06/08/2026
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Douglas Tompkins, co-founder of The North Face, spent decades transforming his fortune into one of the world's largest private conservation efforts. Together with his wife, Kristine Tompkins, he acquired more than two million acres across Chile and Argentina, later donating vast areas that helped create and expand national parks protecting Patagonia's wildlife, forests, wetlands, and mountains.
Tompkins died in 2015 at age 72 after a kayaking accident on Chile's General Carrera Lake. Strong winds caused his kayak to capsize, and despite being rescued and airlifted to a hospital, he succumbed to severe hypothermia. His conservation legacy endured, with Kristine continuing their work and helping complete historic land donations that preserved millions of acres for future generations.
