The Foundation

Fostering the Land Ethic
through the legacy of Aldo Leopold

In 1982, Leopold’s children, Starker, Luna, Nina, Carl, and Estella, all respected conservationists themselves, established the Aldo Leopold Foundation in response to the growing interest in their father’s legacy. For more than twenty years, the Aldo Leopold Foundation has promoted the care of natural resources and fostered an ethical relationship between people and land.

Aldo Leopold viewed the land ethic as a product of social evolution, forming in the minds of a thinking community. Accordingly, the foundation works daily to nurture that evolution through its mission: “Fostering the Land Ethic through the legacy of Aldo Leopold.”

As the primary advocate and interpreter of the Leopold legacy, the Foundation manages the original Leopold farm and now-famous Shack, serves as the executor of Leopold’s literary estate, and acts as a clearinghouse for information regarding Aldo Leopold, his work, and his ideas. The Shack, a re-built chicken coop along the Wisconsin River where the Leopold family stayed during weekend retreats, continues to serve as the heart of the Foundation’s programs. Each year, thousands of visitors are inspired through tours, seminars, and workshops in the same landscape that deeply moved Leopold.

Leopold's words have stirred many to a personal ecological awareness. The Foundation's goal is to share the legacy of Aldo Leopold and to awaken an ecological conscience in the people of our nation. As long as we care about people, land, and the connections between them, we have hope for sustainable ecosystems, sustainable economies, and sustainable communities.

Our educational outreach programs help people understand and accept their responsibility for the health of the land. Our stewardship initiatives and research programs encourage ecological and ethical use of private and public land, and promote an understanding of the total land community.