What Will You Give the Next Generation?

Thank you for your commitment to Leopold's land ethic and the many ways you have supported the Aldo Leopold Foundation over the years. One way to deepen your commitment and to further your legacy is to become a member of the Good Oak Society, our planned giving program. 

How has Leopold's legacy been an important part of your life? I am struck daily by the number of people who have a Leopold story to tell or who have a deep connection both to the sacredness of the Shack and also the mission of the Aldo Leopold Foundation. Has Leopold's legacy helped you to develop your own land ethic and to build an "ethic of care" for the world around you?

Jean Mansavage conveyed her Leopold story to us and made a deeper commitment and investment in our work by naming the foundation in her estate plan, leaving a legacy for future generations. You can read her story below:

I first read A Sand County Almanac in an undergraduate environmental history class at Texas A&M (1987), and immediately suffered a serious bout of homesickness for my native Wisconsin. Decades later, in 2006, I read Curt Meine’s biography of Leopold—something just clicked for me and I began a career shift from military to environmental history while working for the Defense Department in Washington, D.C. Also, in 2006, I made my first trip to the Shack which cemented my desire to find a way to help others gain a greater appreciation for the Sand Counties when I retire back to central Wisconsin.

Over the last decade I took part in the inaugural Land Ethic Leader training … and took part in a Leopold Education Project session. I applied what I learned in both of those programs to a course I began teaching (U.S. Conservation History) for the Audubon Naturalist Society in D.C. In that class I provide my students a short biographical presentation about Leopold; we read and discuss the Almanac; play a game of Sand County Jeopardy (with prizes); and also offer a screening of Green Fire for a local audience and hold a discussion afterward.

Did you also have a powerful awakening when reading A Sand County Almanac? What connection do you have to Aldo Leopold, his writings, and the Shack, and what would you like to pass on as your legacy? Do you wish to leave a legacy that supports the work and place you care about so passionately? Do you wish to see the legacy of the land ethic passed on to future generations?

When you name the Aldo Leopold Foundation in your will or estate plan, you become a member of the Good Oak Society, joining like-minded supporters like Jean Mansavage. By committing a portion of her assets to the foundation, she, and other members of the Good Oak Society, are extending their influence by investing in the future work of the foundation to advance and grow the land ethic.

Please consider joining the Good Oak Society today by including a gift to the Aldo Leopold Foundation in your estate plan. And please let us know your intentions by returning our Good Oak Society enrollment form, located here.  

Like supporter Jean Mansavage, who named the Aldo Leopold Foundation as a beneficiary of her estate, you can continue your support and the legacy of Leopold far into the future by becoming a member of the Good Oak Society. Your investment grows the land ethic for future generations.

As Jean says,

In addition to bringing a greater sense of purpose to my paid work, learning about Leopold and expanding my personal Land Ethic has also provided me a tangible roadmap for a rewarding retirement career when I return to central Wisconsin. One way for me to repay Leopold’s many gifts is to provide the Aldo Leopold Foundation with a portion of my trust. This isn’t just part of my legacy, but also a small way of paying tribute to my parents, Lois and Emil Mansavage, who instilled in me a deep love of nature and an understanding that 'to whom much is given, much is expected.'

All of our major achievements to date—constructing the Leopold Center, producing the movie Green Fire, and expanding the Future Leaders Program—have been made possible because of estate gifts. Even the foundation's beginnings were created because the Leopold family entrusted the ownership and stewardship of the Leopold Shack and Farm and Aldo’s writings through their planned gift to the foundation. 

Your support through your planned gift will ensure that the Land Ethic will continue to thrive into the future. Please consider joining the Good Oak Society with your planned gift, so your commitment to conservation is united with our effort to protect and care for all things “natural, wild, and free.”

Please consider returning our Good Oak Society form, alerting us of your planned gift intentions. Of course, your decision is revocable at any time—but by completing our formal agreement, you can help us enact enormous conservation impacts, plan for our future organizational needs, as well as allow us to properly acknowledge your generosity.

If you have any questions or would like to discuss the program in greater detail, please do not hesitate to contact our Donor Stewardship Coordinator, Deb Nieuwenhuis, using the contact information below.

Thank you for considering joining your own legacy with the values and work of the Aldo Leopold Foundation by affirming that you want to be part of this extraordinary group of conservation philanthropists.

Sincerely,

Buddy Huffaker

President and Executive Director

buddy@aldoleopold.org | 608.355.0279 ext. 220    

Deb Nieuwenhuis

Donor Stewardship Coordinator

deb@aldoleopold.org | 608.355.0279 ext. 270