Aldo Leopold and the ecological conscience /

In this slim volume, 13 academics, biologists, historians, zoo curators, and others assess the continuing influence of Aldo Leopold (1886-1948)--environmentalist, forester, and pioneer in wildlife management--on the ecological conscience. They also expand on some of the themes reflected in Leopold's publications, notably A Sand County Almanac. Nine of the pieces originally appeared in a special issue of the Wildlife Society Bulletin, commemorating the 50th anniversary of the publication of Sand County Almanac in 1949. The editors observe that in a recent survey, 90 percent of resource managers listed Leopold's work as "one of the three most important sources of information [in] their professional careers." In their foreword, Nina Leopold Bradley (Leopold's eldest daughter) and Wellington Huffaker note that the need for integrating humanistic and plant and animal studies is a continuing theme among ecologists. In various chapters, Leopold is cited "as an eloquent example of the land ethic in practice" and as having established "a [challenging] standard of professional conduct ... capable of effecting change." Professionals and others interested in or merely curious about Leopold and his work will find these articles well worth pondering. General readers; lower-division undergraduates through faculty. K. B. Sterling formerly, Pace University