Not Merely Soil

The first excerpts from A Sand County Almanac presented here show just how deeply committed to the land and natural systems Leopold is. In the sections under "The Land Ethic," he explains his position and gives the scientific side of the argument, but in these first samples about the cranes, the wolves, and the atoms Leopold is demonstrating more poetically (though not without science) what happens when humans interfere in the natural cycles without understanding them. What he means, ultimately, by "thinking like a mountain" is that we need to develop a land ethic.

It seems that we must have developed something closer to a land ethic because of the systems we have put in place for the preservation of wolves and other endangered species. But this is an effort to fix previously poor decisions, not a proactive measure to prevent such poor decisions from being made in the first place. Leopold complains that there is something lacking in his time in "conservation education." Given that only minimal progress has been made in the national outlook, it seems that we are still lacking in this arena. There is still nothing even close to "a state of harmony between men and land," which is how Leopold defines conservation. We still seem to operate under the belief that all we need to do is "obey the law, vote right, join some organizations, and practice what conservation is profitable on your own land; the government will do the rest." It is true that we have put into place stricter laws and the formation of the EPA in the early 1970s along with the improved visions of several nature conservancy-type organizations has made "obey the law" and "join some organizations" much more worthwhile parts of this credo. But what it really boils down to, for Leopold, is that these superficial actions are not enough because there is no real connection to or understanding of the land in this situation. Not until men understand the "biotic pyramid" and the interdependence of the food chain can they hope to appreciate the repercussions of their actions. He resists the phrase "balance of nature" because this is too vague and people will not understand what this means unless they understand the specific elements that are in play and must be balanced. Leopold spends much of his effort of writing focusing on the interrelatedness of all parts of an environment and showing the effects of various human actions on the environment. He explains many of the scientific processes in play, showing how each element contributes to the other in a cyclical process and how any interference will affect all other parts of the system. In his more poetic passages, he shows dramatically the effects of human "progress" on the bogs in Wisconsin. Beyond actual human interference, the introduction of non-native species can be just as destructive, Leopold says, and our reading from Rural Hours by Susan Fenimore Cooper partially agrees, though she takes a more romantic view because she accepts that some non-natives are beautiful or useful. Both agree, however that (in Leopold's words), "agricultural science is largely a race between the emergence of new pests and the emergence of new techniques for their control" and there needs to be more to agricultural science than this for it to be an effective means of encouraging conservation. Throughout his scientific as well as poetic explanations he emphasizes that the land is "not merely soil" and this idea applies to all elements of nature. Because of their interdependence, they cannot be separated from each other and viewed as static elements.

Even beyond the necessary scientific understanding Leopold seems to be suggesting that there is a spiritual component as well. It was not until his encounter with the dying wolf he had shot that he himself came to hear the voice of nature itself and understand there there is a soul in the land and animals and plants. I see a religious connection here, though Leopold does not make it direct. Leopold himself has a kind of Martin Luther-voice in conservation. He is protesting the accepted doctrine that all you need to do to be a conservationist is "good works" — outwardly following the letter of the law and giving money to accepted organizations and following only the most convenient policies in your own life, making only the minimum effort — these do not actually make you a true practitioner. There must be an inward mental effort and attempt to understand why the laws are as they are, and in the conservationists' case, even question the laws efficacy. Exploring the science of the natural world will lead to a deeper understanding of nature and so to a spiritual connection. Only with this inner caring for nature can true conservationist work begin to be undertaken effectively.

Articles referenced: Cooper, Susan Fenimore, excerpts from Rural Hours. and Leopold, Aldo, excerpts from A Sand County Almanac. American Earth: Environmental Writing Since Thoreau. Ed. Bill McKibben. The Library of America: New York, 2008. 48-58; 266-294.