Download:  Aldo Leopold Society Brochure (PDF)

Excerpt:

Aldo Leopold is regarded by many as the father of the modern American environmental movement.  His seminal book, Sand County Almanac, published in 1949, introduced the idea of the Land Ethic.  The Land Ethic represents a balance between human endeavors and respect for the land and the natural world.

The fundamental tenets of the Land Ethic are that land is an ecological system of interdependent parts; that land is regarded as a community and not a commodity; and that humans are members, and not masters of this land community.

Aldo and his wife Estella had five children who all embraced this Land Ethic through their personal and professional lives.  Their son Carl was the founding President of the Finger Lakes Land Trust. Until his retirement in 1990, Carl was a distinguished plant physiologist at the Boyce Thompson Institute at Cornell University.

After retirement, Carl turned his attention to a variety of issues including environmental ethics, creativity in science and environmental restoration.  In addition to being on the founding board of the Land Trust, he also helped establish Greensprings Natural Cemetery and the Aldo Leopold Foundation. Carl remained active with the Land Trust and in environmental issues until his passing in 2009.

Today, the Land Ethic articulated by Aldo and nurtured by Carl and his siblings lives on.  Every day, the Finger Lakes Land Trust works with landowners, public officials, and local citizens who care deeply about the future of our region.  You can help support this legacy by becoming a member of the Land Trust’s Aldo Leopold Society…

Download:  Aldo Leopold Society Brochure (PDF)

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