Guided by Aldo Leopold’s idea of the Land Ethic®, we champion both tangible and philosophical transformations for those dedicated to conservation, promoting responsible land stewardship and safeguarding our natural community.
At the core of the Aldo Leopold Foundation is a group of dedicated conservationists. We aim to bridge the wisdom of pioneering conservationists with the pressing needs of the present. Our approach is rooted in inspirational storytelling, promoting a land ethic and celebrating successes that inspire and empower individuals to make a difference. We value diverse perspectives as we work to preserve the natural world for future generations.
We offer a variety of programming, from in-person tours and exhibits to virtual events and webinars. No matter your interests, there are plenty of ways to engage.
Your support upholds and advances our mission of environmental stewardship. We deeply appreciate every contribution and invite you to join our mission by giving today.
Want to learn more about conservation? Our robust library of digital resources contains information for learners of all ages, as well as materials for educators.
Join us for Leopold Week 2025, a three-day exploration of how our connections to nature begin right at home, featuring acclaimed authors Margaret Renkl (The Comfort of Crows), Camille T. Dungy (Soil), and Amy Tan (The Backyard Bird Chronicles). Through their deeply personal narratives, these writers share the profound significance of observing and nurturing the natural world in our own backyards, gardens, and local landscapes. Their stories celebrate the sense of place, the resilience of nature, and the human responsibility to reciprocate the gifts of the land.
Celebrate Aldo Leopold Day with Wisconsin Public Radio! Jim Fleming reads from A Sand County Almanac the week of March 3-7th at 7:00 pm on WPR Music and 9:30 pm on WPR News. On Wednesday, March 5th, Buddy appears on the Larry Meiller show from 12:30-1:00 pm. Find your local station at wpr.org/new or listen online anytime at wpr.org or on the WPR App.
“Only those who love trees should cut them,” writes forester and author Ethan Tapper. Tapper is a forester, birder, naturalist and popular digital creator, and the bestselling author of How to Love a Forest. He has been recognized as a thought-leader and a disruptor in the forestry and conservation community of the northeastern United States and beyond, winning multiple regional and national awards for his work. In How to Love a Forest, he asks what it means to live during a time in which ecosystems are in retreat and extinctions rattle the bones of the earth. How do we use our species' incredible power to heal rather than to harm?
Joining Ethan in a discussion, Mike Chaveas is the Forest Supervisor of the Hoosier National Forest—205,000-acres of rolling forested hills of south-central Indiana. Mike will share his firsthand experience with oak-hickory restoration and explore the values and mindsets involved with land stewardship efforts in this public/private intersection. A significant slice of his work managing the forested lands involves working with communities and partner organizations to develop a shared vision of stewardship focused on restoring, maintaining, and interpreting the cultural and natural resources of the Hoosier.
Tapper says that the actions we must take to protect ecosystems are often counterintuitive, uncomfortable, and even heartbreaking. He will show how bittersweet acts—like loving deer and hunting them, loving trees and felling them—can be expressions of compassion.
Join us April 10 to listen as Tapper and Chaveas explore a land ethic in action for a modern, thriving natural world.
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Join us for Leopold Week!
Margaret Renkl
Author of The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year, Late Migrations: A Natural History of Love and Loss, and Graceland, At Last: Notes on Hope and Heartache from the American South
Camille Dungy
Author of Soil: The Story of a Black Mother’s Garden, and four collections of poetry, including Trophic Cascade, plus the essay collection Guidebook to Relative Strangers: Journeys into Race, Motherhood, and History
Amy Tan
Author of The Joy Luck Club, The Kitchen God’s Wife, The Hundred Secret Senses, The Bonesetter’s Daughter, Saving Fish from Drowning, and The Valley of Amazement, all New York Times bestsellers.
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Zoë Schlanger is a staff writer at the Atlantic, where she covers climate change. She is the author of The Light Eaters, a New York Times bestselling book about plant behavior and intelligence research, published by HarperCollins. The Light Eaters is a New York Times bestseller dubbed a groundbreaking work of popular science that probes the hidden world of the plant kingdom. It is a deep immersion into the drama of green life and the complexity of this wild and awe-inspiring world that challenges our very understanding of agency, consciousness, and intelligence.
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Aldo Leopold was a pioneering American ecologist, forester, and environmentalist who profoundly influenced the modern conservation movement. Best known for his book A Sand County Almanac, Leopold introduced the concept of a "Land Ethic®," emphasizing the interconnectedness of humans and the land they inhabit, which serves as the cornerstone of the Aldo Leopold Foundation’s modern-day mission. Today, Leopold's legacy continues to inspire and guide our efforts toward conservation and harmonious coexistence with the natural world.
The Aldo Leopold Foundation was founded in 1982 with a mission to foster the Land Ethic® through the legacy of Aldo Leopold, awakening an ecological conscience in people throughout the world.
"Land Ethic®" is a registered service mark of the Aldo Leopold Foundation, to protect against egregious and/or profane use.
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