wednesdays at 7.30 pm; repeats thursdays at 1 pm and saturdays at 5 pm

Expanded global access and updated format provide wealth of new material for Season 3!
Wild Chronicles video podcasts

Season three of the award-winning public television series airs on local public television stations. Wild Chronicles tells the story of our planet from the vantage of those who have traversed its passageways, probed its scientific mysteries and advocated for its protection. Winner of two CINE Special Jury Awards and three CINE Golden Eagle Awards, Wild Chronicles was named a 2007 Parents' Choice Award Winner.

An updated format that presents additional segments per episode allows season three of Wild Chronicles to offer more news from nature, tales from the wild and stories of adventure and exploration in each show.

Presented by WLIW New York, Wild Chronicles is made possible by National Geographic Mission Programs, the science and education arm of the National Geographic Society. The weekly, half-hour, magazine-style show is hosted by Boyd Matson, former long-time host of the critically acclaimed National Geographic Explorer series and currently also host of the "National Geographic Weekend" radio program. Matson's compelling storytelling connects viewers to the pulse of the planet, offering rare access to and in-depth reporting on the state of the natural world while focusing on researchers and explorers in the field working to study, protect and preserve.

"Season three of Wild Chronicles continues to build on the strong success of reporting directly from the field, as the story happens," said Matson. "Visiting the field sites of the scientists and adventurers that we work with every day and becoming part of the story helps this series transport viewers into an otherwise unseen world of exploration."

The series opens its third season with a report from Mexico's 300,000-acre El Triunfo Biosphere Reserve, where a team of National Geographic photographers conducted a rapid assessment visual expedition, or RAVE, to raise awareness about the endangered ecological habitat; a special report from UNICEF on the fowl problem of avian flu; a first look at National Geographic grantee James Balog's ambitious new two-year photographic examination of global warming and Greenland's receding glaciers; and more.

Future episodes report on the fate of dying languages across the globe, a look at a harpy eagle captive breeding program and original material from Matson's recent summer travels across Africa. National Geographic's Crittercam® team also will contribute frequently, telling nature's stories from animals' perspective.

The unique access of Wild Chronicles to National Geographic Mission Programs, which supports pioneering research and expeditions through programs such as the Conservation Trust, Expeditions Council and the National Geographic Explorers-in-Residence program, continues to be a major source of stories for the series. National Geographic Mission Programs enables a one-of-a-kind, direct connection to scientists, researchers and explorers in the wild, opening a window to an otherwise inaccessible world that viewers want to see.

Combining decades of field experience to generate a sophisticated world view that goes beyond the typical nature program, the Wild Chronicles team plans 42 episodes for season three. The series continues under the leadership and vision of executive producer Martha Conboy, while former executive producer Mark Bauman will continue to supervise as executive vice president of Media Programs. Rounding out the editorial team are Kevin Enochs, senior producer; Gayle Young, senior writer; Jamie Pickell, senior editor; Jason Orfanon, coordinating producer; April Chabries, associate producer; and Laura Boyd, associate producer.

Wild Chronicles received two 2007 CINE Special Jury Awards in the Professional Telecast: Non-Fiction division for Children's Programs and On-Air Opens & Promotions. Three 2006 CINE Golden Eagle Awards were earned in the Professional Non-Fiction Division: Children's Programs - Wild Chronicles/Children's Segments; Environment and Natural Science - Wild Chronicles/Crittercam; and Environment and Natural Science - Wild Chronicles/Narwhal Teeth. In addition to being named a 2007 Parents' Choice Award Winner, Wild Chronicles was named Best Television Series Under $250,000 Budget at the 2007 International Wildlife Film Festival (IWFF).