THE DESERT SPEAKS – SEASON 17
For Immediate Release
Contact: Michael Serres
520-621-3354
mserres@kuat.org
Available on request:
– Interviews
THE DESERT SPEAKS RETURNS
NEW SEASON OFFERS A GLIMPSE INTO RARE AND EXOTIC DESERTS
Host David Yetman and The Desert Speaks return for the 17th season with 13 new episodes and
another round of intrepid exploration and surprising discoveries. Expect remarkable images and
intriguing stories about the plants, animals, geology, people and history of desert regions near
and far.
The series is available in NTSC or HDTV.
It will be distributed in both standard definition and High Definition by APT Exchange
beginning April 28, 2007 (NTSC feeds: Saturdays, April 28, 2007 – July 21, 2007 at 2030-
2100ET /511) and throughout May 2007 on DT2A.
Season 17 seeks evidence of early settlements in northwestern Arizona’s ―Big Empty‖ and looks
at the California Condor Restoration Project. Then it’s off to Mexico for three episodes focusing
on a variety of flora, fauna and culture, including a look at the history and production of one of
Mexico’s most famous exports – tequila.
While south of the border, the Desert Speaks host and crew drop in on a local festival dedicated
to tasty cactus fruits named Pitaya near Guadalajara. The adventures in Mexico continue with a
visit to magical Michoacán, with side trips to a coastal banana plantation, a tropical deciduous
forest known for its explosive fruit and malicious shrubs, and ending in Paracho, the guitar-
making capital of Mexico.
Other episodes this season offer new insights on the desert environment, including a look at one
of the symbols of the desert, the hearty palm tree, and a down-and-dirty lesson on the importance
of adobe.
Press Release – Page 2
The KUAT Communications Group
University of Arizona ~ Tucson, AZ 85721
520/621-5828 ~ www.desertspeaks.org
THE DESERT SPEAKS – SEASON 17
The crew travels to South America, where in Peru they visit Chiclayo’s ―witches’ market,‖
examine pre-Incan aqueducts on the road to Cajamarca, and traverse Ecuador’s fog forest. A
close-up look at hummingbirds – or ―winged jewels‖ – is also on the itinerary, as is an
exploration of other areas of Mexico to visit both ancient archeological sites and modern-day
Mennonite farms, and see how a native people – the Tarahumara – celebrate Holy Week in their
own traditional fashion.
Viewers will enjoy following the path of Sonora, Mexico’s forgotten river, Rio San Miguel, and
thrill as they survey Patagonia, Argentina’s desolate and windswept glacial landscape. The
season ends with a journey through Patagonia to learn from the inhabitants about their past
culture and their adaptation to a modern world of ranchers and guachos.
The Desert Speaks is produced by KUAT-TV. The series airs on PBS stations across the country
and has won multiple regional and national awards, including 24 Emmy Awards.
The KUAT Communications Group is an educational broadcast and production resource of The
University of Arizona. The group consists of PBS stations KUAT-TV Channels 6 and 27,
KUAT-DT Channels 28 and 30, classical public radio station KUAT-FM 90.5, NPR and jazz
station KUAZ-AM 1550/FM 89.1, and the KUAT MultiMedia unit, which provides distance
learning for The University of Arizona and manages the UA Channel, a cable television service.
http://thedesertspeaks.org/
(Includes a behind-the-scenes journal)
http://kuat.org
About American Public Television
For 44 years, American Public Television (APT) has been a prime source of programming for
the nation’s public television stations. APT distributes more than 10,000 hours of programming
including JFK: Breaking the News, Simply Ming, Globe Trekker, Rick Steves’ Europe, Julia and
Jacques Cooking at Home, Battlefield Britain, Jungle, America’s Test Kitchen, Lidia’s Italian-
American Kitchen and classic movies. APT is known for identifying innovative programs and
developing creative distribution techniques for producers. In four decades, it has established a
tradition of providing public television stations nationwide with program choices that enable
them to strengthen and customize their schedules. Press should contact Donna Hardwick at 617-
338-4455 ext. 129 or via email to Donna_Hardwick@APTonline.org. For more information
about APT’s programs and services visit APTonline.org.
###
The KUAT Communications Group
University of Arizona ~ Tucson, AZ 85721
520/621-5828 ~ www.desertspeaks.org
THE DESERT SPEAKS – SEASON 17
PROGRAM TITLES, DESCRIPTIONS (& SHOW ORDER)
1701 Exploring Arizona’s ‘Big Empty’
It’s big, it’s empty and it’s in a relatively unexplored area of northwestern Arizona. Known
affectionately as the ―Arizona Strip,‖ this topographically rough area is free of paved roads and
other amenities, but has a rich geological and natural history.
Host David Yetman, ecologist Yar Petryszyn and archeologist Jock Favour trek through the ―Big
Empty‖ to examine evidence of early settlements, investigate high desert plants and learn about a
project helping to increase the population of a rare and magnificent creature. The California
Condor Restoration Project increases the number of condors in the wild by using GPS
technology to track the birds via satellite. This trip ends at the southern limit of the Arizona
Strip at the steepest and most isolated ledge of the Grand Canyon, which overlooks a 3,000-foot
drop to the Colorado River below.
1702 Tequila: Exploring the Legend
Host David Yetman, Mexican ecologist Alberto Búrquez and premiere agave expert Ana
Valenzuela travel to the state of Jalisco, Mexico, to inspect the history, production process – and
even taste – of one of Mexico’s most famous exports – tequila. The trip begins in Tequila, the
city named after the famous beverage. The city has profited economically and developed a
strong sense of cultural identity around the production of this distilled liquor. The climate, soil
and landscape combine for the perfect place to grow the agave plants used to produce the distinct
Tequila taste.
Join the crew as they encounter jimadores harvesting agave using a ―coa,‖ a long, machete-like,
round-ended knife. From there, it’s on to see how the agave is steamed, fermented and distilled.
Finally, Yetman and guests sample a portion of the finished product.
1703 Passions of the Pitaya
Travel with host David Yetman and Mexican ecologist Alberto Búrquez to an area southwest of
Guadalajara, Mexico where locals celebrate an annual festival dedicated to tasty Pitaya cactus
fruit. Once used as a source of water for natives, the Pitaya has now become a reason to
celebrate. In this episode, Yetman journeys to the city of Techaluta to watch workers harvest
Pitayas by lamplight, where he places a bet on a midday horserace, and participates in a Pitaya-
eating contest. Then visit Infiernillo ―Little Hell,‖ where the dry, hot temperature is ideal for the
cultivation of a distinct type of Pitaya. The travelers also visit a local carpenter who produces
furniture from various types of columnar cactus wood.
1704 Magical Michoacán
The KUAT Communications Group
University of Arizona ~ Tucson, AZ 85721
520/621-5828 ~ www.desertspeaks.org
THE DESERT SPEAKS – SEASON 17
Host David Yetman and Mexican ecologist Alberto Búrquez travel into and around the state of
Michoacán, Mexico, to explore its rugged coast, diverse habitats and local traditions. On the
coast, the travelers visit a banana plantation to see how the fruit is cleaned and kept free of insect
damage before exportation.
Further inland, a stop in one of Michoacán’s tropical deciduous forests reveals some interesting
vegetation, including the Sandbox Tree, which bears explosive fruit, and the malicious Mala
Mujer shrub with its sharp, stinging hairs. Then it’s on to Paracho, the famous guitar-making
capital of Mexico. Watch the construction of beautiful instruments and examine some of the
guitars that have been aged for as many as 35 years to create the perfect tone.
1705 Palms in the Desert
Palm trees have long been a symbol of the desert and, more importantly, a sign of water to a
weary desert traveler. In this episode, ecologist Jim Cornett joins host David Yetman for a look
around California’s Coachella Valley, the lowest and hottest inhabited place in the Northern
Hemisphere.
After a walk around Palm Springs to examine the area’s most famous residents, Yetman heads
for the largest undisturbed palm oasis on Earth, Palm Canyon. Yetman shows how to jump
across the fault line that allows subterranean water to seep from the nearby mountains and helps
the palms thrive in a seemingly dry area. This episode also features a trip to the Oasis Date
Gardens, where the non-native date palms require constant human attention in order to produce
their luscious fruits.
1706 On the Road to Cajamarca
In this episode, host David Yetman, his brother, geologist Dick Yetman and South American
archeologist Axel Nielson start at sea level in the town of Chiclayo and then journey upward to
the town of Cajamarca. In Chiclayo, they explore the ―witches’ market,‖ where they find herbs,
hallucinogens and other natural remedies that promise everything from basic protection from
curses to headache cures.
As the trek continues, stop to examine pre-Incan mountaintop aqueducts hand carved into the
thick rock of the Andes. Near the outskirts of Cajamarca, the crew visits the Ventanillas de
Otuzco (―Little Windows of Otuzco‖), an area where a deposit of volcanic ash provided natives
with the material to create a stunning commemorative memorial for their ancestors. The episode
concludes in Cajamarca with a climb up an Incan stairway to view the city as an Incan emperor
would have surveyed his domain.
1707 Ecuador’s Fog Forest: Mists over the Desert
The KUAT Communications Group
University of Arizona ~ Tucson, AZ 85721
520/621-5828 ~ www.desertspeaks.org
THE DESERT SPEAKS – SEASON 17
Host David Yetman travels to the agrarian community of Loma Alta, Ecuador. This city lives in
symbiosis with a cloud forest nature preserve situated in the mountains above the city. Before
the area was protected, local residents exploited and decimated the forest with little regard for its
ecosystem. Though logging was once the cornerstone of the Loma Alta community, the current
inhabitants now realize the importance of the fog forest to their livelihood. Fog is captured in the
lush vegetation and drips to the ground, eventually flowing down to water the crops of Loma
Alta.
This episode also features a visit to a ―hummingbird oasis‖ where researchers observe the varied
species the forest has to offer.
1708 Hummingbirds: From Desert to Jungle
Beginning in the Sonoran Desert and finishing in Ecuador’s mountaintop preserve of Loma Alta,
this episode examines the life of the hummingbird. Southern Arizona is the perfect place to start,
as it lays along the migratory route for these ―winged jewels‖ and makes for an ideal place to
study birds that come from as far away as British Columbia and Alaska. Then host David
Yetman climbs to the mountaintop preserve of Loma Alta to join scientists as they research
―hummers‖ found in the fog forest. Observe some of the unusual and gentle methods researchers
use to study these delicate creatures. This program also features a close-up look at howler
monkeys.
1709 Sierra Madre Easter
Travel around Chihuahua, Mexico, with host David Yetman and the Arizona-Sonora Desert
Museum’s Jesus Garcia, a native of Mexico. Together they look at how traditions continue for
the area’s indigenous peoples while new arrivals contribute to Chihuahua’s identity in other
ways.
The first stop is Paquime, site of one of the most sophisticated pre-Columbian cities in
northwestern Mexico. There, Yetman finds ceramic remains, evidence of advanced drainage
systems and stops at ―La Casa de las Guacamayas‖ where the local residents raised revered
macaw parrots. Then visit some of the newest residents in Mexico with a trip to a Mennonite
farm operation. Only in Mexico for the past 100 years or so, the Mennonites are the largest
source of commercial cheese in the country.
The episode ends with a trip to the hills of the Sierra Madre Occidental, where the native
peoples, the Tarahumara, celebrate Holy Week in their own traditional way and where each
pueblo sends their own dancers and musicians to participate. The area is so remote that some
groups walk for days to be a part of this celebration.
1710 Ageless Mud: Adobe Homes in the Desert
The KUAT Communications Group
University of Arizona ~ Tucson, AZ 85721
520/621-5828 ~ www.desertspeaks.org
THE DESERT SPEAKS – SEASON 17
Host David Yetman and expert architect Bob Vint travel around Tucson, Arizona, to see how
adobe – the perfect desert building material – was used in the past and is still used today. Adobe
not only has a remarkable period of longevity, but also has thermal capabilities, making it ideal
for the hot dry desert. Yetman and Vint spend time at the San Xavier Mission to watch a
restoration crew use new adobe to repair and restore the existing adobe exterior. Near Marana,
Yetman visits a commercial brickyard to see how these ―desert building blocks‖ are created from
start to finish. They also travel to the Tucson Mountains to observe masons constructing adobe
walls and visit a completed adobe home to see the finished results.
1711 Sonora’s Forgotten River
Life along the Rio San Miguel has remained relatively unchanged for the last 300 years. David
Yetman and Mexican ecologist Alberto Búrquez trace the river through Sonora, Mexico, to see
how life has adapted to its unpredictable flow. The trip begins in Magdalena de Kino, with a
stop at Father Kino’s monument, before heading south to the city of Cucurpe. With the
assistance of local resident Don Beto Cruz, Yetman surveys the local river vegetation thriving
during the summer monsoon. Further south the landscape becomes more modern as local farms
give way to sprawling cities.
1712 Patagonia’s Glacial Landscape
In this episode, host David Yetman and Argentine archeologist Maria Jose Figuerero make their
way through the arid, desolate and windswept Patagonia landscape. The travelers make part of
the trip on horseback along the Chilean/Argentine border, taking time to observe the glorious
flight of the graceful Andean condor. They also stop in the city of Calafate, the gateway to
Glacier National Park, and observe a local folklore performance group dancing and making
music. The highlight of the trip is a close up look at the park’s magnificent glaciers. Yetman and
Figuerero also examine evidence of glacial movement over the landscape, inspect an ice cave
and spy some glacial calving.
1713 Argentina: Ancient Patagonia People
Host David Yetman and Argentine archeologist Maria Jose Figuerero journey through the
gorgeously diverse Patagonia landscape for a look at the Patagonian people from ancient to
modern times. The travelers stop at the Cuerva de los Manos (―Cave of the Hands‖), which
features a lasting glimpse into the lives of early residents. The famous stenciled handprints were
created by blowing through a straw-like instrument filled with paint, while the images of lizards,
people and the hunting of huanacos (a relative of the llama) were painted by hand. The episode
includes a visit to ―Cierro de los Indios,‖ a site currently being excavated and offering evidence
that people inhabited Patagonia possibly as long as 12,000 years ago. The trip also includes a
visit to the some of the little ranches, ―estancias,‖ that spot the sparse landscape, and a visit with
some modern day sheep herding gauchos.
The KUAT Communications Group
University of Arizona ~ Tucson, AZ 85721
520/621-5828 ~ www.desertspeaks.org
THE DESERT SPEAKS – SEASON 17
Production Credits
Producer/Director
Tom Kleespie
Videographer/Editor/Director
Dan Duncan
Host
David Yetman
Online Editor/Post-Production Audio
Steve Bayless
Original Music
Mike Purdy
Studio Audio Recording
Jim Blackwood
Graphics
Marshall Arts Motion Graphics
Shawn and Lisa Marshall
Engineering
Jim Cooper, Dave Ross, Mark Scott
Project Manager
Fran Sherlock
Producing Station
KUAT-TV
The University of Arizona
Tucson, AZ 85721
520-621-5828
www.kuat.org
Production Partner
The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
Underwriters
Desert Program Partners
Stonewall Foundation
The KUAT Communications Group
University of Arizona ~ Tucson, AZ 85721
520/621-5828 ~ www.desertspeaks.org
THE DESERT SPEAKS – SEASON 17
Producing Station
KUAT-TV, Tucson, Arizona
KUAT-TV is a nonprofit, non-commercial public television station, licensed to the Arizona
Board of Regents. KUAT-TV is a part of the KUAT Communications Group, an educational
broadcast and production resource of The University of Arizona, is an affiliate of the Public
Broadcasting Service (PBS) and a member of the National Educational Telecommunications
Association (NETA).
KUAT-TV currently produces a nightly newsmagazine program, a weekly bilingual magazine
program, and The Desert Speaks. Past productions include Tucson Remembers: The War Years,
Show of Courage, Walking in Tucson’s Past, Grand Canyon Cowboys, Geronimo – The Final
Campaign, Will Rogers’ USA, A Field of Arabians, Faces of Pancho Villa, Where Arizona Meets
the Sea, The Coronado Trail – A Rediscovery, Arts of the First Americans, Our Journeys:
American Indian Epics, Grand Canyon Flood!, Divine Mission-San Xavier del Bac, Christmas at
San Xavier, Philabaum: The Art of Glass and KUAT Cooks.
For more information about KUAT, visit www.kuat.org.
Production Partner
The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum
The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum teems with life from the worlds of desert plants and
animals. Exhibits recreate the natural habitat so realistically you find yourself eye-to-eye with
mountain lions, prairie dogs, Gila monsters, hawks and hummingbirds. Look closely and
experience the delicate beauty of regional minerals and fossils. Look up, and vistas extend for
nearly one hundred miles into Mexico. Museum volunteers greet you, lead tours and give live
demonstrations with animals and plants. Although it is called a museum, you will find this place
is really a naturalist’s dream – a Mecca for the curious.
The New York Times applauds this renowned museum: ―Probably the most distinctive zoo in the
United States ... It is a combination of museum, zoo, botanical garden and nature trail ... not to be
missed.‖
A nonprofit educational institution founded in 1952, the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum focuses
on natural history and is dedicated to fostering public appreciation, knowledge and wise
stewardship of the Sonoran Desert region. The Desert Museum is open every day of the year and
welcomes more than half a million visitors annually. Please call
520-883-2702, or visit the museum’s Web site at www.desertmuseum.org for more information.
The KUAT Communications Group
University of Arizona ~ Tucson, AZ 85721
520/621-5828 ~ www.desertspeaks.org
THE DESERT SPEAKS – SEASON 17
Distribution Partner
American Public Television
For 44 years, American Public Television (APT) has been a prime source of programming for
the nation’s public television stations. APT distributes more than 10,000 hours of programming
including JFK: Breaking the News, Simply Ming, Globe Trekker, Rick Steves’ Europe, Julia and
Jacques Cooking at Home, Battlefield Britain, Jungle, America’s Test Kitchen, Lidia’s Italian-
American Kitchen and classic movies. APT is known for identifying innovative programs and
developing creative distribution techniques for producers. In four decades, it has established a
tradition of providing public television stations nationwide with program choices that enable
them to strengthen and customize their schedules. For more information about APT’s programs
and services visit APTonline.org.
Production Funding
KUAT Desert Program Partners
Major production funding for The Desert Speaks was provided by Desert Program Partners,
representing concerned viewers making a financial commitment to the education about and
preservation of deserts.
Information about becoming a Desert Program Partner is available by calling
520-621-7640 or e-mailing Lucinda Davis (ldavis@kuat.org).
Additional funding for The Desert Speaks was provided by the Stonewall Foundation.
The KUAT Communications Group
University of Arizona ~ Tucson, AZ 85721
520/621-5828 ~ www.desertspeaks.org
THE DESERT SPEAKS – SEASON 17
Host David Yetman - Biography
Host David Yetman, Ph.D., is research social scientist at the Southwest Center of the University
of Arizona in Tucson. He has worked as a university professor, camp manager, clock maker,
construction worker, legal researcher, member of the Pima County (Arizona) Board of
Supervisors and executive director of the Tucson Audubon Society. He received his doctorate in
philosophy from the University of Arizona.
Dr. Yetman is also a nationally known author and accomplished photographer. His books
include: Where the Desert Meets the Sea: A Trader in the Land of the Seri Indians; Sonora: An
Intimate Geography; Gentry’s Río Mayo Plants, the Tropical Deciduous Forest and Environs of
Northwest Mexico; and Scattered Round Stones: A Mayo Village in Sonora, Mexico. His most
recent books are Mayo Ethnobotany: Land, History, and Traditional Knowledge in Northwest
Mexico, co-authored with ecologist Thomas R. Van Devender, and Guarijíos of the Sierra
Madre: Hidden people of northwest Mexico. His recent book The Organ Pipe Cactus is an
ethnobotanical and botanical guide to a culturally important plant of northwest Mexico.
In the last decade, Yetman has carried out intensive studies of desert and thorn forest/dry tropical
forest peoples in the Mexican states of Sonora and Sinaloa. Yetman focused his research on the
locals’ use of their lands and especially their plants. He has also worked to establish preserves
for the great organ pipe cactus forests of southern Sonora. Yetman’s current projects include
studies of the great columnar cacti of North America, South America and the Caribbean, and
how they have influenced and been influenced by cultures and a history and geography of the
Opata people of northeastern Sonora, Mexico. His long-time study of the great cacti is currently
in press.
Yetman’s background and interests are a perfect fit for the adventurous direction of The Desert
Speaks. As the crew journeys to some of the most exotic locations on Earth — from Wyoming to
Argentina’s Patagonia, from the Great Basin to the Galapagos Islands, from giant sequoias in the
Sierra Nevada to giant eucalyptus in southwest Australia — his enthusiasm, abundant energy and
expertise are called upon frequently.
The KUAT Communications Group
University of Arizona ~ Tucson, AZ 85721
520/621-5828 ~ www.desertspeaks.org