Aldo Leopold Video

Some rare film footage taken in 1927 of Aldo Leopold, father of American Conservation and the author of “A Sand County Almanac”, was recently found. Leopold, was on a trout fly-fishing trip to the Lily River in Wisconsin, with his brother Carl, friend Thomas Coleman, and sons Starker and Luna.

“The Lily chooses her birds well. In the cool dawn a hundred whitethroats lament in minor chorus that as yet undiscovered tragedy that broke the heart of “Ah – – poor Canada.” An occasional winter wren breaks in upon them with so jovial a whistle that one is led to think perhaps Canada after all has outgrown her secret sorrow. During the days fishing anxious mother grouse cluck to their hidden broods and redwings extol the lush greenness of the little marshes along the Lily’s banks. Not until the last evening light is upon the aspens do the thrushes begin. This also is the hour when fishermen go to sleep. Clear at first the singing cadences, then dimmer with the waning sunset, until at last the windings and unwindings of thrushes song merge with the windings and unwinding of the Lily and the long lines that fall unerringly upon her trouty pools in fishermen’s dreams.”
—from Aldo Leopold’s journal

Excerpt of Leopold’s journal entry comes courtesy of the Aldo Leopold Foundation, which was transcribed by Stephen Laubach. Mr Laubach also made the video available on his youtube channel.