Honoring Estella

Please consider a special investment in the Aldo Leopold Foundation to honor Estella Leopold and grow a land ethic around the world and far into our shared future!

With Estella’s passing last year, the Foundation is presented with an opportunity to extend to every distant horizon her lifelong love and care for the earth.

Estella’s final act of generosity was to name the Leopold Foundation as the primary beneficiary of her estate. Recognizing this opportunity, a long-time ALF supporter and board colleague with Estella challenged our foundation to greatly enhance the organization’s financial stability at this critical time by creating a $2,000,000 endowment fund named in Estella B. Leopold’s honor at the Community Foundation of South-Central Wisconsin.

An endowment of this size would generate $100,000 every year, ensuring we can maintain high-caliber executive leadership while also allowing more funds to be invested in restoring land health and expanding our outreach, increasing our overall impact.

It’s very exciting, and timely! This anonymous benefactor is providing a $500,000 challenge grant, which, combined with $500,000 from Estella’s estate, provides $1,000,000 towards this $2,000,000 goal.

Friend, would you be willing to make an extra special gift to honor Estella?

We recognize this is an ask above and beyond your annual operational support, and as such that you might have questions of me or Buddy Huffaker, current president and a close collaborator with Estella for nearly thirty years.  

Thank you for considering at what level you can give to inspire our society to embrace a land ethic and restore land health.

Yours in a wild tomorrow,

Jack Salzwedel
Board Chair


Questions or concerns, get in touch with Buddy.

More Reasons to Give

When you donate $5,000 or more to the Estella B. Leopold Presidential Endowment, you will receive an authentic Leopold bench made from the precious Leopold pines planted by Estella and all the Leopolds. Includes a woodburned image of the Shack on the backrest and a numbered certificate of provenance. Act fast, bench inventory is limited!

Donor-Exclusive Event Coming Soon

Donate in any way to become eligible to attend a June 5th virtual gathering with 2022 MacArthur Fellow, Dr. J. Drew Lanham, conservationist, artist, former Foundation Board of Directors colleague with Estella, and author of The Home Place.

More Ways to Honor Estella's Life and Work

Be Good Oak, Like Estella

Legacy or estate donations ensure long-term land ethic stability, and include you in the esteemed Good Oak Society.

Stock Donations / IRA Rollover

There are many ways you can choose to invest in the land ethic and our long-term commitment to spreading its power around the world. Learn more and/or donate here.

Your support greatly strengthens Estella's legacy as a tireless defender of all things natural, wild, and free. Give today in any way, in any amount, to support the Aldo Leopold Foundation and grow the land ethic. Thank you!