How do you "go on, cheerfully enough" in the sometimes-difficult winter season? Read the full poem by Mary Oliver here: https://hellopoetry.com/poem/473906/lines-written-in-the-days-of-growing-darkness-by-mary-oliver/ #WednesdayWisdom #MaryOliver #Poetry #Winter

Time for a recap! ☃️ How did your land ethic shape up in 2025? #Meme #MemeMonday #Wrapped #LandEthic #AldoLeopold

Is it better to be a big tree or a little tree? #tree #trees #forest #forests #nature #ecology #ecosystem #evolution #adapt #adaptation #science #forester

Wishing you a day of connection, reflection, and gratitude―from all of us at the Aldo Leopold Foundation. 🍁 Image: the Leopold children at the Shack, ca. 1982. LtR: Nina, Starker, Estella, Carl, and Luna.

“Our work and our joy is to pass along the gift and to trust that what we put out into the universe will always come back.” ―Robin Wall Kimmerer Now through #GivingTuesday, your donations will be matched up to $5,000. Double the love and double your impact this season! aldoleopold.org/donate#GivingTuesday

“When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.” ―Aldo Leopold Your support this #GivingTuesday extends love and respect to the land community we all belong to. 💚 Make your gift at aldoleopold.org/donate#GivingTuesday #AldoLeopold #LandEthic

Beautiful sunrise yesterday at the Great Midwest Crane Fest in Baraboo, Wisconsin for. So much beauty in the world. We just have to remember to look for it. @aldoleopoldfdn.bsky.social @savingcranes.bsky.social #savingcranes #sandhillcranes #baraboowisconsin

Save the date―#GivingTuesday is December 2nd! As a non-profit, we depend on the heartfelt generosity of supporters like you to further our mission of fostering Leopold's legacy. 💚 Make your gifts at aldoleopold.org/donate#GivingTuesday #AldoLeopold #Conservation #LandEthic

Nina, #AldoLeopold's eldest daughter, retired to the Shack area in 1976, and picked up where Aldo's #phenology notes left off in 1948. Her records showed the impacts of #climatechange on seasonal events. Our 2026 Phenology #Calendar honors her legacy. Get yours at aldoleopold.org/store#AldoLeopold

These birds are just amazing. Sandhills have been around for millions of years. If you haven't read Aldo Leopold, you ought to.

“When we hear his call we hear no mere bird. We hear the trumpet in the orchestra of evolution.” When #AldoLeopold penned "Marshland Elegy" in 1937, only a few dozen #SandhillCrane pairs remained in Wisconsin. Thanks to conservation efforts, the population is now 100,000 strong. #WednesdayWisdom

Just a few nights ago, the year's biggest supermoon shone down on us! 🌕 The moon looks extra big and bright because it's at its closest point to the earth during orbit. It's called the Beaver Moon as beavers are sheltering in their dams for the winter this time of year. 🦫

“Our biases are indeed a sensitive index to our affections, our tastes, our loyalties, our generosities, and our manner of wasting weekends.” ―Aldo Leopold, A Sand County Almanac 📷: Aldo Leopold and dog Gus in front of their pine trees, ca. 1940s #WednesdayWisdom #AldoLeopold #ASandCountyAlmanac

"Only the mountain has lived long enough to listen objectively to the howl of a wolf." —Aldo Leopold #WednesdayWisdom #AldoLeopold #ThinkingLikeAMountain

“Action on behalf of life transforms.” ―Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass #WednesdayWisdom #BraidingSweetgrass #Conservation #Action #Earth

As the sunlight begins to dim, black bears are finding their ways to their dens. 🐻 During the late summer and early fall, black bears eat up to 20,000 calories per day to prepare for a long slumber, packing on fat that fuels their bodies through the winter. #PhenologyFriday #FatBearWeek

What's spookier than a ghost story? The struggles faced by bats worldwide due to climate change, habitat loss, and disease. Join us TONIGHT at 7pm CDT for a chat with Dr. Winifred Frick of Bat Conservation International 🦇. Register here: https://ow.ly/qURA50X8Hbp

“The last word in ignorance is the man who says of an animal or plant, 'What good is it?'” ― Aldo Leopold, Round River, A Sand County Almanac #WednesdayWisdom #AldoLeopold #SandCountyAlmanac

📢 Great Midwest #CraneFest is coming up fast! Nov. 15-16 in #Baraboo, #Wisconsin. 📢 Don't miss this celebration of #conservation, community, and #cranes with the International Crane Foundation! Mark your calendars and get your tickets at bit.ly/gmcranefest

The latest #LandEthic in Action story is all about community. First, we share how a group of Wisconsinites came together to protect a threatened watershed; then we ask Paula Whyman more about her growing relationship to the land. Check out the story here ➡️ https://ow.ly/Jpe950X5PHO#LandEthic

#GoldenHour is beginning for the tamarack! The tamarack is one of a small handful of deciduous conifers whose needles change color and drop in the #fall. Its signature #autumn hue inspired the title of Aldo Leopold's October essay, "Smoky Gold." 🌲💛 #PhenologyFriday

Bats are unsung ecosystem heroes―yet, sadly, they're often misunderstood. How can telling new stories about these invisible mammals rewrite their destiny as they face threats from habitat loss, disease, and climate change? Find out on Oct. 9th ➡️ events.zoom.us/ev/Ajo2ltwte... @batcon.org

"We need joy as we need air. We need love as we need water. We need each other as we need the Earth we share." —Maya Angelou #WednesdayWisdom #Earth #MayaAngelou

#Phenology is all about paying attention to the land and getting curious about what's happening with the #wildlife, #flora, and #fauna throughout the year! Are you ready to discover something new in #nature's cycles? Then get your #calendar today at aldoleopold.org/store.

We've got a need… a need to collect seeds! Particularly Canada wild rye―a native grass that will help re-establish areas where we'll be working to remove invasive brush. 🌾 Thanks to our many volunteers for helping gather seeds with us!! 🤲🫘 #StewardshipSaturday #Volunteers

Why do trees change colors in #fall? 🍂 As daylight decreases, broad-leaved trees stop producing #chlorophyll, which makes leaves green. This allows other pigments―like carotenoids and anthocyanins―to show in the leaves, revealing yellow, orange, and red hues. #PhenologyFriday

“There is a time in late #September when the leaves are still green, and the days are still warm, but somehow you know that it is all about to end, as if #summer was holding its breath, and when it let it out again, it would be #autumn.” ―author Sharyn McCrumb. #WednesdayWisdom #Fall

While we mostly associate Canada #Geese with #migration, you may look out your window in January and still see some lingering. Why is that? Well, there are two distinct populations: migratory, which flies south for the winter, and residential, which stays here year round. #PhenologyFriday

Norwegian philosopher Arne Naess' idea of #DeepEcology argues that environmental protection must come not from moral obligation but a broadened sense of self, allowing one to act instinctively to preserve the natural world. #WednesdayWisdom

TONIGHT! Join us for a conversation with @paulawhyman.bsky.social about the ups and downs of restoring a native landscape! Thurs. 9/11 @ 7pm CDT on Zoom: events.zoom.us/ev/AtMcU8TLZ... Registration also grants you access to the replay! #Stewardship #Restoration #Conservation #FreeEvent

"If, then, we can live without goose music, we may as well do away with stars, or sunsets, or Iliads. But the point is that we would be fools to do away with any of them." —Aldo Leopold #WednesdayWisdom #Migration #Nature #AldoLeopold

Join us next week on #LandEthicLive for an inspiring talk with Paula about stewardship, restoration, and self-discovery! 💚 The program is free, virtual, and recorded for later access. #Stewardship #BadNaturalist #Conservation #FreeEvent

In 1971, after witnessing a disastrous oil spill, Dr. John Francis decided to give up motor vehicles and instead began a 22-year-long journey, walking through the U.S., the Caribbean, South America, and even Antarctica, earning him the nickname #PlanetWalker. #WednesdayWisdom

Every year, millions of #Monarchbutterflies migrate 3,000 miles south between late August & mid-November to spend the winter in a warmer climate. 🦋 Did you know the #Monarch is the only #butterfly known to complete a two-way #migration? #PhenologyFriday #pollinators

The common #nighthawk, neither night-flyer nor hawk, is often seen zipping through the summer skies at dawn and dusk in pursuit of its flying insect prey. They're just about ready to head south on one of the longest #migration routes of any North American bird. #PhenologyFriday

While acknowledging the complicated relationship Black people have to the land due to the atrocities that occurred on it, futurist and poet Naima Penniman believes that living and learning from "Mamma Nature" is key to a thriving Black community. #WednesdayWisdom

Bottle Gentian is beginning to bloom! The flowers of this native perennial can only be pollinated by bumblebees, which are strong enough to pry the bottle-shaped flowers open and crawl inside. This symbiotic relationship benefits both the plant and the bees! #PhenologyFriday #NativePlants

New England Aster is beginning to bloom! This is a perennial late-season wildflower native to Wisconsin. Did you know that a single "flower" of this plant is actually made up of 100-150 individual flowers? #PhenologyFriday #Flowers #NativePlants

You might wonder if you can make change. It may feel too complex, too overwhelming, to take the first step. But, as Leopold writes, if you're determined enough, you can make it happen. #WednesdayWisdom #AldoLeopold #PlantATree

“My father would be so pleased to see the renewed interest in phenology today.” ―Nina Leopold Bradley Celebrate Nina's legacy (and birthday!!🎉) with a purchase of the 2026 Phenology Calendar. You may just be inspired to become a phenology legend yourself! www.aldoleopold.org/products/202...

"Transformation is not accomplished by tentative wading at the edge." —Robin Wall Kimmerer This quote, from Braiding Sweetgrass, emphasizes that genuine change requires deep commitment to not only the cause itself but all the complexities that may come with it. #WednesdayWisdom #Change

According to David Attenborough, "no species has ever had such wholesale control over everything on earth" as humankind does now. What is one way you honor this tremendous responsibility? #WednesdayWisdom #DavidAttenborough #Conservation

In addition to ecological knowledge, Aldo Leopold advocated for a deep love of, and respect for, the land. How do you show your own love for the natural world? #WednesdayWisdom #AldoLeopold #LandEthic

✨ Hello, #fellows!! ✨ We're excited to present the five new faces of our 2025 fellows' cohort! Meet Emily, Gracie, Kate, Lucy, and Caitlin! Stay tuned for more updates on this cohort's journey! You can also learn more about them at their staff bios on our website. #FutureLeaders #Conservation

"Just a small creature that does a small job quickly and well." ―Aldo Leopold Can you really call pollination a small job? For the bee, it's not a job at all! Pollination is an important by-product of the bee's true mission: the search for nectar. #WednesdayWisdom

"The objective is to teach the student to see the land, to understand what they see, and enjoy what they understand." — Aldo Leopold, The Role of Wildlife in a Liberal Education 💚🌈🌳🐝 #WednesdayWisdom #AldoLeopold #Education #Teach #Land #LandEthic

We rebuild, with shovel and axe―and tiny brick!―what we are losing elsewhere… A recent young visitor was inspired by his trip to the Shack and built this miniature replica in Legos! He even included some of the Leopold pines and the fire pit! #Shack #Lego #AldoLeopold #Meme

George Washington Carver's ecological training and belief in the "organic unity" of nature led him to experiment with different methods to restore land health. His research on crop rotation proved hugely influential, laying the groundwork for modern practices of regenerative agriculture. #Juneteenth

“Conservation is a cause that has no end. There is no point at which we will say our work is finished.” ―Rachel Carson #WednesdayWisdom #Conservation #Environmentalism #KeepOn

“A good hobby may be a solitary revolt against the commonplace, or it may be the joint conspiracy of a congenial group…. In either event it is a rebellion, and if a hopeless one, all the better.” —Aldo Leopold, "A Man's Leisure Time" #MondayMusings #Hobby #Rebellion #AldoLeopold