A/V Geeks 16mm Lunch 2-23-2026

All right, good. We're up. All right. Hey, I'm Skip Alzheimer. Welcome to the AV Geeks lunchtime streaming show where we watch old 16 mm films. In the last hour, the power has gone out twice. I don't know why, but um here's [snorts] hoping it doesn't go out. Ouch. Where? All right. Back. Okay. Uh, first some culture. Culture. Enjoy. >> [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] >> Yay! [music] Heat. [music] [music] Heat. [music] [music] >> [music] >> Heat. Heat. [music] [music] [music] >> [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] >> Heat. Heat. [music] [music] [music] [music] Heat. Heat. [bell and music] [music] [music] [music] Heat. [music] Heat. [music] [music] Heat. Heat. [music] [music] [music] Down. [music] [music] [music] Heat. Heat. [music] [music] Heat. [music] Heat. Hey, Heat. [music] [music] [music] Heat. Heat. [music] [music] [bell] [music] >> [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] [music] >> Heat. Heat. [bell] Heat. Heat. [music] [music] [music] >> [music] >> I mentioned in the comments, but thank you Warner Brothers for introducing me to that composition. Um that uh Warner Brothers cartoons and of course Mad Magazine were these amazing cultural gateways for me. to learn about things. Um, [clears throat] and this is why we need reading. Enjoy. >> [music] >> a land called Ignoramia that was at the bottom of a deep forgotten valley. Ignoramia was a land that looked much like other places. There were forests and lakes and fields. There were cows and horses and dogs. There were carpenters, bakers and tailor. In fact, it was like everywhere else except for one thing. There were no schools and nobody in Ignoramia could read or write. The land was ruled by a king who lived in a castle on top of a hill. His name was King Yo-Yo. >> I'm the king of the castle. D. Alas, my love, you do me wrong to cast me off discuss. >> Not now, Minstro. Can't you see I'm in the middle of important business? >> Because nobody could read or write. There were always a lot of problems. Like one day when the pie maker was making a new kind of pie for the king's birthday, there were no recipe books, so she had to make it up. Who lets you use three eggs? How about five eggs? Six eggs. Seven and nine cups of flour. >> Small cups, big cups. That's what I thought. >> I hope the king likes it. >> What shall we call this pie? >> Oh, how about hit and miss cream pie. >> Meanwhile, the king was waiting to taste the pie. >> So, where's my pie? I want my pie. Hey, where's my birthday pie? >> For Buzz off, Minstro, you'll spoil my appetite. [crying] >> Let's bake it in 11 minutes. 38 minutes. 18 27. Let's compromise. And it's your turn to take the pie to the king. >> I don't want to be a pie maker anyway. >> Where's my pie? [music] It better be yummy, dummy. What kind of Danny dish is this to set before a king? >> And the little pie maker was royally thrown out of the castle and down the hill, where she landed upside down in a clump of bushes. Boy, that's the very last pie I'll bake. I wish I could be something else besides a pie maker. But there's no way to learn anything except from your parents. I guess I'm stuck being a pie maker. >> So that's how a mouse trap works. I never knew that. I tell you, just read a book and you'll certainly learn a thing or two. Excuse me, what are you doing hanging upside down in that bush? >> Hi, this >> Don't tell me. My educated guess would be that you just got thrown down the hill from the castle. >> Um, who or what are you? >> I, my friend, am a bookworm. >> A bookworm? What's a bookworm? >> A bookworm, my friend, is a worm who loves to read books. Read. Read. Oh, read. Read. Read. Read. Read. >> Okay. Okay. So, what does read mean? >> Everything people think and know can be written down in books so that other people can read and find out about it. >> Well, I don't want to be a pie maker anymore. Can books teach me to be something else? >> Of course, my dear. If you learn to read. >> Help. Help. [screaming] >> He's in real trouble. I know there's something here on dragon slaying. Ah, here it is. It says, and I read, "Creep up behind the dragon and give its tail two smart tickles while uttering the words coochie coochie coup." >> Coochie coochie coochie [laughter] coochie coo. >> Oh boy. Now pop him on the head. >> So where's the royal tailor with my new overcoat? No one's ever on time around here. >> Green was all that song will drive me buggy boo. Why can't you learn another song? >> There are other songs. >> Just just go away. Where's the tailor? >> At the tailor shop, the tor and his son were finishing making the king's coat. Since there was no reading or writing, he had to depend entirely on their memory. >> I hope it'll fit him. Okay, >> that's it. >> Was the king's left arm shorter than his right arm? >> I forgot. >> How wide is the king's waist? Did we make it the right size? >> I forget. About this wide. You're not supposed to forget. How will you ever be a tailor if you forget the size of the people? >> There's got to be a better way. >> Now you take this coat right over to the king. You hear? >> No. It's your turn. I took the pants last time. Remember? >> There's no heat in this castle. Where's my new coat? I want my new coat. I want my new coat. >> Here. Here's your new code, your majesty. Oh, lovely color. It'll fit as snug as a glove. [laughter] You big turkey. You call yourself a tailor. You're trying to make King Yo-Yo look like a ding-dong. >> Oh no, your majesty. I just forgot your size. >> Forgot? Forgot? And the tor was royally thrown out of the castle and down the hill where he landed in a lily pond and swallowed a frog. >> Oh boy, there's got to be a better system. >> S K Y spells sky. >> Correct. >> B O K spells book. >> Book. Book. Book. Oh, book. I love books. You'll be reading in no time at all. >> And then one day, King Yoyo became sick. >> I'm sick. I'm so sick. >> I'll give you a cure, that's for sure. Oo, poop. I made a goof. >> And so the sorcerer was royally thrown out of the castle and down the hill. [screaming] >> Nobody can see the king. He's too sick with King's disease. [cough] >> King's disease. King's disease. That's a simple remedy, >> right? It's right here. Cure for King's disease. And the pie maker was allowed in to see the king. >> Is that the cure? Here, let me see that thing. Okay. So, what's the trick? >> No magic, just reading. >> The little pie maker explained what she wanted in exchange for the cure. That everyone in Ignoramia should learn to read. >> Kings don't make deals with little pie makers. >> Then stay sick, then. >> Well, Okay, fine. It's a deal. But only if I get well enough to play yo-yo again. >> So, the little pie maker followed instructions from the book by carbonet of soda and prune juice. Everyone in Ignoramia waited to find out if the cure would work. In a couple of days, they had their answer. >> [cheering] [music] >> The king lived up to his promise and built a schoolhouse. By popular demand, the first teacher in Ignoramia was Bookworm, who taught everyone to read. Everyone, that is, but the king who lost his yo-yo went to search for it and was never seen again. Soon, life in Ignoria began to change. The sorcerer read a book on how to repair bicycles and opened a bicycle shop. The tailor decided [music] to remain a tailor. >> Now that he could read, he didn't have to depend on his memory. He could write down measurements and make clothes the proper size every time. And the little pie maker realized he didn't have to be a pie maker any longer. >> I hear there's an opening for the job of king. And even the minstrel, now that he could read, learned new and wonderful songs. [bell] >> Oh, baby, [music] baby, baby, baby, I can read your letters now. Oh, baby, baby, baby, [music] baby, baby, baby, I can read your letters now. >> Oh, I love it. I love it. Sing it again. read your letters now. >> And the very first law the new king made was to change the name of their country. I hereby change the name of Ignoramia to Smart Sylvania. [music] >> [music] >> Uh, so that was animated by the same person who did It's So nice to have a wolf around the house. Um, has that same kind of mood to it, type of texture. All right, time for another wordwise. Wordwise. Um, each episode of Wordwise in uh or each film in the series has What is this on my It's like string. Oh boy. Um, anyways, it has some sort of weird gimmick to it and there's been like a detective like a spy thing like what is So, what is this one going to be? It's root words and let's see what the gimmick is this time. Enjoy. You are about to see the most amazing film ever made. Experts believe it dropped accidentally from a spacecraft as it was taking off from Earth. Did it? Was this film really made by a visitor from outer space? Decide for yourself as you watch the amazing root word report an official wordwise adventure. >> Fellowratons, this is a film of my recent visit to Earth to study their language. As you can see, I disguise myself as an Earth man. There I am there. Please do not laugh. I disguised the camera as a horse and it followed me everywhere taking the pictures you are now seeing. It worked very well most of the time. My purpose in this visit to Earth was to learn all I could about root words so that we can understand earth people's amazing ability to use words in so many different ways. And so I immediately went to look for an earth person. I found some earth people near a lake. They were loading their jeep with wood. And there I am. I told them that my hobby was root words and that I wanted to know all about them. The earth person said that sounded like a strange hobby, but that I was welcome to come along with them to their cabinet, that he and his sister Becky knew all about root words. I thanked them for their kind hospitality. motioned to the camera to follow us and off we drove. By the time we reached the cabin, I found that they did indeed know a lot about root words and were very helpful. They said root words are sometimes called base words. While John was unloading the Jeep, Becky showed me that I could find root words inside longer words, like the one on this sign. This door is locked. Locked, she told me, is the root word. The ed is just an ending, a suffix. The suffix, she said, changes the way the word is used. As in the sentence, the lock is locked. And she was right. It was locked. It's just like the word stacking, John explained. The root word in stacking is stacked. The ing is just a suffix. He said root words could also have a beginning, a prefix, which changes the meaning, as in unstack and restack. John and Becky were teaching me a lot about root words, so I made a present appear for them. They were certainly surprised. John thought Becky should open it. So you see fellow cratons, I learned that root words are hiding in longer words. These longer words can look different but can have the same root words inside. Amazing. It's just like in the word unwrapping. Wrap is the root word. Becky told me the extra p is needed when you add the suffix ing at the end and the un at the beginning is just a prefix. So fellowratons the root or base word is the main part of the word and has a meaning of its own. It tells what the word is really all about. Like load in unloaded, hook in rehook, and start in restarted. The prefixes and suffixes are helpers. They usually change the meaning of the root word so that one root word can be used to make a lot of different words. For instance, with the root word wrap, you can have unwrap, rewrap, wrapping, rewrap, and unwrap. Again, the root word wrap is in all of those words. Unwrap, rewrap, wrapping, and rewrap. The prefixes and suffixes let us use the root word in a lot of different ways. A very important lesson in the Earth language. Fellowratons. Oh, excuse me. I said to Becky, I have to wind my horse. As you know, fellowratons, these automatic cameras always need winding. I don't know why we call them automatic. Becky was surprised that there wasn't anything inside the present. I told her that where I came from, we thought the best part of getting a present was unwrapping it, so we never put anything inside. She and her brother laughed at that. As we walked onto the porch, I suddenly turned around and accidentally disappeared right in front of Becky and her brother. I guess I didn't adjust the controls properly when I left the spacecraft. There, there I came back. Of course, now I had to tell them. I had to tell them who I really was and why I had come to Earth. Well, I couldn't have met two nicer Earth people. They said they were delighted I'd come and that they'd be glad to help me all they could to learn about root words. They also said they love to watch me disappear and reappear. And that, of course, the words disappear and reappear had the same root or base word in them. And did I know what it was? Right away I said this and re. No, no, they said it was a pier. D and re were just prefixes. I could see I still had a lot to learn. Then Becky said we should have some refreshment. I knew right away the root word in refreshment was fresh. Oh, I was so proud. Then they told me that just like a lot of other root words, fresh could become a lot of different words with a prefix or a suffix or both. Like a fresh lemon has freshness. And in lemonade they're refreshing. I said I knew another good example. Unfinished, finishing, and finished. They said I was very smart, but that earth people usually drank their refreshment instead of pour it on the ground. Oh, I learned a lot on this trip. Then they said they wanted to show me all around their beautiful lake before I left and that they could give me root word practice as we went. I said good and that I would help speed things up. As you can see, I didn't do very well. Oh well, eventually we got headed in the direction of the boat dock. We got into what they call a sailboat. This was going to be an interesting experience. I thought I had to change the camera from a horse to a dog so it could come along. Here's a picture Becky took of the automatic camera. Looks just like a dog. Anyway, Becky's brother said to give me practice, I should try to find all the root words I could in everything that was said. Then Becky tested me. She said, "Be careful. The boat is leaning. A care is the root word. Hooray, they said. And then I said, care is the root word. Careless, too. Hooray, twice, they said. Then Becky said, the boat is unsteady. Steady is the root word. Very good, they said. Oh goodness, I said. I'm learning fast. Right, said John. What's the root word in goodness? Oh. Oh, it's good. Good, they said. Suddenly, my space timer went off, telling me I would soon have to leave. So, I changed the sailboat into a ski boat so we could see more of the lake before I had to go. Then they gave me more root word practice. John said, "Look at that skier. He's really skiing fast. Ski is the root word." I said, "Ning are just suffixes." Then John remarked that the boy was very skillful. Ah, skill is the root word, I promptly answered. Becky was still testing me when she said that skier is really spraying. But before I had time to say spray was the root word, he had sprayed us. Then the camera which I had disguised as a dog started running around being silly. So I had to calm it down. Suddenly my space timer went off again. So I knew I'd have to hurry the boat a little, which everybody enjoyed. A joy is the root word in enjoy and enjoyful. Enjoyment and enjoying. But now I knew I must head in the direction of the spacecraft. It was time to automatically take off at 300 p.m. Earth time. So fellow cratons, as we watch my Earth friends and me go back to the spacecraft, let me summarize what I learned about root words on this very valuable expedition. The important thing to remember is that if you find a long word in the Earth language like say disappearance, you can first find the root word, then the prefix if there is one, and then the suffix if there's one. Then you can figure out what the word means and how it can be used. Knowing root or base words will help all of us on our planet to read hundreds and hundreds of words of the Earth language. Words we thought we could never read. Like departing in I was sad to be departing and unforgettable. It had been an unforgettable visit, and discontented, as in I will be discontented until I see my Earth friends again. And now, fellows, before I end my film report, I must confess two things I did that I should not have done. First, I forgot to bring the automatic camera back with me. So, somewhere on Earth, there is a dog winding up. And second, I purposely dropped an extra copy of this film from the spacecraft as I took off. I hope Becky and her brother like it. It's my way of thanking them for a wonderful visit. Thank is the root word in thanking and in thankful. And wonder is the root word in wonderful and wondering. And sad is the root word in sadly. I watched them wave goodbye. >> [music] >> Yeah, I don't know. [laughter] I I think uh [clears throat] yeah, I think this gimmick was not not as good, not as exciting. Oh well. Uh and I excuse me, I did a whole show where I used um where I showed films that had science fiction kind of tropes to them to get kids interested and whatever. And and most of them weren't very good. Uh I very much related to to what we just saw. All right. Uh, let's learn about Wildlife Horizons. Uh, courtesy of the North Carolina Wildlife Department. I can't remember. They've changed their name over a period of time. So, anyways, uh, let's learn about the importance of wildlife. A wildlife federation. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. In a land that had known only beginnings, there were glimpses of endings. The buffalo, analopee, passenger pigeon. A host of species seemed to vanish as the frontier was rolled back. As usual, man blundered toward the brink [music] of irreversible loss. Until, out of the silent marshes, the heaps of buffalo bones, a new consciousness stirred. It was then that the sportsmen and conservationists of the nation cried, "Enough! Enough of two gunners killing 640 ducks in a single day. Enough of the lawless taking that cut the nation's deer herd to half a million animals. This new awareness awakened in North Carolina, too, for the state had seen its share of wildlife resources dwindled through the years. Yet, North Carolina was like many other states. It recognized the problems, but knew little about the principles of sound wildlife management. Finally, in 1944, a [music] project was begun based on the natural balance concept of wildlife management. Its goal was to restore the white-tailed deer to its former abundance in the URI mountains. Uncontrolled hunting had taken its [music] toll, and the whitetail had practically vanished from those ancient hills 50 years earlier. It was a difficult undertaking. Everything was [music] new. Techniques and equipment had to be improvised and there were few guidelines to follow. Traps had to be made of materials from the surrounding forests. There were long hours of waiting. In spite of these [music] obstacles, the project was completed the following March. 129 white-tailed deer were trapped from a private refuge and released on the 35,000 acre [music] restoration area. But that was only the beginning of the longest wait. For the next 10 years, deer hunting was closed on the area while the herd grew rapidly, expanding [music] and spilling over into the surrounding countryside. Today, a generation after the project was begun, the URI game is one of the most popular deer hunting areas in the state. The success of the URE project reinforced [music] the belief that wild game when given quality habitat and protected from unregulated hunting will maintain its population in a healthy [music] balance. In a broader sense, the project reaffirmed the wisdom that all things in the natural world are interrelated, but man's activities unceasingly alter and disrupt these interreationships. Such a disruption nearly eliminated the wild turkey from western North Carolina. As the mountain forests vanished into the maw of a timber-hungry nation, this magnificent bird went with it. And even as the barren hills reforested themselves, the spring was silent of its call. There were no wild turkeys. Yet there were still areas of the state where the wild turkey had survived, and today they serve as biological reservoirs from which the birds are trapped for stocking throughout the state. The natural weariness that helped the wild turkey survive also makes trapping it a tough assignment for biologists. First step is to lure the birds into a site baited with corn. When the birds begin to visit the area, the corn is treated with a drug that will immobilize them for a short time. Within a few minutes, the drug begins to take effect and the birds seek shelter in the woods. But they are quickly retrieved and given a stimulant. A leg band is attached for future identification. The birds are still groggy, but will fully recover on their way to the release site. A few hours later, the wild turkeys are freed in prime habitat, where once again, their spring call will roll through the woodlands. Wildlife management is not always as exciting as restoring a species to its traditional range. It might be as simple as turning thousands of miles of power line rights of way into wildlife habitat. Years of observation have shown that many species of wildlife thrive in that zone where forest and open land merge. It's known as the edge effect, a joint program between the wildlife commission and utility companies has enhanced this effect by planting wildlife foods along one edge of the power lines. The result is that thousands of acres of otherwise wasted land are converted into excellent habitat that will provide food and shelter for wildlife. The few tons of steel and concrete it takes to block a free flowing river give little evidence of their devastating impact on the total river ecosystem. Natural [music] patterns that had existed for thousands of years are severely disrupted or destroyed with the construction of locks and dams on North Carolina's great rivers. Ron Oak, Capefar, Yadkin. The timeless spawning runs of shad, herring, and stripe bass were wiped out. In the stilled waters of the reservoirs, natural reproduction of these species was impossible. But in the early 1950s, an experimental program of stocking reservoirs with stripe bass was begun. It continues today. In the tricky currents below a dam, commission biologists [music] use an electroshocker to stun the fish until quick network completes the capture. [music] Each fish is measured, a scale sample taken to determine its age, [music] and weighed. The live fish are taken to the Weldon hatchery where the females are held until their eggs have ripened. A single female striper may yield more than 1 million eggs. When the eggs have matured, they are stripped from the female and fertilized with milk from the male striper. The fertilized eggs are placed in hatching jars in highly oxygenated water, a critical requirement that is absent in most reservoirs. Held at a temperature of 65°, the eggs harden in about 60 hours. 5 to 7 days later, the fish have grown to fry stage, large enough [music] for stocking. Today in reservoirs throughout the state, the stripe bass is a worthy challenge to any angller. A challenge that might [music] never have been without the stocking program. A generation of wildlife conservation work is marked by numerous accomplishments. Many wildlife populations thrive in greater numbers than ever before, but a continuing effort by field biologists is still the key to maintaining those populations and determining the status of others. And in recent years, their efforts have been greatly enhanced by the application of new technology. Yet, there are ever new problems that threaten the well-being of our wildlife resources. Such a threat now exists in many of North Carolina's rivers and reservoirs. It's called red sore disease, an infection that strikes many species of fish. Finding the causes of the disease is the goal of a study by fisheries biologists. A study that is a classic example of the problems facing modern wildlife research. The fish clearly are victims of an ailing ecosystem. Wildlife is often its most sensitive barometer. But before the health of an ecosystem can be restored, there must be strong evidence of what is causing the ailment. In the cotton fields [music] of southeastern North Carolina, a study has been conducted to learn more about the effects of pesticides on small game populations. In recent years, hunters have argued that small game, especially quail and rabbits, is just not as plentiful as it used to be. Their concern may be justified. Specimens collected by [music] field researchers have turned up traces of pesticides, particularly organo phosphates in small [music] game populations. Similar studies have shown that these chemicals can have a devastating impact on other wildlife populations. The production of enzymes in the blood and brain decreases, egg production declines, and mortality and deformation in bird embryos increases. Such habitat disruption has been given little attention in the past. The malady is insidious and wildlife when it is ill seeks to hide. The evidence is hard to find. Yet learning more about [music] these disruptions is the real challenge of wildlife research. For knowledge must always precede solutions. Not all wildlife research is aimed so directly at problem [music] solving. Sometimes it seeks to enhance wildlife through the manipulation of existing species. In research [music] ponds scattered throughout the Piedmont, a project is underway that could make pond and lake fishing a lot more exciting. By crossbreeding the best qualities of a couple of sunfish species, [music] the aggressive little green sunfish, and the sturdy but finicky shellcracker, fisheries biologists are working to develop a fisherman's dream. A fish that will strike at anything and grows fast and big enough to make it very interesting when it does. Like the natural world it seeks to conserve, wildlife management is constantly [music] changing, facing new problems, finding new solutions. But things might be a lot different were it not for the sportsmen and conservationists of the nation. Early on, they understood that no one has an inherent right to a free ride on the nation's wildlife resources. They have paid their way. And over the [music] past 50 years, through fishing and hunting license and other fees, American sportsmen conservationists [music] have contributed $3 billion to wildlife conservation programs. And deservedly so. They reap the rewards. [music] In the sights and sounds and smells of being outdoors, there is a direct relationship, a onetoone ratio with a natural world that surrounds them. >> I got one, Grandpa. I got one. Help me before he gets away. >> Hold him around here, honey, and I'll help you. >> Good gracious. That's a nice one. That's a nice one. >> Come on, boys. Let's go. Let's get them. Listen to that. Told you Susie strike the trail first. For some, the tragic lessons of past wildlife abuses are meaningless. >> I've heard shots in this area. >> Have you seen any lights? >> Yes, that's where I find this shell. >> I've had some reports right around there. >> Well, Jim, we just we'll go ahead and set up on this road tonight. You go ahead and take the upper upper end and I'll set up on the lower end of the road. That looks [snorts] good. >> Their greed and indifference to wildlife conservation could again lead to the decimation of our wildlife. And this time it might not recover. >> Where the hell you been? >> Well, I just came by Dobson's big field and I counted 17 over on the back side. >> Boys, if you're waiting for me, you're backing up. Leon, you drive the blocking car. Looks like they're not going to show tonight. According to Dobson, they should have been here a long time ago. >> Yes. It's getting close to daylight. I bet Lynwood's half froze out there. Two three. I think a bull's shining. He's on in 203. Just shot one. Come on. Going the wrong way, you fell. You fell to pic the wrong time. Do it this time. >> There is a fragile barrier between healthy, balanced wildlife populations and their extinction. Often that boundary is sustained by the wildlife enforcement officer. For wildlife knows no clock except a biological one, and it runs without ceasing. From the steamy, mosquito-ridden bottomlands of an eastern river to the frigid, breath grabbing slopes of the western mountains. There is no other way. To be effective, the wildlife officer must be there at all times in all seasons. Yet, dealing with wildlife is not the sum total of the wildlife officer's duties. Teaching hunter safety can be an integral part of his activities. During the past several years, well over 100,000 North Carolinians have completed the commission's hunter safety course. It ranks as one of the best in the nation. Safety on the water is also a primary concern of the wildlife officer. During the boating season, courtesy inspections are offered at the commission's public boating access areas. It's a service that takes only a few minutes, but could go a long way in preventing future trouble for a boater. Through this constant exposure to the natural world, learning its many moods and changes, the wildlife officer develops an awareness and understanding that serves him in many ways. He is often called upon to share that understanding. Cut marks on a tree and a pile of wood chips is an obvious sign to him. A beaver colony has been at work, but to the children it is discovery. They are seeing it for the first time. What had appeared to be an ordinary pile of brush at the edge of the pond actually covers the entrance to a beaver lodge. A freshly peeled stick takes on new meaning. It was the morning meal for a beaver. And for the children, this new awareness opens a whole panorama of understanding. Sometimes the officers get a close-up look at the deadly effect of another enemy of our wildlife resources, water pollution. Maybe too close. For a fish kill is not a pretty sight, and picking up dead fish is a grim task, even frustrating. But it must be done, for when the source of the pollution is determined, there's a good chance the poller will be fined, and also have to pay for collecting and replacing the fish. Although the wildlife officer's job demands great versatility, his ultimate mission is as protector of our wildlife resources, a role that is never forgotten. He is the tenuous link that must give continuity to the years of effort and millions of dollars that have been spent in the struggle to conserve our wildlife. There is something simple and direct about the game violator. His crime is easily understood, and he is few in numbers. Paradoxically, the greatest danger to wildlife is often the one that is most difficult to recognize because we are all part of it. It is the continuous expansion of man's activity and the resulting degradation of natural environments, the destruction of places where wildlife lives, and it comes in a million shapes and forms. Against this tide, wildlife conservation efforts have struggled to merely keep even. Often even that was not possible for historically wildlife has dwelled at the bottom of society's list of concerns. Fortunately, a new period of environmental awareness brought the realization that if wildlife cannot survive in a given place, then there is the likelihood that neither will man be able to dwell there. The welfare of our wildlife resources gain new status and suddenly what was happening to them really did matter. It meant that finally a biologist could object to a project that might harm or destroy the fish in a stream or a lake. At the same time, the dam builders, channelizers of streams, drainers of swamps, and fillers of marshes were forced to assess and adjust their projects to wildlife and its habitat. As wildlife values increasingly became a part of project planning, the questions about the ecology of project areas mounted. More information was needed. Cooperation between conservation agencies and the private sector could not take place without it. The commission seized upon this chance to finally enter the mainstream of environmental planning by creating the inter agency wildlife coordination section. Now all of North Carolina's natural environments were open to investigation. The rich ecology of the eastern swamps for many years victimized [music] by indiscriminate draining and channelization has become the focus of extensive study by section biologists. They investigate the numerous biological relationships of the area. The density and composition of vegetation is measured. Populations and species of birds, fish, and mammals are carefully recorded. They are all part of the ecosystem. From this information, a composite picture of the swamp ecosystem is drawn. A picture assuring that wildlife values in the area will be given a primary consideration in the planning of future projects. Included in the duties of this new section is the review of environmental impact [music] statements and the development of a non-game and endangered species program. Fortunately, the millions of acres of woodlands, marshes, and rivers set aside over the years by the sportsman's dollars were also serving as sanctuaries for thousands of non-game species. Some of these species, it turns out, were endangered. The existence of the brown pelican was severely threatened by doses of pesticides concentrated in the fish it ate. This constant diet of pesticides caused a thinning of the bird's eggshells, a critical disruption that made successful incubation nearly impossible. In Piedmont, North Carolina, the dimminionive bog turtle has been a frequent victim of habitat destruction. The existence of another species, the red cockaded woodpecker, was seriously threatened when increased logging called its nest trees. This tiny bird carves its nest in a pine infected with red heart disease because the wood is easier to penetrate. But as the supply of nest trees diminished, the birds became endangered. To counter this threat, a program to preserve the woodpecker's habitat was begun on the sand hills gameland. Underbrush is cleared from beneath the tree to discourage predators from invading the nests. The woodpecker helps its own cause against predation by pecking the trees to release a sticky barrier of rosin. Final step in the commission's [music] project is to mark and tag the trees to ensure against their being cut down. For many wildlife enthusiasts who neither hunt nor fish, the non-game projects offer a chance to do something for wildlife conservation. Through the Carolina Conservationist program, funds they contribute go directly into projects aimed at the management, protection, and conservation of non-game and endangered [music] species. >> [music] >> What is man without the beasts? If all the beasts were gone, man would die from great loneliness of the spirit. For whatever happens to the beast also happens to the man. All things are connected. Whatever befalls the earth befalls the sons of the earth. The words are old, much older than the 125 years past when Chief Seattle of the Dwamish tribe uttered them. Yet man hears them today as strange and unique. Despite his almost unlimited capacity to acquire knowledge, the idea that his life springs from the earth is alien to him, even frightening. He cannot see that while his actions make him the immediate victor, he is the ultimate victim. In such clouded vision, the mentality of the plume hunter, the slaughterer of the buffalo, still thrives. But now it clears the forests, dams and degrades the streams and rivers, fills the marshes, and everywhere spreads a mantle of pollution. For nearly a century, the hunters and fishermen, conservation groups, and wildlife agencies have stood against these inexraable forces. Billions of dollars [music] and millions of man-hour have been expended in the effort to restore and maintain our wildlife resources. Within this framework, [music] it is a story of achievement and success. Outside of that framework, we fail a pace and even greater challenges lie ahead. There is little doubt the sportsman and [music] conservationists will continue to do their share, will in fact lead in the struggle. But they cannot do it alone. There must be a meeting of minds of all who are concerned with wildlife, whether they harvest it or merely want to look at it or simply want the assurance of knowing that it is still out there. That is the first challenge facing [music] wildlife in North Carolina and in the nation. And that is only the beginning. Where you going now, [ __ ] Scott. >> Yeah. Why did they cut down all the trees? >> I don't know. Big lake or road or something. >> Well, if they cut down all the trees, where can the birds build their nest? >> They'll just move to a new place. >> Where are they going to move to? There's nothing left but dirt. All the trees are cut down. >> Oh, I don't know, [ __ ] Quit asking me so many questions. Are we coming over here tomorrow, Scott? >> No. Nothing here but tadpoles. So, the uh Wildlife Federation gave me a bunch of films at one point. They're like, "Hey, we found these films in a closet. Do you want them?" And so, I went and picked them up. Uh that's one of the advantages of living in Raleigh, which is the state capital, is that there are often government agencies or um lobbying groups that are based here that have media that they don't want anymore. So I digitized things for them and then passed it on uh and then brought brought gave them files and then I took the films. So there you go. Uh thanks for joining us today. Boy, lots of stuff lots of out outdoor stuff in the 70s today. Um but uh join us tomorrow, Tuesday. Jeremy, thank you for donating via the superthanks button. That's one way you can support us. You can also hit like and subscribe. Go to patreon.com/abgeeks or Venmo skip-alheimer or go to ko-fi.com/abgeeks. All right, everybody. I have my jacket on because I'm going to go move some films because that's what we do. All right, everybody. Take care. The sea sin.