TO THE TOP AS QUIETLY AS WE CAN WITHOUT ANY FIGHTING SO WE CAN SHOOT HIM AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE AND MOVE ONTO THE NEXT LINE.

WE CUT A SLIT IN HIS TAIL SO WE CAN TAG HIM.

>> ALLIGATOR HUNTERS SECURE A LICENSE FROM THE WILDLIFE AND FISHERIES AND PERMISSION FROM LANDOWNERS TO HUNT ON THEIR PROPERTY.

SERIAL NUMBER TAGS ARE ISSUED TO REGULATE KILLS, AND TO TRACK BIOLOGICAL DATA AND REVENUE.

>> FROM AN ALLIGATOR FARMING AND RANCHING STANDPOINT, YOU DO A SIMILAR THING BUT INSTEAD OF APPLYING FOR THE RIGHT TO HARVEST AN ALLIGATOR, YOU ARE APPLYING FOR THE RIGHT TO HARVEST AN ALLIGATOR EGG ON AN INDIVIDUAL'S PRIVATELY OWNED WETLANDS.

>> YOU WATCH FOR THAT MAMA NOW.

>> I WILL.

>> YOU CAN'T ROTATE THE EGG, IF YOU DO, YOU WILL KILL IT.

SO, YOU HAVE GOT TO DEAL WITH THAT AND WITH THIS 100-DEGREE WEATHER, AND ABOUT HALF THE TIME, THERE IS A FIRE ANATOMIES IN THE NEST HERE.

>> WE ASSESS ALLIGATOR POPULATIONS, AND THEN DETERMINE AN EGG HARVEST FOR EACH GIVEN LANDOWNER'S PROPERTY.

>> MAMA DOESN'T REALIZE IT, BUT WE ARE ENHANCING THE POPULATION BECAUSE NORMALLY, ONLY ABOUT SIX TO 8% OF THOSE EGGS WOULD SURVIVE TO A 4-FOOT ALLIGATOR.

>> THEY BRING THOSE ALLIGATOR EGGS INTO CAPTIVITY, AND TO INCUBATE THEM, AND RAISE THEM TO MARKETABLE SIZE, AND THEN THEY HAVE TO RELEASE 12% OF WHAT THEY RAISE BACK TO THE WILD TO BE ABLE TO MAINTAIN OUR WILD ALLIGATOR POPULATION.

>> D LISTED IN LOUISIANA IN 1981, ALLIGATORS WERE REMOVED FROM THE FEDERAL ENDANGERED SPECIES LIST THROUGHOUT THEIR RANGE IN 1987.

NOW, IT'S A HIGHLY REGULATED BUSINESS.

THE WILD SEASON IS WELL INFORMING, STRICTLY MANAGED BY WILDLIFE AND FISHERIES.

TO ENSURE THE SUSTAINABILITY OF THE ALLIGATOR.

>> SINCE THE PROGRAM'S INCEPTION IN 1972, NEARLY 940,000 WILD ALLIGATORS, 8 MILLION EGGS, AND 5 MILLION FARM RAISED ALLIGATORS, HAVE BEEN HARVESTED AND SOLD, GENERATING MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN DIRECT REVENUE TO LANDOWNERS, TRAPPERS AND FARMERS, AND OVER A BILLION DOLLARS TO THE STATE.

>> YOU KNOW, THE ALLIGATOR INDUSTRY IS, IS ONE OF THE VERY FEW THAT, THAT TOTALLY PAYS FOR ITSELF.

WE PAY A TAG FEE FOR EVERY TAG THAT GOES ON THE ALLIGATORS, THAT GOES TOWARDS SUSTAINING THE DEPARTMENT AND WILDLIFE AND FISHERIES IT MANAGES, AND IT GOES TOWARDS RESEARCH, THE PROOF IS IN THE PUDDING, IT HAS WORKED VERY WELL.

>> THANKS TO HERCULEAN EFFORTS BY STATE AND FEDERAL WILDLIFE AGENCIES, NONPROFITS AND PRIVATE CITIZENS, MANY VULNERABLE SPECIES ARE BACK FROM THE BRINK, AND INNOVATIVE RESEARCH IS UNDERWAY TO TRACK THEIR PROGRESS.

HERE, OUTSIDE OF MORGAN CITY UNDER THE COVER OF DARKNESS, RESEARCHER SET A TRAP, AND LAY AND WAIT TO CATCH A BALD EAGLE.

AS NOON APPROACHES THEY ARE ABOUT TO GIVE UP, WHEN SUDDENLY, TWO EAGLES TAKE THE BAIT.

>> WE TAKE GENERAL MEASUREMENTS ON THE BIRDS, PUT A TRANSMITTER ON THEM, THEN RELEASE THEM AND FIND OUT WHERE THEY GO FROM THE TRANSMITTER.

>> D LISTED IN 2007, BALD EAGLES ARE THRIVING ONCE MORE THROUGHOUT NORTH AMERICA.

>> WITHIN OUR STATE, THERE WAS ABOUT A SEVEN TO EIGHT-YEAR DOUBLING FOR THE LAST 30 YEARS.

FOR THE BALD EAGLES.

>> NOW, NEW TRANSMITTERS AND TELEMETRY ARE ENABLING SCIENTISTS TO TRACK THE EAGLES MIGRATION ROUTES, AND NESTING PATTERNS, IN REAL-TIME.

AND THE RESULTS ARE SURPRISING.

>> WHEN WE FIRST STARTED PARKING BIRDS BACK IN THE SPRING OF 2012, SO WE HAVE CURRENTLY NINE OPERATIONAL TRANSMITTERS WORKING ON EAGLES.

SO, WE'RE ABLE TO TRACK THE BIRDS, FOLLOW THEIR MIGRATION, AND SEE WHERE THEY ARE ENDING UP.

SO FAR, ALL OUR BIRDS FLEW NORTH UP INTO CANADA AND, AND STAYED ABOUT ONE TO FOUR MONTHS, TURNED AROUND AND CAME BACK TO LOUISIANA.

TRAVELED ABOUT 1600 MILES ON THEIR WAY.

>> TODAY, A BIRNLGIONING ECHO TOURISM INDUSTRY DRAWS BIRD WATCHERS FROM AROUND THE WORLD TO ADMIRE THESE RESILIENT RAPTORS AND THE UNIQUE WILDLIFE THAT STILL A BOUNDS HERE.

>> PEOPLE COME FROM ALL OVER TO SEE OUR BALD EAGLES, LIVING IN A CYPRESS SWAMP IN TREES 8200 YEARS OLD, AND THOSE AREAS WILL CONTINUE TO BE PROTECTED BECAUSE OF THE EAGLES' PRESENCE THERE.

>> ALL SPECIES AND THEIR HABITATS RELY NOT JUST ON NATURE FOR THEIR SURVIVAL, BUT ON MANKIND, AND ALTHOUGH WE MIGHT NOT GET FULL, NOT UNDERSTAND NOW, WE ARE JUST AS RELIANT ON THEM.

>> THE THING ABOUT NATURE AND THE ENVIRONMENT IS THEY ARE NOT MAKING ANY MORE OF IT.

WE ARE LOSING IT AT A RAPID PACE.

WE NEED TO HAVE CLEAN WATER AND AIR, FOOD RESOURCES AND THOSE THINGS.

EVERYTHING IS SO TIED TOGETHER, NO MATTER HOW INSIGNIFICANT IT MAY SEEM, AND AS WE START LOSING SPECIES, WHO KNOWS WHEN IT'S GOING TO COLLAPSE, YOU KNOW.

YOU CANNOT KEEP TAKING INTEGRAL PARTS FROM, FROM A, A FUNCTIONING SYSTEM, EXPECT IT TO CONTINUE FUNCTIONING.

>> YOU MAY NOT SEE IT DIRECTLY IMPACT YOU BUT WE DON'T LIVE ISOLATED.

WE LIVE IN A, IN A BIG WORLD WHERE MANY THINGS ARE INTERCONNECTED, AND WE ARE LEARNING MORE AND MORE EVERY DAY HOW INTERCONNECTED THINGS ARE.

>> IT'S HARD WHEN YOU BELIEVE SO MUCH IN SOMETHING, AND YOU GO OUTSIDE AND YOU SEE THE BEAUTY AND THE WONDER OF IT ALL.

AND IT'S HARD TO SAY I DON'T WANT TO KEEP IT FOR OTHER PEOPLE.

BUT WHAT DO YOU THINK PEOPLE WOULD PAY IF WE KNEW THAT TONIGHT WAS THE LAST SUNSET YOU WOULD EVER SEE?

>>> FOR COPY OF THIS PROGRAM CALL 1-800-973-7246 OR GO ONLINE TO WWW.LPB.ORG.

THIS PROGRAM WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF WILDLIFE AND FISHERIES, KEEPING OUR WILDLIFE RESOURCES HEALTHY FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS.

WILDLIFE MATTERS.

AND BY THE FOUNDATION FOR EXCELLENCE IN LOUISIANA PUBLIC BROADCASTING.