New State Trail System Honors Leopold
Forty-two Wisconsin state trails covering 1,728 miles in all regions of the state now bear the name of Aldo Leopold. In 2007, Governor Doyle signed a bill naming the Aldo Leopold Legacy Trail System into law, and it was officially opened at a ribbon cutting ceremony in Madison this year on June 4. The legislation was sponsored by Senator Mark Miller, and was supported by a diverse bi-partisan group in state congress. What's unique about the designation is that the Aldo Leopold Legacy Trail System aims to do more than just put Leopold's name on a plaque at each trailhead. According to the Wisconsin DNR, there are plans to install educational signage along all the trails highlighting local geology, ecology, and wildlife features that will help trail users connect to the land, a goal that is perfectly aligned with Leopold's thinking. In his course objectives for the Wildlife Ecology course he taught at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Aldo Leopold wrote, "Once you learn to read the land, I have no fear what you will do to it, or with it, and I know many pleasant things it will do to you." The state trail system will help hikers, bikers, and cross country skiers read the landscape as they explore it. Featured speakers at the ribbon-cutting event included Department of Natural Resources Secretary Matt Frank, Tourism Secretary Kelli Trumble, and Aldo Leopold's granddaughter and ALF board member Trish Stevenson. See a DNR video with highlights from the event.
Read more about it in the news:
From the office of Jim Doyle
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel online
Read more updates in our June eNewsletter online here.
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