Aldo
Leopold
A Sand County Almanac Leopold wrote A Sand County Almanac (hardcover ISBN 0-19-505305-2, paperback ISBN 0195007778), which has been read by millions and has informed and changed the environmental movement and a widespread interest in ecology as a science. By the same token, the Wilderness Society and LeopoldÕs work in it were important
precursors
to the environmental movement that coalesced around
the time of the first Earth Day. Published in 1949, shortly
after Leopold's death, A Sand County Almanac is a combination
of natural history, scene painting with words, and philosophy.
It is perhaps best known for the following quote, which
defines his land ethic: "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.Ó
Conservation: In "The Land Ethic," a chapter of A Sand County Almanac, Leopold delves into conservation in "The
Ecological Conscience" section. He
wrote: "Conservation is a state of harmony between men and
land."