Mammoth Cave: A Way to Wonder, a one-hour documentary by WKYU-PBS in Bowling Green, has received five Emmy nominations from the Ohio Valley chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.  The station produced the program in partnership with Mammoth Cave National Park, the Friends of Mammoth Cave National Park, and Bluegrass Cellular.  Winners will be announced during a July 31 ceremony in Columbus, Ohio.

“Mammoth Cave: A Way to Wonder is about passion, the passion for exploration and discovery,” said Cheryl Beckley, documentary producer.

“Programs of this caliber only happen when the people involved care deeply for the subject matter – this documentary has that and more.”

Mammoth Cave: A Way to Wonder focuses on history, science, the arts, and human stories of the land that has become a national park.  WKYU-PBS’s crew conducted 12 interviews and traveled to the park 40 times over 13 months to shoot above and below ground.  The program first aired in October 2009 as a complementary piece to the six-episode Ken Burns film, The National Parks:

America’s Best Idea.  WKYU-PBS is now marketing the Mammoth Cave: A Way to Wonder to other outlets across the country, and it is available as a sales item benefiting the Friends of Mammoth Cave National Park and the station.

“Our partnership with WKYU-PBS presented a rare opportunity that I have not seen at any other time in my 40 years with the National Park Service,” said Superintendent Patrick Reed.  “Mammoth Cave: A Way to Wonder takes viewers to the park’s favorite spots, as well as remote areas – so remote in one case that the crew had to be lowered into the cave by rope.  We are very grateful to WKYU-PBS and our financial supporters who made this happen.”

“WKYU-PBS received six total nominations in six categories, and our partnership with Mammoth Cave National Park yielded five of the six,” said David Brinkley, senior producer/director.  “These nominations resulted from a group effort and everyone here can be proud of what we’ve accomplished.”

Mammoth Cave: A Way to Wonder received five nominations, including Cultural/Topical Documentary, Informational/Instructional Program, Photographer, Editor, and Lighting. Those named in the Emmy nominations include:  Beckley; Brinkley; WKYU-PBS Associate Producer Jessica Gibbs; Western Kentucky University broadcasting student Brent Boyens; and Mammoth Cave National Park Public Information Officer Vickie Carson.

WKYU-PBS, Channel 24, is a public television service.  WKYU-PBS broadcasts the only locally-based, locally-programmed public television service to south central Kentucky and northern Tennessee.