Influence of A Sand County Almanac
Aldo Leopold’s A Sand County Almanac has been considered one of the most influential Ecological texts ever written. Proposing different perspectives on human interactions with the environment, A Sand County Almanac contains several of Leopold’s anecdotes and thoughts about his interactions with nature. Many of the main concepts and foundations of modern conservation, ecology, and land ethic can be derived from the book. Although it did not receive critical acclaim until the environmental movement of the 1970’s, after Leopold’s death, it is now regarded as of the two most revered texts with Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring.
In “Thinking Like a Mountain”, Leopold addresses the man’s perception of the environment as something that must be changed in order to benefit mankind exclusively. When shooting an old wolf as a young man, Leopold gained a new perspective on the interrelationships of the importance of balance within the different trophic levels: “We reached the old wolf in time to watch a fierce green fire dying in her eyes… I thought that because fewer wolves meant more deer, that no wolves would mean hunters' paradise. But after seeing the green fire die, I sensed that neither the wolf nor the mountain agreed with such a view”(Leopold 138). Leopold’s realization of the delicate balance of nature and the interrelatedness of its members is described today as the effects of trophic cascade. Leopold then goes on to say “I now suspect that just as a deer herd lives in mortal fear of its wolves, so does a mountain live in mortal fear of its deer. And perhaps with better cause, for while a buck pulled down by wolves can be replaced in two or three years, a range pulled down by too many deer may fail of replacement in as many decades”(Leopold 140).
Leopold also addresses the way in which we should be viewing our depletive interactions with the environment in a rational and thoughtful manor. In “Land Ethic” Leopold acknowledges that we must utilize the environment to suit our needs and provide for our growing population. He differentiates between ecologically responsible acts and ecologically irresponsible acts by saying “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” (Leopold 224-225). This view of nature is unique in that it acknowledges human nature and dependence upon depletion but creates moral boundaries to operate within.
Leopold had many unique experiences interacting with vastly different American landscapes throughout his childhood and professional career, living mostly in the wooded areas of the Midwest and the barren dessert land of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. Leopold’s vast knowledge and wisdom when it comes to the diversity, beauty and ecological significance of these regions strikes a chord with the reader as these areas sound like home to many of A Sand County Almanac’s readers. This essentially helped Leopold communicate his universal ideas and ethics concerning land to people who have completely different types of relationships with the land. This respect for all land unifies readers, a major reason why the book could be so well received all over the nation.
Leopold has left his legacy through his writing not only in A Sand County Almanac but also his other 300 published articles, papers, newsletters, and letters ("Aldo Leopold."). While A Sand County Almanac is an excellent representation of Leopold’s ideals and approaches to human interaction with the environment, the summation of Leopold’s work is what should be admired, as Leopold was a pioneer in changing the American view of the human’s place in nature.
In “Thinking Like a Mountain”, Leopold addresses the man’s perception of the environment as something that must be changed in order to benefit mankind exclusively. When shooting an old wolf as a young man, Leopold gained a new perspective on the interrelationships of the importance of balance within the different trophic levels: “We reached the old wolf in time to watch a fierce green fire dying in her eyes… I thought that because fewer wolves meant more deer, that no wolves would mean hunters' paradise. But after seeing the green fire die, I sensed that neither the wolf nor the mountain agreed with such a view”(Leopold 138). Leopold’s realization of the delicate balance of nature and the interrelatedness of its members is described today as the effects of trophic cascade. Leopold then goes on to say “I now suspect that just as a deer herd lives in mortal fear of its wolves, so does a mountain live in mortal fear of its deer. And perhaps with better cause, for while a buck pulled down by wolves can be replaced in two or three years, a range pulled down by too many deer may fail of replacement in as many decades”(Leopold 140).
Leopold also addresses the way in which we should be viewing our depletive interactions with the environment in a rational and thoughtful manor. In “Land Ethic” Leopold acknowledges that we must utilize the environment to suit our needs and provide for our growing population. He differentiates between ecologically responsible acts and ecologically irresponsible acts by saying “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” (Leopold 224-225). This view of nature is unique in that it acknowledges human nature and dependence upon depletion but creates moral boundaries to operate within.
Leopold had many unique experiences interacting with vastly different American landscapes throughout his childhood and professional career, living mostly in the wooded areas of the Midwest and the barren dessert land of Arizona, New Mexico and Utah. Leopold’s vast knowledge and wisdom when it comes to the diversity, beauty and ecological significance of these regions strikes a chord with the reader as these areas sound like home to many of A Sand County Almanac’s readers. This essentially helped Leopold communicate his universal ideas and ethics concerning land to people who have completely different types of relationships with the land. This respect for all land unifies readers, a major reason why the book could be so well received all over the nation.
Leopold has left his legacy through his writing not only in A Sand County Almanac but also his other 300 published articles, papers, newsletters, and letters ("Aldo Leopold."). While A Sand County Almanac is an excellent representation of Leopold’s ideals and approaches to human interaction with the environment, the summation of Leopold’s work is what should be admired, as Leopold was a pioneer in changing the American view of the human’s place in nature.
Sources:
"Aldo Leopold." Wilderness.net. University of Montana, n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2014. <http://www.wilderness.net/NWPS/leopold>.
Leopold, Aldo, and Michael Sewell. A Sand County Almanac: With Essays on Conservation. New York: Oxford UP, 2001. Print.
"Aldo Leopold." Wilderness.net. University of Montana, n.d. Web. 03 Mar. 2014. <http://www.wilderness.net/NWPS/leopold>.
Leopold, Aldo, and Michael Sewell. A Sand County Almanac: With Essays on Conservation. New York: Oxford UP, 2001. Print.
By: Hanna Gold, Douglas Reymore, Isaac Knipfing, Sarah Irish, Joshua White, Eric Lynch