Description:
Aldo Leopold (1886-1948) is revered among environmentalists and naturalists for many reasons: as an officer of the U.S. Forest Service, he was instrumental in formulating policies that helped protect wildlands and wild animals; as an activist, he helped found the Wilderness Society and other public-interest organizations; and as a writer, he crafted a number of fine, philosophically charged essays and books, including his famous memoir, A Sand County Almanac. Marybeth Lorbiecki's overview of Leopold's life addresses each of these contributions in turn, and it does a good job of explaining why Leopold's influence should endure today. Of added interest are the many photographs Lorbiecki has discovered in family and government archives, images that help flesh out a figure who has, in ecological circles, become something of a saint--and, as a result, a little unreal. Curt Meine's Aldo Leopold: His Life and Work addresses Leopold's work in greater depth, but readers seeking a sense of his many contributions, and why they matter, will find much of value in Lorbiecki's well-written pages. --Gregory McNamee
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