'Ames Reads Leopold' event set for March 8

2-25-08

'AMES READS LEOPOLD' EVENT SET FOR MARCH 8

AMES, Iowa -- “There are some who can live without wild things, and some who cannot.” These words, written by Iowa native Aldo Leopold in 1948, still strike a note today. They open Leopold's beloved book of essays and conservation classic, A Sand County Almanac.

Leopold's words also take on new meaning when members of a community read them out loud together. That is the idea behind dozens of Aldo Leopold celebrations that take place every year on the first weekend of March.

Ames is joining those communities with its own event on Saturday, March 8. "Ames Reads Leopold" will be held from 1 to 5 p.m. in the Farwell Brown Auditorium of the Ames Public Library, 515 Douglas Avenue in Ames.

"We will honor the conservation legacy of Aldo Leopold and his land ethic," said Erv Klaas, retired Iowa State professor who is organizing the event. "A diverse group of civic leaders, university faculty and students, and retirees will read passages from Leopold's writings, complimented with photos from the Leopold family archives, and images of nature and the land that Leopold loved."

The event is sponsored by the Aldo Leopold Foundation and Leopold's Iowa namesake, the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State University. Other sponsors are the Ames Public Library, ISU Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, ISU Wildlife Extension and the Big Bluestem chapter of the National Audubon Society.

Readings are selected chapters from A Sand County Almanac. They include "The Good Oak" that recounts the natural history of the region through the sawn rings of a fallen tree, "The Geese Return" about spring's arrival in the marsh, and Leopold's classic essay about the land ethic. Readings will be illustrated with historic slides from the Leopold Foundation’s archives. Readers include Bob Anders, David Brenner, Travis Cox, Susan DeBlieck, Kitty Fisher, Fritz Franzen, Susan Franzen, Elizabeth Gull, Aubrie James, Erv Klaas, Janet Klaas, Donna Lutz, Mike Meetz, Jim Pease, Jim Popken, James Pritchard and Mary Richards.

Listeners will have an opportunity to ask questions and discuss the readings. Ten copies of A Sand County Almanac will be given to members of the audience in a drawing, and refreshments will be served midway through the afternoon activities.

Aldo Leopold Weekend celebrations began on March 4, 2000 in the town of Lodi, Wisconsin. Over 10 hours, two locations and 35 readers, citizens of this small community read A Sand County Almanac aloud, cover to cover, as a way to develop a sense of place, build community bonds, and introduce the concept of a land ethic. In 2004, the first weekend in March was officially designated as Aldo Leopold Weekend in the state of Wisconsin.

Last year, 28 Wisconsin communities hosted their own events, and similar festivals have been held in Iowa, Ohio, North Carolina and New Mexico. To learn more about Aldo Leopold Weekends, contact Jennifer Kobylecky, education coordinator at the Aldo Leopold Foundation, (608) 355-0279, jennifer@aldoleopold.org, or check the Foundation web site at www.aldoleopold.org/Weekend/weekend.htm. For more information about the Ames event, contact Erv Klaas, (515) 233-3327, eklaas@iastate.edu.