The Leopold legacy for soil conservation

Excerpt

TWO great leaders in conservation met in 1933—Dr. Hugh Hammond Bennett and Professor Aldo Leopold. As chief of the new Soil Erosion Service, Bennett was seeking advice on watershed demonstration projects for soil erosion and flood control. He had appealed to most state land grant colleges and universities. Officials at the University of Wisconsin responded early on. Leopold was part of the small delegation from the university that traveled to Washington, D.C., to counsel with Bennett.

Previously, Leopold had favorably impressed R. H. Davis, the new SES regional director in LaCrosse. Leopold had convinced Davis that wildlife management should be an integral part of the national SES program and each watershed demonstration project. Bennett likewise readily accepted this advice because he wanted all aspects of good land use to be included in the demonstrations. He believed that each acre on a farm or ranch should be used for and treated in accordance with its capabilities. Bennett loved the land and understood its many features; Leopold held deeper ecological-based perceptions about land use.

I will always believe that Aldo Leopold saw a sizable opportunity and hope in Bennett's comprehensive farm conservation plan approach through the demonstration …