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{{short description|American businessman and environmentalist (1943–2015)}}
{{Short description| Chilean-American businessman and environmentalist (1943–2015)}}
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{{Cleanup-PR|1=article|date=April 2024}}
{{COI|date=April 2024}}
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{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2015}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2015}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
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| birth_name = Douglas Rainsford Tompkins
| birth_name = Douglas Rainsford Tompkins
| birth_date = {{birth date|1943|03|20}}
| birth_date = {{birth date|1943|03|20}}
| birth_place = [[Conneaut, Ohio]], U.S.<ref name=outside>{{cite web|last1=Pearson|first1=Stephanie|title=Obituary: Doug Tompkins (1943-2015)|url=http://www.outsideonline.com/2041381/obituary-doug-tompkins-1943-2015|publisher=Outside magazine|access-date=11 December 2015|date=2015-12-09}}</ref>
| birth_place = [[Conneaut, Ohio]], U.S.<ref name=outside>{{cite web|last1=Pearson|first1=Stephanie|title=Obituary: Doug Tompkins (1943-2015)|url=http://www.outsideonline.com/2041381/obituary-doug-tompkins-1943-2015|publisher=Outside magazine|access-date=11 December 2015|date=2015-12-09|archive-date=February 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170207061040/https://www.outsideonline.com/2041381/obituary-doug-tompkins-1943-2015|url-status=live}}</ref>
| death_date = {{death date and age|2015|12|08|1943|03|20}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|2015|12|08|1943|03|20}}
| death_place = [[Coyhaique]], Chile
| death_place = [[Coyhaique]], Chile
| death_cause = [[Hypothermia]]
| occupation = businessman, conservationist
| occupation = businessman, conservationist
| known_for = [[The North Face|North Face]], [[Esprit Holdings|Esprit]], land conservation
| known_for = [[The North Face|North Face]], [[Esprit Holdings|Esprit]], Tompkins Conservation
| spouse = {{Plainlist|
| spouse = {{Plainlist|
* {{marriage|[[Susie Tompkins Buell|Susie Russell]]|1964|1989|end=div.}}
* {{marriage|[[Susie Tompkins Buell|Susie Russell]]|1964|1989|end=div.}}
* {{marriage|[[Kris Tompkins|Kristine L. McDivitt]]|1993|2015}}, his widow
* {{marriage|[[Kris Tompkins|Kristine L. McDivitt]]|1993}}
}}
}}
| children = 2<ref>{{cite news|last1=Abrams|first1=Rachel|last2=Southall|first2=Ashley|title=Douglas Tompkins, 72, Founder of North Face, Dies in Kayak Accident|access-date=9 December 2015|newspaper=The New York Times|date=9 December 2015|page=B14|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/09/business/douglas-tompkins-72-north-face-founder-dies-in-kayaking-accident.html}}</ref>
| children = 2<ref>{{cite news|last1=Abrams|first1=Rachel|last2=Southall|first2=Ashley|title=Douglas Tompkins, 72, Founder of North Face, Dies in Kayak Accident|access-date=9 December 2015|newspaper=The New York Times|date=9 December 2015|page=B14|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/09/business/douglas-tompkins-72-north-face-founder-dies-in-kayaking-accident.html|archive-date=August 1, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190801014215/https://www.nytimes.com/2015/12/09/business/douglas-tompkins-72-north-face-founder-dies-in-kayaking-accident.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
| awards = New Species Award, Good Steward Award, David R. Brower Award
| awards = New Species Award, Good Steward Award, David R. Brower Award
| website = {{URL|http://www.tompkinsconservation.org}}
| website = {{URL|http://www.tompkinsconservation.org}}
}}
}}


'''Douglas Rainsford Tompkins''' (March 20, 1943 – December 8, 2015) was an American businessman, [[conservation movement|conservationist]], outdoorsman, [[philanthropist]], filmmaker, and [[agriculturalist]]. He co-founded the North Face Inc, Esprit and various environmental groups.
'''Douglas Rainsford Tompkins''' (March 20, 1943 – December 8, 2015) was an American businessman, [[conservation movement|conservationist]], outdoorsman, [[philanthropist]], filmmaker, and [[agriculturalist]]. He founded the [[The North Face|North Face Inc]], co-founded [[Esprit Holdings|Esprit]] and various environmental groups, including the Foundation for Deep Ecology and Tompkins Conservation.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-09-22 |title=This idea proved less wild than it first appeared |url=https://www.afr.com/world/south-america/this-idea-proved-less-wild-than-it-first-appeared-20210919-p58sxg |access-date=2023-01-26 |website=Australian Financial Review |language=en |archive-date=January 26, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230126205432/https://www.afr.com/world/south-america/this-idea-proved-less-wild-than-it-first-appeared-20210919-p58sxg |url-status=live }}</ref>


Beginning in the mid-1960s, he and [[Susie Tompkins Buell]], his first wife, co-founded and ran two companies: the outdoor equipment and clothing company [[The North Face]] and the [[Esprit Holdings|Esprit clothing company]]. Following their divorce and Tompkins' departure from the business world in 1989, he became active in environmental and land conservation causes. In the 1990s Tompkins and his second wife, [[Kris Tompkins|Kris McDivitt Tompkins]] bought and conserved more than {{convert|2|e6acre|ha}} of [[wilderness]] in [[Chile]] and [[Argentina]], exceeding that of any other private individuals in the region, thus becoming among the largest private land-owners in the world.<ref>[http://blogs.nationalgeographic.com/blogs/news/chiefeditor/2010/01/patagonia-grasslands-park.html “Pleistocene Park” emerges from Patagonia's rescued grasslands] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100228232746/http://blogs.nationalgeographic.com/blogs/news/chiefeditor/2010/01/patagonia-grasslands-park.html |date=February 28, 2010 }}, nationalgeographic, January 23, 2010</ref> The Tompkinses were focused on park creation, wildlife recovery, ecological agriculture, and activism, with the goal of saving biodiversity.
Beginning in the mid-1960s, he and [[Susie Tompkins Buell|Susie Tompkins Buell (née Russell)]], his first wife, co-founded and ran two companies: the outdoor equipment and clothing company The North Face and the Esprit clothing company. Following their divorce and Tompkins' departure from the business world in 1989, he became active in [[Environmentalism|environmental]] and [[Conservation movement|land conservation]] causes. In the 1990s Tompkins and his second wife, [[Kris Tompkins|Kris McDivitt Tompkins]] bought and conserved more than {{convert|2|e6acre|ha}} of [[wilderness]] in [[Chile]], exceeding that of any other private individuals in the region, thus becoming among the largest private land-owners in the world.<ref>[http://blogs.nationalgeographic.com/blogs/news/chiefeditor/2010/01/patagonia-grasslands-park.html “Pleistocene Park” emerges from Patagonia's rescued grasslands] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100228232746/http://blogs.nationalgeographic.com/blogs/news/chiefeditor/2010/01/patagonia-grasslands-park.html |date=February 28, 2010 }}, nationalgeographic, January 23, 2010</ref> The Tompkinses were focused on park creation, wildlife recovery, ecological agriculture, and activism, with the goal of saving biodiversity.


He had assembled and preserved the land which became the largest gift of private land to any South American government.<ref name="Franklin">{{cite news|last=Franklin|first=Jonathan|date=19 March 2017|title=Chile's new 'route of parks' aims to save the wild beauty of Patagonia|newspaper=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/19/chile-route-of-parks-beauty-patagonia|access-date=19 March 2017}}</ref> Due to this, he was posthumously naturalized [[Chile]]an.<ref>{{cite web|date=7 January 2019|title=Nacionalidad por gracia: Comisión revoca por unanimidad reconocimiento al cardenal Ezzati|url=https://www.senado.cl/nacionalidad-por-gracia-comision-revoca-por-unanimidad-reconocimiento/senado/2019-01-07/165545.html|access-date=9 September 2020|language=es}}</ref>
He had assembled and preserved the land which became the largest gift of private land to any South American government.<ref name="Franklin">{{cite news|last=Franklin|first=Jonathan|date=19 March 2017|title=Chile's new 'route of parks' aims to save the wild beauty of Patagonia|newspaper=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/19/chile-route-of-parks-beauty-patagonia|access-date=19 March 2017|archive-date=July 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190719033115/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/19/chile-route-of-parks-beauty-patagonia|url-status=live}}</ref> Due to this, he was posthumously naturalized [[Chile]]an.<ref>{{cite web|date=7 January 2019|title=Nacionalidad por gracia: Comisión revoca por unanimidad reconocimiento al cardenal Ezzati|url=https://www.senado.cl/nacionalidad-por-gracia-comision-revoca-por-unanimidad-reconocimiento/senado/2019-01-07/165545.html|access-date=9 September 2020|language=es|archive-date=January 8, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190108033443/http://www.senado.cl/nacionalidad-por-gracia-comision-revoca-por-unanimidad-reconocimiento/senado/2019-01-07/165545.html|url-status=live}}</ref>


==Early life==
== Early life ==
Tompkins was born in [[Conneaut, Ohio]] on March 20, 1943, the son of an antiques dealer and decorator.<ref name=outside /> He spent the first few years of his life in New York City before his family moved to [[Millbrook, New York]]. He graduated from [[Indian Mountain School]], a pre-prep school in [[Lakeville, Connecticut]], in 1957. In his senior year at [[Pomfret School]] in Connecticut, Tompkins was expelled for various minor infractions. He returned to his hometown in Millbrook, but did not graduate from high school.<ref>''The Daily Telegraph'', Thursday 10 December 2015, Obituaries [paper only], p.37</ref>
Tompkins was born in [[Conneaut, Ohio]] on March 20, 1943, the son of an antiques dealer and decorator.<ref name=outside /> He spent the first few years of his life in New York City before his family moved to [[Millbrook, New York]]. He graduated from [[Indian Mountain School]], a pre-prep school in [[Lakeville, Connecticut]], in 1957. In his senior year at [[Pomfret School]] in Connecticut, Tompkins was expelled for various minor infractions. He returned to his hometown in Millbrook, but did not graduate from high school.<ref>''The Daily Telegraph'', Thursday 10 December 2015, Obituaries [paper only], p.37</ref>


Tompkins spent the years between 1960 and 1962 ski racing and rock climbing in Colorado, Europe, and South America.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.snowindustrynews.com/articles/douglas-tompkins-the-north-face-founder-dies-after-kayaking-accident/|title=Douglas Tompkins, The North Face Founder, Dies After Kayaking Accident|website=www.snowindustrynews.com|access-date=2016-05-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160624090603/https://www.snowindustrynews.com/articles/douglas-tompkins-the-north-face-founder-dies-after-kayaking-accident/|archive-date=June 24, 2016|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref> In 1963, Tompkins founded the California Mountaineering Guide Service.<ref>The Conservation Land Trust</ref> It was during this time he met [[Susie Tompkins Buell|Susie Russell]], a casino employee who gave him a lift while hitch-hiking to Lake Tahoe.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://atn2002.tripod.com/intersections/id11.html | title=Another Roadside Attraction | first=Andrew | last=Nelson | publisher=Intersections: True Tales of San Francisco (blog) | date=2002}}</ref> They married in 1964 in San Francisco, where Tompkins borrowed $5,000 from a bank to set up The North Face, now a global retailing company.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-north-face-unveils-global-retail-strategy-with-opening-of-new-soho-location-300898509.html|title=The North Face Unveils Global Retail Strategy with Opening of New SoHo Location|last=Face|first=The North|website=www.prnewswire.com|language=en|access-date=2020-04-22}}</ref>
Tompkins spent the years between 1960 and 1962 ski racing and rock climbing in Colorado, Europe, and South America.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.snowindustrynews.com/articles/douglas-tompkins-the-north-face-founder-dies-after-kayaking-accident/|title=Douglas Tompkins, The North Face Founder, Dies After Kayaking Accident|website=www.snowindustrynews.com|access-date=2016-05-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160624090603/https://www.snowindustrynews.com/articles/douglas-tompkins-the-north-face-founder-dies-after-kayaking-accident/|archive-date=June 24, 2016|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref> In 1963, Tompkins founded the California Mountaineering Guide Service.<ref>The Conservation Land Trust</ref> It was during this time he met [[Susie Tompkins Buell|Susie Russell]], a casino employee who gave him a lift while hitch-hiking to Lake Tahoe.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://atn2002.tripod.com/intersections/id11.html |title=Another Roadside Attraction |first=Andrew |last=Nelson |publisher=Intersections: True Tales of San Francisco (blog) |date=2002 |access-date=December 9, 2015 |archive-date=August 12, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110812233308/http://atn2002.tripod.com/intersections/id11.html |url-status=live }}</ref> They married in 1964 in San Francisco.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Writer |first=Martha Groves Times Staff |date=1990-05-30 |title=Estranged Co-Owners of Esprit See 'Baby' Go on Auction Block : * Retailing: Both Doug and Susie Tompkins plan to bid on the trendy San Francisco firm. An outsider could snap up the operation, which is finally rebounding after suffering from the couple's long-running feud. |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-05-30-fi-204-story.html |access-date=2024-01-19 |website=Los Angeles Times |language=en-US |archive-date=January 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240119194811/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-05-30-fi-204-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref>


== The North Face, Inc. ==
== The North Face, Inc. ==
{{main|The North Face}}
{{main|The North Face}}
In 1964, Tompkins borrowed $5,000 from a bank to found [[The North Face]], Inc., in San Francisco,<ref>{{Cite press release|url=https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-north-face-unveils-global-retail-strategy-with-opening-of-new-soho-location-300898509.html|title=The North Face Unveils Global Retail Strategy with Opening of New SoHo Location|last=Face|first=The North|website=www.prnewswire.com|language=en|access-date=2020-04-22|archive-date=June 1, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230601201331/https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-north-face-unveils-global-retail-strategy-with-opening-of-new-soho-location-300898509.html|url-status=live}}</ref> as a mail order and retail company, selling rock climbing and [[camping equipment]]. The early years set the design standard of sleeping bags, [[backpack]]s, and [[mountaineering]] tents. Tompkins designed tents that were some of the first to avoid a pole in the middle, by using bendable rods threaded through exterior sleeves instead. This design also increased the strength of the tent because the domed shape allowed the wind to roll over it. These tents have been widely copied throughout the world. In 1966, the first The North Face store was opened; the band [[The Grateful Dead]] played at the grand opening.<ref>{{cite magazine |url= http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/12/151209-north-face-founder-death-kayak-patagonia-yvon-chouinard/ |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20151212090448/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/12/151209-north-face-founder-death-kayak-patagonia-yvon-chouinard/ |url-status= dead |archive-date= December 12, 2015 |title=How The North Face Founder Went From High School Dropout to Millionaire Conservationist |date=9 December 2015 |last=Synnott |first=Mark M. |magazine=National Geographic |access-date=23 August 2016}}</ref> Two years later, Tompkins sold out his stake to Kenneth "Hap" Klopp for $50,000, using the profit to join his wife in co-founding [[Esprit Holdings|Esprit]], a fashion house. Tompkins sold The North Face with the intention of a focus on adventure film making.<ref name=wapoobit/>


== Adventure filmmaking - ''Mountain of Storms'' ==
In 1964, Doug and Susie Tompkins started [[The North Face]], Inc. as a mail order and retail company, selling rock climbing and [[camping equipment]]. The early years set the design standard of good quality sleeping bags, [[backpack]]s, and [[mountaineering]] tents. The Tompkinses designed tents that were some of the first to avoid a pole in the middle, by using bendable rods threaded through exterior sleeves instead. This design also increased the strength of the tent because the domed shape allowed the wind to roll over it. These tents have been widely copied throughout the world. In 1966, the first The North Face store was opened; the band [[The Grateful Dead]] played at the grand opening.<ref>{{cite magazine |url= http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/12/151209-north-face-founder-death-kayak-patagonia-yvon-chouinard/ |title=How The North Face Founder Went From High School Dropout to Millionaire Conservationist |date=9 December 2015 |last=Synnott |first=Mark M. |magazine=National Geographic |access-date=23 August 2016}}</ref> Two years later, Tompkins sold out his stake to Kenneth "Hap" Klopp for $50,000, using the profit to join his wife in co-founding [[Esprit Holdings|Esprit]], a fashion house. Tompkins sold The North Face with the intention of a focus on adventure film making.<ref name=wapoobit/>
In 1968, Tompkins headed off on a six-month road-adventure trip from California to [[Patagonia]], along with [[Yvon Chouinard]], [[Dick Dorworth]], and [[Chris Jones (mountain climber)| Chris Jones]] (calling themselves the "Fun Hogs"), who made the third ascent of [[Fitz Roy|Mount Fitz Roy]] in [[Patagonia]] in 1968.<ref name="Patagonia">{{Cite web|url=https://www.patagonia.com.au/blogs/roaring-journals/mountain-of-storms|title=Mountain of Storms|last=Patagonia|website=Patagonia|language=en|access-date=2020-04-07|archive-date=April 7, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200407232756/https://www.patagonia.com.au/blogs/roaring-journals/mountain-of-storms|url-status=dead}}</ref> They put up a new route on [[Mount Fitzroy]], and - together with filmmaker Lito Tejada-Flores, who also made the ascent - made an adventure film, ''Mountain of Storms'', about their experience.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.patagonia.com/us/product/mountain-of-storms-dvd?p=D1005-0|title=Patagonia Mountain of Storms DVD|website=www.patagonia.com|access-date=2016-05-16|archive-date=April 10, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160410054817/http://www.patagonia.com/us/product/mountain-of-storms-dvd?p=D1005-0|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Patagonia"/> The 2010 film ''[[180 Degrees South: Conquerors of the Useless]]'' describes a modern-day recreation of this journey and also highlights the conservation work on which Tompkins had been working.

==Adventure filmmaking==
In 1968, Tompkins headed off on a six-month road-adventure trip from California to [[Patagonia]], along with [[Yvon Chouinard]], [[Dick Dorworth]], and Chris Jones (calling themselves the "Fun Hogs"), who made the third ascent of [[Fitz Roy|Mount Fitz Roy]] in [[Patagonia]] in 1968.<ref name="Patagonia">{{Cite web|url=https://www.patagonia.com.au/blogs/roaring-journals/mountain-of-storms|title=Mountain of Storms|last=Patagonia|website=Patagonia|language=en|access-date=2020-04-07}}</ref> They put up a new route on [[Mount Fitzroy]], and - together with filmmaker Lito Tejada-Flores, who also made the ascent - made an adventure film, ''Mountain of Storms'', about their experience.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.patagonia.com/us/product/mountain-of-storms-dvd?p=D1005-0|title=Patagonia Mountain of Storms DVD|website=www.patagonia.com|access-date=2016-05-16}}</ref><ref name="Patagonia"/> The 2010 film ''[[180 Degrees South: Conquerors of the Useless]]'' describes a modern-day recreation of this journey and also highlights the conservation work on which Tompkins had been working.


Tompkins also became a skilled whitewater kayaker, claiming first descents of rivers in California, Africa, and South America. In addition, he was a skilled bush pilot.<ref name=theatlantic/>
Tompkins also became a skilled whitewater kayaker, claiming first descents of rivers in California, Africa, and South America. In addition, he was a skilled bush pilot.<ref name=theatlantic/>


==Esprit==
== Esprit ==
{{main|Esprit Holdings}}
{{main|Esprit Holdings}}


In 1968, Tompkins, his wife Susie, and her friend Jane Tise began selling girls dresses, which they had planned on the kitchen table, out of the back of a VW bus. In 1971 they incorporated the booming business under the name "Plain Jane", which later became Esprit.<ref name="esprit.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.esprit.com/index.php?command=Display&navi_id=51 |title=company :: about us :: History |publisher=E S P R I T |date=September 16, 2010 |access-date=August 3, 2012}}</ref> By 1978, sales topped $100 million a year and the company had formed partnerships in Germany and Hong Kong. Tompkins appointed himself "image director", developing his own marketing approach: overseeing all aspects of the company's image, from store design to catalogue layout, while his wife served as design director.
In 1968, Tompkins, his wife Susie, and her friend Jane Tise began selling girls dresses, which they had planned on the kitchen table, out of the back of a VW bus. In 1971 they incorporated the booming business under the name "Plain Jane", which later became Esprit.<ref name="esprit.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.esprit.com/index.php?command=Display&navi_id=51 |title=company :: about us :: History |publisher=E S P R I T |date=September 16, 2010 |access-date=August 3, 2012 |archive-date=March 3, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120303112942/http://www.esprit.com/index.php?command=Display&navi_id=51 |url-status=live }}</ref> By 1978, sales topped $100 million a year and the company had formed partnerships in Germany and Hong Kong. Tompkins appointed himself "image director", developing his own marketing approach: overseeing all aspects of the company's image, from store design to catalogue layout, while his wife served as design director.


Emerging as one of the hottest brands of the era, the company grew into a transnational company operating in 60 countries. In 1989, the Japanese art publisher Robundo published ''Esprit, the Comprehensive Design Principle'' ({{ISBN|4947613203}}), which documented the all-encompassing design principles that Tompkins had created for the brand.<ref name="esprit.com"/>
Emerging as one of the hottest brands of the era, the company grew into a transnational company operating in 60 countries. In 1989, the Japanese art publisher Robundo published ''Esprit, the Comprehensive Design Principle'' ({{ISBN|4947613203}}), which documented the all-encompassing design principles that Tompkins had created for the brand.<ref name="esprit.com"/>


Growing increasingly concerned about the ecological impacts of the fashion industry, Tompkins decided to leave the business world in the late 1980s. In 1989, he sold his share of the American company back to Susie, from whom he had separated, putting most of his profits into land conservation.<ref>Edward Humus, ''Eco Barons'' New York: Harper Collins, 2009 {{ISBN?}}{{page?|date=August 2021}}</ref> Subsequently, in 1989 and 1994, he sold his interests in the other Esprit entities around the world.
Growing increasingly concerned about the ecological impacts of the fashion industry, Tompkins decided to leave the business world in the late 1980s. In 1989, he sold his share of the American company back to Susie, from whom he had separated, putting most of his profits into land conservation.<ref>Humus, Edward. ''Eco Barons'' New York: Harper Collins, 2009 {{ISBN?}}{{page?|date=August 2021}}</ref> Subsequently, in 1989 and 1994, he sold his interests in the other Esprit entities around the world.


==Land conservation==
== Land conservation - Tompkins Conservation ==
After selling his interest in Esprit, Tompkins turned his efforts toward southern Chile, where he had spent much time climbing, kayaking, and skiing, to focus on land conservation and environmental activism. He founded the Foundation for Deep Ecology in 1990, which supports environmental activism (see [[deep ecology]]), and [[The Conservation Land Trust]] in 1992, which works to protect [[wilderness|wildlands]], primarily in Chile and Argentina.<ref name=theatlantic/><ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2015/12/09/north-face-founder-dies-chile/77023304/ | title=North Face founder Douglas Tompkins dies in kayaking accident in Chile| website=[[USA Today]]}}</ref>
After selling his interest in Esprit, Tompkins turned his efforts toward southern [[Chile]], where he had spent much time climbing, kayaking, and skiing, to focus on land conservation and environmental activism. He founded the Foundation for Deep Ecology in 1990, which supports environmental activism (see [[deep ecology]]), and The Conservation Land Trust in 1992, now called Tompkins Conservation, which works to protect [[wilderness|wildlands]], primarily in Chile and [[Argentina]].<ref name=theatlantic/><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2015/12/09/north-face-founder-dies-chile/77023304/ |title=North Face founder Douglas Tompkins dies in kayaking accident in Chile |website=[[USA Today]] |access-date=August 26, 2017 |archive-date=February 15, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180215150506/https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2015/12/09/north-face-founder-dies-chile/77023304/ |url-status=live }}</ref>


In 1993, he married [[Kris Tompkins|Kristine L. McDivitt]], a former chief executive of the Patagonia retail chain; the two worked together on conservation projects.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dailyentertainmentnews.com/fashion/kris-tompkins-north-face-founder-doug-tompkins-wife/|title=Kris Tompkins North Face Founder Doug Tompkins' Wife|work=DailyEntertainmentNews.com|access-date=December 9, 2015|date=2015-12-09}}</ref> The Tompkinses' conservation efforts focused on preserving wild landscapes and biodiversity. After purchasing large blocks of wilderness, they worked to create national parks, believing that this governmental designation serves as the best mode of guaranteeing long-term conservation.
In November 1994, he married [[Kris Tompkins|Kristine L. McDivitt]], a former chief executive of [[Patagonia, Inc.|Patagonia]]; the two worked together on conservation projects.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://dailyentertainmentnews.com/fashion/kris-tompkins-north-face-founder-doug-tompkins-wife/|title=Kris Tompkins North Face Founder Doug Tompkins' Wife|work=DailyEntertainmentNews.com|access-date=December 9, 2015|date=2015-12-09|archive-date=December 10, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151210222256/http://dailyentertainmentnews.com/fashion/kris-tompkins-north-face-founder-doug-tompkins-wife/|url-status=usurped}}</ref> The Tompkinses' conservation efforts focused on preserving wild landscapes and biodiversity. After purchasing large blocks of wilderness, they worked to create national parks, believing that this governmental designation serves as the best mode of guaranteeing long-term conservation. Kris Tompkins continues the work they started together as president of Tompkins Conservation.


=== Pumalín Park ===
=== Pumalín Park ===
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In 2005, then-president [[Ricardo Lagos]] declared this area a Nature Sanctuary, a special designation of the Chilean state, granting it additional environmental and non-developmental protection. The Conservation Land Trust (a U.S. environmental foundation) donated these protected lands to Fundación Pumalín (a Chilean foundation), for their administration and continual development as a type of National Park with public access under a private initiative.<ref name="parquepumalin.cl">{{cite web |url=http://www.parquepumalin.cl/content/eng/index.htm |title=Parque Pumalín |publisher=Parquepumalin.cl |access-date=August 3, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120717092643/http://www.parquepumalin.cl/content/eng/index.htm |archive-date=July 17, 2012 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> Through creating public-access infrastructure, including trails, campgrounds, visitor centers, and a restaurant, Tompkins sought to promote wilderness experience, in hopes of inspiring a deeper [[Conservation (ethic)|environmental ethic]] in the park's many thousands of visitors.<ref name="parquepumalin.cl"/>
In 2005, then-president [[Ricardo Lagos]] declared this area a Nature Sanctuary, a special designation of the Chilean state, granting it additional environmental and non-developmental protection. The Conservation Land Trust (a U.S. environmental foundation) donated these protected lands to Fundación Pumalín (a Chilean foundation), for their administration and continual development as a type of National Park with public access under a private initiative.<ref name="parquepumalin.cl">{{cite web |url=http://www.parquepumalin.cl/content/eng/index.htm |title=Parque Pumalín |publisher=Parquepumalin.cl |access-date=August 3, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120717092643/http://www.parquepumalin.cl/content/eng/index.htm |archive-date=July 17, 2012 |df=mdy-all }}</ref> Through creating public-access infrastructure, including trails, campgrounds, visitor centers, and a restaurant, Tompkins sought to promote wilderness experience, in hopes of inspiring a deeper [[Conservation (ethic)|environmental ethic]] in the park's many thousands of visitors.<ref name="parquepumalin.cl"/>


In March 2017, the Chilean president [[Michelle Bachelet]] announced that the government was accepting the gift of 1 million acres from Fundación Pumalín and creating a national park covering 11 million acres in all, the largest such park in South America. At a ceremony for signing of the accord between government and the foundation, Tompkins' long-term friend Yvon Chouinard claimed that “No other human has ever created this many acres of protected wildlands".<ref name="Franklin" />
In March 2018, the Chilean president [[Michelle Bachelet]] announced that the government was accepting the gift of 1 million acres from Tompkins Conservation and creating five new national parks and expanding three more, covering 11 million acres in all, the largest private land donation in history. At a ceremony for signing of the accord between government and the foundation, Tompkins' long-term friend [[Yvon Chouinard]] claimed that “No other human has ever created this many acres of protected wildlands".<ref name="Franklin" />


=== Corcovado National Park ===
=== Corcovado National Park ===
{{main|Corcovado National Park (Chile)}}
{{main|Corcovado National Park (Chile)}}
Just to the south of Pumalin, [[Corcovado National Park]] represents one of Tompkins's completed conservation projects. In 1994, The Conservation Land Trust (CLT), along with U.S. philanthropist [[Peter Buckley (philanthropist)|Peter Buckley]], acquired {{convert|208000|acre|ha}} of native forest that was slated for logging, adjacent to vast areas of federal land under the jurisdiction of the [[Military of Chile|Chilean Armed Forces]]. CLT offered to donate this parcel back to the Chilean state, provided that the whole area became a national park. In 2005, then-president [[Ricardo Lagos]] accepted this proposal, and the {{convert|726000|acre|ha|adj=on}} Corcovado National Park was born.<ref name=theatlantic>{{cite journal|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/09/the-entrepreneur-who-wants-to-save-paradise/380116/|title=The Entrepreneur Who Wants to Save Paradise|author=Diana Saverin|journal=The Atlantic|access-date=December 9, 2015|date=2014-09-15}}</ref>
Just to the south of Pumalin, [[Corcovado National Park (Chile)|Corcovado National Park]] represents one of Tompkins's completed conservation projects. In 1994, The Conservation Land Trust (CLT), along with U.S. philanthropist [[Peter Buckley (philanthropist)|Peter Buckley]], acquired {{convert|208000|acre|ha}} of native forest that was slated for logging, adjacent to vast areas of federal land under the jurisdiction of the [[Military of Chile|Chilean Armed Forces]]. CLT offered to donate this parcel back to the Chilean state, provided that the whole area became a national park. In 2005, then-president [[Ricardo Lagos]] accepted this proposal, and the {{convert|726000|acre|ha|adj=on}} Corcovado National Park was born.<ref name=theatlantic>{{cite journal|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/09/the-entrepreneur-who-wants-to-save-paradise/380116/|title=The Entrepreneur Who Wants to Save Paradise|author=Diana Saverin|journal=The Atlantic|access-date=December 9, 2015|date=2014-09-15|archive-date=December 11, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151211005607/http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2014/09/the-entrepreneur-who-wants-to-save-paradise/380116/|url-status=live}}</ref>


=== Iberá Project ===
=== Iberá National Park ===
{{Main|Iberá National Park}}
The Iberá Project was a private conservation enterprise that was spearheaded by Tompkins, working with [[George Soros]], [[Harvard University]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/sociedad/3-236271-2013-12-23.html|title=Página/12 :: Sociedad :: Reclamos en los esteros|access-date=December 9, 2015}}</ref> and Tompkins' Conservation Land Trust.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Conservation Land Trust|url=http://www.theconservationlandtrust.org/eng/mision_introduccion.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120515085715/http://www.theconservationlandtrust.org/eng/mision_introduccion.htm|archive-date=May 15, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Its goal was to strengthen protection and restore habitat and biodiversity in the [[Iberá Wetlands]] in [[Corrientes Province]], [[Argentina]].
The Iberá project was a private conservation enterprise that was spearheaded by Tompkins, working with [[George Soros]], [[Harvard University]],<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/sociedad/3-236271-2013-12-23.html|title=Página/12 :: Sociedad :: Reclamos en los esteros|access-date=December 9, 2015|archive-date=September 24, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924145216/http://www.pagina12.com.ar/diario/sociedad/3-236271-2013-12-23.html|url-status=live}}</ref> and [[Rewilding Argentina]].<ref>{{cite web|title=The Conservation Land Trust|url=http://www.theconservationlandtrust.org/eng/mision_introduccion.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120515085715/http://www.theconservationlandtrust.org/eng/mision_introduccion.htm|archive-date=May 15, 2012|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Its goal was to strengthen protection and restore habitat and biodiversity in the [[Iberá Wetlands]] in [[Corrientes Province]], Argentina.


[[Iberá Provincial Reserve]], established in 1983, encompasses 1,300,000 ha of wetlands, grasslands, forest, and rangelands, including both publicly-owned lands and private cattle ranches. The Iberá project advocated for enhanced protection of government-owned floodplain lands, and in 2009 the provincial government created Iberá Provincial Park on 553,000 hectares of public land in the reserve.<ref name = Zamboni>Zamboni, Talía, Sebastián Di Martino, and Ignacio Jiménez-Pérez (2017). "A review of a multispecies reintroduction to restore a large ecosystem: The Iberá Rewilding Program (Argentina)". ''Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation'' Volume 15, Issue 4, October–December 2017, Pages 248-256.</ref>
Iberá Provincial Reserve, established in 1983, encompasses 1,300,000 ha of wetlands, grasslands, forest, and rangelands, including both publicly-owned lands and private cattle ranches. The Iberá project advocated for enhanced protection of government-owned floodplain lands, and in 2009 the provincial government created Iberá Provincial Park on 553,000 hectares of public land in the reserve.<ref name = Zamboni>Zamboni, Talía, Sebastián Di Martino, and Ignacio Jiménez-Pérez (2017). "A review of a multispecies reintroduction to restore a large ecosystem: The Iberá Rewilding Program (Argentina)". ''Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation'' Volume 15, Issue 4, October–December 2017, Pages 248-256.</ref>


Led by Tompkins, the Conservation Land Trust acquired 150,000 hectares of old cattle ranches bordering the provincial park, including habitats not then represented in the park. Most cattle and internal fences were removed, and a land management program was developed to restore native vegetation and habitat.<ref name = Zamboni/><ref name = cfn>"The Iberá Wetlands: Argentina’s Preeminent Wildlife Reserve". Conservation Finance Network. Accessed 19 July 2020. [http://www.conservationfinancenetwork.org/sites/default/files/The%20Iberá%20Wetlands.pdf]</ref> In December 2015 the Trust donated these lands, including espinal, malezal [[grassland]]s, and forests, to the Argentine government to create a strictly-conserved national park to be called the Great Iberá Park. The proposed park, which would total 700,000 hectares, would be the largest national park in Argentina and home to hundreds of bird species, giant anteaters, and macaw parrots. It would provide safe habitat for a range of native species, and encourage a transition from "an exploitative economy" to "an economy of conservation and [[ecotourism]]".<ref>{{cite web|title=What is the Great Ibera Park?|url=http://proyectoibera.org/eng/parqueibera.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224105802/http://proyectoibera.org/eng/parqueibera.htm|archive-date=December 24, 2013|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref name=Franklin2>{{cite news|newspaper=The Guardian|date=29 January 2018|title=Chile creates five national parks over 10m acres in historic act of conservation|url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jan/29/chile-creates-five-national-parks-in-patagonia|last=Franklin|first=Jonathan|access-date=30 January 2018}}</ref> In 2018 the Argentine government created [[Iberá National Park]] from the donated lands, while the provincial park is administered separately.<ref name = cfn/>
Led by Tompkins, the Conservation Land Trust acquired 150,000 hectares of old cattle ranches bordering the provincial park, including habitats not then represented in the park. Most cattle and internal fences were removed, and a land management program was developed to restore native vegetation and habitat.<ref name = Zamboni/><ref name="cfn">"The Iberá Wetlands: Argentina’s Preeminent Wildlife Reserve". Conservation Finance Network. Accessed 19 July 2020. [http://www.conservationfinancenetwork.org/sites/default/files/The%20Iberá%20Wetlands.pdf] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200719194550/http://www.conservationfinancenetwork.org/sites/default/files/The%20Iber%C3%A1%20Wetlands.pdf|date=July 19, 2020}}</ref> In December 2015 the Trust donated these lands, including espinal, malezal [[grassland]]s, and forests, to the Argentine government to create a strictly-conserved national park to be called Iberá National Park. The proposed park, which would total 700,000 hectares, would be the largest national park in Argentina and home to hundreds of bird species, giant anteaters, and macaw parrots. It would provide safe habitat for a range of native species, and encourage a transition from "an exploitative economy" to "an economy of conservation and [[ecotourism]]".<ref>{{cite web|title=What is the Great Ibera Park?|url=http://proyectoibera.org/eng/parqueibera.htm|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224105802/http://proyectoibera.org/eng/parqueibera.htm|archive-date=December 24, 2013|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref name=Franklin2>{{cite news|newspaper=The Guardian|date=29 January 2018|title=Chile creates five national parks over 10m acres in historic act of conservation|url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jan/29/chile-creates-five-national-parks-in-patagonia|last=Franklin|first=Jonathan|access-date=30 January 2018|archive-date=March 13, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180313193723/https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/jan/29/chile-creates-five-national-parks-in-patagonia|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2018 the Argentine government created [[Iberá National Park]] from the donated lands, while the provincial park is administered separately.<ref name = cfn/>


In 2007 the Conservation Land Trust established a [[rewilding (conservation biology)|rewilding]] program to reintroduce native species which had been extirpated from the wetlands during the 20th century. [[Giant anteater]] (''Myrmecophaga tridactyla''), [[collared peccary]] (''Peccary tajacu''), [[South American tapir]] (''Tapirus terrestris''), [[pampas deer]] (''Ozotoceros bezoarticus''), and [[red-and-green macaw]] (''Ara chloropterus'') have been reintroduced to the wild, and a captive breeding program for [[jaguar]]s (''Panthera onca'') was created to support eventual reintroduction of jaguars to the parks.<ref name = Zamboni/>
In 2007 the Conservation Land Trust established a [[rewilding (conservation biology)|rewilding]] program to reintroduce native species which had been extirpated from the wetlands during the 20th century. [[Giant anteater]] (''Myrmecophaga tridactyla''), [[collared peccary]] (''Peccary tajacu''), [[South American tapir]] (''Tapirus terrestris''), [[pampas deer]] (''Ozotoceros bezoarticus''), and [[red-and-green macaw]] (''Ara chloropterus'') have been reintroduced to the wild, and a captive breeding program for [[jaguar]]s (''Panthera onca'') was created to support reintroduction of jaguars to the parks.<ref name = Zamboni/>


=== Other conservation projects ===
=== Other conservation projects ===
Other conservation projects that Tompkins spearheaded include:
Other conservation projects that Tompkins spearheaded include:

* The [[Melimoyu]] and [[Magdalena Island, Aysén Region|Isla Magdalena]] conservation projects in coastal [[Chile]], 200&nbsp;km and 300&nbsp;km respectively south of Pumalín Park
* The [[Melimoyu]] and [[Magdalena Island, Aysén Region|Isla Magdalena]] conservation projects in coastal [[Chile]], 200&nbsp;km and 300&nbsp;km respectively south of Pumalín Park
* The [[Yendegaia Bay|Yendegaia]] project in Chile's [[Tierra del Fuego]]{{citation needed|date=December 2015}}
* The [[Yendegaia Bay|Yendegaia]] project in Chile's [[Tierra del Fuego]]{{citation needed|date=December 2015}}
*[[Patagonia Park]], formerly known as [[Chacabuco River|Estancia Valle Chacabuco]], 30 minutes north of [[Cochrane, Chile]]<ref name="cochrane">{{Cite web |url=http://www.patagoniapark.org/outside_the_park.htm |title=Parque Patagonia, Outside the Park |website=www.patagoniapark.org |access-date=2018-03-21}}</ref> and 800&nbsp;km south of Pumalín Park
* [[Patagonia Park]], formerly known as [[Chacabuco River|Estancia Valle Chacabuco]], 30 minutes north of [[Cochrane, Chile]]<ref name="cochrane">{{Cite web |url=http://www.patagoniapark.org/outside_the_park.htm |title=Parque Patagonia, Outside the Park |website=www.patagoniapark.org |access-date=2018-03-21 |archive-date=March 22, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180322081534/http://www.patagoniapark.org/outside_the_park.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> and 800&nbsp;km south of Pumalín Park


== Organic agriculture ==
== Organic agriculture ==
Envisioning "conservation as a consequence of production," Tompkins developed models of sustainable [[organic farming]], which maintain [[soil health]] and ecological integrity at the same time that they provide for families and support the local economy.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://modernfarmer.com/2015/10/patagonia-national-park/|title=(Re)Born to Be Wild: Coaxing Patagonia Back to Its Natural State|work=Modern Farmer|access-date=December 9, 2015|date=2015-10-19}}</ref>
Envisioning "conservation as a consequence of production," Tompkins developed models of sustainable [[organic farming]], which maintain [[soil health]] and ecological integrity at the same time that they provide for families and support the local economy.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://modernfarmer.com/2015/10/patagonia-national-park/|title=(Re)Born to Be Wild: Coaxing Patagonia Back to Its Natural State|work=Modern Farmer|access-date=December 9, 2015|date=2015-10-19|archive-date=December 10, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151210232821/http://modernfarmer.com/2015/10/patagonia-national-park/|url-status=live}}</ref>


In the area around Pumalin, the Hornopiren, Vodudahue, Ventisquero, Pillan, and Reñihué farms serve as exemplars of small-scale ecological agriculture and as informal park ranger stations. Each of these farms produces a variety of products, including sheep, cattle, honey, berries, and organic vegetables. A small facility in the Pillan farm processes honey and berries for jams, which are sold under the name Pillan Organics.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pillanorganics.cl/esp/mermeladas.htm |title=Pillan Organics - Chile |publisher=Pillanorganics.cl |access-date=August 3, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120303115720/http://www.pillanorganics.cl/esp/mermeladas.htm |archive-date=March 3, 2012 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>
In the area around Pumalin, the Hornopiren, Vodudahue, Ventisquero, Pillan, and Reñihué farms serve as exemplars of small-scale ecological agriculture and as informal park ranger stations. Each of these farms produces a variety of products, including sheep, cattle, honey, berries, and organic vegetables. A small facility in the Pillan farm processes honey and berries for jams, which are sold under the name Pillan Organics.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.pillanorganics.cl/esp/mermeladas.htm |title=Pillan Organics - Chile |publisher=Pillanorganics.cl |access-date=August 3, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120303115720/http://www.pillanorganics.cl/esp/mermeladas.htm |archive-date=March 3, 2012 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>


In northeastern Argentina, Tompkins managed cattle ranches in [[Corrientes Province]] and [[polyculture]] grain and fruit farms in [[Entre Ríos Province]]. Each farm pays close attention to developing sustainable practices.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ktla.com/2015/12/08/founder-of-the-north-face-dies-after-kayaking-incident-in-chile-with-other-outdoor-legends/|title=Founder of The North Face Dies After Kayaking Incident in Chile, Apparently With Other Outdoor Legends|work=KTLA|access-date=December 9, 2015|date=2015-12-09}}</ref>
In northeastern Argentina, Tompkins managed cattle ranches in [[Corrientes Province]] and [[polyculture]] grain and fruit farms in [[Entre Ríos Province]]. Each farm pays close attention to developing sustainable practices.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ktla.com/2015/12/08/founder-of-the-north-face-dies-after-kayaking-incident-in-chile-with-other-outdoor-legends/|title=Founder of The North Face Dies After Kayaking Incident in Chile, Apparently With Other Outdoor Legends|work=KTLA|access-date=December 9, 2015|date=2015-12-09|archive-date=December 9, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151209123857/http://ktla.com/2015/12/08/founder-of-the-north-face-dies-after-kayaking-incident-in-chile-with-other-outdoor-legends/|url-status=live}}</ref>


== Environmental activism ==
== Environmental activism ==
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In addition, The Foundation for Deep Ecology had a long history as a grant-maker in categories such as Biodiversity and Wilderness, Ecological Agriculture, and Megatechnology and Economic Globalization, although in-house publishing is now its main focus.{{Citation needed|date=December 2015}}
In addition, The Foundation for Deep Ecology had a long history as a grant-maker in categories such as Biodiversity and Wilderness, Ecological Agriculture, and Megatechnology and Economic Globalization, although in-house publishing is now its main focus.{{Citation needed|date=December 2015}}


Tompkins also was involved in several large environmental campaigns in Chile and Argentina, such as the "[[Patagonia Sin Represas]]" campaign, which opposed the construction of dams on two of the largest and wildest rivers in the Patagonia region of Chile.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.patagoniasinrepresas.cl/final/ |title=Página Principal Patagonia Chilena ¡Sin Represas! |publisher=Patagoniasinrepresas.cl |access-date=August 3, 2012}}</ref>
Tompkins also was involved in several large environmental campaigns in Chile and Argentina, such as the "[[Patagonia Sin Represas]]" campaign, which opposed the construction of dams on two of the largest and wildest rivers in the Patagonia region of Chile.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.patagoniasinrepresas.cl/final/ |title=Página Principal Patagonia Chilena ¡Sin Represas! |publisher=Patagoniasinrepresas.cl |access-date=August 3, 2012 |archive-date=August 22, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120822074953/http://www.patagoniasinrepresas.cl/final/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>


== Honors ==
== Honors ==
Tompkins' environmental work won him respect and accolades outside of South America: in 2012, the [[African Rainforest Conservancy]] awarded Tompkins and his wife its "New Species Award";<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.conservacionpatagonica.org/blog/2012/04/30/kris-and-doug-tompkins-receive-the-new-species-award-from-african-rainforest-conservancy|title=Kris and Doug Tompkins receive the new - Species award from african rainforest conservancy|access-date=August 2, 2012|date=2012-04-30}}</ref> in 2007, the [[International Conservation Caucus Foundation]] awarded its "Good Steward" award to him and his wife, Kris;<ref>http://www.iccfoundation.us/2007Gala/DinnerProgram.pdf{{dead link|date=September 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> in 2008, the [[American Alpine Club]] awarded him the David R. Brower Award, for his work preserving mountain regions; in 2009, [[Latin Trade]] named him the "Environmental Leader of the Year".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://latintrade.com/2009/10/environmental-leader-of-the-year-douglas-tompkins-preserver-of-the-land |title=Environmental Leader of the Year: Douglas Tompkins – Preserver of the Land |publisher=Latin Trade |date=October 1, 2009 |access-date=August 3, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120723070947/http://latintrade.com/2009/10/environmental-leader-of-the-year-douglas-tompkins-preserver-of-the-land |archive-date=July 23, 2012 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>
Tompkins' environmental work won him respect and accolades outside of South America: in 2012, the [[African Rainforest Conservancy]] awarded Tompkins and his wife its "New Species Award";<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.conservacionpatagonica.org/blog/2012/04/30/kris-and-doug-tompkins-receive-the-new-species-award-from-african-rainforest-conservancy|title=Kris and Doug Tompkins receive the new - Species award from african rainforest conservancy|access-date=August 2, 2012|date=2012-04-30|archive-date=September 10, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140910201032/http://www.conservacionpatagonica.org/blog/2012/04/30/kris-and-doug-tompkins-receive-the-new-species-award-from-african-rainforest-conservancy/|url-status=live}}</ref> in 2007, the [[International Conservation Caucus Foundation]] awarded its "Good Steward" award to him and his wife, Kris;<ref>http://www.iccfoundation.us/2007Gala/DinnerProgram.pdf{{dead link|date=September 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> in 2008, the [[American Alpine Club]] awarded him the David R. Brower Award, for his work preserving mountain regions; in 2009, [[Latin Trade]] named him the "Environmental Leader of the Year".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://latintrade.com/2009/10/environmental-leader-of-the-year-douglas-tompkins-preserver-of-the-land |title=Environmental Leader of the Year: Douglas Tompkins – Preserver of the Land |publisher=Latin Trade |date=October 1, 2009 |access-date=August 3, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120723070947/http://latintrade.com/2009/10/environmental-leader-of-the-year-douglas-tompkins-preserver-of-the-land |archive-date=July 23, 2012 |df=mdy-all }}</ref>


In 2007, he was appointed as an honorary member of the [[American Society of Landscape Architects]], in recognition of his work restoring damaged landscapes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.asla.org/NewslistingDetails.aspx?id=1838 |title=ASLA Names 13 New Honorary Members |publisher=asla.org |date=May 1, 2007 |access-date=August 3, 2012}}</ref> ''Eco Barons'', [[Edward Humes]]' 2009 account of the "dreamers, schemers, and millionaires who are saving our planet," uses Tompkins as the first example of this new group of philanthropists.<ref>Edward Humes, ''Eco Barons'' (New York: Harper Collins, 2009)</ref>
In 2007, he was appointed as an honorary member of the [[American Society of Landscape Architects]], in recognition of his work restoring damaged landscapes.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.asla.org/NewslistingDetails.aspx?id=1838 |title=ASLA Names 13 New Honorary Members |publisher=asla.org |date=May 1, 2007 |access-date=August 3, 2012 |archive-date=March 5, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120305163622/http://www.asla.org/NewslistingDetails.aspx?id=1838 |url-status=live }}</ref> ''Eco Barons'', [[Edward Humes]]' 2009 account of the "dreamers, schemers, and millionaires who are saving our planet," uses Tompkins as the first example of this new group of philanthropists.<ref>Edward Humes, ''Eco Barons'' (New York: Harper Collins, 2009)</ref>


In Brazil, the environmentalist Douglas Tompkins was specially honored during the celebrations of 30 years of the Society for the Protection of Wildlife with the video “A Natureza do Brasil” with images of Haroldo Pallo Júnior and the Brazilian pianist Salete Chiamulera.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.oeco.org.br/salada-verde/filme-de-haroldo-palo-jr-mostra-belezas-naturais-brasileiras/|title = Filme de Haroldo Palo Jr. Mostra belezas naturais brasileiras|date = January 5, 2016}}</ref>
In Brazil, the environmentalist Douglas Tompkins was specially honored during the celebrations of 30 years of the Society for the Protection of Wildlife with the video “A Natureza do Brasil” with images of Haroldo Pallo Júnior and the Brazilian pianist Salete Chiamulera.<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://www.oeco.org.br/salada-verde/filme-de-haroldo-palo-jr-mostra-belezas-naturais-brasileiras/|title = Filme de Haroldo Palo Jr. Mostra belezas naturais brasileiras|date = January 5, 2016|access-date = April 20, 2021|archive-date = April 20, 2021|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210420200325/https://www.oeco.org.br/salada-verde/filme-de-haroldo-palo-jr-mostra-belezas-naturais-brasileiras/|url-status = live}}</ref>


==Death==
== Death ==
On December 8, 2015, Tompkins was [[kayaking]] with five others (including [[Patagonia, Inc.]] founder [[Yvon Chouinard]]) on [[General Carrera Lake]] in southern Chile when strong waves caused their kayaks to capsize. Tompkins spent a "considerable amount of time" in {{convert|40|F|C}} waters.
On December 8, 2015, Tompkins was [[kayaking]] with five others (including [[Patagonia, Inc.]] founder [[Yvon Chouinard]]) on [[General Carrera Lake]] in southern Chile when strong waves caused their kayaks to capsize. Tompkins spent a "considerable amount of time" in {{convert|40|F|C}} waters.


He was flown, by helicopter, to a hospital in nearby [[Coyhaique]], where he died hours later from severe [[hypothermia]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.backpacker.com/news-and-events/news/north-face-founder-hospitalized-after-kayak-accident/|title=Doug Tompkins Dead in Kayak Accident|work=Backpacker|date=December 8, 2015|access-date=December 9, 2015}}</ref><ref>[http://www.24horas.cl/nacional/muere-douglas-tompkins-tras-sufrir-grave-accidente-en-el-sur-del-pais-1867231 "Press Release"] {{in lang|es}}</ref> He was 72 years old and survived by his second wife, [[Kris Tompkins|Kristine (McDivitt)]], two daughters, brother and mother.<ref name=wapoobit>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/12/09/north-face-co-founder-turned-eco-baron-douglas-tompkins-is-killed-in-chile-kayaking-accident/?tid=ss_gp |title=North Face co-founder turned 'eco baron' Douglas Tompkins is killed in Chile kayaking accident |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |author=Sarah Kaplan |date=December 9, 2015 |access-date=December 9, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/dec/09/douglas-tompkins-billionaire-behind-north-face-dies-after-kayak-accident|title=Douglas Tompkins, co-founder of North Face, dies after Chile kayak accident|author=Jonathan Franklin|newspaper=[[The Guardian]]|date=December 9, 2015 |access-date=December 9, 2015}}</ref>
He was flown, by helicopter, to a hospital in nearby [[Coyhaique]], where he died hours later from severe [[hypothermia]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.backpacker.com/news-and-events/news/north-face-founder-hospitalized-after-kayak-accident/|title=Doug Tompkins Dead in Kayak Accident|work=Backpacker|date=December 8, 2015|access-date=December 9, 2015|archive-date=December 11, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151211131924/http://www.backpacker.com/news-and-events/news/north-face-founder-hospitalized-after-kayak-accident/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>[http://www.24horas.cl/nacional/muere-douglas-tompkins-tras-sufrir-grave-accidente-en-el-sur-del-pais-1867231 "Press Release"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230601201332/https://www.24horas.cl/nacional/muere-douglas-tompkins-tras-sufrir-grave-accidente-en-el-sur-del-pais-1867231 |date=June 1, 2023 }} {{in lang|es}}</ref> He was 72 years old when he died and is survived by his second wife, [[Kris Tompkins|Kristine (McDivitt)]], two daughters, brother and mother.<ref name=wapoobit>{{cite news |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/12/09/north-face-co-founder-turned-eco-baron-douglas-tompkins-is-killed-in-chile-kayaking-accident/?tid=ss_gp |title=North Face co-founder turned 'eco baron' Douglas Tompkins is killed in Chile kayaking accident |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |author=Sarah Kaplan |date=December 9, 2015 |access-date=December 9, 2015 |archive-date=September 5, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210905175901/https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2015/12/09/north-face-co-founder-turned-eco-baron-douglas-tompkins-is-killed-in-chile-kayaking-accident/?tid=ss_gp |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/dec/09/douglas-tompkins-billionaire-behind-north-face-dies-after-kayak-accident |title=Douglas Tompkins, co-founder of North Face, dies after Chile kayak accident |author=Jonathan Franklin |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=December 9, 2015 |access-date=December 9, 2015 |archive-date=June 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230606011518/https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/dec/09/douglas-tompkins-billionaire-behind-north-face-dies-after-kayak-accident |url-status=live }}</ref>

Tompkins is buried at a small cemetery near the Lodge at Valle Chacabuco in Parque Patagonia.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Guerrero |first=Susana |title=Funeral service for Douglas Tompkins held in Chile |url=https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Douglas-Tompkins-has-funeral-service-in-Chile-6710125.php |access-date=2024-01-19 |work=SFGATE |language=en |archive-date=January 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240119194831/https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/Douglas-Tompkins-has-funeral-service-in-Chile-6710125.php |url-status=live }}</ref>


== See also ==
Tompkins is buried at a small cemetery near the Lodge at Valle Chacabuco in Parque Patagonia.
* {{Annotated link|[[Wild Life (2023 film)|''Wild Life'']]}}


==References==
== References ==
{{Reflist|22em}}
{{reflist}}


==External links==
== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
{{Commons category}}
*[http://www.tompkinsconservation.org/home.htm Tompkins Conservation]
* [http://www.tompkinsconservation.org/home.htm Tompkins Conservation] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151215213100/http://www.tompkinsconservation.org/home.htm |date=December 15, 2015 }}
*{{fashiondesigner|id=douglas-tompkins}}
* {{fashiondesigner|id=douglas-tompkins}}
*[http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/spanish/specials/por_un_desarrollo_sostenible/newsid_2236000/2236248.stm Spanish Language BBC interview]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/spanish/specials/por_un_desarrollo_sostenible/newsid_2236000/2236248.stm Spanish Language BBC interview]
*[https://archive.today/20151215045752/http://www.dreamteam-media.com/inhalte/eng/content/film/ ''Rebel With A Cause – Doug Tompkins' quest to save the wilderness'' (film by DreamTeam medienproduktion, arte, WDR, NDR, 2010)]
* [https://archive.today/20151215045752/http://www.dreamteam-media.com/inhalte/eng/content/film/ ''Rebel With A Cause – Doug Tompkins' quest to save the wilderness'' (film by DreamTeam medienproduktion, arte, WDR, NDR, 2010)]
* [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLEY4wHeFoL_jS_3UvAPKUdbBYnda11u_p YouTube Playlist - Our Founder: Douglas Tompkins]


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Latest revision as of 01:06, 22 December 2024

Doug Tompkins
Tompkins in 2009
Born
Douglas Rainsford Tompkins

(1943-03-20)March 20, 1943
DiedDecember 8, 2015(2015-12-08) (aged 72)
Coyhaique, Chile
Occupation(s)businessman, conservationist
Known forNorth Face, Esprit, Tompkins Conservation
Spouses
(m. 1964; div. 1989)
(m. 1993)
Children2[2]
AwardsNew Species Award, Good Steward Award, David R. Brower Award
Websitewww.tompkinsconservation.org

Douglas Rainsford Tompkins (March 20, 1943 – December 8, 2015) was an American businessman, conservationist, outdoorsman, philanthropist, filmmaker, and agriculturalist. He founded the North Face Inc, co-founded Esprit and various environmental groups, including the Foundation for Deep Ecology and Tompkins Conservation.[3]

Beginning in the mid-1960s, he and Susie Tompkins Buell (née Russell), his first wife, co-founded and ran two companies: the outdoor equipment and clothing company The North Face and the Esprit clothing company. Following their divorce and Tompkins' departure from the business world in 1989, he became active in environmental and land conservation causes. In the 1990s Tompkins and his second wife, Kris McDivitt Tompkins bought and conserved more than 2 million acres (810,000 ha) of wilderness in Chile, exceeding that of any other private individuals in the region, thus becoming among the largest private land-owners in the world.[4] The Tompkinses were focused on park creation, wildlife recovery, ecological agriculture, and activism, with the goal of saving biodiversity.

He had assembled and preserved the land which became the largest gift of private land to any South American government.[5] Due to this, he was posthumously naturalized Chilean.[6]

Early life

[edit]

Tompkins was born in Conneaut, Ohio on March 20, 1943, the son of an antiques dealer and decorator.[1] He spent the first few years of his life in New York City before his family moved to Millbrook, New York. He graduated from Indian Mountain School, a pre-prep school in Lakeville, Connecticut, in 1957. In his senior year at Pomfret School in Connecticut, Tompkins was expelled for various minor infractions. He returned to his hometown in Millbrook, but did not graduate from high school.[7]

Tompkins spent the years between 1960 and 1962 ski racing and rock climbing in Colorado, Europe, and South America.[8] In 1963, Tompkins founded the California Mountaineering Guide Service.[9] It was during this time he met Susie Russell, a casino employee who gave him a lift while hitch-hiking to Lake Tahoe.[10] They married in 1964 in San Francisco.[11]

The North Face, Inc.

[edit]

In 1964, Tompkins borrowed $5,000 from a bank to found The North Face, Inc., in San Francisco,[12] as a mail order and retail company, selling rock climbing and camping equipment. The early years set the design standard of sleeping bags, backpacks, and mountaineering tents. Tompkins designed tents that were some of the first to avoid a pole in the middle, by using bendable rods threaded through exterior sleeves instead. This design also increased the strength of the tent because the domed shape allowed the wind to roll over it. These tents have been widely copied throughout the world. In 1966, the first The North Face store was opened; the band The Grateful Dead played at the grand opening.[13] Two years later, Tompkins sold out his stake to Kenneth "Hap" Klopp for $50,000, using the profit to join his wife in co-founding Esprit, a fashion house. Tompkins sold The North Face with the intention of a focus on adventure film making.[14]

Adventure filmmaking - Mountain of Storms

[edit]

In 1968, Tompkins headed off on a six-month road-adventure trip from California to Patagonia, along with Yvon Chouinard, Dick Dorworth, and Chris Jones (calling themselves the "Fun Hogs"), who made the third ascent of Mount Fitz Roy in Patagonia in 1968.[15] They put up a new route on Mount Fitzroy, and - together with filmmaker Lito Tejada-Flores, who also made the ascent - made an adventure film, Mountain of Storms, about their experience.[16][15] The 2010 film 180 Degrees South: Conquerors of the Useless describes a modern-day recreation of this journey and also highlights the conservation work on which Tompkins had been working.

Tompkins also became a skilled whitewater kayaker, claiming first descents of rivers in California, Africa, and South America. In addition, he was a skilled bush pilot.[17]

Esprit

[edit]

In 1968, Tompkins, his wife Susie, and her friend Jane Tise began selling girls dresses, which they had planned on the kitchen table, out of the back of a VW bus. In 1971 they incorporated the booming business under the name "Plain Jane", which later became Esprit.[18] By 1978, sales topped $100 million a year and the company had formed partnerships in Germany and Hong Kong. Tompkins appointed himself "image director", developing his own marketing approach: overseeing all aspects of the company's image, from store design to catalogue layout, while his wife served as design director.

Emerging as one of the hottest brands of the era, the company grew into a transnational company operating in 60 countries. In 1989, the Japanese art publisher Robundo published Esprit, the Comprehensive Design Principle (ISBN 4947613203), which documented the all-encompassing design principles that Tompkins had created for the brand.[18]

Growing increasingly concerned about the ecological impacts of the fashion industry, Tompkins decided to leave the business world in the late 1980s. In 1989, he sold his share of the American company back to Susie, from whom he had separated, putting most of his profits into land conservation.[19] Subsequently, in 1989 and 1994, he sold his interests in the other Esprit entities around the world.

Land conservation - Tompkins Conservation

[edit]

After selling his interest in Esprit, Tompkins turned his efforts toward southern Chile, where he had spent much time climbing, kayaking, and skiing, to focus on land conservation and environmental activism. He founded the Foundation for Deep Ecology in 1990, which supports environmental activism (see deep ecology), and The Conservation Land Trust in 1992, now called Tompkins Conservation, which works to protect wildlands, primarily in Chile and Argentina.[17][20]

In November 1994, he married Kristine L. McDivitt, a former chief executive of Patagonia; the two worked together on conservation projects.[21] The Tompkinses' conservation efforts focused on preserving wild landscapes and biodiversity. After purchasing large blocks of wilderness, they worked to create national parks, believing that this governmental designation serves as the best mode of guaranteeing long-term conservation. Kris Tompkins continues the work they started together as president of Tompkins Conservation.

Pumalín Park

[edit]

Tompkins's first major conservation project was Pumalín Park in the Palena Province of Chile, an 800,000-acre (320,000 ha) area of Valdivian temperate rain forest, high peaks, lakes, and rivers. In 1991 he bought the Reñihué farm, a semi-abandoned farm at the end of the Reñihué Fjord, planning to set aside 42,000 acres (17,000 ha) of this unique forest from possible exploitation. In the next decade, The Conservation Land Trust added another 700,000 acres (280,000 ha) in nearly contiguous parcels to create Pumalín Park, which eventually stretched from the Corcovado Gulf to the Andes mountains, over an area of 800,000 acres.

In 2005, then-president Ricardo Lagos declared this area a Nature Sanctuary, a special designation of the Chilean state, granting it additional environmental and non-developmental protection. The Conservation Land Trust (a U.S. environmental foundation) donated these protected lands to Fundación Pumalín (a Chilean foundation), for their administration and continual development as a type of National Park with public access under a private initiative.[22] Through creating public-access infrastructure, including trails, campgrounds, visitor centers, and a restaurant, Tompkins sought to promote wilderness experience, in hopes of inspiring a deeper environmental ethic in the park's many thousands of visitors.[22]

In March 2018, the Chilean president Michelle Bachelet announced that the government was accepting the gift of 1 million acres from Tompkins Conservation and creating five new national parks and expanding three more, covering 11 million acres in all, the largest private land donation in history. At a ceremony for signing of the accord between government and the foundation, Tompkins' long-term friend Yvon Chouinard claimed that “No other human has ever created this many acres of protected wildlands".[5]

Corcovado National Park

[edit]

Just to the south of Pumalin, Corcovado National Park represents one of Tompkins's completed conservation projects. In 1994, The Conservation Land Trust (CLT), along with U.S. philanthropist Peter Buckley, acquired 208,000 acres (84,000 ha) of native forest that was slated for logging, adjacent to vast areas of federal land under the jurisdiction of the Chilean Armed Forces. CLT offered to donate this parcel back to the Chilean state, provided that the whole area became a national park. In 2005, then-president Ricardo Lagos accepted this proposal, and the 726,000-acre (294,000 ha) Corcovado National Park was born.[17]

Iberá National Park

[edit]

The Iberá project was a private conservation enterprise that was spearheaded by Tompkins, working with George Soros, Harvard University,[23] and Rewilding Argentina.[24] Its goal was to strengthen protection and restore habitat and biodiversity in the Iberá Wetlands in Corrientes Province, Argentina.

Iberá Provincial Reserve, established in 1983, encompasses 1,300,000 ha of wetlands, grasslands, forest, and rangelands, including both publicly-owned lands and private cattle ranches. The Iberá project advocated for enhanced protection of government-owned floodplain lands, and in 2009 the provincial government created Iberá Provincial Park on 553,000 hectares of public land in the reserve.[25]

Led by Tompkins, the Conservation Land Trust acquired 150,000 hectares of old cattle ranches bordering the provincial park, including habitats not then represented in the park. Most cattle and internal fences were removed, and a land management program was developed to restore native vegetation and habitat.[25][26] In December 2015 the Trust donated these lands, including espinal, malezal grasslands, and forests, to the Argentine government to create a strictly-conserved national park to be called Iberá National Park. The proposed park, which would total 700,000 hectares, would be the largest national park in Argentina and home to hundreds of bird species, giant anteaters, and macaw parrots. It would provide safe habitat for a range of native species, and encourage a transition from "an exploitative economy" to "an economy of conservation and ecotourism".[27][28] In 2018 the Argentine government created Iberá National Park from the donated lands, while the provincial park is administered separately.[26]

In 2007 the Conservation Land Trust established a rewilding program to reintroduce native species which had been extirpated from the wetlands during the 20th century. Giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla), collared peccary (Peccary tajacu), South American tapir (Tapirus terrestris), pampas deer (Ozotoceros bezoarticus), and red-and-green macaw (Ara chloropterus) have been reintroduced to the wild, and a captive breeding program for jaguars (Panthera onca) was created to support reintroduction of jaguars to the parks.[25]

Other conservation projects

[edit]

Other conservation projects that Tompkins spearheaded include:

Organic agriculture

[edit]

Envisioning "conservation as a consequence of production," Tompkins developed models of sustainable organic farming, which maintain soil health and ecological integrity at the same time that they provide for families and support the local economy.[30]

In the area around Pumalin, the Hornopiren, Vodudahue, Ventisquero, Pillan, and Reñihué farms serve as exemplars of small-scale ecological agriculture and as informal park ranger stations. Each of these farms produces a variety of products, including sheep, cattle, honey, berries, and organic vegetables. A small facility in the Pillan farm processes honey and berries for jams, which are sold under the name Pillan Organics.[31]

In northeastern Argentina, Tompkins managed cattle ranches in Corrientes Province and polyculture grain and fruit farms in Entre Ríos Province. Each farm pays close attention to developing sustainable practices.[32]

Environmental activism

[edit]

Through the Foundation for Deep Ecology, Tompkins published a series of large-format, activist photograph books on environmental issues, including:

  • Clearcut: The Tragedy of Industrial Forestry (ed. Bill Devall, 1993, ISBN 0871564947)
  • Fatal Harvest: The Tragedy of Industrial Agriculture (ed. Andrew Kimbrell, 2002, ISBN 1559639407)
  • Welfare Ranching: The Subsidized Destruction of the American West (eds. George Weurthner and Mollie Yoneko Madison, 2002, ISBN 1559639423)
  • Wildfire: A Century of Failed Forest Policy (ed. George Weurthner, 2006, ISBN 159726069X)

In addition, The Foundation for Deep Ecology had a long history as a grant-maker in categories such as Biodiversity and Wilderness, Ecological Agriculture, and Megatechnology and Economic Globalization, although in-house publishing is now its main focus.[citation needed]

Tompkins also was involved in several large environmental campaigns in Chile and Argentina, such as the "Patagonia Sin Represas" campaign, which opposed the construction of dams on two of the largest and wildest rivers in the Patagonia region of Chile.[33]

Honors

[edit]

Tompkins' environmental work won him respect and accolades outside of South America: in 2012, the African Rainforest Conservancy awarded Tompkins and his wife its "New Species Award";[34] in 2007, the International Conservation Caucus Foundation awarded its "Good Steward" award to him and his wife, Kris;[35] in 2008, the American Alpine Club awarded him the David R. Brower Award, for his work preserving mountain regions; in 2009, Latin Trade named him the "Environmental Leader of the Year".[36]

In 2007, he was appointed as an honorary member of the American Society of Landscape Architects, in recognition of his work restoring damaged landscapes.[37] Eco Barons, Edward Humes' 2009 account of the "dreamers, schemers, and millionaires who are saving our planet," uses Tompkins as the first example of this new group of philanthropists.[38]

In Brazil, the environmentalist Douglas Tompkins was specially honored during the celebrations of 30 years of the Society for the Protection of Wildlife with the video “A Natureza do Brasil” with images of Haroldo Pallo Júnior and the Brazilian pianist Salete Chiamulera.[39]

Death

[edit]

On December 8, 2015, Tompkins was kayaking with five others (including Patagonia, Inc. founder Yvon Chouinard) on General Carrera Lake in southern Chile when strong waves caused their kayaks to capsize. Tompkins spent a "considerable amount of time" in 40 °F (4 °C) waters.

He was flown, by helicopter, to a hospital in nearby Coyhaique, where he died hours later from severe hypothermia.[40][41] He was 72 years old when he died and is survived by his second wife, Kristine (McDivitt), two daughters, brother and mother.[14][42]

Tompkins is buried at a small cemetery near the Lodge at Valle Chacabuco in Parque Patagonia.[43]

See also

[edit]
  • Wild Life – 2023 film by Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Pearson, Stephanie (December 9, 2015). "Obituary: Doug Tompkins (1943-2015)". Outside magazine. Archived from the original on February 7, 2017. Retrieved December 11, 2015.
  2. ^ Abrams, Rachel; Southall, Ashley (December 9, 2015). "Douglas Tompkins, 72, Founder of North Face, Dies in Kayak Accident". The New York Times. p. B14. Archived from the original on August 1, 2019. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
  3. ^ "This idea proved less wild than it first appeared". Australian Financial Review. September 22, 2021. Archived from the original on January 26, 2023. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  4. ^ “Pleistocene Park” emerges from Patagonia's rescued grasslands Archived February 28, 2010, at the Wayback Machine, nationalgeographic, January 23, 2010
  5. ^ a b Franklin, Jonathan (March 19, 2017). "Chile's new 'route of parks' aims to save the wild beauty of Patagonia". The Guardian. Archived from the original on July 19, 2019. Retrieved March 19, 2017.
  6. ^ "Nacionalidad por gracia: Comisión revoca por unanimidad reconocimiento al cardenal Ezzati" (in Spanish). January 7, 2019. Archived from the original on January 8, 2019. Retrieved September 9, 2020.
  7. ^ The Daily Telegraph, Thursday 10 December 2015, Obituaries [paper only], p.37
  8. ^ "Douglas Tompkins, The North Face Founder, Dies After Kayaking Accident". www.snowindustrynews.com. Archived from the original on June 24, 2016. Retrieved May 16, 2016.
  9. ^ The Conservation Land Trust
  10. ^ Nelson, Andrew (2002). "Another Roadside Attraction". Intersections: True Tales of San Francisco (blog). Archived from the original on August 12, 2011. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
  11. ^ Writer, Martha Groves Times Staff (May 30, 1990). "Estranged Co-Owners of Esprit See 'Baby' Go on Auction Block : * Retailing: Both Doug and Susie Tompkins plan to bid on the trendy San Francisco firm. An outsider could snap up the operation, which is finally rebounding after suffering from the couple's long-running feud". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 19, 2024. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
  12. ^ Face, The North. "The North Face Unveils Global Retail Strategy with Opening of New SoHo Location". www.prnewswire.com (Press release). Archived from the original on June 1, 2023. Retrieved April 22, 2020.
  13. ^ Synnott, Mark M. (December 9, 2015). "How The North Face Founder Went From High School Dropout to Millionaire Conservationist". National Geographic. Archived from the original on December 12, 2015. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
  14. ^ a b Sarah Kaplan (December 9, 2015). "North Face co-founder turned 'eco baron' Douglas Tompkins is killed in Chile kayaking accident". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on September 5, 2021. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
  15. ^ a b Patagonia. "Mountain of Storms". Patagonia. Archived from the original on April 7, 2020. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
  16. ^ "Patagonia Mountain of Storms DVD". www.patagonia.com. Archived from the original on April 10, 2016. Retrieved May 16, 2016.
  17. ^ a b c Diana Saverin (September 15, 2014). "The Entrepreneur Who Wants to Save Paradise". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on December 11, 2015. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
  18. ^ a b "company :: about us :: History". E S P R I T. September 16, 2010. Archived from the original on March 3, 2012. Retrieved August 3, 2012.
  19. ^ Humus, Edward. Eco Barons New York: Harper Collins, 2009 [ISBN missing][page needed]
  20. ^ "North Face founder Douglas Tompkins dies in kayaking accident in Chile". USA Today. Archived from the original on February 15, 2018. Retrieved August 26, 2017.
  21. ^ "Kris Tompkins North Face Founder Doug Tompkins' Wife". DailyEntertainmentNews.com. December 9, 2015. Archived from the original on December 10, 2015. Retrieved December 9, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  22. ^ a b "Parque Pumalín". Parquepumalin.cl. Archived from the original on July 17, 2012. Retrieved August 3, 2012.
  23. ^ "Página/12 :: Sociedad :: Reclamos en los esteros". Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
  24. ^ "The Conservation Land Trust". Archived from the original on May 15, 2012.
  25. ^ a b c Zamboni, Talía, Sebastián Di Martino, and Ignacio Jiménez-Pérez (2017). "A review of a multispecies reintroduction to restore a large ecosystem: The Iberá Rewilding Program (Argentina)". Perspectives in Ecology and Conservation Volume 15, Issue 4, October–December 2017, Pages 248-256.
  26. ^ a b "The Iberá Wetlands: Argentina’s Preeminent Wildlife Reserve". Conservation Finance Network. Accessed 19 July 2020. [1] Archived July 19, 2020, at the Wayback Machine
  27. ^ "What is the Great Ibera Park?". Archived from the original on December 24, 2013.
  28. ^ Franklin, Jonathan (January 29, 2018). "Chile creates five national parks over 10m acres in historic act of conservation". The Guardian. Archived from the original on March 13, 2018. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
  29. ^ "Parque Patagonia, Outside the Park". www.patagoniapark.org. Archived from the original on March 22, 2018. Retrieved March 21, 2018.
  30. ^ "(Re)Born to Be Wild: Coaxing Patagonia Back to Its Natural State". Modern Farmer. October 19, 2015. Archived from the original on December 10, 2015. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
  31. ^ "Pillan Organics - Chile". Pillanorganics.cl. Archived from the original on March 3, 2012. Retrieved August 3, 2012.
  32. ^ "Founder of The North Face Dies After Kayaking Incident in Chile, Apparently With Other Outdoor Legends". KTLA. December 9, 2015. Archived from the original on December 9, 2015. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
  33. ^ "Página Principal Patagonia Chilena ¡Sin Represas!". Patagoniasinrepresas.cl. Archived from the original on August 22, 2012. Retrieved August 3, 2012.
  34. ^ "Kris and Doug Tompkins receive the new - Species award from african rainforest conservancy". April 30, 2012. Archived from the original on September 10, 2014. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
  35. ^ http://www.iccfoundation.us/2007Gala/DinnerProgram.pdf[permanent dead link]
  36. ^ "Environmental Leader of the Year: Douglas Tompkins – Preserver of the Land". Latin Trade. October 1, 2009. Archived from the original on July 23, 2012. Retrieved August 3, 2012.
  37. ^ "ASLA Names 13 New Honorary Members". asla.org. May 1, 2007. Archived from the original on March 5, 2012. Retrieved August 3, 2012.
  38. ^ Edward Humes, Eco Barons (New York: Harper Collins, 2009)
  39. ^ "Filme de Haroldo Palo Jr. Mostra belezas naturais brasileiras". January 5, 2016. Archived from the original on April 20, 2021. Retrieved April 20, 2021.
  40. ^ "Doug Tompkins Dead in Kayak Accident". Backpacker. December 8, 2015. Archived from the original on December 11, 2015. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
  41. ^ "Press Release" Archived June 1, 2023, at the Wayback Machine (in Spanish)
  42. ^ Jonathan Franklin (December 9, 2015). "Douglas Tompkins, co-founder of North Face, dies after Chile kayak accident". The Guardian. Archived from the original on June 6, 2023. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
  43. ^ Guerrero, Susana. "Funeral service for Douglas Tompkins held in Chile". SFGATE. Archived from the original on January 19, 2024. Retrieved January 19, 2024.
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