In 1970 the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department produced a film entitled “Unto the Least of These.” It covers the relocation of a colony of Attwater’s prairie chickens from Ellington Air Force Base in Houston to the Attwater Prairie Chicken National Wildlife Refuge near Eagle Lake. The Attwater prairie chicken is still highly endangered, but this flock’s feathered ancestors still roam the refuge today.
Surprisingly, the method of prairie chicken capture was to chase after the birds in a helicopter with a large basket suspended from the bottom. The action sequences, and the psychedelic blues soundtrack, make for a surprisingly entertaining old film.
This movie is another gem from the Texas Archive of the Moving Image.
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