Conservationist’s reach to be celebrated in NWA

“As a society, we are just now beginning to realize the depth of [Aldo] Leopold’s work and thinking.”
—  Mike Dombeck, Chief Emeritus U.S. Forest Service

In his youth, legendary conservationist Aldo Leopold had an epiphany as he watched a “fierce green fire” dying in the eyes of an old wolf. What he saw would forever change his view of man’s relationship to nature.

Leopold’s experience and others like it will be the topic of discussion during a day devoted to celebrating his life and legacy at Hobbs State Park-Conservation Area.

Jointly sponsored by the Friends of Hobbs volunteer organization, the annual event at the park’s new Visitor’s Center will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and feature a continuous program of presentations and activities of interest to visitors of all ages.

Among the many activities, adults will be able to enjoy guided nature walks and sample dutch-oven cooking, while youngsters can engage in making bird feeders and necklaces.

Much of the program, however, will focus on Leopold, who died in 1948 but remains esteemed to this day for shaping the modern conservation movement and for his key role in initiating the establishment of wilderness areas in national forests.

As a hunter, angler and budding naturalist, Leopold was a keen and insightful observer of the natural realm and was especially attuned to the rhythms of the seasons. Later, as a professional wildlife manager and forester, he was among the first to recognize the importance of predators, such as wolves and bears, to natural ecosystems and the role of fire in maintaining the health of forests and prairies. He died of a heart attack while battling a wild fire on a neighbor's property.

“In the face of ever increasing environmental degradation, Leopold taught that humans should bear responsibility for their activities and impact on future generations,” said Steve Chyrchel, park interpreter at Hobbs.

Much about Leopold’s life and vision is revealed in A Sand County Almanac, a collection of his writings that has continued to inspire conservationists for more than a half-century.

The book will figure prominently during the celebratory event at Hobbs with well-known conservationists from Northwest Arkansas reading select excerpts throughout the day.

Special selections will include Leopold’s nature observations from season to season during weekend sojourns at his family retreat on the Wisconsin River. As one example, Tim Snell, executive director of The Nature Conservancy in Fayetteville, will read an excerpt titled “Sky Dance” to describe the aerial acrobatics of male woodcocks during their spring mating rituals.

In another excerpt from the book, Leopold describes how old wooden boards have “stories” to tell. This weekend’s event will feature a display of wooden boards with interpreters on hand to tell their stories.

A highlight of the celebration will be a mid-afternoon showing of Green Fire, a full-length documentary of Leopold’s life and his prominence in the development of conservation principles.

The local event is just one of many of its kind taking place elsewhere this weekend. Aldo Leopold Weekend, traditionally the first weekend in March, started in Wisconsin in 2000 and is now celebrated across the nation in various ways and at various times of year.

The Hobbs’ Visitor Center located on Arkansas 12 about 15 miles east of Rogers forms an ideal setting the Leopold celebration with its own state-of-the-art exhibits that have made it an epicenter of outdoors education in Northwest Arkansas since its opening in May, 2009.

Last year alone, the center hosted 1,936 programs for more than 48,000 visitors, most of them school children.

Nearly 40 percent of the programs were presented by volunteers with Friends of Hobbs, said the organization’s president Tom McClure of Rogers.