Jeff Hoyer

I have always been a nature lover. As a child growing up a block from Lake Michigan in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, you would find me combing the beaches of Lake Michigan, or fishing, hiking, and camping with friends and family. As a young adult, I attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW), taking full advantage of its beautiful lakes, woods, and prairies. My love of nature led me to an undergraduate research project in the department of wildlife ecology that Aldo Leopold started back in 1939. I left the UW with a major in genetics, and went on to get a Ph.D. in Biochemistry, Molecular, and Cell Biology at Northwestern University. While I enjoy research, my passion for teaching led me to pursue a Master’s in Education at Northwestern. I used my teaching credentials to follow in a long family legacy of high school teaching for several decades.  

My early exposure to Leopold has always been central to my teaching dogma. I created many lessons based on his teaching methods and the book A Sand County Almanac. As a founding member of the Network of Environmental Science Teachers (NEST), I trained many teachers to use stories from the almanac to leverage a deeper understanding of how humans treat the earth. I consider it the pinnacle of my career to have been hired as a fellow at the Aldo Leopold Foundation where I am working with a group of very talented individuals to advance the land ethic. Working together, we are creating a nationwide conservation leadership training program for the 21^st century. I am also writing a teacher’s guide to A Sand County Almanac, to assist other teachers in inspiring the next generation of environmentally-conscious citizens.

When I am not teaching at a local college or working for the Leopold Foundation, I like to bike, hike, and kayak with my wife and three grown children. I volunteer at local prairie and woodland restoration projects. I am an active member of Wild Ones, where I write articles and lecture on the value of native landscaping. Finally, to fight the indoor winter doldrums, I enjoy woodworking projects, raise native plant seedlings, and volunteer at native plant sales.

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