Aldo Leopold (1887–1948)

[from Leopold's Preserve website]
Aldo Leopold was born in Burlington, Iowa, on January 11, 1887. As a boy he developed a lively interest in field omithology and natural history, and after schooling in Burlington, at Lawrenceville Prep in New Jersey, and the Sheffield Scientific School at Yale, he enrolled in the Yale forestry school, the first graduate school of forestry in the United States. Graduating with a masters in 1909, he joined the U.S. Forest Service, by 1912 was supervisor of the million-acre Carson National Forest, and in 1924 accepted the position of Associate Director of the U.S. Forest Products Laboratory in Madison, Wisconsin, the principal research institution of the Forest Service at that time. In 1933 he was appointed to the newly created chair in Game Management at the University of Wisconsin, a position he held until his death.

Leopold was throughout his life at the forefront of the conservation movement. Indeed, he is widely acknowledged as the father of wildlife conservation in America. Though perhaps best known for A Sand County Almanac, he was also an internationally respected scientist, authored the classic text Game Management, which is still in use today, wrote more than 350 articles, most on scientific and policy matters, and was an advisor on conservation to the United Nations. He died of a heart attack on April 21, 1948 while helping his neighbors fight a grass fire. He has subsequently been named to the National Wildlife Federation's Conservation Hall of Fame, and in 1978, the John Burroughs Memorial Association awarded him the John Burroughs Medal for his lifework and, in particular, for A Sand County Almanac.

[from City of Albuquerque (New Mexico, USA) website]
Aldo Leopold, considered the father of modern wildlife ecology, spent many years of his life in New Mexico and left behind an impressive environmental legacy in our great state.

Among his many accomplishments are the creation of the Gila Wilderness near Silver City (the first proclaimed Wilderness area in the U.S.) and the foundation of the Albuquerque Wildlife Federation. He also strongly advocated for the responsible growth of Albuquerque during his time here.

In 1909, Leopold graduated from the Yale School of Forestry and started a career with the U.S. Forest Service in Arizona and New Mexico. 2009 marks the 100th Anniversary of his arrival to the Southwest and the beginning of his celebrated career.

Leopold had a special love for Albuquerque. It was here where he met his wife Estella and lived in a house near the Rio Grande. In 1918, Leopold served as the Secretary of Albuquerque's Chamber of Commerce. At this time he promoted the creation of what would later become the Rio Grande Valley State Park. Leopold's vision and efforts also eventually lead to the creation of the Rio Grande Zoological Park, Botanical Gardens, and the Rio Grande Nature Center.