Sesame Street Explores National Parks!
[Music]
♪ We are Park Rangers. ♪
♪ We take care of the Park. ♪
♪ We look at rocks and animals, investigate tree bark. ♪
♪ Observe butterflies.... and look for fireflies at... ♪
♪ We are Park Rangers and we explore the Park. ♪
Yeah!
You want to play Park Ranger with Elmo and Murray?
Great! Come on!
Come on!
Say hello to Ranger Amala
from Grand Canyon National Park.
Hello Ranger Amala!
Hi guys!
Ooh, what park rangery stuff are we doing today, Ranger Amala?
Today we're going to find out about a special family
that lives in Grand Canyon.
Don't tell me,
I can picture the family now;
the mom is a lawyer,
the dad is an accountant,
they have 2.5 children,
and live in a lovely split level ranch.
-Not even close Murray.
-What?
Well, what family are we going to learn about?
We're going to learn about a family of California condor.
What kind of animal is a California condor, Ranger Amala?
Yeah, what is it?
Well, what do you think it looks like?
I think she looks like a bird.
Bird! I'm going to say bird too, bird!
That's right!
The California condor is a bird
and it happens to be the largest flying bird in North America.
It stands 3 to 4 feet tall.
Hold on, hold on!
Let me get these awesome facts down
in my Nature Journal.
Here I go!
3 to 4 feet tall, go on!
And the California condor weighs 18-24 pounds.
18-24 pounds.
And it has a 9.5 foot wingspan.
Wingspan of 9.5.
Wait a minute, how big is that?
Well, hold out your arms, Murray.
Okay, I'm holding them out.
It's bigger than that.
Big, big, wow!
-That is big!
-Yeah!
Well, who else is in the California condor family?
Yeah, who, who?
Well, at Grand Canyon, a mom, a dad,
and a baby condor live in a cave.
They take care of their baby
for two years before it leaves home.
Well, if you take care of the biggest flying bird
in North America,
it's going to take a little time, yes.
Boy! Elmo really wants to know
more about the California condor family.
Hey, so do I!
No problem, let's use our binoculars
and take a look at Grand Canyon.
Okay.
Binoculars to see the Grand Canyon,
these must be powerful!
Just put them on Murray.
Oh, okay.
Wow! Wow!
Condor families live high up in caves,
in a nest called a scratch.
People visiting Grand Canyon
often use a telescope or powerful binoculars,
like the ones we are using now,
to see condor families up close in their nests.
Condors lay their egg
and have their baby right on the cave floor.
A baby condor is called a chick.
The mommy and daddy condor take turns feeding
and taking care of the chick.
Right now the daddy condor is out getting food,
so it's mommy's turn to take care of baby.
Because there are so few condors left in the wild,
scientists give each condor a special number
so we can know who they are
and where they are all the time.
The mommy and daddy condor
raise their chick for about two years,
or until it's old enough to fly
and find food all on its own.
Boy! Ranger Elmo loves the California condor family.
Yeah, me too!
Hey Ranger Amala,
can we look for California condor families in our Park?
I'm afraid not Murray.
Many, many years ago
you could see them all over the United States,
but not anymore.
But what happened, Ranger Amala?
Well, now California condors are endangered.
That means there aren't many of them.
And they're only found
in California, Arizona, Utah, and Mexico.
But we can observe other animal families in the Park.
Ranger Elmo can?
Absolutely!
Come on Rangers!
Let's look closely and carefully
at other animal families in the Park.
Look at this adorable family of ducks
that live in your Park.
As you can see,
the baby ducks follow close by
wherever the mommy duck beats them.
Baby ducks are called ducklings.
Here is a family of geese.
Right here in Elmo's own Park?
Who knew?
Their webbed feet allow them to walk on land
or swim in the water.
Oh boy!
There are animal families all around.
So be like a Ranger,
go outside and observe all the animals
and their families!
Yeah!
But animals are wild, so don't get too close.
-Yeah!
See you outside on Sesame Street.
And at the Park.
Peace!
Bye, bye!
Sesame Street Explores National Parks
is produced in partnership with the National Park Service
and the National Park Foundation.
We'd like to remind you
that National Parks belong to everyone.
So be like a Park Ranger
and help keep our Parks clean, safe, and healthy.
Special thanks to Grand Canyon National Park,
Gateway National Recreation Area,
and Hopper Mountain National Wildlife Refuge.