On June 3, 2024, four Aldo Leopold Foundation staff members ventured into the Gila Wilderness, exactly 100 years to the day after its designation as wilderness was secured. It was Aldo Leopold who was responsible for proposing this novel designation, and the Gila became the first-ever landscape to take on the official wilderness title and protections. Our young staffers had the incredible opportunity to explore and immerse themselves in this special place, and they reflect on what they found compelling and unique on their journey.
The Aldo Leopold Foundation was founded in 1982 with a mission to foster the land ethic through the legacy of Aldo Leopold, awakening an ecological conscience in people throughout the world.
