Kris Tompkins

Kristine McDivitt Tompkins
Tompkins in 2012
Born	Kristine McDivitt Wear 1950 (1950)
Occupation	businesswoman, conservationist
Spouse(s)	Douglas Tompkins (m. 1993–2015)
Website	http://www.kristinetompkins.com/

Kristine McDivitt Tompkins (born in 1950, née Wear) is an American conservationist and former CEO of Patagonia, Inc.^[1] She is the widow of businessman and conservationist Douglas Tompkins, who died in 2015.^[2] The two worked together to create large wilderness conservation areas in Chile and Argentina.^[3] Kris continues with strong efforts in South America today, alongside those who have been with the various areas from the beginning working to revert them to their original state.^[4]

Early life

For the most part, Tompkins grew up on her family ranch south of Santa Barbara, California, centered in Ventura County although she spent some early years in Venezuela, where her father worked for an oil company.^[5] At age 15, she met and befriended rock climbing legend and equipment manufacturer Yvon Chouinard; he gave her a summer job working for Chouinard Equipment. After finishing college at the College of Idaho in Caldwell,^[6] where she ski-raced competitively, she started to work full-time for what later became Patagonia, Inc.

At Patagonia

Beginning in 1973, Tompkins helped Yvon Chouinard turn his fledgling piton business into Patagonia, Inc.^[7] In 1980, Patagonia started to donate 10 percent of their profits to environmental organizations such as Earth First! In 1984, the company formed the "One Percent for the Planet Club", which donates either 1% of sales or 10% of profits—whichever is greater—to environmental causes.^[1]

Conservation work

In the early 1990s, Tompkins retired from Patagonia, married Douglas Tompkins (founder of The North Face and Esprit), turned her entrepreneurial talents to saving nature’s beauty and diversity in Chile and Argentina. Together, they protected more land than any other private individuals—over two million acres.^[8] Their first project was the creation of Pumalin Park, a public-access 800,000-acre nature reserve in Chile’s Los Lagos Region. The park, a project of the Conservation Land Trust, is a private initiative to create a public-access nature preserve in the threatened Valdivian temperate rainforest. The Tompkins later launched conservation efforts in the Iberá Wetlands of Northeastern Argentina. In the wetland ecosystem, they have launched projects to reintroduce extirpated species, such as the giant anteater.^[9]

Conservación Patagónica

In 2000, Kris founded Conservación Patagónica (CP), an NGO focused on creating new national parks in Patagonia that protect and restore wildlands, biodiversity, and communities. CP's first project was the establishment of Monte Leon National Park, Argentina’s first coastal national park. In 2001, CP purchased Estancia Monte León, one of the oldest sheep ranches in the Argentine Patagonia, located on the southern Atlantic shoreline a few hundred miles north of the Strait of Magellan. Monte León had long been one of the priorities for Argentine National Parks because of its richness and diversity of species, including Magellanic penguins, sea lions, elephant seals, leopard seals and several migratory seabirds.^[10] CP purchased this 155,000-acre (630 km²) estancia, crafted a master plan for its transition to a national park and, in 2002, donated the property to the Argentine National Parks Administration, creating the Monte León National Park, the first coastal national park in Argentina.^[11]

In 2003, CP had the opportunity to purchase Estancia Valle Chacabuco, a historic sheep ranch in Chile's Aysén Region. The Chilean National Parks had made this ranch their number-one conservation priority for over 35 years because it sits between two existing National Reserves, namely Jeinimeni and Tamango, together 460,000 acres (1,900 km²). This area is prime habitat for the endangered huemul deer, one of Chile's national animals. After developing a public-access infrastructure system, including a trail system, visitor center, campgrounds, lodging, and a restaurant, CP will donate this property to the Chilean park service. Along with the two adjoining National Reserves, this will become the Patagonia National Park, a flagship park for Latin America. Stretching between two of the country's largest lakes, Lago General Carrera and Lago Cochrane, the future park contains an impressive diversity of landscapes: arid Patagonian steppe, Southern Beech forests, wetlands, high peaks, alpine lakes, and streams. As the president of CP, Tompkins has been heavily involved in every aspect of this project, from landscape restoration to infrastructure construction.^[12]

Kris today continues her efforts alongside a team of skilled individuals who work in the areas of South America they have not reached yet. The lands they work to perfect back to their original state were used in the past for animal grazing along with other practices farmers chose to do during that time. This information is presented in a more descriptive way above, but the fact that she & her team are some of the few throughout the world practicing this movement is something of huge environmental impact for the better.^[13]

Recognition

Honors

• 2009 Honorary Degree, College of Idaho

Awards

• 2016 Lowell Thomas Award, The Explorers Club
• 2016 World Tourism Award, World Travel Market

Awards

• 2007 Gold Steward Award, International Conservation Caucus Foundation
• 2008 World Rainforest Award, Rainforest Action Network
• 2008 Environmental Award, Bruno H. Schubert Foundation
• 2010 International Visionary Award, Scenic Hudson ^[15]
• 2010 International BAUM Special Award, B.A.U.M (German Association for Environmental Management)
• 2012 New Species Award, African Rainforest Conservancy^[16]
• 2013 Conservation Achievement Award, Bird Life International ^[17]
• 2015 Long View Conservation Award, Mohonk Preserve, NY^[18]
• 2015 Global Economy Prize, Kiel Institute for the World Economy^[19]
• 2017 Outdoor Inspiration Awards at Outdoor Retailer - Lifetime Achievement Award^[20]

References