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Aldo Leopold as a Boy
Who was Aldo Leopold?
Born in 1887, Aldo Leopold grew up exploring and discovering
things in the outdoors. Let's take a look at how he learned to
find clues in nature and you, too, can solve mysteries in the
land.
When he was a kid, his favorite things to do were hiking and
fishing with his dog, Spud.
Solving Mysteries of the Land
Aldo's family helped him to explore the land. While exploring,
his father would ask him; "Who do you think made those
footprints at the water's edge?" or "What type of animal would
live in that hollow log?" By observing carefully and taking
notes about what he saw, heard, and felt, Aldo learned about
nature's creatures.
Aldo learned that everything in nature is connected - if one
part was changed, another would change too. He promised to treat
everything in nature with love and respect so every part of
nature's systems would stay healthy.
Writing and Drawing
Aldo liked to read books and stories about animals and
adventures. Aldo's mother asked him to write about his own
adventures. sometimes he wrote letters and sometimes he kept
notes in a small book called a journal.
When he was 11 years old, he wrote: "I like to study birds. I
like the wren best of all..."
Sometimes pictures can tell an even better story than words.
Aldo used crayons and pencils to draw pictures of what he saw in
the outdoors. What stories do these pictures tell? Can you draw
a picture of your favorite thing in nature?
A Very Famous Person
When Aldo Leopold grew up, he kept his promise to respect nature
and try to make the land healthy - even if it was not popular at
the time. His promise became known as 'the land ethic' and he
became a very famous scientist and nature explorer. His research
and strong beliefs in the way we should treat the land and each
other are still important for scientists and people today.
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