Join host Jeff Corwin on an adventure to the great state of Alaska as he explores a few of the incredible animals that call it home. Jeff begins on the shores of the icy Cook Inlet helping

Join host Jeff Corwin on an adventure to the great state of Alaska as he explores a few of the incredible animals that call it home. Jeff begins on the shores of the icy Cook Inlet helping conservationists monitor a population of endangered beluga whales. To learn more about the wildlife featured in the episode, visit www.defenders.org/wildlifenation Video Transcript: Jeff Corwin: For today's adventure, I'm traveling to America's last great frontier, the mighty state of Alaska. Alaska is a place of extremes. It is home to some of the most stunning landscapes on earth and a collection of North America's most iconic species. This morning we're exploring the massive Cook Inlet watershed located south of Anchorage. I'm joining Nicole Whittington-Evans from Defenders of Wildlife and Suzanne Steinert to help the ongoing conservation of the great white canaries of the sea. Jeff Corwin: Incredible. So we've got one beluga there and another one right here.  Nicole, when they come up, it's a flash, isn't it? Nicole Whittington-Evans: Yeah. It's just like a marshmallow surfacing on the water and then going back down. Jeff Corwin: What is bringing them here? Nicole Whittington-Evans: They're coming in to the inlet because they are following salmon. They're feeding on salmon and other fish. Jeff Corwin: The beluga whale is uniquely adapted to life in the Arctic. The absence of a dorsal fin allows them to swim under ice with ease. Their highly developed sense of hearing allows them to use echolocation to communicate with each other and navigate through the icy water that often has low visibility. Jeff Corwin: Suzanne, typically, how many belugas would we see here? Suzanne Steinert: This time of year, Jeff, we could see dozens on one tide cycle. Jeff Corwin: Nicole and Suzanne carefully count and photograph every beluga they find to monitor the health of this critically endangered population.   Jeff Corwin: In the late '80s and early '90s, Cook's Inlet was home to well over a thousand beluga whales, but today the population has plummeted by nearly 80%. What has happened to beluga whales? Nicole Whittington-Evans: In Cook Inlet, we're directly adjacent to the largest population center in Alaska. And through that, there's been a lot of habitat degradation for Cook Inlet belugas. Suzanne Steinert: There are a number of threats that are likely contributing cumulatively to preventing this population from recovering. Jeff Corwin: What is one step do you think that we could do today that would ensure their survival into tomorrow? Nicole Whittington-Evans: We really need to be thinking about how we can reduce our impacts to the climate. Suzanne Steinert: And if they're going to have any chance of survival, we've got to figure out how to better balance human and beluga needs. Jeff Corwin:  Our goal is to ensure that every generation has a chance to perch upon this rock and witness these amazing whales. Thank you guys so much. This was awesome. Nicole Whittington-Evans: Yeah, this was fantastic. There's one right there. Jeff Corwin: There is one right there.

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