Volunteer Profile: Anita Cannon

Anita Cannon
Middleton, Wisconsin

An East Coast native, Anita Cannon grew up close to the land and the water. Her family moved often to be near her grandfather, who had a career with the Coast Guard. “In most of the places we lived, we farmed,” Anita said, “and I was always in the water.”

Her upbringing prepared her to enjoy A Sand County Almanac at a young age. Anita said--“I was given a paperback copy as a birthday present in 1964. I was a pretty young kid, but I was very interested in nature at a young age. At the same time, Rachel Carson’s book was out—the 60s were happening!”

Anita moved to Wisconsin in 1978, and she now works at a research lab in Madison. Madison is definitely Leopold country, she said, with locals taking pride in Leopold’s tenure at the university and work with the university arboretum.

Anita discovered the Aldo Leopold Foundation in 2006, when she was looking for information about the Leopold Shack on the internet. “I came up for the Legacy Center open house in October, when it was just a chimney and rafters. After learning more about the Aldo Leopold Foundation and the Legacy Center, I decided this was something I wanted to be a part of, and I joined,” she said.

Volunteering for the Foundation has given her the opportunity to connect with and continue the Leopold legacy, Anita said. “This is as direct a connection as a person can get, standing on and caring for the same land that Leopold did,” she said.