“Dateline NBC” correspondent Harry Smith went to an area so secluded that he was forced to literally freeze his clothes before stepping foot on the Palmyra Atoll so he could tell the island’s story without corrupting it.
“They asked us to buy some new clothes and then to freeze them for at least 48 hours,” Smith told TheWrap. “They are so concerned about bringing invasive species in that they wanted to make sure we didn’t bring anything along with us.”
“On Assignment” is a special series from “Dateline NBC,” and this week’s edition features Smith bringing TV cameras to the remote wildlife refuge Palmyra Atoll in the northern Pacific Ocean for the first time ever.
“It’s a tiny little speck in the Pacific, 1,000 miles south of Hawaii. It’s basically a marine wilderness,” said Smith, who joined a group of less than 100 people who have stepped foot on the atoll in the last 15 years.
The Palmyra Atoll was used as a base during World War II, housing 2,000 American troops, but has since emerged as a marine wilderness area that is protected by U.S. government but rarely visited.
“There has never been a native population, per se, other than crabs, birds and amazing fish,” Smith said. “Quite honestly, I had never heard of it.”
The Nature Conservancy has a tiny research station on the Palmyra Atoll, and Smith and his crew spent the night in a small cabin attached to the station. The Conservancy keeps four people on the atoll at all times, in rotating shifts, but not too many other people have a chance to visit.
“This place is less visited than the top of Mount Everest,” the correspondent continued. “Which is pretty remarkable.”
The atoll is even protected by a no fishing parameter that stretches 50 miles in each direction.
“The food chain is very, very much in tact there. The whole balance of nature is in tact,” Smith said. “It’s about as close as we’re going to get to paradise on this earth.”
“On Assignment” airs on Sunday night at 7 p.m. on NBC.
Check out a preview below.