His films, often focused on the battles of tribal peoples and field biologists, include Amazon Diary, America The Beautiful, The End of the Game, Fossey's War, Gorillas in the Mist, Endangered Species, The Last Rivermen, American Heroes, Mission Blue, Great White Highway, The Lord God Bird, Peter Beard's Africa: Last Word From Paradise, The Flight Of Double Eagle II, So Long Lady and The Falconer.
His father, Robert, was an executive with Chrysler; his mother, Agnes Nixon, the creator of One Life to Live and All My Children, is regarded as a pioneer in bringing social consciousness to daytime television.
[citation needed] Returning to America, Nixon established a Raptor education program at The Wildlife Preserve under the guidance of master falconer Jim Fowler, the co-host of Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom.
Nixon pressed Fossey to allow him to make a dramatic film about her life; she agreed to grant him the rights to her story, for free, provided that he spend a year dedicated to hands-on conservation.
Nixon's subsequent films continued to focus on themes related to conservation, ecology, and environmental activism, and included the 1990 documentary, America the Beautiful, which was hosted by Curt Gowdy and featured President George H. W.
[21][22][23] Considered a model for minority engagement in environmental service, Earth Conservation Corps members volunteer 1700 hours restoring the Anacostia River and in return receive a nominal bi-weekly stipend and a college scholarship through the federal AmeriCorps program.
"[25] Inspired by the impact of the Earth Conservation Corps, Nixon founded Wings Over America, a non-profit which pairs adjudicated youth with injured birds of prey as part of the rehabilitation process.