Aldo Leopold’s brother, Frederick, propagated numerous wild flowers, shown above in full bloom, at the Leopold home on Clay Street.

The Leopold home overlooks the Mississippi River.

Leopold left Iowa in 1904 to attend an Eastern prep school, returning only for family visits. Although he lived most of his adult life in the Southwest and in Wisconsin, the Iowa landscape that Leopold loved as child no doubt influenced his later work as a forester and educator.

Leopold spent several years as a private consultant surveying game populations in the Midwest. The information was included in his 1931 book, Game Survey of Iowa, and was used to develop a portion of Iowa’s game management policy.

To explore Leopold’s Iowa roots, more than 50 people gathered in Burlington on March 25 to attend a half-day Leopold Land Ethic Forum organized by the Leopold Heritage Group. One of the goals of the event was to introduce landowners and stakeholders in conservation to organizations that offer resources for wetland preservation, restoration and forest conservation. Featured speakers included representatives from several local organizations, the Leopold Center, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

According to Ed Pembleton, who directs the Leopold Education Project (LEP) for Pheasants Forever, more than 8,000 educators who influence at least 1.5 million students nationwide have attended more than 400 LEP workshops over the past 10 years. The workshops use Leopold’s book of essays, A Sand County Almanac, as a text for lessons to reconnect people with nature.

Sally Collins, associate chief for the U.S. Forest Service, said she shared many of the philosophies espoused by Leopold when he worked for the U.S. Forest Service during its early years. She also shared a personal connection: her husband’s uncle, Carl Leopold, was Aldo’s younger brother.

“Leopold realized that it took humility to manage land. When you cut trees, they don’t always grow back,” Collins said. “I have great hope that if Aldo Leopold were here today he would appreciate the U.S. Forest Service’s move toward a restoration philosophy that uses nature as a guide and fire as a tool.”

The Leopold Heritage Group also worked with Senator Tom Courtney (D-Burlington), who introduced state legislation that would permanently designate April as Aldo Leopold Month. As of press time, the legislation was still in committee; however, Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack approved a one-year proclamation for the 2006 celebration, which was in April.