Synopses & Reviews
In 1935, in the midst of relentless drought, Aldo Leopold purchased an abandoned farm along the Wisconsin River near Baraboo, Wisconsin. An old chicken coop, later to become famous as the Leopold andldquo;Shack,andrdquo; was the propertyandrsquo;s only intact structure. The Leopold family embraced this spent farm as a new kind of laboratoryandmdash;a place to experiment on restoring health to an ailing piece of land. Here, Leopold found inspiration for writing
A Sand County Almanac, his influential book of essays on conservation and ethics.
and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160; Living a Land Ethic chronicles the formation of the 1,600-acre reserve surrounding the Shack. When the Leopold Memorial Reserve was founded in 1967, five neighboring families signed an innovative agreement to jointly care for their properties in ways that honored Aldo Leopoldandrsquo;s legacy. In the ensuing years, the Reserveandrsquo;s Coleman and Leopold families formed the Sand County Foundation and the Aldo Leopold Foundation. These organizations have been the primary stewards of the Reserve, carrying on a tradition of ecological restoration and cooperative conservation. Author Stephen A. Laubach draws from the archives of both foundations, including articles of incorporation, correspondence, photos, managersandrsquo; notes, and interviews to share with readers the Reserveandrsquo;s untold history and its important place in the American conservation movement.
andmiddot; Finalist, Nature category of the Midwest Book Awards, Midwest Independent Publishers Association
andmiddot; Finalist, History category of the Midwest Book Awards, Midwest Independent Publishers Association
Review
andldquo;This is a story well worth reading and, happily, itandrsquo;s good fun to boot. The author has skillfully captured Leopold the man, the scientist, the philosopherandmdash;furthermore, anyone who begins to read it will soon be captured, too.andrdquo;andmdash;Gaylord Nelson, former U.S. Senator and founder of Earth Day
Review
andldquo;An excellent, full-length biography of a figure central to the environmental history of the United States.andrdquo;andmdash;Science
Review
andldquo;Aldo Leopold is laboriously researched, masterfully synthesized, and felicitously written. . . . Through Meineandrsquo;s fascinating and lively narrative, we can at last . . . become better acquainted with one of the most important minds in the history of conservation.andrdquo;andmdash;The Bloomsbury Review
Review
andldquo;Meine has done a masterful job in presenting to his reader the family man, sportsman, natural resource manager, administrator, professor, philosopher, and poet.andrdquo;andmdash;Western Historical Quarterly
Review
andldquo;At this time no writer is better situated in place or time than Meine to understand and to put into practice Leopoldandrsquo;s ideas about man and nature. . . .Meineandrsquo;s biography of Leopold remains our best account of Leopoldandrsquo;s exemplary evolving ethical journey.andrdquo; andmdash;Jim Ballowe, North Dakota Quarterly
Review
and#147;A significant and important story about how a small group of landowners, inspired by Aldo Leopold, pioneered private conservation and ecological restoration. It offers an insightful reflection on what it means to live the and#145;land ethicand#8217; that is quite relevant to todayand#8217;s growing conservation challenges.and#8221;and#151;Tia Nelson
Review
and#147;Two generations after Aldo Leopoldand#8217;s passing, his legacy lives on through his readers, his family, and his students, and through the policies he promoted, the organizations he shaped, and the ideas he fostered. But it lives on most tangibly in the many places he worked to conserve. And of these, no place was so intimately essential to his life and thought as the Leopold Shack and the surrounding Leopold Memorial Reserve. In
Living a Land Ethic, Steve Laubach explores the many-layered natural and cultural history of the Leopold Reserve, and recounts the innovative efforts to protect and steward its diverse landscape. He shows us that the land ethic continues to evolve in the very place where Leopold conceived it. The land endures, and the story continues.and#8221;and#151;Curt Meine, author of
Aldo Leopold: His Life and WorkReview
and#147;A compelling case study of the challenges and rewards in creating a sustainable landscape. One imagines it is the type of book Aldo Leopold would have written himself had he lived for another decade.and#8221;and#151;Mark Madison, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
Review
andldquo;A very substantial overview of the history of the arboretum, with an emphasis on the people who conceived of it and worked to develop it. I learned a great deal.andrdquo;andmdash;Paul H. Zedler, Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, University of Wisconsinandndash;Madison
Review
andldquo;An important contribution to the history of the University of Wisconsinandndash;Madison and the Madison area more broadly.andrdquo;andmdash;Andrew Hipp, The Morton Arboretum, author of Spring Woodland Wildflowers of the University of Wisconsinandndash;Madison Arboretum
Review
andldquo;Courtandrsquo;s history of the UW Arboretum is fascinating in its detailed depiction of some of the giants of ecological restoration, but is also an important reflection on the struggles of establishing, defining, and maintaining a new branch of science in an urban setting.andrdquo;andmdash;Natural Areas Journal and#160; and#160; and#160;and#160;
Synopsis
Devil s Lake State Park in Wisconsin is the most popular rock-climbing area in the Midwest. It features spectacular cliffs and other rock formations where the Ice Age glacier's terminal moraine meets an ancient landscape of rock. This third edition of the popular Climber s Guide to Devil s Lake has been thoroughly updated for twenty-first-century climbers and hikers and includes information for use with GPS receivers. It provides information for climbers of all abilities and preferences, offering precise directions to help them navigate and climb within the park.Features include: an updated introduction by George J. Pokorny and new photographs by Eric Andre
a summary of the geologic and natural history of the Baraboo hills by Patricia K. Armstrong
locations and updated descriptions of nearly 1,800 climbs
landmark photographs from most major climbing areas
GPS waypoints, map coordinates, altimeter readings, and approach information
detailed diagrams locating climbing routes at most major climbing areas
6 new diagrams, 5 new climbing areas, and 120 new routes
"
Synopsis
This biography of Aldo Leopold follows him from his childhood as a precocious naturalist to his profoundly influential role in the development of conservation and modern environmentalism in the United States. This edition includes a new preface by author Curt Meine and an appreciation by acclaimed Kentucky writer and farmer Wendell Berry.
Synopsis
Internationally renowned for its pioneering role in the ecological restoration of tallgrass prairies, savannas, forests, and wetlands, the University of Wisconsin Arboretum contains the worldandrsquo;s oldest and most diverse restored ecological communities. A site for land restoration research, public environmental education, and enjoyment by nature lovers, the arboretum remains a vibrant treasure in the heart of Madisonandrsquo;s urban environment.
and#160;and#160;and#160; Pioneers of Ecological Restoration chronicles the history of the arboretum and the people who created, shaped, and sustained it up to the present. Although the arboretum was established by the University of Wisconsin in 1932, author Franklin E. Court begins his history in 1910 with John Nolen, the famous landscape architect who was invited to create plans for the city of Madison, the university campus, and Wisconsin state parks. Drawing extensive details from archives and interviews, Court follows decades of collaborative work related to the arboretumandrsquo;s lands, including the early efforts of Madison philanthropists and businessmen Michael Olbrich, Paul E. Stark, and Joseph W. andldquo;Budandrdquo; Jackson.
and#160;and#160;and#160; With labor from the Civilian Conservation Corps during the 1930s Depression, University of Wisconsin scientists began establishing both a traditional horticultural collection of trees and plants and a completely new, visionary approach to recreate native ecosystems. Hundreds of dedicated scientists and staff have carried forward the arboretumandrsquo;s mission in the decades since, among them G. William Longenecker, Aldo Leopold, John T. Curtis, Rosemary Fleming, Virginia Kline, and William R. Jordan III.
and#160;and#160;and#160; This archival record of the arboretumandrsquo;s history provides rare insights into how the mission of healing and restoring the land gradually shaped the arboretumandrsquo;s future and its global reputation; how philosophical conflicts, campus politics, changing priorities, and the encroaching city have affected the arboretum over the decades; and how early aspirations (some still unrealized) have continued to motivate the work of this extraordinary institution.
About the Author
Curt D. Meine is director for conservation biology and history with the Center for Humans and Nature; senior fellow with the Aldo Leopold Foundation; research associate with the International Crane Foundation; and associate adjunct professor at the University of Wisconsinandndash;Madison. He is coeditor of The Essential Aldo Leopold, also published by the University of Wisconsin Press.
Table of Contents
List of Illustrationsand#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;
Foreword by Stanley Templeand#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;
Acknowledgmentsand#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;
and#160;
Introductionand#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;
1 Settlement and Changing Land Health in the Central Sands Areaand#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;
2 Sowing the Seeds of the Leopold Memorial Reserve Ideaand#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;
3 Implementing a Management Planand#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;
4 Growth in Research and Education Programsand#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;
5 Conservation's Next Generationand#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;
Conclusion: The Legacy of the Leopold Memorial Reserveand#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;
Afterwordand#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;
and#160;
Notesand#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;
Bibliographyand#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;and#160;
Index