Aldo Leopold, Phenology and Climate Change

Dr. Stanley A. Temple, Beers-Bascom Professor Emeritus in Conservation at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and Senior Fellow at the Aldo Leopold Foundation, will be giving a public lecture on “Aldo Leopold, Phenology and Climate Change” at the Aldo Leopold Nature Center in Monona on April 24 at 6:00PM. Aldo Leopold, UW professor best known as the author of A Sand County Almanac, was a keen observer of the natural world. Throughout his life, he kept daily journals recording observations of seasonal events, especially those occurring at his beloved “shack” on the worn-out Wisconsin farm which was the setting for many essays in A Sand County Almanac. Leopold’s meticulous phenological observations have provided us with an unparalleled record of when plants bloomed, birds migrated and other natural events. Analyzing his historical observations of hundreds of natural events as well as recent records helps us understand how climate change is affecting the ecological community. One lesson of Leopold’s journals is clear: For those who love nature and take time to observe it closely, keeping records enhances the enjoyment and value of our time and effort, both now and in the future.

The lecture is free and open to the public, and will be followed at 7:00PM by a guided tour of the Aldo Leopold Nature Center’s Climate Science Education Center, including the Nina Leopold Bradley Family Phenology Center (at a discounted tour rate of $5/participant, or free for Aldo Leopold Nature Center members).

Pre-registration for the lecture and tour are not required.