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Last broadcast on Sat, 15 Aug 2009, 15:55 on BBC HD (see all broadcasts).
Synopsis
Series following the fortunes of America's wildlife icons in Yellowstone, the most extensive thermal area on Earth.
In winter, Yellowstone is frozen solid - locked in snow as deep as a house for over six months. As we follow the grip of winter over the course of six freezing months, we chart the fortunes of Yellowstone's wildlife in a finely balanced fight to survive. Bison use their massively powerful heads to dig with through some of the deepest snow in America to reach the grass beneath. A red fox listens out for mice scurrying six feet beneath the snow before diving head first into the drift to snap up its prey, while otters slide through Yellowstone's winter wonderland to find any remaining open water where they can fish. All the while, as the herds of elk and bison are gradually weakened by the cold, one animal gets stronger - the wolf. But with one of the world's largest volcanoes beneath the surface, everything from the freezing cold to the creation of a snow storm is determined by the power at Yellowstone's heart.
Yellowstone is one of the snowiest places in America and, as the winter progresses, it rapidly transforms into a wonderland. But for the few buildings of the National Park, all this snow brings a problem: if left unchecked, it can bury and crush them. Jeff's job is to save the buildings by clearing the snow faster than it can fall, and he has perfected his own unique method that allows him to shift the maximum amount of snow in the least time with the minimum amount of effort. Just like the animals, he has worked out that it pays to conserve energy when temperatures can drop to minus 40 degrees centigrade - but with milder winters predicted in the future, Jeff worries that he may soon be out of a job.
Credits
- Presenter
- Peter Firth
- Participant
- Jeff Henry
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