This Month

Arranged by date of first airing Terra    Disturbance   (No. 409 ) As a hybrid of natural history documentary, art film, and political commentary, this film explores the complexity of fire management and fire ecology of the Northern Rockies. Shot completely in Montana, this experimental documentary showcases extraordinary footage of black-backed woodpeckers, boreal toads, and other fire-dependent species, as well as behind-the-scenes footage of fire command camps. Airs Monday 3/1 at 11:30am     Power Brokers         It's arguably one of Montana's most tragic stories. It led to the demise of Montana Power, the state's only Fortune 500 Company, and it pushed power prices into the stratosphere. While most know how the experiment in Electricity Deregulation ended, few know how it all began. In this hour-long documentary, Montana PBS investigates the sources of the deregulation movement and the subsequent power crisis. The documentary uncovers surprising relationships and business connections that would eventually cast a shadow over former Governor Marc Racicot and draw Montana Power into a federal investigation. Airs Tuesday 3/2 at 8pm, repeats Thursday 3/4 at 4am, Thursday 3/4 at 1am, Thursday 3/25 at 7pm, Saturday 3/27 at 4:30pm, Sunday 3/28 at 10am, Wednesday 3/31 at 12pm     Great Falls Story    A Tribute to 125 Years     The Great Falls Story is the history of everyday life in what was Montana's largest city. Great Falls started as an ambitious dream to make North Central Montana an industrial empire. The dream included parks, buildings, stores and a opera house to rival anywhere. The story is told through hundreds of photos, rare film from nearly a century ago, and first hand stories. It includes accounts from the world's oldest man, Great Falls resident Walter Breuning and "Captain Dynamite," a crowd favorite for blowing himself up at Great Falls ball games. New York and Los Angeles Emmy Award winning network news correspondent Craig Wirth returns home to Great Falls to join longtime Montana broadcaster Norma Ashby to produce this Montana tribute. Airs Thursday 3/4 at 7pm, repeats Wednesday 3/10 at 7pm     Terra    Sealed Off!   (No. 402 ) The beach known as The Children's Pool in La Jolla, California, has been a point of pride in the town for 75 years. Today almost no one goes there to swim--not since a pod of 200 harbor seals took up residence on the sand. Should La Jolla return the beach to use by people or make it a seal preserve? Sealed Off! takes a quirky look at this unusual controversy through the eyes of some of the people most intimately connected to it. Airs Friday 3/5 at 11:30pm     Butte, America         Grounded in the dramatic personal stories of five generation mining families, and narrated by Irish actor Gabriel Byrne, this program tells the tale of Butte, Montana, once the world's largest producer of copper -- the "Richest Hill on Earth," the town that "plumbed and electrified America," the Pittsburgh of the West. Butte forged a community whose toughness, vitality and solidarity speak to what's missing in America today, while raising profound questions about the costs and consequences of industrialization and use of natural resources. "Butte, America" is an unsentimental and moving tribute to working class life and to the never-ending labor of achieving fairness in a world where powerful, destructive forces are always at play. Airs Sunday 3/7 at 7pm, repeats Sunday 3/14 at 12pm, Wednesday 3/17 at 11:30am     Celebrate America Across Montana    Tim Janis with State High School Choirs   (No. 101 ) High school choirs from throughout Montana will perform with Tim Janis and his ensemble in a new special called Celebrate America, created by Janis to spotlight our nation's youth and to pull communities together in a celebration of music that uplifts and inspires. CELEBRATE AMERICA ACROSS MONTANA was taped during November, 2009, at the MontanaPBS studio in Bozeman. School busses rolled across the state, from communities including Anaconda, Belgrade, Big Timber, Billings, Bozeman, Dillon, Great Falls, Hamilton, Helena, Laurel, Livingston, and Miles City, bringing together 500 students from Montana high school music programs. Arriving well prepared and very professional, each choir was brought into the studio to record their performance for the broadcast. Tim Janis, familiar to public broadcasting audiences from programs such as An Enchanted Evening, Beautiful America, and Coastal America, is well known for his "Music with a Mission" philosophy, and has worked on many other philanthropic projects. "I believe the fabric of our nation is the strength found in our local communities. We need to stay connected and committed with a spirit of serving one another to the best of our abilities." Janis said. Not only does Celebrate America give our youth a life-changing opportunity, but it also helps to teach children the importance of contributing to community through the arts. Airs Thursday 3/11 at 7pm, repeats Saturday 3/13 at 3:30pm     Class C         The mall is 234 miles away. You have thrown 10,000 three-point shots on the dirt court behind the barn. You drive a backhoe after practice to support the family business. And you are a sixteen-year-old girl. Welcome to Class C. As their tiny hometowns fight to stay on the map, girls from across rural Montana compete for the state basketball title and a chance to bring home something worth celebrating. Montana native and basketball legend Phil Jackson brings insight and humor to the disappearing landscapes of his youth in a story that will change the way you see rural America. Airs Sunday 3/14 at 9:30am     Aber Day Kegger Documentary         The ABER DAY KEGGER DOCUMENTARY traces the evolution of the Aber Day Benefit Kegger from its humble beginnings in 1972, through its meteoric growth over the next eight years, and its eventual conclusion in 1979. In the process, the event managed to leave its mark on the tens of thousands who attended, the beneficiaries who received its contributions, the community who hosted the event, and on the Guinness Book of Records which recognized the event at the world's largest benefit kegger. Airs Monday 3/15 at 7pm, repeats Sunday 3/21 at 2pm     Terra    The Mongolian Marmot   (No. 410 ) This is the story of the Mongolian marmot and its unique place in both past and present Mongolian culture. Today, the marmots in Mongolia are threatened by over-hunting and habitat destruction, and the loss of this species would cause devastation across the entire ecosystems they support. "The Mongolian Marmot" features Mongolians from all walks of life - from nomadic herders to young biologists -to tell the unique cultural importance and natural history of the Mongolian marmot. Airs Monday 3/22 at 11:30am     Terra    Ceiba   (No. 403 ) Shot on location in Belize, Ceiba tells the story of the Maya creation myth and the importance of nature in Maya culture - at the heart of which is the Ceiba tree - the bridge between the heavens, the earth, and the underworld. Airs Friday 3/26 at 11:30pm     Backroads of Montana    Rockets, Peaks and Poets   (No. 129 ) We will visit the Big Sky Rocketry Association and watch their launch event near Twin Bridges and then explore a geologic curiosity near Sunburst called "Jerusalem Peaks." We will also profile Dixon poet Victor Charlo. William Marcus hosts the program from the Range Rider's Museum in Miles City. Airs Saturday 3/27 at 5:30pm     Montana Ag Live    Water Rights and Wrongs   (No. 3207 ) In this special end-of-season episode, panelists Richard Opper, Director Department of Environmental Quality; Mary Sexton, Director of the DNRC; and Bruce Loble, chief water judge, Montana Water Court, will talk about water rights and water issues. Airs Sunday 3/28 at 11am     Montana Ag Live    Using Basic Research In Production Ag   (No. 3301 ) Tracy Sterling, Montana State University Department Head of Land Resources and Environmental Science and MSU Weed Scientist, discusses using basic research methods to solve common production issues. Airs Sunday 3/28 at 7pm     Terra    Source to the Sea: The Columbia River Swim, Part 1   (No. 411 ) This award-winning film tells the story of Christopher Swain's epic 1, 300 mile swim down the entire length of the Columbia River. Follow Swain downriver as he calls attention to a multitude of environmental and human rights concerns that plague this great river of the West. The plight of wild salmon, the never-ending pollution from the Hanford Nuclear reservation, the dozens of dams choking the river, and the countless Native Americans affected by the industrial domination of a once-wild river are all a part of this story of the Columbia River. Airs Monday 3/29 at 11:30am     View Printable Monthly Highlights February|March|April|May