Golden eagles are not commonly found in New York. They are the larger cousins of the white-headed bald eagles that frequent the Hudson River and are America's symbol. But one day last February a golden eagle showed up in a Dutchess County, N.Y., neighborhood on a wintery Sunday and surprised everyone, including himself.

The eagle ended up crashing down on a home's rooftop, possibly after fighting with another eagle - no one really knows what happened. One of the neighbors who lived there, Cathy DeGloria, described the eagle like this, "(he) just sat there and looked at us." The eagle was woozy enough to allow neighbors to corral it until Paul Kupchok, , a raptor rehabilitator and the wildlife director at Green Chimneys School in Patterson, N.Y., could pick it up. This was something a healthy bird would never allow.

Paul Kupchok described that day also, "On my way up there, I wasn't quite sure what I was going to find. I once went for an injured bald eagle and found a chicken. So to my surprise it really was an eagle and to more of my surprise it was a golden eagle, which are really rare around here."

Once he was taken to the Green Chimneys School it was discovered by ex-rays that he had a fractured skull. It took him 3 months to recover from his injury and while he was in recovery he dined on quail, up to four a day. Occasionally as a special treat a big rat was added to the menu. In the wild, his diet would consist of baby geese, baby turkeys and rabbits.

Finally on this past Wednesday, he was completely recovered and ready to be released back into the wild. A small group gathered in the grassy field in Pawling, N.Y., to watch the bird's return to the wild. Glenn Hewitt, a wildlife technician at the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, had prior to this day placed a metal band on each of the bird's legs. The numbers and codes will allow researchers to know his history if he is ever found again.

It was a very emotional and gratifying moment when the eagle burst from a large pet carrier and took to the air over a horse pasture. "He will most likely spend the summer in Canada", said Glenn Hewitt. "Hopefully we'll never see those (leg) bands again," added Kupchok, moments after the large eagle disappeared in the sky.

Disney are set to donate the proceeds of ticket sales from the premiere of Armie Hammer and Johnny Depp movie Lone Ranger to charity.

The studio was criticised for casting Depp as Native American character Tonto by a number of film critics, as well as American Indian institutions such as Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian and Colville Tribes of the Pacific Northwest. And although Depp has promised that "This Tonto isn't the obedient sidekick he has been portrayed as before" there are still concerns circulating over whether he was an appropriate actor for the role.

In an attempt to quell concerns – and as a thank you to the Comanche tribe who assisted production and allowed the crew to film on their land – Disney have promised to donate the profits from all premiere ticket sales to the American Indian College Fund. These are some fairy pricey tickets, too – a seat at the premiere, which will be held at Disney's California Adventure Park, will set back cinema-goers a hefty $1,000.

The casting row isn't the only setback the film has suffered. Production was peppered with financial problems and the project, which is rumoured to have cost £150m, was shut down between shoots in an attempt to cut costs.

Western adventure Lone Ranger tells the story of John Reid and Tonto as they band together to seek justice. The film, which reunites Pirates of the Caribbean duo Gore Verkinski and Jerry Bruckheimer, also stars Helena Bonham Carter, William Fitchner and Ruth Wilson.
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These baby elephants get their swimming trunks out as they enjoy a splash around in a mud bath - with a little help from their elders.

The herd of African elephants doused themselves in the muddy water for a quarter of an hour in an effort to cool themselves down.

In particular, two young elephants - thought to be just four months old - completely submerged themselves in the waterhole.

And at one point, an older elephant in the 50-strong herd gave one of the youngsters a helping hand and showered it in mud using its own trunk.

In temperatures just over 30 degrees Celsius the elephants find the mud cools them down and protects their skin from the sun's rays.

What's more, once the mud dries on their body it also acts as a layer of protection from insect bites.


Wildlife photographer Mike Dexter, who works for a safari company, spotted the elephant herd in the Mashatu Game Reserve in Botswana.

He was leading a couple of South African visitors through the reserve and managed to get within five metres of the great animals.


Mike, 27, who lives on the Mashatu Reserve, said: 'I had been waiting patiently for the elephants for over two hours before I saw them arrive.

'The herd were making lots of high pitched trumpeting noises while they splashed around in the mud bath.

'After one particularly enthusiastic trunk flick, a shower of mud sprayed over the two South Africans I was with and drenched their gear.


'Thankfully I was standing a little to the side of them and was spared the shower.

'I was silently laughing my head off as you have to try and keep quiet when in such proximity to these huge animals.


'Fortunately the two people with me thought it was great and were laughing as well - it's not every day you get sprayed with mud by a wild elephant.'

The wildlife snapper added: 'I was really pleased with the way the pictures came out and I was excited to show everyone what an amazing experience I'd had.


'My favourite is the one with the female and youngster both with their trunks in the air and mud going everywhere.

'I've never seen an elephant image quite like that and I like the way it looks like they're doing a kind of synchronised dance.'
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 Redhawk Native American Arts Council hosts its Gateway to Nations, NYC Native American Heritage Celebration held at Brooklyn’s Floyd Bennett Field. The celebration is the largest Native American gathering in New York City, gathering more than 1,000 Native American artists, performers and educators from all over the country.

The festival is alive with song, dance, drumming, food and art and crafts. Those crafts are displayed at more than 40 different artist's booths where their works of art will be on sale, as well as demonstrations on traditional artistic techniques, with special emphasis on Native American culture from the Nations in New York State.

From May 31 to June 2, the Redhawk Native American Arts Council once again brings three days of American Indian culture to the Big Apple.

Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn is again home for what is becoming one of New York’s finest summer festivals, Gateway to Nations. Once a crucial New York City airport, Floyd Bennett Field is a part of the National Park Service's Gateway National Recreation Area. It will be a weekend filled with pow wow dancing, drums, Native songs, educational programs, crafts, jewelry, and, of course, plenty of great food.
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All Specials are hosted by individuals and are subject to change. For more information. www.redhawkcouncil.org or email: native@redhawkcouncil.org (718) 686-9297

For complete details on the pow wow, click here.

“The cub arrived on its estimated due date based on the data the keepers collected, and she’s now being hand-raised by our animal care staff," the zoo's mammal curator, Connie Philipp, said in a statement. "She will eventually join an educational outreach program at another zoo.

Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) are classified as "least concern" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Although the illegal skin trade remains the leading threat to the species, their population trend is considered stable.

The lynx population is estimated to be around 8,000 in Europe, but significantly higher in Russia and Central Asia.

The Nashville Zoo also welcomed the birth of three clouded leopards in May. Source

During the summer, the Eurasian lynx has a relatively short, reddish or brown coat, which tends to be more brightly coloured in animals living at the southern end of its range. In winter, however, this is replaced by a much thicker coat of silky fur that varies from silver-grey to greyish-brown. The underparts of the animal, including the neck and chin, are white at all times of the year. The fur is almost always marked with black spots, although the number and pattern of these is highly variable. Some animals also possess dark brown stripes on the forehead and back. Although spots tend to be more numerous in animals from southern populations, Eurasian lynx with heavily spotted fur may exist close to others with plain fur. (Source)

In the past Dwarf Island foxes (who are smaller than the average house cat) flourished on the California Channel Islands up until the mid 1990's. Before this time they had numbered in the thousands but quickly dropped to just over a dozen in some places. It was at this point that they were classified as a 'critically endangered' species soon to be extinct.

But no one counted on the resilience of these tiny creatures and the intervention of the National Park Service officials and those of the Nature Conservancy. Now, after just a few short years of incredibly well-executed conservation tactics, biologists say that the little fox has made one of the fastest recoveries of any animal in the history of the Endangered Species Act.

But the re-population of the Dwarf Island fox began with a tragic lesson in the interconnectivity of nature. Man was of course the first link in chain of destruction of the island's ecosystem. Bald eagles were once common along the Channel Islands, feeding mostly on fish while the foxes feasted on insects, birds, and other land mammals. But it was the exposure to the now-banned insecticide DDT, which had washed into the ocean and contaminated their diet, that caused the bald eagles to die off.

In their place came the golden eagle from the mainland which feasted on an increasing number of feral pigs. Although the golden eagles were well fed, they soon also developed a taste for the little foxes. This was as biologists described it as "a perfect storm of events" which might have ended the island foxes for good.

The population declines were astounding as the foxes on Santa Rosa Island, for example, which numbered 1,500 in 1994, were reduced to just 15 individuals by the year 2000. By the year 2004, the foxes were added to the Federal Endangered Species List.


It was at this point when the National Park Service and the Nature Conservancy stepped in, with a multi-faceted plan to hold off the fox's seemingly inevitable extinction. Hunters were hired to thin the number of grazing sheep and feral pigs. At the same time wildlife officers set about capturing the golden eagles and relocating them to the mainland.


By 2006, officials had captured the final two golden eagles. "The last golden eagle pair was really tricky to get because they had seen all their buddies get captured," says Christie Boser of the Nature Conservancy. During this time, several captive-breeding programs were also established to boost the island fox populations. After the capture of the last of the golden eagles, bald eagles were reintroduced to the islands in their place.


By eliminating those threats, biologists had expected the island foxes to regain their footing, but they had no idea just how quickly they would recover. After hitting a low of just 15, there are now 600 foxes on Santa Rosa Island, 500 foxes now on San Miguel Island, and a whopping 1,300 on Santa Cruz Island.

According to National Park Service biologist, Timothy Coonan, "It's a strange thing. The official recovery plan has not even been finalized [by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service], and yet these populations are doing so well that they can come off the Endangered Species List."


He added that after reaching declines of 95 percent just a decade or so ago, the fox population today has nearly recovered - "population trend and annual survival are currently monitored to ensure that recovery proceeds apace and future threats to the park's island fox subspecies are identified."

This success story serves as a living testimony as to what is possible when we work in harmony with nature. Although nature can be fragile it is also so incredibly resilient but man must never forget this lesson.

High on the dew-dampened peak of Mount Kaputar, in New South Wales, Australia, there exists a world distinct unto itself, an alpine forest populated by organisms found nowhere else on the planet. There, in that isolated mountaintop ecosystem, only a lucky few have chanced upon its most colorful inhabitant -- this giant, fluorescent pink slug.

Michael Murphy, a ranger with the National Parks and Wildlife Service, was one of the first to get an up close look at this remarkable creature, which was only identified just recently.

"Giant pink slugs are about 20 cm long (7.8 inches), only found on top of Mount Kaputar," says Murphy in an interview with Australian Broadcasting Corporation. "On a good morning, you can walk around and see hundreds of them, but only in that one area."

"As bright pink as you can imagine, that's how pink they are," he added, noting that each night they crawl up trees in large numbers to feed on mold and moss.

But giant pink slugs aren't the only squishy inhabitants unique to that particular mountaintop. According to Murphy, the forest there is also home to several cannibal snails, battling it out in slow-motion to see who can eat the other first.


"We've actually got three species of cannibal snail on Mount Kaputar, and they're voracious little fellas," says Murphy. "They hunt around on the forest floor to pick up the slime trail of another snail, then hunt it down and gobble it up."


Scientists believe that the distinct biodiversity of this particular region are living relics from a bygone era, when Australia was lush with rainforests, connected to a greater landmass called Gondwana. As volcanic activity and other geological changes over millions of years transformed the landscape into one more arid, Mount Kaputar and its inhabitants were spared.


As a result, such unique invertebrates that might have dried out to extinction remain alive today, tucked away in a world all their own -- and that's just how Murphy prefers it:

"It's just one of those magical places, especially when you are up there on a cool, misty morning.''
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NORMALLY, a fluffy yellow duckling might prove merely a tempting delicacy to a hungry cat.

Yet, for this feline it appears her mothering instinct has overcome all temptations.

Ronan and Emma Lally, from Clara Co Offaly, could scarcely believe their eyes when their white cat adopted three orphaned ducklings, along with her own brood of three kittens.

Initially, primary school teacher Ronan admitted he thought their cat was setting about devouring the ducklings when she plucked one of them up in her mouth.

Yet to the couple’s amazement it appears she only wanted to look after the trio of small fluffy yellow ducklings - even to the point of suckling them.

“The minute the cat lay down the three ducklings ran underneath her. She stared to purr,” he said.


“We lifted her up and two ducklings were latched onto the cat. The cat has all the maternal instinct, she has her paw around them and it is just extraordinary.”

Offaly-based Maura Cunningham, videographer, captured footage of the ducklings at home being mothered by the cat.


Ronan welcomed visitor Niall Hatch, from Birdwatch Ireland, down to their small holding. The school teacher explained the bird expert had found it extraordinary.

Ronan explained the ducklings appeared to be suckling from the cat along with her regular kittens. Although, when they put water and bird food in with her, they immediately hopped into the water for a wash.


“I wanted to take the ducklings out initially and put them under an infra-red light. I was afraid the cat was going to cop on,” he said, adding they would be keeping close watch as they will rapidly grow.
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The question of why do animals play is not as easily answered as one would think. It seems there might be many reasons for play and not just to develop skills for survival. The video below shows two young foxes enjoying themselves on a trampoline. One thing is for sure that they are truly enjoying themselves. Listed below are some theories as to the reasons of the role of play.

WHY DO ANIMALS PLAY?

Several theories

1. Surplus Energy Theory

Herbert Spencer (the "survival of the fittest" guy) said that infants play because they need to get rid of excess energy. Most efforts to test this hypothesis have failed, though. Ex. Muller-Schwarze found no increases in play in deprived black-tailed deer. Similarly, Chepko found no diffs in play of control and deprived goat kids.

2. Pleasure Theory

They do it because it feels good This is hard to test! Hasn't been tested yet

3. Arousal/Stimulation theory

sic. theory of behavioral hyperactivity Ellis suggested a drive that undelies play, a drive to increase arousal. But again, not easy to test, and not tested yet.


4. Practice Theory

Play helps kids to practice movements, etc. that they will need later. Ex. kids playing house, infants play-fighting, play-pouncing, etc. BUT play deprived animals seem to do fine. So, what?

5. Exercise theory

The use of muscles and other systems in play stimulates and helps contribute to their development. No data, but seems good.

6. Social Functions Theory

Play is where you figure out who's who in the hierarchy. Except, solitary animals play; something you would not expect were this the sole function of play.

Utah Department of Transportation archeologists discovered more than they expected during excavations of the land surrounding an 8-mile stretch of planned roadway. Hundreds of arrow heads, pottery and fossils are now being analyzed to see what they can tell about ancient Anasazi culture.

“Not a lot is known about them because there hasn’t been a lot of excavation out here,” UDOT artifact specialist Eric Hansen said. “What we’ve been able to do is make a pretty big contribution to our knowledge of pre-history in this area.”

Crews uncovered 15 different sites, including many pit-houses, or ancient dwellings. Hansen said one dig uncovered arrow heads dating back to 10,000 BC.

“Down about four feet in an earthquake fault trench that they were digging, we found a couple of artifacts that were exposed in profile in the side of the trench, they happened to be in a bed of charcoal,” Hansen said.

Archeologists were able to date the arrow heads with carbon dating technology. Hansen said they anticipated finding Native American artifacts and worked with local historical societies and Native American tribes, but they never know what they’ll find until they start digging.


“We were surprised as anybody to see a couple of these sites that turned out to be a lot larger than anticipated,” Hansen said. “We did what we could to miss them.”

Formal excavations ended late last month, but Hansen said they’ll still monitor the construction in case they missed anything. The artifacts will be housed at the University of Utah’s Natural Science Museum.

The 8-mile section of the Southern Parkway will connect Washington City with Hurricane through an eastern roadway. It’s expected to be complete by the end of 2013.
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Last week the lives of six puppies and their mom hung in the balance at a shelter in Plano, Texas. They needed to be rescued before Sunday or they would all be euthanized. There was hope for them since a rescue group in Colorado had arranged for homes for all of them. The problem was getting them to Colorado from Texas.

That's when Cadet Second Class Adam McMurray came into the picture. He had heard about the situation when the Aspen Flying Club of which he is a member sent out an email to all the different pilots requesting for a volunteer to help out. When McMurray heard about the situation he didn’t hesitate to help.

On Sunday, McMurray, accompanied by his dad, spent the day flying over 1,200 miles to bring all seven dogs to safety. McMurray even paid for the flight himself, which cost him around $1,000. Once he arrived at the airport in Colorado he was met by the Colorado Aussie Rescue who took the puppies and their mother to their new homes.

McMurray summed up his actions to help with this, “I’ve always had an urge, or a calling to help as much as I can. This is kind of like an ode to my former dog. I had my dog from kindergarten to my senior year in high school, and haven’t had a dog since. I saw it and I just felt I really needed to take the charge on it. It’s just really good to know that my dad and I were able to get out there and help make a difference for these fellas."

McMurray added that he was just happy to help the animals in need. He said the mother and her puppies were excellent passengers and hardly made a sound the whole plane ride.

Sen. Brian Schatz introduced a bill that would facilitate the construction of a Native American Veterans’ Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

The Schatz bill, S.1046, will provide the National Museum of the American Indian (NMAI) with the much needed flexibility to raise funds and move forward on construction of a memorial to honor the brave men and women of Native American heritage who have served our nation.

“This memorial, originally championed by Sens. Inouye and McCain and signed into law in 1994, has languished far too long,” Schatz said.

Sens. John Barrasso and Jon Tester are original co-sponsors.

“Every Memorial Day we honor the men and women who have served our country in the armed forces, and today’s legislation would allow for construction of a memorial on the National Mall so that people from across the country can honor the extraordinary contributions and sacrifices of our Native American veterans,” Schatz said. “Per capita Native Americans, including American Indians, Alaska Natives and Native Hawaiians, serve at a higher rate in the Armed Forces that any other group of Americans and have served in all of the Nation’s wars since the Revolutionary War. Our Native veterans have sacrificed their lives for this country and it is important that we recognize their bravery and patriotism with a fitting memorial. I look forward to working with my colleagues on the Indian Affairs Committee and in the United States Senate to get this bill passed and finally have a National Native American Veterans Memorial in our nation’s capital.”


“It’s crucial that we honor all of our nation’s veterans, including our Native American veterans who bravely answered the call to serve and defend our country. This bill is an important step toward making this privately funded and long awaited memorial a reality at last,” Barrasso said.

“Native Americans have fought bravely and been a critical part of the American military for generations,” Tester said. “It’s long-past time we honor their sacrifices with the recognition they earned. This memorial is one more way we can pay our respects and say ‘thank you’ for their courageous service to our country.”

“We are grateful to Sen. Schatz for his interest, and Sens. Inouye and Akaka for their contribution. And we look forward to working with Sen. Schatz as we move forward, empowering the National Museum of the American Indian to be directly involved in the process of erecting this memorial,” said Kevin Gover, director of the National Museum of the American Indian.

“I am grateful to Sen. Schatz for revitalizing this effort which Sens. Inouye and Akaka initially advocated,” said Native Hawaiian veteran and advocate Allen Hoe. “As a veteran and a Native Hawaiian, I can say that it would mean a lot to our community to have a memorial on the National Mall commemorating our service to our country. I thank Sen. Schatz for his leadership and look forward to visiting Washington, D.C. when this monument is complete.”


“We mahalo Sen. Schatz for advancing the work of Sen. Inouye and Sen. Akaka on behalf of all Native peoples, including Native Hawaiians,” said Robin Puanani Danner, Council for Native Hawaiian Advancement President, a national network of more than 150 Native Hawaiian organizations. “We must honor and always remember the contributions made by our veterans. The memorial will tell a powerful story, especially for the next generation. Similar to Japanese Americans during war time, Native peoples share a difficult history with our federal government, and we also share an extraordinary commitment to the principles of freedom and democracy.”

“The Alaska Federation of Natives recognizes the tremendous contributions of Native veterans to our country. It is an honor to support furthering the steps to memorialize these contributions on the National Mall in Washington D.C. AFN strongly supports moving this bill forward this Congress,” said Julie Kitka, president, Alaska Federation of Natives, the largest statewide Native organization in Alaska.

“It is essential that we fulfill Sen. Inouye and Indian Country’s vision for a memorial to honor the service and sacrifice of our Native American service members. NCAI supports the amendments to the Native American Veterans’ Memorial Establishment Act of 1994, which will make the memorial a reality and allow for it to be built on the property of the National Museum of the American Indian,” said Jefferson Keel, President of the National Congress of American Indians and a decorated veteran. “Most importantly, this bill allows for more flexibility for tribal nations and the United States to work together to honor the contributions and sacrifices of American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian military service members and veterans. As a Native veteran myself, I look forward to the day my fellow veterans are recognized for their contributions to protecting the sovereignty of tribal nations and the United States.”
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The largest black bear ever captured in Florida has been relocated after being trapped near Paisley.

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) spokeswoman Joy Hill said the 620-pound bear was captured on Monday. It had been getting into trash in the Ocala National Forest.

“This bear was so used to getting into trash that even after the garbage was secured in a shed, he returned and pulled the aluminum siding off to get at his free meal,” the FWC said on its web site, in announcing the capture.

FWC bear trapper Mike Connolly set the trap that caught the bruin near Paisley. Before the bear was relocated on Wednesday, biologists Mike Orlando and Dave Turner were able to sedate him to collect hair samples and give him an exam, identification tattoo and ear tag.

Hill says this is the largest bear captured, but the largest documented black bear was a 624-pounder that was struck and killed by a car in Naples several years ago.

“Bears that habitually feed on human-supplied foods such as garbage and wildlife feed or pet food can become abnormally large because of the high number of calories found in these food sources,” the FWC said.

Wildlife officials estimate there are 3,500 black bears in Florida.
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Ta’Kaiya has been very vocal in the ”Idle No More” movement, and supported Chief Theresa Spence’s hunger strike to raise awareness for substandard living conditions on Indian Reserves throughout Canada.

Ta'Kaiya, who is participating in this year's session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues from 20 to 31 May, says our earth is our home.

She told the Forum that everyone needs to take steps towards a clean and healthy future regarding animals, humans, plants, and the various ecosystems.


Ta'Kaiya tells Gerry Adams about her concerns for the well-being of her community and her plans to solve some of the problems created by a treaty which she says discriminates against indigenous people.

The United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) is an advisory body to the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), with a mandate to discuss indigenous issues related to economic and social development, culture, the environment, education, health and human rights.
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Albino wallabies are both rare and beautiful. Earlier this year on February 8th, zoo keepers noticed an oddly colored joey peeking out of a Red-necked Wallaby pouch. The Wallaby mom's name is Kylie and as her baby grew, the keepers realized just how stunning her baby was. Her baby is now half-grown and is a beautiful snow-white juvenile who still tries to squeeze back into his mother's pouch for some snuggling.

The Linton Zoo staff believes their Wallaby mob is descended from the group of Wallabies given as a gift to Queen Elizabeth II while she was on a state visit to Australia in 1962. What is so special about this little joey is that it is the first albino Wallaby to ever be born at the Linton Zoo. The zoo keepers have affectionately named it ALF which stands for 'Alien Life Form'.

Red-necked Wallabies are usually grey-brown in color, but on rare occasions, a white or albino is born, even after generations of normal-colored individuals. To some, these albino mammals may resemble giant white rabbits, at first. Although this little joey may be the first albino to be born at the Linton Zoo there is a place in the wild where they live naturally.

That place is near the Fluted Cape entrance to South Bruny National Park in Tasmania, which is the most southern island State of Australia. There you may come across a small mob of albino wallabies. These pure white animals are a sight to behold in that they look like something that has been set adrift from the Antarctic.

It is in the late afternoon or sometimes at dusk, that the albino (red-necked) wallabies (Macropus rufogriseus) move about in the dim light to feed. Although solitary by nature, the wallabies often gather in loose groups (known as mobs) to share feeding areas where they graze on grass and herbs. This behavior is and presumably to enhance their safety.


The best time to visit and see the babies is from late summer to early autumn (December to April) when the births occur. For these Bennett's Wallabies their gestation period is thought to be 30 days and their 'pouch life' is about 280 days, while weaning occurs at 12-17 months.

Albinism results from the inheritance of recessive gene alleles and is known to affect all vertebrates, including humans. The albino wallabies have red eyes because the color of the retinal blood vessels is apparent since there is no pigment to obscure it. Photo-sensitivity and increased susceptibility to skin cancers are some of the issues these wallabies face as a result of their genetic make-up.

Enjoy the photos of this adorable albino Wallaby joey named Alf below.

A short documentary film, “Defending the Homeland: Native American Veterans in the United States Armed Forces," has been nominated for a regional Emmy Award. The film was created by Kilma Lattin, Pala Band of Mission Indians.

While serving on the tribal council for Pala Band of Mission Indians, Lattin told the La Jolla Light, he had the chance to hear the story of a World War II veteran, who was also on the council. “He was the motivation for me because I realized these veterans won’t be alive forever and it was imperative we get their story out,” Lattin said. “Thinking about him, I realized we needed to do a film.”

More than a dozen veterans from different reservations were interviewed about their experiences in the military and their reasons for joining. And the film, which airs on PBS (check local listings), has been nominated for a Regional Emmy by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Pacific Southwest Chapter. The Pacific Southwest Chapter of the Emmys will be held June 15 at the Red Rock Hotel in Las Vegas.

"I know the experience that some of the vets have had can be hard to share [but] these vets that I interviewed all were really willing to open up about their lives and experiences and motivations for serving — they were a special group of people,” Lattin told the newspaper.


To learn more and to watch the entire 27-minute film, go to DefendingTheHomeland.com. Here you can watch a preview:
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Defending The Homeland from Harris Craig on Vimeo.