In the first segment, Eric Eckholm reports on the diversity of Alaskan opinions concerning land use in Alaska and explores the myths and realities of the D-2 land classification bill being debated in the U.S. Congress. Those interviewed include: environmentalist Jim Kowalski of Fairbanks; Congressman Morris Udall of Arizona; Walter Parker, state co-chairman of the Joint Federal State Land Use Planning Commission; Congressman John Seiberling of Ohio; Congressman Don Young of Alaska; Carl Randolph, president of U.S. Borax; Senator Ted Stevens of Alaska; Byron Mallott (misspelled in title screen), president of the Alaska Federation of Natives; Alaska State Representative Steve Cowper of Fairbanks; Chip Toma, Southeast Alaska environmentalist and fisherman; and Bob La Resche, Alaska Commissioner of Natural Resources. The report contains views of the Kobuk sand dunes, Ambler, mountains, bays, glaciers, backpackers, a mining camp, protesters, Alaska industrial and recreational activities, Usibelli Coal Mine at Healy, Lynn Canal, and other areas of Alaska. In the second segment, reporter Mark O. Badger examines Alaska's litter problem and the debate over a ballot initiative to institute a ten-cent bottle and can deposit. Those interviewed include: Mrs. Walter Butts of Juneau; George Brennan, Fairbanks Boy Scouts leader; Virginia Dal Piaz of Juneau, lobbyist for the Alaska Conservation Society; Alaska State Representative Mike Miller of Juneau; Jerry Abramezyk of Anchorage, chairman of the Industry Environmental Council; Alaska State Senator Mike Colletta of Anchorage; and Henry Jackson, operations manager for K & L Distributors. The report contains images of liquor stores and bottling facilities, trash pickup efforts along the Glenn Highway, and recycling facilities in Anchorage. The program also contains Public Service Announcements (PSAs) about the March of Dimes birth defects prevention program, the United Negro College Fund, and the Peace Corps. In the third segment, reporter Ed Bennett explores the unique hazards faced by those traveling in remote and non-remote areas of Alaska as well as rescue operations that come to the aid of people in distress. Those interviewed include Captain Paul Yost of the U.S. Coast Guard; Danny Hackett of the U.S. Coast Guard; Henry Jolian of the U.S. Coast Guard; Jack Morrow of the Department of Highways; Jim Hale, mountaineer; Russ Anderson of Anchorage, head of the Alaska Civil Air Patrol; Colonel Pat Whitaker, head of the Rescue Coordination Center at Elmendorf Air Force Base; and Mike Carlton, airplane crash survivor. The report contains scenes of wilderness area rescue missions, Coast Guard ships, rescue helicopters, avalanche prevention efforts, Hatcher Pass avalanche survival class, Kahiltna Glacier, Mt. McKinley, park ranger briefing for Mt. McKinley climbers, small airplanes in flight, and a small airplane wreckage site.