I’m a sucker for a good love story. And I truly believe that the best ones are unexpected. That’s why when I was watching the nature documentary Wild Life (which you can stream now on Disney+), I didn’t expect to full on sob at Kristine Tompkins (she/her) aka Kris, president and co-founder of Tompkins Conservation, and her late husband Douglas Tompkins’s journey together. “It was pure chemistry, just one of those things,” she says about her relationship with Doug. “When we met up in Patagonia, both of us just knew it was it very quickly.”

While this breathtaking film entails her and Doug’s separate and joined careers in and out of different worlds, it also explores their lifelong mission to preserve the Patagonia region. “Patagonia refers to the southern portion of Chile and Argentina at the tip of the South American continent,” she shares. “My connection with it started as tangential—working for the brand Patagonia which was named for Yvon Chouinard’s trip there with friends at a time when it was little-known, to surf, ski, and climb. Later for me, it became a place of wonder—a place of wild rivers, ancient forests, glaciers, and vast grasslands whose sheer magnitude is incredible. I’m drawn to harsh, untamed places, and Patagonia has that in spades. It makes you feel very small, something which helps us understand our human place in the circle of life.”

Kris’s passion for Patagonia, and pretty much the whole planet, is infectious and inspiring. As is everything she’s done in life—including her love for her husband. While the docu displays the intimate details of her and Doug’s time together, it also discusses his unexpected passing in 2015—which happened in a way that Kris never really pictured. “You know, considering Doug and I were always flying in a small airplane, we imagined that was how we’d meet our fate,” she says, “Flying in the Andes can be rough—there were times when I actually kissed the ground when we landed. But I must say that flying was also exhilarating and something that fed our souls. Doug was a talented bush pilot and together we got to explore some of the most beautiful territory on the planet—lush forests, the Southern Ice Fields of Chile, the great rivers and waterfalls all over Patagonia, and the shining waters of the Ibera wetlands. It was pure joy.” Again, I must grab a tissue.

Even after losing Doug, Kris hasn’t given a second thought to retirement. In fact, she says it’s not an option (especially when we’re talking about Earth). “As Yvon says, the cure for despair is action,” she recalls. “Once you see the tangible changes that come about through rewilding, like jaguar cubs playing free where the species had been hunted to extinction, or red-and-green macaws flying over the wetlands, you can’t stop. We have laid waste to so much of this planet—today less than a quarter of it remains intact wilderness. Think of that. It’s up to all of us to halt the destruction and live more responsibly. As one of the great jewels of the planet, Patagonia is a good starting point, but it’s just that.”

If you’re reading this and thinking, “Well, how the hell can I help if I’m not an experienced conservationist like Kris?” Don’t worry, I had the same thought! And Kris has advice: “I always point out that our work—helping protect 15M acres and bringing back dozens of species—would have been impossible without the participation of so many dedicated individuals whose hard work proves essential to these endeavors. We have Chileans and Argentines who have been working with us for decades and brought up their children in the parks, as well as young people starting their work lives in these remote places that present lots of challenges, like harsh weather, a lack of connectivity, and hard, physical work. But it’s joyous work as well. Everyone should just try doing something to create benefits beyond themselves. After all, it’s the only way we will survive.”

I know I might not make it to Patagonia one day, but I can start by helping in my own backyard.

Go wild(life) 🐾,
Chloe Trout, associate editor