Aldo Leopold and the Wilderness Movement with Dr Curt Meine

One hundred years ago, Aldo Leopold, a leading forester, proposed that the U.S. Forest Service designate the Gila Wilderness Area in New Mexico. At the time, Leopold defined wilderness as “a continuous stretch of country preserved in its natural state… big enough to absorb a two weeks’ pack trip, and kept devoid of roads, artificial trails, cottages, or other works of man.” Over the next twenty-five years, Leopold’s commitment to protecting wildlands would not waver. However, his views on their ecological and cultural value and their role in conservation would continually evolve, just as the understanding of wilderness as a concept has changed over time. Join Leopold biographer and foundation Senior Fellow Dr. Curt Meine as he tells the story of the Gila Wilderness designation and tracks the changes in Leopold's views—and in those of our society at large—on wilderness and wildlands.