Aldo Leopold
Leopold's Preserve
"That land is a community is the basic concept of ecology, but that land is to be loved and respected is an extension of ethics."
— Aldo Leopold
Considered by many as the father of wildlife management and of the United States' wilderness system, Aldo Leopold was a conservationist, forester, philosopher, educator, prolific writer, and outdoor enthusiast.
Aldo Leopold conceived of a book geared for general audiences examining humanity's relationship to the natural world. A little more than a year after his death Leopold's collection of essays A Sand County Almanac was published. Included as the finale to this book, Leopold's 'Land Ethic' defined a new relationship between people and nature and set the stage for the modern conservation movement. With over two million copies sold, it is one of the most respected books about the environment ever published, and Leopold has come to be regarded as the most influential conservation thinker of the twentieth century.
Leopold understood that ethics direct individuals to cooperate with each other for the mutual benefit of all. One of his philosophical achievements was the idea that this 'community' should be enlarged to include non-human elements such as soils, waters, plants, and animals, "or collectively: the land."
Leopold's legacy continues to inform and inspire us to see the natural world "as a community to which we belong."
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Location. 38° 48.43′ N, 77° 39.425′ W. Marker is near Haymarket, Virginia, in Prince William County. It is on James Madison Highway (U.S. 15) just south of Market Ridge Boulevard, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 6739 James Madison Hwy, Haymarket VA 20169, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Washington Metropolitan Area, in Northern Virginia, and in the Piedmont. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in the Mid-Atlantic, and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the original Thirteen Colonies, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least
Additional commentary.
1. 'Community' and Feminism
Aldo Leopold's definition of 'community' has been heavily influential on the school of feminism known as ecofeminism.
Credits. This page was last revised on January 2, 2021. It was originally submitted on January 2, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 614 times since then and 26 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on January 2, 2021, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
