Nature Net News
March
2007
Aldo Leopold
"We shall
never achieve harmony with land,
any more than we shall achieve absolute
justice or liberty for people.
In these higher aspirations the important
thing is
not to achieve, but to strive."
Aldo Leopold
Dear Reader, “There are some who can live without wild things, and some who cannot.” Thus begins Aldo Leopold’s famous book, A Sand County Almanac. Written over the course of a year, each chapter describes the natural events and happenings observed by Leopold at his retreat in Sauk County, Wisconsin. From its humble beginnings in Wisconsin, this slim volume has influenced thousands of individuals all over the world. Leopold was a scientist, author, professor, and most importantly, a keen observer of nature. We are lucky to be living in southcentral Wisconsin where we can watch, record and compare the same natural events that he recorded over 60 years ago. Use this month’s Nature Net News to find out more about Leopold and his legacy and what you can do to ensure that it lives on. From recording your own observations via the Earth Alive program to visiting Leopold's farm and "shack" at the Aldo Leopold Foundation, you, too might find yourself a proud and active resident of the “Land of Leopold”! Enjoy! Kathe & Betsy |
You can take a peek into Aldo Leopold's life here in Wisconsin by walking by his home in Madison (a Madison historic site), visiting his farm and "shack" in Baraboo, taking a tour of the Forest Products Lab where Leopold first worked upon moving to Wisconsin, or exploring the land Leopold helped restore at the UW Arboretum?
What to
Do This Month:
Take part in celebrating "Leopold Weekend" at the
following Nature Net sites: UW
Arboretum, and the
Aldo Leopold Nature Center - other state-wide events are listed
on the Aldo Leopold
Foundation website.
Start a nature journal, recording the sights and sounds you observe while outdoors - compare your observations with Leopold's on Nature Net's Earth Alive database.
Make a list of all the birds you see returning from warmer climes.
Go for a hike and stomp in some puddles.
Check out the Nature Net Calendar of Events for fun family programs.
Tricks of the Trail for
Parents:
The Art of Questioning
Aldo Leopold’s daughter, Nina, recalls that a hike with her father was a quiet experience. Instead of telling her what she was looking at, he would ask “Who do you think made those tracks?” or “What do you think lives in that log?” He was always questioning and asking
her to think about the possibilities. Creative questioning on the trail opens up a world of possibilities. Encourage your children to ask questions. Ask your children questions like
Leopold did, or ask them to consider the land from an animal’s point of view.
Try questions to which you know you do not have the answer. Remember to jot them down in your field notebook so you can look them up when you return home!
Instant Outdoor Expert:
The Shack
In 1933, Aldo Leopold, the first professor of Game Management, began teaching
University of Wisconsin graduate students wildlife management theory and techniques and directing research at the new UW Arboretum. Despite
(or perhaps because of) all of his professional experiences as a warden, researcher, surveyor, author, and teacher, Leopold
craved land on which his family could hunt or explore and a space where his teachings of conservation and restoration could be put into practice. So, Leopold purchased a swath of land along the Wisconsin River near Baraboo. The previous landowner, Leopold would later write, had "hated this farm, skinned it of residual fertility, burned its farmhouse, threw it back in to the lap of the County", leaving the area quite barren and lifeless. This run-down farm, however, became the focal point of the Leopold family's greatest memories and the backdrop to Leopold's now famous book,
A Sand County Almanac. Leopold's daughter, Nina, reflects, "I remember in 1935 when Dad had decided that he wanted to find a place in the country... He dragged us up here [to the farm] in February. Well, it was early spring and it was very cold. He drove us in and to our great surprise, here was this beat up little barn. It was really a chicken coop, but it had animal dung in it; frozen manure up to about here! We immediately began exploring the place and shortly found that this was a wonderful place for growing up experiences." The entire family often spent weekends at the farm, restoring the chicken coop into a rustic cabin (lovingly dubbed "the shack"), planting pine trees, transplanting prairie grasses and recording natural events and changes with the seasons. For fourteen years, until Leopold's death in 1948, Nina and her four siblings spent invaluable time with their parents at the shack and eventually came to see the experience as a metaphor "for the delights of simplicity in [one's] life".
The shack still stands today and is the only chicken coop listed on the National Register of Historic Places. If you're inspired to visit the shack, see this month's
Featured Nature Net Site, the Aldo Leopold Foundation, for information on tours and Leopold's legacy. There is also a "child-scale" version of the shack at the
Aldo Leopold Nature Center in Monona.
(Quotes from Nina Leopold Bradley taken from transcripts of conversations stored by the US Fish and Wildlife Digital Repository)
Eco-Exercise:
Leopold Work Out
In his essay “Good Oak”, Leopold talks about how burning wood actually warms the person twice – once while he’s chopping the wood, and once while he’s sitting in front of the fireplace. Chopping wood and hiking are recurring activities in Leopold’s work and are great forms of exercise. Let children imagine they are chopping wood, swinging upwards and stretching their upper bodies to the ground. Repeat on both sides. Hiking, too, is great cardiovascular exercise. The key is to pace yourself and young children so that
everyone has the energy for the return trip! If your child insists on being speedy, choose one major landmark ahead (the oak tree, a big rock) and send him/her off to it. Ask your child to explore the area immediately surrounding the landmark until you catch up!
Nature Craft
The
Aldo Leopold Foundation
Founded in 1982 by Leopold's five children, the
Aldo Leopold Foundation seeks to address the growing interest in Leopold's legacy and to promote the care of natural resources while fostering an ethical relationship between people and land.
To that end, the Aldo Leopold Foundation offers educational and outreach programs to increase citizen ecological literacy. Many of these programs are hosted at the original Leopold farm, where the forests, wetlands and prairies serve as an outdoor classroom for exploring ecological relationships.
Beginning next month, the new Aldo Leopold Legacy Center will be open to the public Tuesday through Friday from 9am to 5pm, and on Saturdays from 9am to 1pm.
Guided tours of the Shack are offered from Memorial Day through Labor Day on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 9:30am. Guided tours of the Leopold Legacy Center, highlighting green building features, will be available on the same days at 11:30am. Shack tours last approximately two hours, and building tours last approximately 45 minutes. Self-guided tours are also available.
Also, don't miss the Grand Opening of the new Leopold
Legacy Center on April 22nd.
Binoculars
One of Leopold's favorite pastimes, simply observing the world
around him, started as a bird watching hobby in his youth. Enhance
your budding naturalist's observation skills (even without the lenses)
with these easy-to-make binoculars.
Start with two clean toilet paper rolls and decorate them with non-toxic paint or wrap them with construction paper (to make the camouflage version pictured, visit www.dltk-teach.com for a green, pink or black and white template). Once the paint or glue is dry, tape the two tubes together, side by side. To make a "focus dial" cut out a 2x3 inch piece of paper, roll it into a tube and tape or glue it between the toilet paper tubes. Lastly, punch a hole near the top of each tube and string a ribbon or piece of yarn through to make the neck strap.
Now, take the time to focus in on items springing up in the garden or watch animals in your yard or at a local Nature Net site. These non-breakable binoculars can help remove distractions and make youngsters feel they have the tools to become a scientist, wildlife photographer, explorer or ecologist like Aldo Leopold.
(Nature craft adapted from www.dltk-teach.com)
Suggested Reading:"Aldo Leopold: Champion of Conservation" by Carole Marsh (ages 4-8)
"America's Favorite Backyard Wildlife" by George Harrison, Kit Harrison (ages 4-12)
"Aldo Leopold: Protector/Wild" by Della Yannuzzi (ages 9-12)
"Aldo Leopold: American Ecologist" by Peter Anderson (ages 9-12)
"Aldo Leopold: Living" by Albert J. Dunlap (ages 9-12)
"Of Things Natural, Wild, and Free: A Story About Aldo Leopold" by Marybeth Lorbiecki (ages 9-12)
"Earth Child 2000 with Teacher's Guide: Early Science for Young Children" by Kathryn Sheehan (adults)
"A Sense of Place: Teaching Children About the Environment with Picture Books" by Daniel A. Kriesberg (adults with kids ages 6-12)
