April is Earth Month! Join us as we celebrate our incredible planet this month and all year long. Below we’ve gathered a list of educational and enlightening programs that highlight diverse ecosystems and wildlife airing this month on PBS KVIE, available to stream for free on the PBS app, or available to stream with PBS KVIE Passport. Discover stories of sustainability and resilience in the face of climate change, and explore natural wonders in our region and all over the world.
Programs Airing on PBS KVIE
California’s Golden Parks
April 1, 8, 15, 22 & 29 at 7PM
Join beloved host Huell Howser for spectacular and inspiring tours of California’s parks. Venture from the magnificent forests of Big Basin Redwoods State Park to the rugged cliffs of Montana de Oro State Park, and discover the amazing beauty of California.
Nature: Katavi – Africa’s Fallen Paradise
April 2, 9 & 16 at 8PM
Journey to the heart of Africa’s Great Rift Valley, and discover the wildlife that call Katavi home – a little-known National Park spanning more than 3,000 square miles of western Tanzania. Meet the hippo, crocodile, and lion families who must fight for survival after an unusual climatic cycle transforms the natural dry season into the toughest drought in almost a century.
The Future of Nature
April 2, 9 & 16 at 10PM
Follow a growing number of inspiring people fighting to save nature. Discover how preserving Earth’s varied environments can help safeguard our planet’s future, and meet the scientists, conservationists, and dedicated individuals ensuring that we protect, conserve, and restore nature.
NOVA: Secrets of the Forest
April 16 at 9PM
What would the restoration of Earth’s forests mean in the fight against climate change? Follow researchers around the globe as they race to understand how nature processes and responds to carbon on the largest scales and how microorganisms, plants, animals, and humans combine to sustain healthy ecosystems.
SoCal Snowy Owl
April 22 at 7:30PM
Explore how one bird fostered human connection, inspired conservation awareness, and offered a moment of hope in a rapidly changing world. When a rare snowy owl appears in a California suburb – the first sighting in 100 years – it captivates residents, turning a quiet neighborhood into a global destination.
Nature: Penguins – Meet the Family
April 23 at 8PM
Meet all 18 species of penguins in this celebration of one of Earth’s most iconic and beloved birds. Explore their habitats from New Zealand and Cape Town to the Galapagos Islands and Antarctica.
NOVA: Arctic Sinkholes
April 23 at 9PM
Join scientists as they investigate colossal explosions in Siberia and other evidence that rapidly melting soil in the Arctic is releasing vast amounts of methane, a potent greenhouse gas. What are the implications for our climate future?
Changing Planet
April 23 at 10PM
Join conservation scientist Dr. M. Sanjayan for an exploration of the planet’s most threatened ecosystems. This season, Dr. Sanjayan turns his focus to Northern California, where the largest river restoration project in U.S. history is underway. Follow the efforts to revive a sacred river, restore critical habitats, and bring hope to communities that have long depended on its waters.
Nature: Niagara Falls
April 30 at 8PM
Embark to this geological wonder, and witness its stunning beauty and a wide variety of wildlife mammals, birds, and reptiles that call it home. Three separate waterfalls combine to form the second largest waterfall in the world.
Programs Available to Stream on the PBS App
Nature: Wild Ireland – Kingdom of Stone
Follow an elusive but charming pine marten as she takes us on a delightful journey through a unique and incredible habitat and the lives of its wild birds and animals. Ireland is renowned worldwide for its lush green hills and wild Atlantic coast, but one of its greatest natural treasures is a landscape of grey stone called the Burren, which is home to some of Ireland’s most enchanting wildlife.
NOVA: Reef Rescue
If oceans continue to warm at the current pace, coral reefs could be wiped out by the end of the century. But scientists from around the globe are rushing to help corals adapt to a changing climate through assisted evolution.
Planet California
Celebrate California’s wildlife and wild places and their coexistence with the 40 million people who call it home. Famous for its beaches and Hollywood, California is also a wellspring of biodiversity. Bounded by mountains, deserts and the Pacific Ocean, here are iconic wild places like Yosemite National Park and Death Valley, as well as Baja California’s lesser-known wild beauty.
Programs Available to Stream on the PBS App with PBS KVIE Passport
PBS KVIE Passport is a benefit of station membership. Members gain extended access to more videos available to stream on the PBS app.
Big Cats 24/7
Follow lions, leopards, and cheetahs, day and night, in Botswana’s wild Okavango Delta. Discover the cats’ battle to survive in an increasingly challenging world, including unprecedented wildfires, floods, and extreme drought. Plus, witness dramatic changes within their families and their home over two extreme seasons.
Dynamic Planet
Embark on this epic three-year journey spanning all seven continents and meet the extraordinary people and animals on the front line of climate change. Reveal how science, nature, and tradition can prepare us for a fast-changing future.
E.O. Wilson: Of Ants and Men
Explore the remarkable life and extraordinary scientific odyssey of one of America’s greatest thinkers, E.O. Wilson. Starting with his unusual childhood in Alabama, chronicle the lifelong love for the natural world that led him to Harvard and the studies that would establish him as the world’s foremost authority on ants.
Hope in the Water
Discover the creative solutions and breakthrough blue-food technologies that could not only feed us but also help save our threatened seas and fresh waterways. This 3-part series chronicles the stories of amazing innovators, aquafarmers, and fishers who are working toward a sustainable future for the planet.
The Green Planet
Travel the globe and uncover the secret lives of plants. Using pioneering camera techniques, The Green Planet takes viewers on a magical journey inside the hidden world of plants, where all animals – including humans – are dependent.