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.

Realizing Leopold's dream in the borderlands: Linking the land ethic, science, and private land practice.

Curtin, Charles^*,1, ¹ Arid Lands Project, Animas, NM.

ABSTRACT- Early in the 20th century Aldo Leopold worked to integrate science and conservation. Today, using many of the ideas from the land ethic, ranchers, researchers, and conservationists are working together to protect the structure and function of landscapes in the Mexico/US. borderlands. As Leopold's work did in his day, these projects demonstrate that science, conservation, and the protection of human communities are not exclusive, but that each rely on the other. In this presentation, using research and conservation in collaboration with the Malpai Borderlands Group as an example, I illustrate how many of Leopold's ideas are still alive and well in the southwest, and that we still have much to learn from Leopold's example in undertakng current research and conservation projects.

KEY WORDS: Leopold, Southwest, Landscapes, Malpai