Across the Commonwealth, community discussions are taking place as Virginia’s United Land Trusts, in cooperation with the Virginia Department of Forestry, the Aldo Leopold Foundation and local land trusts, initiate programs to bring together community leaders and citizens to revisit Leopold’s land ethic.
The Northern Neck Land Conservancy and the Historic Virginia Land Conservancy will host a free film viewing and discussion at 6:30 p.m. January 11 at the James City County Library, 7770 Croaker Road, Williamsburg. The event marks the birthday of Aldo Leopold with the showing of “Green Fire,” a documentary film made about this legendary conservation thinker, reported Elizabeth Friel of the Northern Neck Land Conservancy and the Virginia United Land Trust’s Board of Directors.
The film explores Leopold’s extraordinary career and enduring influence—tracing how he shaped the modern conservation movement and continues to inspire projects all over the country that connect people and the land. “Green Fire” introduces the topic of a land ethic: a calling for an ethical and caring relationship between people and nature.
To reserve a seat, contact Ann@HistoricVirginiaLandConservancy.org, or 757-565-2990.
Leopold wrote A Sand County Almanac nearly 70 years ago. The book documents man’s relationship with the natural world. In the book Leopold states “That land is a community is the basic concept of ecology; but that land is to be loved and respected is an extension of ethics. That land yields a cultural harvest is a fact long known but latterly forgotten.”
Leopold’s words are especially relevant today, said Friel.
“Creating community around nature and connecting people… and children in particular…to nature becomes more challenging as our lives are increasingly linked to technology and the indoors,” she said. “This event provides a great starting point for discussion.”
