PARENT SESSION
Symposium #8: Linking the Leopold Legacy and Ecological Restoration in the Southwestern U.S. and Northwestern Mexico.

Organized by: W Forbes, C Meine, and C Curtin
Monday, August 5. 1:00 PM to 3:45 PM. Maricopa Meeting Room, TCC.

The Leopold legacy in the U.S. Southwest and Mexico: An overview .

Meine, Curt^*,1, Huffaker, Wellington², Santana, Eduardo³, ¹ Wisconsin Academy of Sciences, Arts and Letters, Madison, Wisconsin² Aldo Leopold Foundation, Baraboo, Wisconsin³ Instituto Manantlán de Ecologia y Conservación de la Biodiversidad, Autlán de Navarro, Jalisco, Mexico

ABSTRACT- Aldo Leopold's experience of the cultures and landscapes of the Southwestern United States and Northwestern Mexico fundamentally shaped his work as a scientist, resource manager, conservation advocate, and environmental philosopher. Through his professional activities, field experiences, and family relationships, Leopold developed ever-deepening insights into the ecological dynamics of, and historical human impacts on, the ecosystems of the region. In turn, Leopold's work, as well as that of his family members and colleagues, would have lasting impacts (direct and indirect) on ecological science, conservation, and land management on both sides of the international border. This presentation: (1) traces the chronology of Leopold's experience in the borderland landscapes as a U.S. Forest Service official, scientific observer, sportsman, and "adopted son" (by marriage to Estella Luna Bergere) of an Hispanic family with deep historic roots in Mexico and the Southwestern U.S.; (2) examines the key contributions of Aldo Leopold, as well as his sons Starker and Luna, to our understanding of biodiversity, landscape change, the evolution of land management approaches, and cultural dimensions of ecological restoration and conservation in Mexico and the Southwestern U.S.; and (3) surveys Leopold's continuing influence on both sides of the international border. Recent historical scholarship has demonstrated the critical role that the U.S. Southwest and Mexico played in the evolution of Leopold's ecological insights and his conservation ethic. However, many significant aspects of the Leopold legacy in the region remain unexplored (the important relationship, for example, between Leopold and conservationist William Vogt). This presentation will thus also offer suggestions for avenues of inquiry meriting further attention from ecologists and historians of science and conservation.

KEY WORDS: Leopold, history, restoration