“State of the Gulf—America’s Sea” Video Documentary Airs Feb. 24-27

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AUSTIN — The one-hour video documentary “The State of the Gulf—America’s Sea” will air in late February on all Texas public television stations, taking a broad look at the Gulf of Mexico almost a year after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.

The program will air at 8 p.m. central time, Thursday, Feb. 24 on most Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) stations in Texas, with KUHT in Houston running it the following weekend (see listing below). It’s the fifth in an award-winning series of water resource documentaries produced by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and broadcast in partnership with PBS stations.

“America’s Sea” will explore the rich diversity of the Gulf, its flora and fauna, geology and hydrology. The program will weigh the variety of eco-system services the Gulf provides to people and the various forces that threaten it, from hypoxia zones to hurricanes and oil spills. Critical habitats such as marshes and seagrasses will be examined, along with water quality and climate change. Viewers will also see how pragmatic regulation and active fisheries management has protected and enhanced marine resources for a sustainable future.

The opening segment of the documentary, “Burden of Bounty," gives an overview of the Gulf, its ecology and economy. The next segment, “Force of Nature,” covers Hurricane Ike and earlier storms. The third segment showcases managing fisheries for the future, using redfish as a case study. Segment four, "What’s in the Water” looks at problems like dead zones and red tide. The fifth segment, "Climate of Changes," features experts discussing sea level rise. The program concludes with “Action for the Oceans," showing viewers ways to help protect the Gulf.

The water documentary and 2011’s awareness initiative were made possible thanks to support from non-profits, private companies and other organizations. Major sponsorship comes from the Friends of Harte Research Institute, Guadalupe-Blanco River Authority and the San Antonio Bay Foundation. The Nature Conservancy, Apache Corporation and Texas Monthly provided patron level support, and additional support was provided by Ducks Unlimited, Wells Fargo, San Antonio River Authority, Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation and the Texas Wildlife Association.

The program is part of a broader TPWD conservation awareness initiative begun in 2002 with a series of special water resource issues of Texas Parks & Wildlife  magazine. The special issues have run each July, building to a 10-year anniversary water issue coming in July 2011. The communication initiative also includes Passport To Texas radio episodes, Internet and other components.

A companion website, Texas The State Of Water, will feature a preview of the documentary, links to additional information, and after the show airs, the complete program presented via streaming video and a complete written transcript.

PBS TV stations based in Dallas, Lubbock, Amarillo, Corpus Christi, El Paso, Midland-Odessa, Harlingen, Killeen, Waco and Austin will air the documentary at 8 p.m. Feb. 24. Stations in College Station and San Antonio will air the program at 9 p.m. that evening. KUHT-TV in Houston will air it at 3 p.m. Feb. 26 and 4 p.m. Feb. 27.

Below is a listing of Texas PBS stations showing most cities they serve. See local listings for station cable and broadcast channel numbers.

  • KERA: Abilene, Dallas, Denton, Fort Worth, Longview, Lufkin, Marshall, Nacogdoches, Paris, San Angelo, Sherman, Tyler, Wichita Falls
  • KUHT: Beaumont, Galveston, Houston, Port Arthur, Texas City, Victoria
  • KLRN: Kerrville, Laredo, San Antonio
  • KMBH: Brownsville, Harlingen, McAllen, Mission
  • KWBU: Waco
  • KPFT: Midland, Odessa
  • KNCT: Killeen, Temple
  • KCOS: El Paso
  • KTXT: Lubbock
  • KACV: Amarillo
  • KLRU: Austin
  • KEDT: Corpus Christi
  • KAMU: Bryan, College Station

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