How do you mark the passing of a conservation titan?

With respect, regret, but above all…reverence.

On May 25, 2011 Dr. Nina Leopold Bradley, the eldest daughter of the renowned environmentalist Aldo Leopold, passed away surrounded by loved ones in her home in Baraboo, Wisconsin.  She was 93.

Following in her father’s footsteps, Nina used her voice to champion the ideas of ecology and conservation of our natural resources by challenging us to think philosophically about our ethics towards the land and helping us to understand how in protecting the environment we are also protecting ourselves. Anyone who has read her work cannot help but think of her as an environmental warrior/poet.  Her words reveal an absolute conviction and dedication to her beliefs and  inspire us all.

“She truly carried on her father’s mission and has been a personal  inspiration to me throughout my career,” says Jamie Rappaport Clark, Executive Vice President of Defenders of Wildlife.  “Thanks to her vast research and rich legacy, her own ‘green fire’ will continue to burn.”

A University of Wisconsin graduate with a degree in geography, Nina spent her life researching and observing the natural world around her.  She and her husband returned to live at the Leopold Memorial Reserve not far from Aldo’s famous shack  and spent their days adding to her father’s research about the changes of the landscape in Wisconsin.  In 1982 she and the other Leopold children formed the Aldo Leopold Foundation, which strives to “weave a land ethic into the fabric of our society; to advance the understanding, stewardship and restoration of land health; and to cultivate leadership for conservation.”

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