What we do ...
In the years since it was formed in 2004, the Leopold Heritage Group has sponsored a variety of local projects centered on the idea of promoting the legacy of Aldo Leopold and encouraging people to think about their interactions with the natural world. These have included speakers, film screenings, events such as wildflower walks and birding programs and more, usually during the month of April.
LHG continues to strive to engage our community. Looking ahead to the rest of this year and beyond, here's a little bit about what is on our plate:
Outdoor Classroom on the Prairie
LHG is working with the Burlington School District to install a two-acre outdoor classroom area at Aldo Leopold Middle School where students will be able to integrate nature into their studies. The concept proposes winding paths leading through reconstructed prairie to rock outcrop enclosures for classrooms.
In an interview, Dr. Estella Leopold concluded with a statement on the importance of reaching children, which this project aims to do: "I was raised outdoors," she said. "You'd go out to play, go everywhere all day. But kids now are more restricted. How are they going to learn to love and protect nature?"
Aldo Leopold himself also commented on this ideal in the pages of "A Sand County Almanac."
"When I call to mind my earliest impressions, I wonder whether the process ordinarily referred to as growing up is not actually a process of growing down; whether experience, so much touted among adults as the thing children lack in, is not actually a progressive dilution of the essentials by the trivialities of living. This much at least is sure: my earliest impression of wildlife and its pursuit retain a vivid sharpness of form, color, and atmosphere that half a century of professional wildlife experience has failed to obliterate or to improve upon."
'Aldo Leopold: Writing from His Burlington Roots'
LHG member and Aldo Leopold researcher Steve Brower is available to provide your group or organization a program detailing Leopold's childhood years spent growing up in Burlington, and interpreting how it influenced Leopold's life achievements.
Local Leopold Tours
Arrange a guided tour for your group or organization with an interpreter from the Leopold Heritage Group to significant Leopold sites in and around Burlington. Groups may be combined.
Wild Words & Art contest
The Wild Words & Art contest has been conducted annually since 2007, with prizes awarded for essays, poems, two-dimensional works of art and photography to participants of all ages. The 2012 contest is now open. Deadline to submit entries is April 13, 2012.
Learn more
For more information about Leopold Heritage Group projects, or to ask about arranging a tour or presentation, contact LHG chairwoman Amanda Delperdang at Des Moines County Conservation's Starr's Cave Nature Center, (319) 753-5808.