Spotlight on
well as many others who learned to
know him better by his book: A Sand
County Almanac. However, he wrote
other publications such as: The River of
by David Lane
Indiana Master
the Mother of God, “Wilderness,”Game
Naturalist
Management and Round River.
Aldo took interest in the outdoors
as a young child. He started hunting
with his father at the age of twelve.
His father, Stan, also taught his two
boys a lot about hunting ethics and had
them participate in various field studand
logs
I had never heard of a man we regard it as commodity belonging to ies theirencouraged them to keep the
on
findings. He also helped
us. When we see land as a community
with as much enthusiasm
boys discover various animal tracks
to which we belong, we may begin to
about nature, land ethics and
use it with love and respect.” “We shall that had lived in the areas they had
conservation as Aldo Leopold until
never achieve harmony with land, any discovered and to determine what had
occurred the night before. This practice
I read about him recently ... he was a
more than we shall achieve absolute
in discovery became one of Leopold’s
very interesting, educated, and inteljustice or liberty for people. In these
trademarks-the-art of “reading the
ligent thinker. He learned a lot on his
higher aspirations, the important
landscape.”
own through his findings, studies,
thing is not to achieve but to strive.”
In the spring of 1935, Aldo purintegrity and by experiences, from beHe has a lot of quotes about his
ing out in the wild outdoors, first hand. findings and people have learned to re- chased an abandoned run down farm
He quoted a couple phrases that really spect him for that, and the truth of the on the river banks of the Wisconsin
River near Fairfield. The property he
stuck with me. “We abuse land because matter is he is true to what he says.
purchased had an old chicken coop
Aldo was
on the land. He used this site to serve
born on January 11, 1887 and as his study laboratory, he conducted
lived to the age of many of his Professor years on this
61. He died while property. He, today is a very well
known and respected Professor of his
helping a neighbor fight a fire on time. If I were to go back in time, I
would have really enjoyed being a part
a farm.
of his many teachings and have the
Considered
privilege to learn a great deal about the
the father of
wildlife manage- great wonderful outdoors. Aldo taught
• Mums • Pumpkins
ment and the wil- classes at the University of Wisconsin.
“The Professor” as he was called by his
derness system,
• Perennials
students, had one main objective as
Delivery
Leopold was a
an educator: “to teach the student to
• Trees & Shrubs
conservationist,
Available
forester, teacher, see the land, to understand what he
sees, and enjoy what he understands. I
philosopher,
say land rather than wildlife, because
outdoor enthu• Bulk/Bag Mulch
siast, and writer. wildlife cannot be understood with• Cocoa Bean Mulch
out understanding the landscape as
Leopold’s legacy
a whole. Such teaching could well be
• Fertilizers
lives on in his
called ecology rather than wildlife,
pupils, children,
• Landscape
and could serve very broad educational
and for those
Stone & Topsoil
purpose.”
who have come
• Retaining Wall
to know him and
Blocks & Pavers
that have been
touched by his
260-593-3003
Original Location: 1 mile west of SR 5 on 700 S
writings, one of
2nd Location: ½ mile west of Kase Hause
my favorites as
Hours: M-F 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., Sat. 8 a.m. - 1 p.m.
Nature
Aldo Leopold:
A man worth writing about
Fall
Specials
The Hometown Treasure · Nov.. ‘11 · pg 41