Aldo Leopold, Paul Johnson, and a Land Ethic for Iowa (and Beyond)

Session Two — 2026 Restoration and Management Seminar Series 

Iowa has been home to many conservationists who have shaped the state’s landscape, and whose influence has reached far beyond the state’s borders.  These include Burlington native son Aldo Leopold and Decorah farmer Paul Johnson.  Curt Meine wrote the first biography of Leopold, and has just published a collection of Paul Johnson’s writings, We Can Do Better: Collected Writings on Land, Conservation, and Public Policy (Ice Cube Press).  Curt will share stories of his work on these two conservation conservation leaders and the connections between them—and what their legacies leaders and the connections between them—and what their legacies hold for Iowa today.

Curt Meine is a conservation biologist, environmental historian, and writer. He serves as Senior Fellow with the Aldo Leopold Foundation in Baraboo, Wisconsin, and with the Chicago-based Center for Humans and Nature. He is also a Research Associate with the International Crane Foundation in Baraboo and Associate Adjunct Professor in the University of Wisconsin-Madison Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology.