Leopold Trip Grant

In the spring of 2022, Northern Waters Environmental School students and staff traveled to Southern Wisconsin to visit the Aldo Leopold Foundation, Leopold Shack, Wisconsin River, UW-Madison campus, and Wisconsin state capitol.

As part of their final seminar project of the year, students learned about environmental ethics through a variety of hands-on learning experiences in order to develop their own Land Ethic, which was first introduced by Aldo Leopold in "A Sand County Almanac." This trip allowed students to explore the legacy of Aldo Leopold and his land ethic by evaluating their own relationship with nature and exploring the physical locations in which he developed much of his conservation ideologies.

Their first stop was The Leopold Foundation just outside of Baraboo, WI. Students toured the Leopold Shack (Leopold's family 'field site') and the shores of the Wisconsin River and shared reflections about their relationship with nature. They camped at Devil's Lake State Park for the next two nights. Students explored the lake and the trails and spent time fishing.

Students split into groups based on interest - one group went to Olbrich Gardens to explore plants from a variety of ecosystems, and the other went to the Spring Green Nature Preserve to explore Wisconsin's only desert ecosystem. They regrouped downtown Madison on the steps of the capitol at mid-day, where two Northern Waters students had set up a meeting with state representative Janet Bewley, who also gave them a tour of the capitol chambers and governor's office. They ended the day by exploring the "big city" of Madison and UW-Madison's campus followed by stories around the campfire back at Devil's Lake.