This title is part of BHA's Jim Posewitz Digital Library: Required Reading for Conservationists
Published posthumously in 1949, Aldo Leopold’s A Sand County Almanac is as close to a bible for conservationists as any work can be. In it he discusses things like a “land ethic,” which simply says: “A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise.”
He reflects on predator control in service of better deer hunting and the moment earlier in his life when he killed one of the last Mexican wolves in the Southwest, coming upon her body in time to watch “a fierce green fire dying in her eyes.”
With constant gems of wisdom like these, one feels compelled to read this book over and over again. Whether you’re an environmentalist, passionate hunter, third generation rancher or all of the above, you’ll find a lot to like about the unifying philosophies Leopold explores. Using adroit storytelling, Leopold involves you in his thoughts like few others have. He worked tirelessly on every word in this book, ensuring a compelling narrative that stands the test of time. This was and is as formative of a book as any in my life.
I can feel his presence every time my wife and I walk our yellow Lab along the Aldo Leopold Trail in the Rio Grande State Park in downtown Albuquerque, New Mexico, with one of the largest cottonwood galleries in the West – an area he helped protect.
-TED KOCH, BHA North American Board Member, Life Member and Legacy Partner
A new edition of A Sand County Almanac has been released for Earth Day 50 (April 22, 2020). The Aldo Leopold Foundation, www.aldoleopold.org, is offering special introductory pricing of 25% off the cover price of $15.95 and free shipping using coupon code aldo25.
About Zack Williams
Backcountry Journal editor