America's Arctic: Colville River Raptors

The Colville River Special Area is one of five unique regions designated by the Bureau of Land Management within the National Petroleum Reserve–Alaska (NPR-A). But in 2025, Special Areas are under imminent threat from federal actions aiming to revoke such protections “to allow the maximum possible extraction of gas and oil to meet the Nation’s total energy need,” according to the Federal Register. Internationally recognized for its extraordinary raptor populations, the Colville River Special Area hosts one of the highest densities of nesting birds of prey in the circumpolar Arctic — including the iconic Arctic Peregrine Falcon, Gyrfalcon, and Rough-legged Hawk. In the summer of 2024, a team from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology set out on an expedition to explore and document this remote and rugged landscape and the birds of prey that depend on it to raise the next generation. This film captures their journey — revealing the wild beauty, ecological importance, and fragile splendor of one of Alaska’s most critical natural habitats. Cinematography by Michael Mauro and Gerrit Vyn