Kate Jakubowski, “Aldo Leopold: The History of a Pioneering Genius”
Mentor: Amanda Seligman, History, Letters & Science (College of)
Poster #6
Conservationist, Professor, Author. Those are just a few of the occupations Aldo Leopold held over the course of his distinguished career as one of the most pioneering environmentalists of the last generation. The oldest of 6 children, Leopold spent much of his early life outdoors and taking notes on what he saw, influencing his life as an advocate for wildlife conservation. The education he received furthered his passion as he learned about forestry at Yale University. Not only was Leopold essential into developing this field of environmentalism, but he was also the first professor of game management, the first person to describe the impacts of trophic cascade, and he coined the term “land ethic” for referring to how the relationship between humans and nature should be harmonious. Though Leopold died at the age of 61, his legacy only grew after his death. His book, A Sand County Almanac, was published posthumously in 1949 and became one of the most influential books on the environmental movement—as influential as Silent Spring by Rachel Carson. Today, Leopold is hailed as a pioneering figure in multiple environmental disciplines and celebrated as a champion of Wisconsin ideals. Like artist and fellow Wisconsinite Georgia O’Keeffe, Leopold displayed many treats of genius from a young age, including complexity, intellectual overexcitability, and giftedness. His archives are housed at UW-Madison, where he worked as a professor and the director of the Arboretum. Leopold’s quote “There are some who can live without wild things and some who cannot” makes it clear that he was in the latter category.