President Matthew Scott on Kristine McDivitt Tompkins receiving a 2017 Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy

Last week the international family of Carnegie institutions named nine exceptional individuals as recipients of the Carnegie Medal of Philanthropy, including Kristine McDivitt Tompkins, who co-founded Tompkins Conservation along with her late husband Douglas Tompkins. Carnegie President Matthew Scott wrote about her selection for this honor: 

"Kristine McDivitt Tompkins’ philanthropic career dramatically increased in scale with her partnership and marriage to Douglas Tompkins in 1993. Their shared appreciation for nature—its unspoiled beauty and inhabitants—led to the creation of Tompkins Conservation, the umbrella organization covering a range of efforts to preserve, nurture, and restore biodiversity through conservation, restoration, regenerative agriculture, and activism. Although Mr. Tompkins died in 2015, the couple’s shared mission continues to inspire conservation accomplishments of epic proportions. Steadfast in her commitment, Ms. Tompkins, together with her husband, acquired and donated millions of acres of unspoiled new parklands to Chile and Argentina. This achievement rendered the couple the most successful park-oriented conservationists in history. Ms. Tompkins is the former CEO of the outdoor clothing and gear company Patagonia Inc."

Below is a selection of images Scott took at the Tompkins Conservation's Pumalín Park in Patagonia, Chile, showcasing the vast geological and biological diversity of the preserve.