Pressroom

SOUTHWESTERN GEMS:  OUR DESERT NATIONAL PARKS
NOVEMBER 18 AT 8 PM
EIGHT/KAET-TV

A tour of remarkable locations in the Southwest is ready for fans of the national parks.

"Southwestern Gems: Our Desert National Parks," a one-hour documentary from the producers of "The Desert Speaks," showcases the best of America’s national parks, monuments, preserves and historic sites of the four major North American deserts. Southwestern Gems: Our Desert National Parks airs Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 8 p.m. on Eight/KAET.

"Southwestern Gems" brings to life the four major North American deserts: The Great Basin Desert of Nevada and Utah; the Mohave Desert of California; the Sonoran Desert of Arizona; and the Chihuahuan Desert of New Mexico and Texas. Insight from experts and researchers from national parks within each of these locations guides viewers through the biology, geology and research that inspired the protection and preservation of these natural microcosms.

While each of these major desert areas has its own defining individuality, each park, monument, preserve and historic area within these deserts has the character fitting their protected designations. Some of these sites showcased in "Southwestern Gems: Our Desert National Parks" include:

Chihuahuan Desert (New Mexico & Texas): Big Bend National Park, White Sands National Monument, Guadalupe Mountains National Park

Great Basin Desert (Nevada & Utah): Great Basin National Park, Dinosaur National Monument, Mohave Desert (California), Joshua Tree

National Park, Death Valley National Park, Mojave National Preserve

Sonoran Desert (Arizona): Chiricahua National Monument, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.

About Eight/KAET-TV
Eight, Arizona PBS specializes in the education of children, in-depth news and public affairs, lifelong learning, and the celebration of arts and culture — utilizing the power of noncommercial television, the Internet, educational outreach services, and community-based initiatives. The PBS station began broadcasting from the campus of Arizona State University on January 30, 1961. Now more than 80 percent of Arizonans receive the signal through a network of translators, cable and satellite systems. With more than 1.3 million viewers each week, Eight consistently ranks among the most-viewed public television stations per capita in the country. Arizonans provide more than 60 percent of the station’s annual budget. For more information, visit www.azpbs.org.

Eight is a member-supported service of Arizona State University.