Research scientist, author and photographer David Yetman, leads viewers on another round of bold explorations when the multi-Emmy®-winning series THE DESERT SPEAKS returns for its 19th season. By boat, foot, car, bike and motorcycle, Yetman travels from Bolivia to Baja California to explore the plants, geography and people of desert regions across the U.S. and Mexico. The first few episodes find Yetman and naturalist Jesus Garcia in El Paso, Texas where they examine the social, political and financial ramifications of the Gadsden Purchase, the last major territorial acquisition in the contiguous United States. In addition, Yetman visits the largest dune field in the United States, enjoys a hot-air balloon ride over Yuma, examines the caves of Kartchner Caverns State Park, tracks tiger rattlesnakes, gila monsters and jaguars, and travels with native Navajo families to learn the geological and spiritual history of the Glen Canyon region.