Aldo Leopold was a writer, philosopher, and conservationist who is considered to be the “father of wildlife ecology and modern conservation.” He wrote A Sand County Almanac in 1948, which is widely regarded as a conservation classic. It has been translated into 15 languages and has sold over 2 million copies worldwide. His legacy lives on in the Aldo Leopold Foundation, who celebrate the accomplishments of their founder during the first week of March each year.
The Aldo Leopold Foundation is offering a virtual event on March 4-6th, featuring acclaimed authors Margaret Renkl (The Comfort of Crows), Camille T. Dungy (Soil: The Story of a Black Mother’s Garden), and Amy Tan (The Backyard Bird Chronicles).
Yvonne Dwyer, Master Naturalist and OPL content contributor, had the opportunity to visit the site where Aldo Leopold and his family spent their weekends in quiet respite in Baraboo, Wisconsin. She shares her impressions and reflections on the experience with the One Planet Life community.
As a naturalist, I was anxious to see firsthand the shack and farm where Aldo, his wife Estella, and their five children spent many weekend retreats. Today, the site is regarded as one of our nation’s first ecological restorations, and is a national historic landmark. Leopold wrote extensively while on retreat, journaling soil and land observations, forestry experiences, discoveries while exploring, and experiments that he conducted.
The land surrounding the Leopold shack is simply breathtaking in its peacefulness and beauty.
Various bird species warble and twitter above, their bird songs lilting on the breeze to the pine forest beyond. Insects buzz and wildflowers abound: native phlox, lupines, hoary puccoon, and milkweed punctuate the meadow with vibrant color. The diverse landscapes that make up Aldo Leopold’s farm and the Wisconsin River is the perfect setting to study plants, insects, bird migration, trees, and wildlife based on the climate and seasons of the year (known as phenology).
Leopold details a year of this natural phenomenon in the first part of his book, A Sand County Almanac. It was easy to imagine Mr. Leopold in the 1940s, strolling through the grounds and pondering his latest draft. While walking on the path that leads to the cabin, I wondered how the landscape may have changed since Leopold’s writings.
Leopold’s Restoration Efforts, From the Cabin to the Prairie
Leopold described his cabin’s setting in A Sand County Almanac, but the actual size of the little shack was truly surprising in person. Originally a chicken coop filled with frozen chicken manure, Leopold purchased the structure from a bootlegger in the early 1930s. He converted the coop into a small cabin for the family’s use as a weekend retreat. The cabin was devoid of running water, electricity, and modern facilities, but it was the perfect place for exploration and educational experiments.
Leopold and his family worked diligently to enrich the soil on the property, which had become eroded and depleted by dust storms. They also worked to restore the prairie to its former beauty, planting beautiful wildflowers and trees, which then welcomed birds, pollinators, and other wildlife. Leopold also loved pine trees. He and his family planted as many as 6,000 trees on the property, many of which have matured beautifully into tall pines today.
Take a virtual tour of Aldo Leopold’s Shack.
Recounting History from the Perspective of a Tree
Leopold’s writing style in A Sand County Almanac brings history alive in surprising ways. In one entry, he recounts a large Bur Oak tree that died after being struck by lightning. Leopold cuts down the stricken tree for firewood, retelling history in reverse as he cuts towards the center of the tree’s growth rings.
He depicts wildlife’s influence on flora and fauna, droughts, the Great Depression, bootlegging, and the stock market crash of 1929. And prior to that, he shares the creation of the newly appointed game commission, increased forest fires, marsh dredging, and deforestation. He recounts changing weather patterns (like extreme droughts and the Blizzard of 1881) which forced farmers to depart Wisconsin in search of more fertile soil out west. He also depicts the introduction of non-native wildlife to Wisconsin, such as carp and Atlantic Salmon, as well as wildlife extinction, Chicago fire and civil war. And finally, he recounts the humble origins of the old Bur oak tree, when landowners were offered prizes by the Wisconsin State Horticultural Society for forest plantations.
A Lasting Legacy
There is an increasing scarcity of solitude and isolation in our natural world, and Leopold’s writing highlights how much we have evolved since A Sand County Almanac was written. But Leopold’s legacy lives on, through his writings and the Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute, which supports programs like the US Forest Service’s Wilderness program. “Much of the Forest Service’s research on wilderness takes place through the interagency Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute. This research includes wilderness recreation experiences and impacts, the relationships between people and wilderness lands, impacts and values of wildland fire, management scenarios in the context of climate change, the benefits of wilderness within larger social, economic, and ecological systems, and much more.”
As a renowned ecologist, naturalist, agricultural farmer, educator, writer, and family man, Aldo Leopold inspired many. The Aldo Leopold Foundation continues his mission, “catalyzing a national conservation movement by caring for the birthplace of the land ethic, raising up the next generation of leaders, and educating audiences across the country.”
I highly recommend reading A Sand County Almanac and visiting the Aldo Leopold Nature Center if you are able. You can also take a virtual tour of Leopold’s Shack and Farm. Rediscover the beauty of the natural world through the eyes of one of America’s greatest conservationists.
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Written by Yvonne Dwyer
Master Naturalist and OPL Content Contributor
“It is truly an honor for me to be a contributor to One Planet Life. By sharing my experiences and lifetime of learning, I hope to inspire conservation, sustainability, stewardship, and awareness of enjoying the natural wonders of the world for the wellbeing of people and the planet.”
