Nature Is My Teacher is a podcast series and a documentary about a woman’s life mission to transform barren lands into an ecological paradise.

 

40 years ago, when New Yorker, Anna Valer Clark, bought a ranch in Arizona, her life was dramatically and unexpectedly changed forever. With it, she left behind an upper class, city art teacher existence to become a nature activist. Her curiosity and passion for the land led her to discover ancient water retention techniques that would eventually mark the beginning of one of the world’s most significant private land restoration projects.

How It All Started

Four years ago, I attended a wedding at the San Bernardino Ranch in Sonora, Mexico. We crossed the border and drove for a couple of hours, arriving late afternoon. We left our car near a small house and jumped in the back of a pickup truck. I sat on the top of my bag as we drove for what seemed to be hours at the time, looking up at the stars, surrounded by nature. I thought to myself, what an extraordinary place this is. Waking up the next day, I knew this place was not like any other I had been to. Our camp was near a beautiful hot spring built in the rock, and it was magical. I thought I had traveled to many places but had never seen anything like these surroundings. Later that day, Anna Valer Clark arrived riding her horse, and we spoke briefly in French. At that moment, I knew I had to tell her story.

Jose Manuel Perez


About us

Credit Photos

Scarlett Coten, Pascal Halim, Juliette Roy