Episode Guide - Wild Canada (Series) (1979-1981)
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Apr 25, 1979 - "Exploring Ontario" is the third show in a series that follows naturalists John and Janet Foster on trips to Canada's wilderness areas. Observed: a bird sanctuary at Pt. Pelee National Park where species rare to Canada gather; canoeing along Lake Superior's north shore; a Wildlife Service outpost in the James Bay lowlands where 13,000 migratory birds are captured and banded each year; and teaching kayaking on the Madawaska River. (60 min.)
Sep 10, 1979 - Naturalists John and Janet Foster visit the Queen Charlotte Islands off the British Columbia coast. While exploring the coves, cliffs and fiords of this remote archipelago, they film gray whales, northern sea lions, trumpeter swans and spawning salmon. Also: footage of peregrine falcons and bald eagles. (60 min.)
Apr 27, 1980 - "Sable and the South Shore." Filmmakers John and Janet Foster explore two very different parts of Nova Scotia: one remote and virtually untouched, the other, "long-settled, long-tamed—as much as man can ever tame land or sea." Sable Island, a windswept crescent of sand 180 miles off Halifax, is home to hundreds of seals and a haven to migrating birds. The Fosters, however, were lured by the island's "ponies," small, spirited horses that eke out their short lives feeding on often sparse vegetation. Ironically, Sable may itself prove short-lived, its sands blown away by winds and washed out by heavy North Atlantic breakers. The Fosters take to the Atlantic in the second part, sailing up Nova Scotia's south shore in a 36-ioot sloop. Their cameras show the rolling green landscape along the coast and, in a breathtaking sequence, life in the waters below. Yet the Fosters are also interested in human nature. With their footage of historic towns and cities, fishermen and farmers at work and at play, they create a portrait of harmony and contentment in sharp contrast to the desolate splendor of Sable. (60 min.)
Oct 15, 1980 - "Land of the Caribou." Filmmakers John and Janet Foster follow the annual migration of the Porcupine River caribou in Canada's far Northwest. They're not the first to trail the great herds. According to archaeologists, wandering hunters crossed an ice bridge from Asia to track the caribou 25,000 years ago. The Fosters have it a bit easier—with a helicopter, freeze-dried food and portable stoves—though a close call with three grizzly bears proves it's still a tough place to carve out a life. It's also a land of unusual beauty, with rugged peaks, rushing rivers and, in the short summer, spectacular wildflowers. But the highlight is the Foster's carefully arranged rendezvous with the herd, rumbling 100,000 strong down the Firth River valley. In some years, 40 per cent of the animals die attempting to cross the river But an even more imposing barrier may lie ahead: a natural gas pipeline that threatens to block the caribou's migratory path. (60 min.)
Apr 25, 1979 - "Exploring Ontario" is the third show in a series that follows naturalists John and Janet Foster on trips to Canada's wilderness areas. Observed: a bird sanctuary at Pt. Pelee National Park where species rare to Canada gather; canoeing along Lake Superior's north shore; a Wildlife Service outpost in the James Bay lowlands where 13,000 migratory birds are captured and banded each year; and teaching kayaking on the Madawaska River. (60 min.)
Sep 10, 1979 - Naturalists John and Janet Foster visit the Queen Charlotte Islands off the British Columbia coast. While exploring the coves, cliffs and fiords of this remote archipelago, they film gray whales, northern sea lions, trumpeter swans and spawning salmon. Also: footage of peregrine falcons and bald eagles. (60 min.)
Apr 27, 1980 - "Sable and the South Shore." Filmmakers John and Janet Foster explore two very different parts of Nova Scotia: one remote and virtually untouched, the other, "long-settled, long-tamed—as much as man can ever tame land or sea." Sable Island, a windswept crescent of sand 180 miles off Halifax, is home to hundreds of seals and a haven to migrating birds. The Fosters, however, were lured by the island's "ponies," small, spirited horses that eke out their short lives feeding on often sparse vegetation. Ironically, Sable may itself prove short-lived, its sands blown away by winds and washed out by heavy North Atlantic breakers. The Fosters take to the Atlantic in the second part, sailing up Nova Scotia's south shore in a 36-ioot sloop. Their cameras show the rolling green landscape along the coast and, in a breathtaking sequence, life in the waters below. Yet the Fosters are also interested in human nature. With their footage of historic towns and cities, fishermen and farmers at work and at play, they create a portrait of harmony and contentment in sharp contrast to the desolate splendor of Sable. (60 min.)
Oct 15, 1980 - "Land of the Caribou." Filmmakers John and Janet Foster follow the annual migration of the Porcupine River caribou in Canada's far Northwest. They're not the first to trail the great herds. According to archaeologists, wandering hunters crossed an ice bridge from Asia to track the caribou 25,000 years ago. The Fosters have it a bit easier—with a helicopter, freeze-dried food and portable stoves—though a close call with three grizzly bears proves it's still a tough place to carve out a life. It's also a land of unusual beauty, with rugged peaks, rushing rivers and, in the short summer, spectacular wildflowers. But the highlight is the Foster's carefully arranged rendezvous with the herd, rumbling 100,000 strong down the Firth River valley. In some years, 40 per cent of the animals die attempting to cross the river But an even more imposing barrier may lie ahead: a natural gas pipeline that threatens to block the caribou's migratory path. (60 min.)