Aldo Leopold Foundation

Aldo Leopold Foundation The Aldo Leopold Foundation is a 501 (c)3 not-for-profit organization working to foster a land ethic through the legacy of Aldo Leopold.
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Aldo put forth the idea of "thinking like a mountain" as a way to see with an ecological lens. Scientist Marcia Bjorneru...
09/03/2026

Aldo put forth the idea of "thinking like a mountain" as a way to see with an ecological lens. Scientist Marcia Bjornerud takes the idea one step further, inviting us to see with a geological lens.

Join us on Land Ethic Live! on September 10 as Marcia, author of 'Timefulness: How Thinking Like a Geologist Can Help Save the World,' helps us to see the landscapes around us on the scale of deep time—and to think, quite literally, like a mountain. Plus, we'll explore the rich geology of Leopold's own "Sand County," a region shaped by sandstone bedrock, glacial meltwaters and great rivers.

Register for this free, virtual program today: https://ow.ly/NCsc50ZFSwE

Can't make it live? Registration also grants you access to the replay, available immediately after the stream.

A special thank you to High Country News for being our promotional partner for this program!

“We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, ...
09/02/2026

“We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.” —Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac

This fundamental shift, in viewing land as our community rather than a commodity, changes our relationship with the natural world entirely. Where have you found a sense of belonging within nature?

“Although I share Leopold's preoccupation with the land and its fate, I have not had the benefit of his scientific train...
09/01/2026

“Although I share Leopold's preoccupation with the land and its fate, I have not had the benefit of his scientific training and discipline, and so knowing I am on his side has given me a measure of assurance I would not otherwise have had.” –Berry's 2010 testimony that prefaces the Leopold biography

Wendell Berry—author, agrarian, lifelong Kentuckian, and dear friend of the Foundation—has passed away at the age of 92. Deeply rooted in place, particularly rural working lands, Berry's poetry, fiction, essays, and activism celebrated the beauty of the natural world and fiercely critiqued the industrialization that threatened it. Through his work, he also asserted the importance of agriculture, farming, and economic lands to conservation, and he walked the walk for decades on his own family farm. Berry truly embraced that "most ancient… and pleasing responsibility" of caring for the earth in all he did, and his legacy of thoughtful stewardship will live on. Rest now in the grace of the world, Wendell.

“I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. …
… For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.”

📷 Wendell stands in front of solar panels at his farm in Kentucky in 2011. Photo by Guy Mendes.

Calling all early birds! Registration is now open for the Great Midwest Crane Festival, happening November 14 and 15 in ...
08/31/2026

Calling all early birds! Registration is now open for the Great Midwest Crane Festival, happening November 14 and 15 in Baraboo, Wisconsin! 🪽

Join us in celebrating the natural wonders of the fall sandhill crane migration with a weekend filled with presentations, workshops, guided tours, and other special events. You can save some $$ by snagging your tickets before September 21!

Through this festival, we also invite you to explore the beautiful landscapes and rich history that connects the festival hosts, the International Crane Foundation and the Aldo Leopold Foundation.

Learn more and register today at greatmidwestcranefest.org.

🎨 Illustration by Alex Lehner

08/30/2026

We know it's called Land Ethic *Live*, but did you know every program has a replay? ⏯️

If you missed our August program with mycologist Patricia Ononiwu Kaishian, now's your chance to watch! Get a sneak peek of the conversation here, then go hit play on the recording: https://ow.ly/aIzH50ZGg7E

Watch the waterways – we’ve got some new kids on the block! Snapping turtles are starting to hatch. 🐢🪺 Common snapping t...
08/28/2026

Watch the waterways – we’ve got some new kids on the block! Snapping turtles are starting to hatch. 🐢

🪺 Common snapping turtles (Chelydra serpentina) frequent most any freshwater habitat, and sometimes even brackish waters. When it comes to breeding season, however, females have been known to venture as far as a mile from the water to find a nesting site. Nests typically hold 20-40 eggs, but most are preyed upon before hatching can occur.

🌡️ Whether these little hatchlings are male or female is temperature dependent! In the early stages of development, eggs kept above 84° Fahrenheit or below 70° tend to produce females, while eggs kept between 70° and 75° Fahrenheit tend to produce males. This trait is especially important to consider amidst a warming climate.

🦖 These little guys' ancestors have seen it all! The snapping turtle family, Chelydridae, dates back approximately 60-100 million years. This means that ancestors of the common snapping turtle witnessed everything from dinosaurs to continental drift to the spread of prairies!

Wish these baby turtles luck for a harm-free waddle toward the water! 🌊

“If we pollute the air, water, and soil that keep us alive and well, and destroy the biodiversity that allows natural sy...
08/26/2026

“If we pollute the air, water, and soil that keep us alive and well, and destroy the biodiversity that allows natural systems to function, no amount of money will save us.” —David Suzuki, award-winning scientist, environmentalist and broadcaster

Kinda chic to be part of the natural community! 🌲🐺🐦
08/24/2026

Kinda chic to be part of the natural community! 🌲🐺🐦

08/22/2026

Though tools are an essential part of the stewardship team, sometimes they just don't want to cooperate. 😣

🚪Knock, knock! Anyone home!? Closed Bottle Gentian (Gentiana andrewsii) is starting to pop up across the northeastern Un...
08/21/2026

🚪Knock, knock! Anyone home!?

Closed Bottle Gentian (Gentiana andrewsii) is starting to pop up across the northeastern United States in floodplain forests, fens, and other areas with moist, rich soils. The striking purple flowers of Bottle Gentian offer quite a sight to plant lovers across the animal kingdom, but it’s the unique, closed flowers—which limit access to pollen and nectar to only the strongest bumblebees 💪—that give the plant its common name.

These bees need to pry open the corollas of the flowers with their mouths and forelimbs before fully entering the flower to collect the goodies inside! However, some bees that are just seeking nectar may chew through the bottom of the flower to get to the sweet stuff, allowing other insects a chance to get a taste as well. 🍾

Fortunately for Bottle Gentian, bumblebees are pretty much the only creatures that want anything from the plant. The bitter leaves, stems, and roots make it unpalatable to most herbivores, and its small seeds offer little to be desired by birds. White-tailed deer are naturally one of the exceptions to this as they will occasionally eat the tender tops of the plant prior to flowering.

Other members of the gentian family Gentianaceae, namely Yellow Gentian (Gentiana lutea), are used by humans as an herbal medicine to treat a variety of ailments. Gentian roots are also used to flavor several types of liquor and are a main ingredient in Angostura bitters—so maybe you'll be inspired to enjoy a refreshing Old Fashioned cocktail after a day of looking for Closed Bottle Gentian on your local landscape! 🥃

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