Aldo Leopold

About

An influential ecologist and environmentalist who laid out his philosophies in the best-selling A Sand Country Almanac.

Before Fame

Hired by cattle ranchers to trap and kill bears and wolves in New Mexico, he came to respect the predators, understanding their role in the balance of nature.

Trivia

He pioneered thinking about nature as a system, writing in an oft-repeated passage that 'A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic community.'

Family Life

He was born in Burlington, Iowa. His father Carl was a businessman, and Carl's brother was an engineer and architect.

Associated With

Eugene Odum was another important researcher into ecosystem, finding also that small changes in them can have large effects.