Host and co-producer Tom Earnhardt says that North Carolina’s natural diversity makes it a perfect subject for the series.
“Wherever I have traveled, I never cease to be amazed at the diversity in North Carolina,” he said. “You find the same conifers as you find in the northeast. Many people don’t realize that North Carolina is the northern destination for many of the warblers and songbirds from South America. It’s the northern-most point where you will find alligators and palm trees. North Carolina is the place where north meets south.”
Co-producers Earnhardt and Joe Albea, producer of UNC-TV’s “Carolina Outdoor Journal,” were long-time friends even before they decided to produce “Exploring North Carolina.”
“I knew Joe as a nature photographer before he started doing ‘Carolina Outdoor Journal,’” Earnhardt said. “He’s an extraordinary nature photographer.”
As a member of the board of the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences, Earnhardt met and shared ideas with many of the museum’s experts. Early in 2002, he and Betsy Bennett, director of the museum, began discussing ideas for outreach. One of those discussions led to the possibility of a program highlighting the natural resources North Carolina had to offer. Everyone on the board agreed that such a program could have definite scientific and educational value. But to sell it to a general television audience, it would have to have a lot of “wow.” So in June 2002, Earnhardt spoke to the production staff at UNC-TV.
UNC-TV executive producers Bob Royster and Scott Davis encouraged Earnhardt to consider producing the program in high definition. Although Albea already was familiar with television production, filming in high definition meant starting from scratch. Since WRAL-TV in Raleigh had been producing their news in high definition for a few years, Earnhardt and Albea sought advice from their production staff.
“Joe had a lot of outdoor video footage, but it couldn’t be used for high definition programming,” said Earnhardt. “We began using an HD camera from WRAL to film the background footage that supported the interviews. We wanted the audience to be able to see what the experts were talking about, not just a series of talking heads.”
Albea and Earnhardt eventually bought a high definition camera and editing equipment, but producing the series gave them another surprise — filming segments for each episode often took far more time than they had anticipated.
“The undertaking was daunting in that we were not just filming one show,” he said. “We often had to remain motionless for hours, or even days, to get footage of a red-cockaded woodpecker. We had to go to the same place three or four days over a period of time to find certain flowers in bloom. We had to make a number of trips to support each show. It was exciting, but it was very time-consuming.”
Finding experts to explain some of the natural and scientific phenomena was relatively easy, since many of them worked at the museum, and he quickly found community residents who were quite knowledgeable of the natural resources. But he often struggled to find someone who could speak to a general audience. He said finding the perfect combination of a great storyteller and a bonafide expert was difficult.
Like his partner Albea, Earnhardt spent many years gracing the pages of outdoor magazines. His love for nature led him to a career in environmental law, a field that he taught for 20 years at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law. He has traveled across several continents and explored outdoor wonders abroad. His destinations include Europe, Russia, China, New Zealand and the Caribbean. In addition, he has served on the boards of several major conservation organizations, including The Nature Conservancy, Trout Unlimited, the North Carolina Wildlife Federation and the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences. Governor James Hunt named him “North Carolina Conservationist of the Year” in 1992. Exploring North Carolina consummates both his environmental and educational experiences, as he both produces and hosts the series.
“As host, I play the role of the ‘uncle’ who knows how to get to lots of exciting places,” he said. “On location I introduce a lot of experts and friends who know more than I do.”
While the project has been challenging, Earnhardt and Albea persisted because of their love for North Carolina. They hope that “Exploring North Carolina” will tell the state’s best stories.
Each adventure takes off from the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences and lands at the location of the evening, whether it is the forests of western North Carolina or the sands of the Outer Banks.
Earnhardt said that he and Albea are already plotting their next season.
Exploring North Carolina
Episodes - Season 1
“Birds of Winter” tells the story of migratory waterfowl that call North Carolina home in winter.
“The Roanoke Super Highway” features the Roanoke River, a “highway” for Native Americans and early settlers and a “living laboratory” today.
“Measuring the Mountain” looks at the life and tragic death of Elisha Mitchell and examines the natural and social history of the Black Mountains.
“Fire in the Land of the Longleaf Pine” explores the longleaf pine forests of the coastal plain and examines why they have been diminishing.
“Colors of the Earth: Gold and Gemstones” examines the geologic processes that helped create the mountains, piedmont and coastal plain of North Carolina and features some of its precious gemstones.
“Fossil Fields” investigates the world of ancient crocodiles, sharks and huge sloth whose fossils lie in the fossil beds of the piedmont and coast.
“The Edge of Life” explores the salt marshes of the North Carolina coast and the diversity of life present in them.
