The Desert Speaks

Science and Nature Series / 12 Seasons

Host David Yetman takes viewers on unforgettable, bold explorations of desert landscapes. Through intriguing storytelling and stunning photography, viewers find out about the people, plants, animals and archaeology of arid regions throughout the New World. "The Desert Speaks" was produced for 19 seasons, and continues to air today.

Watch: S19 E1901

26m 36s / TV-G

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Navajo Canyon Lands

S19 E1910 / 26m 36s / TV-G

The creation of Lake Powell forced the evacuation of many Navajo families and forever changed the lives of many others. Today, host David Yetman and his brother, geologist Dick Yetman, travel with native Navajo families to learn some of the geological and spiritual history of the Glen Canyon region.

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Dying Traiditions in a Mexican Pueblo

S19 E1909 / 26m 36s / TV-G

Host David Yetman takes a trip to the pueblos of the Sierra Madre, where traditions are slowly dying out as the big cities become more accessible to the population. After stopping to see a donkey-powered Pinole grinder made of stone, he heads to agrarian community of Sahuaripa to visit its talabartería (a leather goods shop) and call upon the last remaining weaver of palm hats and baskets.

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Into the Swell: Utah's High Desert

S19 E1908 / 26m 36s / TV-G

Utah’s San Rafael Swell is one of the most remote and least-visited wonders of the desert southwest. Host David Yetman and his brother, Geologist Dick Yetman, camp out and explore the geology and vegetation of this intimidating stretch of desert. They also trek through Utah’s Little Grand Canyon to see the pictographs and petroglyphs that were created thousands of years ago.

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Utah's Slick Rock Country

S19 E1907 / 26m 36s / TV-G

Host David Yetman and his brother, Geologist Dick Yetman, take a geological road trip to Southeastern Utah’s Colorado Plateau. After hiking through an ever-changing slot canyon named Canyon X and the aptly named Kodachrome Basin State Park, they take an eerie trek through Goblin Valley State Park where the mysterious entrada rock sculptures known as “goblins” surround you from all angles.

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Jaguars and Vaqueros

S19 E1906 / 26m 36s / TV-G

Host David Yetman travels along with the Northern Jaguar Project to see how they use motion activated cameras to track jaguar movements through Eastern Sonora Mexico. By paying local ranch owners for any jaguar images captured on their land, this project working to convince the vaquero (the Mexican cowboy) that el tigre is worth more alive than dead.

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Desert Venom

S19 E1905 / 26m 36s / TV-G

David Yetman joins Herpatologists in their various quests to learn more about the many venomous creatures that call the Sonoran Desert home. They track Tiger Rattlesnakes using radio implants before heading up to the mountains to observe rattlesnake dens. While studying the impact urban developments have on the movements of a Gila Monster, they encounter rattlesnakes, tarantulas and desert toads.

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Beyond the Asphalt, Part II

S19 E1904 / 26m 36s / TV-G

Interstate highways allow for quick trips, but they also provide a gateway to some of the most amazing places you’ll ever visit. Host David Yetman travels by foot, car, bike, and motorcycle to examine the caves of Kartchner Caverns State Park, the historic sites of Tombstone, the Sandhill Cranes of Sulphur Springs Valley and the “Wonderland of Rocks” in the Chiricahua Moutains.

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Beyond the Asphalt Part 1

S19 E1903 / 26m 36s / TV-G

Host David Yetman heads west of Tucson to visit some undiscovered places. After visiting the largest dune field in the United States, we head to Yuma for a hot air balloon ride and a walk through “the hell-hole of Arizona,” the Arizona Territorial Prison. Other stops include the Sonoran Desert National Monument and Picacho Peak State Park.

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The Gadsden Purchase, Part 2

S19 E1902 / 26m 36s / TV-G

Beginning at the San Pedro River and heading west, journey through some of natural wonders that would not be part of the United States if it hadn't been for the Gadsden Purchase. The crew travels through the hard-core desert of Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, and visit the historic desert oasis, Quitobaquito Springs before finishing off their trip at the Colorado River near Yuma.

The Gadsden Purchase, Part 1

S19 E1901 / 26m 36s / TV-G

Host David Yetman and Naturalist Jesus Garcia, of the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, begin at the eastern border of the Gadsden Purchase and head west along the border to explore some of the social, political and financial ramifications of the Gadsden Purchase. They stop off at a cemetery in Hachita, New Mexico, the Geronimo Surrenders Monument, and the Gadsden Hotel to name a few.

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