Explore Chattanooga Fall 2022

Spotlight | WHAT TO DO

Wings Over Water 3D The majesty of wetlands birds

Wings Over Water tells the stories of three species that spend these warmmonths feeding, mating and raising their young in wetlands: majestic Sandhill Cranes, instantly-recognizable Mallard Ducks and diminutive YellowWarblers. All three of these featured species can be seen in Tennessee. That’s why the TennesseeWildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) has chosen to partner with the Tennessee Aquarium to bring this film to Chattanooga. “We hope this film inspires families to explore nature and seek out watchable wildlife throughout the year,” says TWRA Executive Director Jason Maxedon. “Our state offers a richly diverse landscape perfect for more than 140 species of waterbirds and other wildlife that thrive in their Tennessee habitats or pass through as they migrate across the country.” Audiences will be amazed by the cinematography inWings Over Water. With incredible slow-motion drone footage that follows cranes and warblers in flight, viewers will feel like they’re soaring through the skies alongside their feathered companions.

F ive months before Sandhill Cranes arrive in East Tennessee along their winter migratory route, viewers at the Tennessee Aquarium IMAX 3DTheater will get a chance to see them up close and on an epic scale in brilliant 3D footage on Chattanooga’s biggest screen.

Wings Over Water 3D and its Oscar-nominated narrator Michael Keaton take viewers into North Ameri ca’s heartland to fly alongside the birds inhabiting the continent’s unique and majestic prairie wetlands as they navigate these “water highways.”

The film’s stunning sequences bring the inhabitants of these freshwater oases into stark focus at a time when these vital ecosystems are in peril. More than 1 billion people worldwide depend on wetlands for their livelihoods, and the habitats filter runoff from ag riculture to help ensure that drinking

Prairie wetlands are unique to the North American continent and span five U.S. states and 3 Canadian provinc es, where they make up an area larger than the state of Texas. Leftover from the passage of glaciers in past millennia, these vital habitats are home to more than 200 species of birds from Spring to Fall.

water is safe for another 50 million. Half of all ducks in North America inhabit prairie wetlands every year, and prairie grasses serve as vast carbon sinks by storing carbon dioxide in their roots as deep as 14 feet below ground. Wings Over Water 3D tickets are available at tnaqua.org/imax.

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