Remembering Leopold with sadness made acute by politics

The first weekend in March has been designated as Aldo Leopold weekend to celebrate one of Wisconsin's most famous and influential native sons. This little shack has become world-renowned because Leopold wrote his classic "A Sand County Almanac" there. Leopold was one of the earliest proponents of the new science of ecology, which taught that all things are interrelated. For the many people who rightly hold Leopold in high esteem as one of a long line of progressive Wisconsin leaders of all political persuasions, this Leopold weekend is a bitter one.

The politics of the current administration have turned our proud history of environmental stewardship on its head. Curt Meine, Leopold's biographer, wrote an op ed in today's Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that explains it better than I can. To read it at JSOnline, click here. (But to see my concluding photo, scroll on down!) Also, there is a public hearing in Milwaukee on Walker's proposed budget this Friday. Please attend and voice your concerns. Details below.

Wisconsin honors Leopold? Not this year.

"Since 2004, the first weekend in March in Wisconsin has been celebrated as Aldo Leopold Weekend. This year, a sober reality darkens the celebration. Leopold's legacy is under assault on all fronts. Gov. Scott Walker's proposed state budget undercuts the foundations of conservation and environmental stewardship that Leopold and so many others put into place over the last four generations.

"Leopold and his contemporaries worked to pass the Conservation Act of 1927. The act established what is now the state Department of Natural Resources and provided for an independent commission — now the state's Natural Resources Board — to oversee the department, select its secretary and set policy. The aim was to buffer decision-makers against the politicization of issues involving our lands and waters, forests and wildlife. In 1995, Gov. Tommy Thompson undermined this arrangement, turning the DNR secretary into a governor-appointed position. In 2010, Gov. Jim Doyle vetoed legislation that would have restored the independent secretary.

"Walker's budget pulls out the last cornerstone, turning the Natural Resources Board into a merely advisory body.

"Leopold recognized the acquisition of public lands as a necessary part of a balanced, long-term conservation strategy. The governor's proposed budget halts until 2028 any further land acquisitions and easements under the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program — named after former governors Warren Knowles (a Republican) and Gaylord Nelson (a Democrat), both known for their commitment to conservation.

"Walker's budget says: We will no longer make investments in our shared conservation future.
Leopold understood research to be "a practical and necessary basis for (natural resource) management" and devoted himself as a professor at the University of Wisconsin to strengthening the scientific foundations of conservation. Walker's proposed budget would cut deeply into the DNR's Bureau of Scientific Services, reducing by 31% the number of research positions.

"As the state's wildlife extension specialist, Leopold was devoted to sharing his expertise with the citizens of Wisconsin, exemplifying the Wisconsin Idea's goals of putting knowledge to work for the public good. He even spoke regularly on the precursor of Wisconsin's public radio network. The proposed budget cuts to the University of Wisconsin System and the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board will significantly impact the UW-Extension network and public broadcasting.

"As a teacher, Leopold understood that it all begins with education. In 1935, Wisconsin became the first state in the nation to require schools to provide instruction in conservation principles. Teachers around the state turned to Aldo Leopold. Ever since the state has been recognized as a national leader in the field. Now we are poised to go backwards. The budget abolishes the Wisconsin Center for Environmental Education and the Wisconsin Environmental Education Board (both housed at UW-Stevens Point). The budget also eliminates the authority and funding of the state Department of Public Instruction's environmental education consultant.

"At the University of Wisconsin, Leopold taught farmer's short courses, undergraduate students and some of the first graduate students in the new field of wildlife ecology and management. His influence on conservation science continues to ripple out across the state, the nation and the world. Walker's extraordinary $300 million cut in funding to the UW System affects every campus and department and program, and ultimately every citizen, in Wisconsin. Leopold's words remind us that, in a state where the university is so close to the core of our identity, such cuts will affect not only our fellow citizens and future generations, but also our "soils, waters, plants and animals, or collectively: the land."

"Beyond these particular effects, Walker's proposed budget reflects a deeper, more profound failure to appreciate just how interwoven our economy and our land are and always will be. A healthy economy depends on healthy lands, waters and ecosystems, and on individuals, businesses and institutions that see, understand and honor these connections. Leopold had a visionary grasp of this basic fact. "We fancy that industry supports us," he once wrote, "forgetting what supports industry."
In too many ways, Walker's proposed budget is economically and ethically irresponsible. Generations of Wisconsin citizen-conservationists have protected, restored and sustained the foundations of our state's economy, communities and landscapes. In honoring Leopold, we honor all those who came before us in this never-ending work. In undermining their legacy, we earn the reproach of those who will come after us.

Curt Meine is author of the biography "Aldo Leopold: His Life and Work." He lives and works in Sauk County."

Is this the what the future holds for Wisconsin's natural environment?

What can you do?

A number of provisions in Walker's current budget proposal have nothing to do with the state budget and everything to do with gutting environmental policies and regulations.
Attend the public hearing for the legislature's Joint Finance Committee:
Friday, March 20th
10:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Alverno College
Pitman Theatre
3400 South 43rd Street
Milwaukee, WI 53234

Walker targets UWM's Downer Woods. Why?

It was a gloomy morning. Although it began with a light snowfall that might have been lovely, by the time I reached Downer Woods the snow had turned to drizzle and the overcast sky dimmed. Despite the undeniably dreary day, however, the gloom I felt had more to do with the news than the weather.

Since I live clear across town in Wauwatosa I don’t go to Downer Woods often. But when I heard the news I was impelled to do the things that come naturally to me: to walk in the woods and make photographs. The news? Governor Walker’s latest budget proposal includes a provision to remove protection of the “the sole remaining natural area on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee”—in the words of the very Wisconsin Code that established that protection.

As I walked beneath the leafless trees I wondered whether Scott Walker had ever been to Downer Woods.

The code goes on to say this of the woods: “…Its preservation and enhancement is consistent with the university's recognition of its need to protect and enhance its own physical environment, and to serve the pressing human need of its faculty, students and staff, as well as the greater Milwaukee community, to live and work in an urban environment which respects those portions of unspoiled nature which yet exist. The woods is a unique asset; it provides visual relief to the concentrated building pattern surrounding it, complements the urban landscape and affords aesthetically and psychologically attractive places for people to congregate and relax. In addition, the woods serves as a refuge for wildlife and vegetation, and is, therefore, an important educational, scientific and ecological resource to the university and the community.”

The provision concludes: “Its presence imparts priceless recreational and aesthetic values.”

No matter how many times I read that paragraph, I can’t for the life of me fathom what part of it could be objectionable. In fact, bureaucratese rarely articulates the value of urban natural areas as clearly as this. Who wouldn’t want to protect and enhance their own physical environment? Well, I guess we know the answer.

Furthermore, this proposal comes from a governor who, far from walking in any Wisconsin woods, has been spending more time outside the state lately for his unannounced campaign. Imagine natural areas all over the country that might be sacrificed if his relentless drive towards higher office were achieved.

I’ve objected to many of the governor’s choices relating to the environment, from his selection of the DNR director to relaxation of regulations to benefit mining companies. But if I do the mental gymnastics required to see those policies from the dark side of the looking glass there is at least some recognizable logic. Where is the logic in singling out an 11-acre oasis on a university campus? It would seem petty if it weren’t so patently destructive.

I can imagine only two motives: someone influential will benefit economically from the development of the land or the governor considers this a twisted kind of retribution for political opposition. But I readily concede that the governor’s motive may exceed my powers of imagination.

It doesn’t take long to walk from one corner of the woods to the other. Footprints in the new fallen snow indicate that even on gloomy days the opportunity to enjoy nature is appreciated by the community of students and neighbors. I shoot a number of photographs. Inevitably, they reflect the somber mood of the day.

I imagine this scenery in spring. And hope generations of students who live in the tall dormitory towers next to Downer Woods will be able to appreciate its priceless recreational and aesthetic values.

For other perspectives and broader analyses of this issue, go to
"Walker budget targets Downer Woods" at Urban Milwaukee.
"Walker budget deletes preservation of UWM Downer Woods, historic buildings" at The Political Environment.
"Pervasive Walker budget leads every countty to search  for its own 'Downer Woods'" from Dom's Domain.