Aldo Leopold Foundation

06/23/2026

As a young forest ranger in the early 1900s, Leopold didn't question the policies on predator extermination. In fact, he rejoiced at the opportunity to kill a wolf.

It wasn't until later that Aldo started to "think like a mountain" and appreciate the interconnected webs of the ecosystem—the critical role predators play and the critical role humans, too, play within the land community.

Read Ben Goldfarb's new article on Leopold, featured in Smithsonian Magazine's special issue, "America at 250: The Revolutionary Spark." Then stay tuned for our upcoming Land Ethic Live! with Goldfarb as we further explore Leopold's revolutionary conservation ideas.

https://ow.ly/AGaO50ZfhBA

Aldo Leopold’s writing reconsidered the place of humans in the natural world and challenged people to be less conquerors of the land and more citizens of it

06/21/2026

Happy summer solstice, and happy father's day! Celebrating the dads (like Leopold) who teach their kids to love the land in all seasons. ☀️

How will you be spending the longest day of the year?

📷: Aldo Leopold and son Carl practicing archery, 1935

06/20/2026

Folks in the greater Chicago area—please join us for a presentation by Programs Manager Jennifer Sterling on Tuesday, June 23, at the Raue Center for the Arts in Crystal Lake! Learn more about Leopold's life and work and the culmination of the land ethic idea.

Register for this free event here: https://aapld.libnet.info/event/15828267

06/19/2026

This Juneteenth, we're spotlighting a pioneering Black scientist and educator who opened our minds to the world of plants—and opened the door for others after her. 🍀

Dr. Marie Clark Taylor was the first Black woman to earn a PhD in botany (Fordham University, 1941). Having earned her first two degrees at the historically Black Howard University, she later returned to become a professor, then chair of the Department of Botany, paving the way for generations of Black botanists.

Her doctoral research looked at photomorphogenesis—the influence of light on plant growth—with a particular focus on how length of exposure to light stimulated flowering. Taylor's findings have made huge impacts on gardening and agriculture, but they also explain why wild plants bloom at different times of the season. (Phenology, anyone?)

A dedicated educator, Taylor didn't only mentor her students, but other teachers as well. In the 1950s and '60s, she hosted summer science institutes through the National Science Foundation, emphasizing hands-on learning opportunities and the use of real botanical materials and microscopes in the classroom. Hearing of her work, President Lyndon B. Johnson enlisted her to expand these seminars across the country and internationally. Taylor reshaped how biology and botany were taught and lit the spark for Black students in the sciences.

📷: 1941 Fordham yearbook photo of Taylor, courtesy of the Fordham Libraries

06/18/2026

Calling all educators!

We are hosting a workshop on teaching climate for middle grade students here at the Leopold Center in Baraboo on July 28. Learn how to increase student engagement with hands-on, place-based activities, and get ready-made lesson plans and tools to use on school grounds everywhere!

Learn more and register here: https://ow.ly/khWp50Zc0Ab

06/16/2026

Say hello to our 2026 fellows cohort: Ava, Jordyn, Cece, and Luke!! 👋🏼

🐈 Ava grew up outside of Indianapolis and now lives in Bloomington, Indiana, where she studied animal behavior and Spanish at Indiana University. Her recent job at a land trust doing stewardship and working in the native plant nursery affirmed how much she likes doing hands-on conservation! She loves searching for trinkets, fostering cats, and spontaneous solo trips.

📽️ Jordyn grew up in the Chicago suburbs and moved to Rock Island, Illinois, where she earned a BA in environmental studies and film from Augustana College. She's passionate about being creative through filmmaking, graphic design, and crafting and using that creativity to promote conservation and connect people with the natural world. She enjoys baking; running, biking, and hiking; and now birdwatching!

🛶 Cece is originally from Madison, Wisconsin, but moved up to Marquette to attend Northern Michigan University. She has recently worked as a kayak guide at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore and managed social media for an outdoor retailer. She loves pretty much any outdoor activity, including roller blading, paddling, scuba diving, and hammocking, and she tries to visit as many national and state parks as possible!

🎣 Luke is from Cedar Falls, Iowa, and though he's traveled all over the country, the Midwest is his forever home. He worked for many years as a line cook and chef, but his love of the outdoors inspired him to get a degree in natural resource management from Hawkeye Community College. He's excited to pursue his newfound passion for environmental education and outreach—and to go fishing in Wisconsin trout streams!

Please give these up-and-coming conservation leaders a warm welcome, and stay tuned for all their upcoming adventures, field work, and social media posts!! 🌟

06/13/2026

You're invited to a very special Shack volunteer day on Saturday, July 25! 🪓🪏

We need all hands on deck to clean up after the April storm that ravaged the Leopold pine grove. Volunteers will clear debris, chip wood for the trail, cut brush, and plant ninebark. Participants can also enjoy a free Shack tour as a thank you for your hard work!

Learn more and sign up by July 17. aldoleopold.org/join-and-support/shack-volunteer-day

06/11/2026

“It would be absolutely useless for any of us to work to save wildlife without working to educate the next generation of conservationists.” —Jane Goodall

As a professor, Leopold knew the importance of teaching the next generation to read the land, so they too will love and care for our beloved wild things. We continue the tradition today through our fellowship program, a year-long immersive experience for recent college grads to live in the place that inspired Leopold, develop their own land ethic, and become conservation leaders. 🌱

Stay tuned as we introduce our new fellows cohort soon!

06/09/2026

Wait, there's a Leopold-inspired puppet show??

Yep, premiering right here in the Sand Counties—at the Sauk Prairie River Arts Center in Prairie du Sac—on Friday, June 19! 🎭

The Lonely Marsh, by Julia Blair, takes inspiration from Aldo's famous essay, "Marshland Elegy," and Wisconsin's wetland ecosystems.

Upon revisiting Leopold's work, Blair said that she got the idea to "write a play centered not around the endangered (but revered) Whooping Cranes, but starring The Marsh itself," and although the play "explores that sense of loss" described in Marshland Elegy, "it also offers hope for a future where marshes are returned their 'patent of nobility' and are once again visited by those most cherished to them." 🩵

The show is free to attend, but registration is required! Learn more and get your tickets at thelonelymarsh.com

06/08/2026

Five years of forging land ethic leaders in Turkey! 🇹🇷

Dr. Ufuk Özdağ, Founder-Director of the Land Ethic Research and Application Center at Hacettepe University in Ankara, kicked off the first Land Ethic Education Project (LEEP) in 2022. Last month, the program was held for its fifth year. One of the first alumni of our Land Ethic Leaders program, Özdağ went on to translate A Sand County Almanac into Turkish.

Through lectures and group discussions on environmental ethics, plus land-based learning in the Center's outdoor classroom, LEEP participants earn certificates that allow them cultivate future land ethic leaders in their own communities. 🌱

Thanks for your work to help spread the land ethic, Ufuk! You can learn more about the project here: https://ow.ly/1WoA50Z8b0y