Join Ken Burns to celebrate our national parks

Celebrate one of filmmaker Ken Burns’ most beautiful and beloved series, “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea” in a PBS special “Ken Burns: The National Parks” on Tuesday, Dec. 1 at 8:30 p.m.

The “National Parks” series was filmed over the course of more than six years at some of nature’s most spectacular locales — from Acadia to Yosemite, Yellowstone to the Grand Canyon, the Everglades of Florida to the Gates of the Arctic in Alaska. It’s filled with incidents and characters as gripping and fascinating as American history has to offer.

In “Ken Burns: The National Parks,” filmmakers Burns and Dayton Duncan vividly reveal behind-the-scenes stories about the making of the series, while engaging interviews with Park Ranger Shelton Johnson and cinematographer Buddy Squires provide additional background.

This is also a story of the unforgettable Americans who made the national parks possible. People from every conceivable background — rich and poor; famous and unknown; soldiers and scientists; natives and newcomers; idealists, artists and entrepreneurs — devoted themselves to saving some precious portion of the land they loved, and in so doing reminded their fellow citizens of the full meaning of democracy.

SUPPORT: Donate to Arizona PBS and get the Ken Burns DVD combo set of “The National Parks,” “Lewis & Clark” and “The Roosevelts.”

PBS special programming invites viewers to experience the worlds of science, history, nature and public affairs; hear diverse viewpoints; and take front-row seats to world-class drama and performances. Viewer contributions are an important source of funding, making PBS programs possible. PBS and public television stations offer all Americans from every walk of life the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and online content.