WATERTOWN, NY (April 2, 2025) – Since 1970, Earth Day on April 22 has provided an opportunity to reflect on and strengthen our collective commitment to a sustainable planet. This April, PBS and its member stations will expand on over 200 hours of climate and environmental programming available across their platforms, focusing on the challenges posed by climate change and highlighting inspiring examples of positive change throughout Earth Month.
WPBS is pleased to mark Earth Month in April with a vast array of documentary programs and series with themes on nature, conservation and the environment, including new series The Future of Nature and Nature: Katavi. Special programming includes:
Nature: Katavi: Africa’s Fallen Paradise: Sanctuary (April 2 at 8 pm) Meet the hippo, crocodile and lion families of Katavi, navigating the worst drought in a century.
NOVA: When Whales Could Walk (April 2 at 9 pm) A 43-million-year-old whale fossil with four legs sheds light on how mammals transitioned from land to sea to become Earth’s largest animals.
The Future of Nature: Grasslands (April 2 at 10 pm) Explore the planet’s rich grasslands, dynamic, huge, and above all vital for our planet’s future.
Water: The Sacred Gift (April 6 at 4 pm) As the changing climate poses rapid challenges to the environment’s equilibrium, can the sheer aesthetics of this ecosystem aid in drawing attention to the problem?
Nature: Katavi: Africa’s Fallen Paradise: Purgatory (April 9 at 8 pm) Hippos fight, cubs face a rogue male lion, and fire and ash sweep across the parched land of Katavi.
The Future of Nature: Forests (April 9 at 10 pm) Carbon drawdown is a superpower of forests. Understand why restoring and protecting them is vital.
Sea Change for Superior: The Warming of the World’s Largest Lake (April 13 at 11:30 am) Take a fresh look at Lake Superior’s natural and cultural legacy, how the lake is fairing in a time of unprecedented change, and how citizens can help mitigate today’s problems.
Bloom: The Toxic Threat to the Finger Lakes (April 13 at 12:30 pm & April 17 at 7 pm) Explore the environmental challenges that toxic algae presents to the Finger Lakes.
Greening of the Bronx, An Urban Garden Tale (April 13 at 1 pm) A community portrait following three environmentalists and their team leaders at Sustainable South Bronx, as they fight the racist public policies that have plagued their community.
Walk in the Park with Nick Molle: Nature of the Beasts (April 13 at 2 pm) Examine the underlying changes taking place in Rocky Mountain National Park, the challenges park rangers face, and the effects of increased visitation and town population surges on wildlife.
Forever Wild (April 13 at 3 pm) The story of an environmental and democratic victory in Telluride, Colorado, when a billionaire developer sought to transform 600 acres of pristine valley land into a massive lake and golf resort.
Single Use Planet (April 13 at 4 pm) Explore efforts to reduce the growing deluge of disposable plastic.
To the Ends of the Earth: The Natural World – Oceans (April 15 at 9 pm) Todd Gustafson presents the beauty of the natural world and underscores the importance of preserving these striking and endangered ecosystems.
People Among the Plastic: Excess in the Anthropocene (April 15 at 10 pm) Discover the negative effects mass consumption has on our environment and how it can be minimized.
Nature: Katavi: Africa’s Fallen Paradise: Salvation (April 16 at 8 pm) After drought, the rains finally come. But can Katavi sustain the flooding?
NOVA: Secrets of the Forest (April 16 at 9 pm) Join researchers worldwide as they race to understand how nature processes carbon and how microorganisms, plants, animals, and humans sustain healthy ecosystems.
The Future of Nature: Humans (April 16 at 10 pm) Discover how humans can become a force for good throughout the natural world.
Northern Nights, Starry Skies (April 18 at 10 pm) Join photographer Travis Novitsky on a visually stunning exploration of the world’s largest designated Dark Sky sanctuary.
Justice in Chester (April 22 at 7 pm) Residents organized to stop the permitting of waste treatment facilities in Chester, Pennsylvania.
Nature: Penguins: Meet the Family (April 23 at 8 pm) A celebration of one of Earth’s most iconic and beloved birds, featuring footage of all 17 species of penguins for the first time.
NOVA: Arctic Sinkholes (April 23 at 9 pm) Scientists 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.
Changing Planet: River Restoration (April 23 at 10 pm) Dr. M. Sanjayan visits northern California where the largest river restoration project in United States history is aiming to bring life back to a sacred river.
Nature: Niagara Falls (April 30 at 8 pm) Embark to this geological wonder and witness its stunning beauty and a wide variety of wildlife mammals, birds, and reptiles that call it home.
About WPBS
WPBS is a PBS station serving approximately 600,000 households throughout Northern New York and Eastern Ontario via cable, satellite, Internet and over-the-air distribution. WPBS is a non-profit organization whose mission is to educate and inspire diverse communities with exceptional and trusted content across multiple platforms. Its vision is to be the premier provider of relevant public service media that instills wonder and curiosity across generations and cultures. More information about WPBS, including a full channel listing, is available at wpbstv.org, or by following WPBS on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Facebook. Download the free WPBS Mobile App to follow WPBS on the go.
