For thousands of years, pallid sturgeon have thrived in the murky waters of the Missouri River, but infrastructure built 70 years ago for flood control and river navigation are endangering the survival of this ancient fish.

Nebraska Public Media is telling the story of the struggle to protect pallid sturgeons, as well as manage Missouri River flooding, as part of a national “Climate Across America” initiative that pairs public media stations with the award-winning PBS science series “NOVA” to produce and distribute climate-focused content.

The digital story about the pallid sturgeon, “Pallid Sturgeon: Ancient Fish, Modern Problem,” is available on the Nebraska Public Media website and its social media platforms, including Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram.

"Pallid Sturgeon: Ancient Fish, Modern Problem"

Audiences can also follow the “Climate Across America” initiative online, using the hashtag #ClimateAcrossAmerica.

Timed with the locally-produced digital content, “NOVA” produced two television documentaries nationally as part of the initiative. “Weathering the Future,” and “Chasing Carbon Zero.” Both episodes can be seen on Nebraska Public Media. They will be streamed, on NOVA’s YouTube channel and via the PBS App.

Leveraging the reach and power of the PBS system with major support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, “Climate Across America” will spotlight how climate change affects communities across the U.S. and engage audiences in productive conversations about innovative climate solutions. The comprehensive focus represents PBS’s biggest-ever commitment to the topic, providing a deeper understanding of the issues surrounding climate change and exploring its intersections with conservation, biodiversity and the ecosystem.

Nebraska Public Media is one of 10 public media stations working closely with “NOVA” to create, share and amplify solutions-oriented climate content including short-form videos, radio and audio stories, articles, e-newsletters and social media posts.

The full list of “Climate Across America” local station partners includes WHRO (Norfolk, Virginia), Nebraska Public Media, WKAR (Lansing, Michigan), KPBS (San Diego, California), Rocky Mountain PBS (Denver, Colorado), Alaska Public Media (Anchorage, Alaska), WFSU (Tallahassee, Florida), Vermont Public (Colchester, Vermont), PBS North (Duluth, Minnesota), and Northwest Public Broadcasting (Pullman, Washington).

“NOVA” is the most popular primetime science series on American television, demystifying the scientific and technological concepts that shape and define our lives, our planet and our universe. The PBS series is also one of the most widely distributed science programs around the world, and is a multimedia, multiplatform brand reaching more than 55 million Americans every year on television and online.