Summary Aldo Leopold is considered the most influential conservationist in the 20th century. His greatest idea was the “land ethic.” A quote from the movie says: “All ethics so far evolved rest upon a single premise that the individual is a member of a community of individual parts—land ethic includes soils, waters, plants and animals.” Although, Leopold died in 1948, his ideas are still current. He wrote the book, A Sand County Almanac. The ideas expressed in this book transcend generation to generation. Leopold grew up in the 1800s when the railroads were being built and all the forests were being cut down to make room for them. He was able to see firsthand the damage humans were causing. Throughout the documentary, Leopold’s biographer …show more content…
When he was 14, Theodore Roosevelt made the conversation of natural resources and the preservation of wildlands a national priority. This led to him pursuing a career in forestry. Upon his graduation, he was given the job to measure the Apache National Forest. While on this job, he encountered a wolf that was dying whose eyes were glowing green. I feel as if this is where Leopold truly began to understand what he describes as “land ethic.” The concept of land ethic does not just involve the land but also the relationship of humans with the land. This concept has influence many conservation leaders. It helps them see that the land comes first, but also the people must come together to make sure the land is taken care of. All of Leopold children took after him and became scientists and conservationists. Many scientists, a group called “Leopold scholars,” a rancher and his children spoke about him in the documentary. The overall message of the documentary was to illustrate why Leopold is considered the most influential conservationist in the 20th century. This documentary seeks to explain why Aldo Leopold’s ideas were so ahead of his time and could link generations together. It tempts to provide people with a reason to take care of the land and raise the awareness of the