Who was Aldo Leopold?

Born in 1887, Aldo Leopold grew up exploring and discovering things in the outdoors. Let’s take a look at how he learned to find clues in nature and you, too, can solve mysteries in the land.

When he was a kid, his favorite things to do were hiking and fishing with his dog, Spud.

Solving Mysteries of the Land

Aldo’s family helped him to explore the land. While exploring, his father would ask him; “Who do you think made those footprints at the water’s edge?” or “What type of animal would live in that hollow log?” By observing carefully and taking notes about what he saw, heard, and felt, Aldo learned about nature’s creatures.

Aldo learned that everything in nature is connected – if one part was changed, another would change too. He promised to treat everything in nature with love and respect so every part of nature’s systems would stay healthy.

Writing and Drawing

Aldo liked to read books and stories about animals and adventures. Aldo’s mother asked him to write about his own adventures. sometimes he wrote letters and sometimes he kept notes in a small book called a journal.

When he was 11 years old, he wrote: “I like to study birds. I like the wren best of all…”

Sometimes pictures can tell an even better story than words. Aldo used crayons and pencils to draw pictures of what he saw in the outdoors. What stories do these pictures tell? Can you draw a picture of your favorite thing in nature?

A Very Famous Person

When Aldo Leopold grew up, he kept his promise to respect nature and try to make the land healthy – even if it was not popular at the time. His promise became known as ‘the land ethic’ and he became a very famous scientist and nature explorer. His research and strong beliefs in the way we should treat the land and each other are still important for scientists and people today.