Original subtitles

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NARRATOR: Alaska's Lake Clark National Park.

A vast, thriving wilderness...

where big beasts roam.

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Coastal brown bears.

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Fresh out of hibernation,

their sole focus is finding food.

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The hunt is on.

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The bears pounce on every opportunity

to fatten up before winter.

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It's a race against time

to feast on the bounty

in Lake Clark National Park.

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Lake Clark National Park is a hidden Alaska gem.

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A pristine landscape

virtually unchanged in thousands of years.

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Established in 1980,

the park protects the headwaters

of the largest sockeye salmon run on Earth.

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Named after one of its lakes, the 40-mile-long Lake Clark.

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But there are more than 20 lakes here,

all bursting with life.

Water is the lifeblood of the park.

♪ ♪

(chattering)

A pair of courting red-necked grebes.

They have a perfect nesting spot:

a shallow lake edge, surrounded by vegetation,

where they are unlikely to be disturbed.

The male faces a challenge.

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He wants a family, but first he needs to impress the female

with his nest-building skills.

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It may seem like he's showing off, because he is!

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Some last-minute finishing touches

before site inspection.

The female has the final sign-off.

(geese honking)

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She likes what she sees... (chattering)

and invites the male to join her.

(squawk)

An attentive nest builder

is likely to make an attentive father.

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Now it's a waiting game

to see if the pair will produce any chicks.

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(birds warbling)

(squawk)

(chattering)

(chirping)

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Dad's still hard at work.

His next job: feeding them.

But it's not easy to digest bony fish.

Luckily for the chicks, mom shows them a bizarre trick.

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She takes one of her soft down feathers...

and eats it.

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The feathers act like a sieve,

protecting their intestines from spiky fish bones.

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But the real trick,

she's got to get her chicks to eat a feather, too.

Hmmm, this is not gonna be easy.

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Almost.

Oops.

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Finally, the chick's got it.

An ingenious solution to a bony problem.

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(croaking)

(buzzing)

When it comes to food,

the animals in this park are lucky,

because Lake Clark is supercharged

by incredibly fertile soil.

Thanks to 180 million years of volcanic activity.

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Two volcanoes are still erupting:

Mount Redoubt

and Mount Iliamna.

They pump out mineral-rich ash, nature's fertilizer,

across the park.

Glaciers also play a part,

grinding down the bedrock

as they move to create nutrient-packed glacial flour.

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Meltwater carries this flour down to the lakes.

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It gives them their distinct turquoise color.

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These nutrients spread through 6,000 miles

of rivers and streams that flow across the park,

helping to create a thriving ecosystem.

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The meltwaters also carry rocks with them,

which are scattered along the coast.

They provide the perfect lounge

for harbor seals and their pups.

These rocks are a safe haven for them,

offshore, away from land predators,

like wolves, bears or coyotes.

(grunting)

In less than a month,

the pups will be ready for life on their own.

To meet that target, they will not leave mom's side.

The high-fat milk will get them big and strong, fast!

♪ ♪

(grunting)

In or out of the water, they have to keep up.

When they want to rest,

glacial rocks provide a sanctuary out of danger.

(seals groaning)

Just behind the coast,

Lake Clark National Park offers another rich habitat.

The salt marsh.

One of the most productive ecosystems on Earth.

They flourish, thanks to huge tides

of nutrient-packed seawater,

mixing with mineral-rich river sediment

to create a biological supermarket.

♪ ♪

The meadows are the perfect food source

for one of the park's largest residents,

who are just waking up from their winter slumber.

(grunt)

Brown bears.

The abundance of food across the park

allows it to support

one of the densest populations in the world,

where they can live for up to 25 years.

Among them, a female, recently emerged from her den.

She's not alone.

This mom has an adorable cub,

intent on exploring the world around him.

♪ ♪

But mom is on a mission.

When brown bears emerge from hibernation,

they have often lost up to 40% in weight.

This pair has just five months to fatten up

before the next tough Alaskan winter.

(panting)

Mom and cub have one thing on their mind...

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Eating.

(bird shrieking)

It takes a lot of work.

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Mom needs to eat for at least 12 hours a day

to maintain her weight.

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The grass might not provide much energy,

but it is the perfect appetizer

to kick-start their stomachs after hibernation.

All this eating can be tiring.

(grunt)

It's a carefree start,

and the cub is completely relaxed.

Until a lone bear strides toward him.

♪ ♪

(growl)

NARRATOR: The bear's not coming for the cub;

it's got another target.

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(roaring)

They're sizing each other up,

battling for superiority.

(roaring)

The cub still needs to keep his distance.

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(roaring)

Mom makes sure he stays behind her.

(roaring)

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It looks serious.

But the fight won't get deadly this time.

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These guys are siblings,

training for when they take on a real challenge.

(groan)

Show's over.

It's back to eating.

The meadows are a tasty starter,

but they'll need to delve deep into Lake Clark's pantry

to put on enough weight for winter.

♪ ♪

While the bears remain in the park year-round,

others are passing visitors.

(chirping)

The park's shoreline and inlets make the perfect rest stop.

Over 120,000 shorebirds head here every year.

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This flock of sandpipers stop on their way

to their breeding grounds.

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The mudflats are packed full of worms and edible critters,

giving the birds a chance to refuel.

(chirping)

Then, after six weeks,

refreshed and reenergized, they leave as one.

(whooshing)

(chirping)

♪ ♪

For people, it's not so easy to come and go.

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Less than 20,000 a year make it to this roadless wilderness.

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It's a rare opportunity to be immersed in four million acres

of nature at its purest.

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A tenth of Lake Clark National Park

is covered by boreal forest of mainly spruce and birch.

Providing an ideal habitat for a young family.

(chirping)

Nestled beneath these tree roots is a den...

(mew)

(birds singing)

...of red foxes.

(birds singing)

(mew)

(croaking)

There are five pups in the litter.

With boundless energy, they are full of adventure.

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Exploring everywhere.

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Mom has her paws full with so many mouths to feed.

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Luckily, the forests are full of tasty morsels.

But with her pups' growing appetites

she's spending more time hunting,

leaving her young on their own.

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(yipping)

Their play-fighting is taking on serious intent...

(barks)

...as they learn to fend for themselves,

stalking, pouncing,

honing skills vital to their survival.

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They may need those skills sooner than they think.

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Black bears are omnivores who eat anything.

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They're believed to have the best sense of smell

of any land mammal,

and he's zeroing in on the pups.

NARRATOR: The foxes spot the bear approaching,

and make a dash for the den.

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The bear has his snout down one of the main entrances.

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He can only be a few feet away.

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(screech)

If they stay in the burrow, they should be safe.

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(whimpers)

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(sniffing)

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Finally, he gives up and moves on.

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The pups are safe.

Their lightning reactions and instinct to hide away

means this family gets to play another day.

♪ ♪

At the coast, the brown bears are ready for the next course

on the Lake Clark menu.

This barren beach might not seem like

the obvious fast-food stop,

but it is, if you know where to look.

Patience is key.

Lake Clark National Park has one of the greatest

tidal ranges in the world.

And the next course only reveals itself

thanks to the park's extreme low tide.

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Scattered all along the beach are bizarre-looking creatures.

Razor clams.

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These quirky crustaceans are vulnerable

once the tide is out.

They quickly dig themselves into the sand,

out of harm's way.

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All that's left is an indentation.

You'd never know they were there.

It's a clever trick,

but the bears are on their trail.

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To pinpoint exactly where the clams are,

the bears rely on their extraordinary sense of smell.

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Razor clams dig deep enough to avoid most predators,

but they are no match for a bear's four-inch claws.

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The beaches of Lake Clark are a rich hunting ground.

This protein-packed meal is

three times more nutritious than vegetation.

The cub watches closely to learn how mom does it.

He's starting to get the hang of this.

But here's a bit of a challenge!

That wasn't in mom's training manual.

The cub figures out how to get the better

of this nippy crab in the end.

(groans)

With bellies full of food, it's time to play.

Roughly translated as,

"Let's annoy the heck out of mom!"

♪ ♪

They kiss and make up, with a loving bear hug.

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With the tide returning, the bears head inland

where the main course awaits.

Leaving the clams to others who are able to catch them

from beneath the water.

One of the smallest marine mammals on the planet...

the northern sea otter.

Great news for the park.

While still in very low numbers,

they could become more frequent visitors

to this rugged coastline.

They, too, are fans of these clams,

diving down to the seabed to hunt for them.

While some dive for themselves,

others are diving for two.

This pup is two weeks old.

♪ ♪

The waters here are just a few degrees above freezing.

So, mom keeps him suspended out of the water,

cuddling him to keep him warm.

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Otters need to eat a quarter of their body weight in food

every day just to survive.

So how does she keep him warm when she dives for food?

By grooming, that's how.

♪ ♪

It looks fun and relaxing, but there's a serious side.

It traps air bubbles against their skin,

insulating them from the cold.

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Clams can be found up to 200 feet deep

off the coast of Lake Clark.

But with such a young pup,

mom makes shorter dives in shallower waters.

(birds squawking)

With all that grooming, he's keeping warm.

♪ ♪

Mom soon returns.

Within a few minutes, she'll be diving down again

to feed her endless appetite.

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Further inland, Lake Clark's National Park's

meandering rivers are starting to burst with life.

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There's something making its way to the park

in huge numbers...

...that hungry animals are waiting for,

especially brown bears.

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NARRATOR: No animal is more important

to Lake Clark National Park...

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...than sockeye salmon.

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More than 40 species of mammals and birds

rely on the nutrition the salmon provide.

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Right now, over 370,000 salmon are arriving

in the park's estuaries.

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Their vast numbers are supported

by the near pristine waters of the park.

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It's one of the greatest migrations on the planet.

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The salmon surge upstream with one aim:

to breed.

This annual migration of salmon

is a symbolic marker in the calendar

of the people who traditionally live

in Lake Clark National Park...

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The Dena'ina.

They have been in Lake Clark for thousands of years.

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Salmon are one very important piece of a larger tradition

of living with and caring for the land.

Ruth Miller was raised in the Dena'ina homelands.

♪ ♪

RUTH MILLER: This is my people's land.

We call it "Qizhjeh Vena," the place where people gather.

♪ ♪

It's where my ancestors are buried,

and it's where I feel at my happiest.

Growing up in my territory gave me access to the forest,

the mountains, and the water.

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Native people, to this day, live off the land.

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We trust in the ripening of the berries

and the freezing of the ice.

We depend on the timing of the salmon runs

to our bays and to our rivers.

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My people maintain a deep spiritual connection

to this place.

(birds calling)

NARRATOR: Ruth carries out a salmon ceremony,

making an offering of the bones from last year's salmon

to help the fish recognize their pathways home.

(speaking native language)

RUTH: To live sustainably with the land

means practicing gratitude and giving more than you take.

(singing in native language)

♪ ♪

NARRATOR: The Dena'ina way of life

is a timely reminder to us all

that we're not separate from nature,

but part of it.

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And nature thrives throughout the park.

From the largest scale...

to the smallest,

right beneath the feet of the adventurous few visitors

to Lake Clark National Park.

Hidden amongst the moss of the forest floor,

little land mines!

♪ ♪

Round-leaved sundews.

Small in size,

but packed with attitude.

This crafty carnivorous plant

has a clever way to lure its prey.

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First up in its arsenal of weaponry: nectar glands.

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These glistening droplets entice passing prey

with the promise of water.

But instead, they're met with a sticky surprise.

NARRATOR: The trap is set.

And when a fly gets stuck in the sundew,

the plant deploys its second weapon.

Tentacles slowly curl inward,

engulfing its victim.

♪ ♪

Those water-like droplets contain enzymes,

which quickly break down the insect,

making it easier to digest.

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But the plant doesn't always have its own way.

This plucky ant is putting up quite a fight.

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Now only trapped by a single thread,

he manages to free himself and escape.

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The world of Lake Clark National Park underfoot

is full of drama.

At the higher elevations...

a more rugged landscape emerges.

This is alpine tundra.

A treeless zone, at over 4,000 feet,

it's buried under snow for most of the year.

In this remote corner,

only the hardiest survive.

Even in summer, temperatures are low,

and the growing season is short.

Yet it provides enough

for arctic ground squirrels.

♪ ♪

They hold the record for the longest hibernation

in North America, at eight months.

They're on the same mission as the bears,

to put on enough weight for winter,

but in even less time-- just four months.

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And so they have no choice but to be hardcore, all the time.

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Life is hectic.

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First, they need to eat as much as possible.

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And then, gather plenty of grass to take to their dens.

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(squeaking)

So that when temperatures plummet to minus 40 in winter,

they have a cozy nest to help keep warm.

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Equally as busy are the salmon.

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They surge toward their spawning grounds,

further up the park's rivers, with laser-like intent.

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Just a month ago, the salmon were silver.

But an incredible color transformation has happened.

No longer eating to save energy,

they absorb their silvery scales for nutrition.

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Revealing the stunning red pigment

in the flesh underneath.

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This ultimate sacrifice does have benefits:

making the salmon more visible to potential mates.

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(grunt)

But it also makes them more visible

in the final stretch to their breeding grounds.

NARRATOR: For the salmon who do make it,

their final destinations are the very creeks, streams

and lakes of the park where they were born.

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They have one final mission:

to breed.

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Once a female finds a good spot,

she churns up the riverbed,

creating a nest of loose stones;

an ideal hiding place for her developing young.

Nest ready, the male comes to join.

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As she releases her 5,000 eggs,

he leaves a cloud of milt on the nest.

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But all this activity doesn't go unnoticed.

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The salmon's arrival has enticed

some of Lake Clark's brown bears from the coast.

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This concentration of fish is the main course

that the bears have been waiting for.

They exchange the 24-hour salad bar and clam snacks

for a fish feast that could last weeks.

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But salmon can be elusive.

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Each bear can consume

a staggering 100,000 calories every day.

The salmon's lives are not lost in vain.

Even in death, they keep on giving.

The nutrients contained in their bodies

are now being transferred from the sea to the land,

fertilizing the soil and promoting plant growth.

The salmon that escape the bears

will still die a week after spawning,

enriching the streams, lakes and rivers.

(squawking)

(growl)

This mom and cub arrive for the feast, too.

She's wisely waited until after spawning

to get an easy meal of dead salmon on the riverbed.

♪ ♪

Mom reaches down to pick one up with her back legs.

Careful now, some bears hate-- like really hate--

getting their ears wet!

Perfect.

Mom has got herself and her cub through the summer season.

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In doing so, she secures her legacy

in Lake Clark National Park...

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...where animals, plants and people

all coexist in harmony.

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A place seemingly frozen in time.

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But all this could change.

Alaska's weather is warming faster

than any other U.S. state,

melting the glaciers

and threatening to upset the rhythm of life here.

♪ ♪

It's a reminder that we need to protect

America's National Parks for all our futures.

If all goes well, in a few years,

it will be the cub's turn to raise a family

in one of the last great American wild landscapes,

Lake Clark National Park.