Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture

'Ames Reads Leopold' event set for March 4

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February 16, 2012

AMES, Iowa – An afternoon of readings, music and conversation will honor Iowa native Aldo Leopold, whose celebrated book A Sand County Almanac has inspired generations to strive for a more ethical relationship with the land.

Excerpts of Leopold’s writings will be read aloud for the fifth annual “Ames Reads Leopold” event, which is free and open to the public. The readings will take place on Sunday, March 4 between 1:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. at the Ames Public Library at 515 Douglas Avenue. New this year, the event will include musical interludes by folk singer Tim Southwick Johnson.

“Hearing the essays of Aldo Leopold read aloud and in public is a unique experience,” said Erwin Klaas, a retired Iowa State University professor and the event’s organizer. “His words come alive and take on special meaning. I extend a special invitation to those who have not participated in this annual event.”

Johnson, a songwriter and musician from Wisconsin, will play from his new album, Sand County Songs, which are musical adaptations of A Sand County Almanac. Johnson is an accomplished performer on acoustic guitar, mandolin, tenor guitar, ukulele and harmonica. The songs range from ballads to acoustic instrumentals, and honor Leopold’s vision for a land community.

Published in 1949, A Sand County Almanac laid the foundation for modern efforts in conservation and land stewardship. In his famous essay “The Land Ethic,” Leopold wrote, “All ethics so far evolved rest upon a single premise: that the individual is a member of a community of interdependent parts….The land ethic simply enlarges the boundaries of the community to include soils, waters, plants, and animals, or collectively: the land.”

Refreshments will be served, and copies of A Sand County Almanac will be given to members of the audience in a drawing.

The Ames event joins communities nationwide that celebrate “Aldo Leopold Weekend” on the first weekend of March. The event is sponsored by the Aldo Leopold Foundation, Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, Ames Public Library, Big Bluestem Chapter of the National Audubon Society, Friends of Ada Hayden Heritage Park, and Ames Chapter of the Isaac Walton League.

Learn more about Aldo Leopold Weekends at www.aldoleopold.org.
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For more info contact:

Erwin Klaas, event organizer, (515) 233-3327, eklaas@iastate.edu
Jeri Neal, Leopold Center Ecology Initiative, (515) 294-5610, wink@iastate.edu
Laura Miller, Leopold Center Communications, (515) 294-5272, lwmiller@iastate.edu

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