Submissions are invited for the International Society for Environmental Ethics (ISEE) sessions at the 2014 Pacific Division Meeting of the American Philosophical Association (APA). The upcoming meeting will be held in San Diego, CA, USA from Wednesday, April 16th to Sunday, April 20th at the Westin Gaslamp Hotel. Continue reading
Tag Archives: Aldo Leopold
Holmes Rolston III on Aldo Leopold’s “Thinking Like a Mountain” Essay
Holmes Rolston III
ISEE founder and first president Holmes Rolston III was recently featured in a story in the Fort Collins Coloradoan describing a trip he took to Arizona to identify the wolf kill site described in Aldo Leopold’s beloved and highly influential essay, “Thinking Like a Mountain.” Leopold scholars have long debated whether the story is just a literary device, or describes an event that actually occurred. However, a letter written by Leopold to his mother was discovered in 2009 by Susan Flader that many think confirms the veracity of the famous incident.
The full story of Rolston’s trip and the famous wolf incident can be found here.
Aldo Leopold in Arizona, about 1909. University of Wisconsin archives
CONFERENCE – ISEE Sessions at the Pacific APA, April 4-7, 2012
This year’s ISEE group sessions at the Pacific APA look to be outstanding. The first session centers on the significance and application of Aldo Leopold in the 21st century, while the second involves issues surrounding the management of nonhuman nature, an increasingly important discussion given widespread acceptance of the idea of the Anthropocene.
The Pacific Division Meeting of the American Philosophical Association will be held April 4-7, 2012, in beautiful Seattle, Washington. I encourage everyone who will be at the meeting to attend these sessions!
Session 1: Friday, April 6 from 7-10 pm
“New Reflections on the Significance and Application of Aldo Leopold’s Land Ethic: A Roundtable Discussion”
Chair: Mark Woods, University of San Diego
- “Grieving in the Classroom,” David Concepcion, Ball State University
- “Was Leopold a Feminist?”, Joan McGregor, Arizona State University
- “Leopold’s Challenge to Environmental Philosophy: Politicizing the Issues,” Jen Rowland, University of North Texas
- “What Reading Leopold Tells Us about Sustainability Ethics and Indigenous Peoples,” Kyle Powys Whyte, Michigan State University
Session 2: Saturday, April 7 from 7-10 pm, “Managing Nature?”
Chair: Geoffrey Frasz, College of Southern Nevada
Saturday, April 7 from 7-10 pm
- “A Sensible Ecocentrism,” Alexa Forrester, Franklin & Marshall College
- “The Human Influence: Ecosystem Intervention, Design, and Novelty,” Allen Thompson, Oregon State University
- “Recreating Eden? Natural Evil and Environmental Ethics,” Joel MacClellan University of Tennessee, Knoxville
- “The Declaration of Rights for Cetaceans: Cetacean Culture and Harm,” Thomas I. White, Loyola Marymount University
WEBSITE – ASU’s Sustainability & the Humanities
The Institute for Humanities Research at Arizona State University has launched a clearinghouse website for researchers and teachers called “Rethinking the Land Ethic: Sustainability and the Humanities.” It includes information, syllabi, links to research projects, and an extensive annotated bibliography of readings related to sustainability and Aldo Leopold. This stems from the NEH Summer Institutes on Leopold and Sustainability, so many of the syllabi uploaded here include a specific focus on Leopold.
JOB – Aldo Leopold Foundation Stewardship Internship Program
This internship is an experience that provides hands-on experience and practical on-the-ground management coupled with the Leopold land ethic philosophy. This experience is designed to train interns using the Aldo Leopold Foundation property, which serves as an outdoor classroom, to become proficient in land management tasks and develop awareness to make informed management decisions. All stewardship interns will be expected to be actively involved in all aspects of management.
Program Description
The internship is a unique experience for individuals who are just entering the field of conservation. The nine-month commitment is more than just an internship, it is an opportunity to immerse yourself in a landscape influenced by Leopold, surround yourself with dedicated conservation professionals, and connect to experiences that enhance your own land ethic. Our objective is to prepare interns for their next step in their career, whether it be a graduate program, full-time employment at a public or private entity, or another step into the world of conservation.
The internship starts in February and runs through November. This is the minimum time necessary to ensure adequate training and experience be obtained in our core competency areas (see below). This nine-month internship provides a diverse land stewardship experience—as the seasons change from winter, spring, summer, fall and back again, the stewardship crew is working in stride with the changing seasons and phenology. While the crew spends over three quarters of its time in the field, when you are inside you will be working in the Leopold Center—a sustainably built, Platinum LEED-certified, zero carbon emission building.
The program focuses on building awareness and appreciation for conservation work though increasing knowledge and understanding of the land, the many interrelationships between the land resources and their management, and the challenges of managing for the health of the land rather than just managing individual resources. The program is made up of core experiences that work to build a strong foundation of land management; each crop of interns is exposed to these same experiences. The interns will also be involved in other projects which vary year to year, coordinating with organization-wide initiatives and collaborative projects with partners. Beyond these planned experiences, interns can expect to be offered opportunities to explore, participate, and attend a whole variety of events, workshops, talks, and meetings that will expand their conservation networks, knowledge base, and understanding of non-profit operations. Interns will be expected to work on tasks assigned by their supervisor 40 hours a week. Initially, interns should expect to work closely with their supervisor or crew leader in a team environment. As experience is gained, more independence will be given and leadership opportunities will be created.
Core Areas
–Invasive Species Management (40%)
–Common Buckthorn & other invasive woody shrubs
–Garlic Mustard
–Japanese Hedge Parsley
–Prescribed Burning on ALF and private lands (10%)
–Woodland School Class coordination and participation (5%)
–GIS/GPS (5%)
–Reporting & documentation (15%)
–Misc (25%) Stewardship crew’s designated annual projects (Timber stand improvement, trail maintenance, training, maintenance and enhancement of native prairie establishments ….)
This internship teaches discrete skills (chainsaw skills, chemical application, tractor use, brush saws, GIS mapping, GPS, etc.) that provide land stewards with a comprehensive tool box that they can use when they head into the field to carry out invasive species management, timber stand improvement, prescribed burning, and many of the other projects that are essential to caring for a piece of land. The internship provides hands-on skills and a diverse knowledge base that creates a confident and experienced land steward. Please check out the applications guidelines to apply or contact Alanna Koshollek at alanna@aldoleopold.org for more information.
JOB – Director for the Institute for Environmental Studies
The University of Wisconsin-Madison welcomes applications and nominations for the position of director of its Gaylord Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies. This position is an opportunity for an integrative and creative leader to build upon the momentum of a growing and thriving interdisciplinary institute with deep roots extending back to Aldo Leopold and John Muir. The Nelson Institute has world-class strengths in studying climate change, sustainability, energy, environmental history, land use, water, biodiversity, and many other key issues of the 21st century.
The institute is a unique hybrid that has its own tenured faculty and degree-granting programs while simultaneously synergizing the intellectual and institutional resources of one of the greatest gatherings of environmental scientists, scholars, and professionals in the world. Its successes are firmly grounded in collaborations that honor the values and objectives of the communities with which it works. The university is seeking a leader who can cultivate and inspire a diverse community of colleagues, students, and partners to strengthen relationships that advance the University of Wisconsin-Madison as a world leader in addressing environmental challenges.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison is a major land-grant university committed to excellence in teaching, research and public service with revenues of $2.4 billion, a student body of approximately 42,000 and faculty/ staff of 20,000.
The director of the Nelson Institute has the rank of a dean, reports to the chancellor and the provost, serves on the Dean’s Council, and provides general leadership for environmental initiatives across the campus. The director promotes faculty, staff, and student collaborations and programs in interdisciplinary environmental scholarship, instruction, and community engagement.
The Nelson Institute has an annual operating budget of $3.2 million, endowments totaling $9.3 million, and averages $4.5 million in external research awards per year. It is home to 18 budgeted and 140 affiliated faculty members from more than 40 natural and social science, engineering, and humanities departments across the campus. Besides offering more than 100 courses in partnership with the university’s schools and colleges, the Nelson Institute administers three graduate degree programs (in Environment and Resources, Conservation Biology and Sustainable Development, and Water Resources Management), five graduate-level certificate programs (in Air Resources Management; Culture, History, and Environment; Energy Analysis and Policy; Humans and the Global Environment; and Transportation Management and Policy) and the largest undergraduate certificate program (in environmental studies) at the UW-Madison. The university recently approved a new undergraduate major in environmental studies, and implementing that major will be a significant initiative for the new director. Total enrollment in the graduate programs is approximately 200 students; enrollment in the undergraduate program averages approximately 400. The Nelson Institute includes four interdisciplinary research centers — the Center for Climatic Research, the Center for Culture, History, and Environment, the Center for Sustainability and the Global Environment, and the Land Tenure Center — and has a strong commitment to fostering community partnerships in education, research, and service at the local to international levels.
Please see the following web sites for information about UW-Madison and the Nelson Institute.
Candidates will be evaluated on the following professional and personal characteristics: commitment to the institute’s mission and to maintaining and extending the scholarly values, academic breadth, and diverse missions of a public research university through interdisciplinary scholarship, teaching, and service; a record of successful leadership in higher education, business, or non-profit organizations; proven ability to build coalitions with diverse stakeholders; extensive experience and a strong track record in development and fundraising; commitment to shared governance with faculty, staff and students; and ability to work with external constituencies including state and federal government, business, non-profit agencies, community organizations, and alumni. Candidates must be qualified for tenure at the level of full professor at UW-Madison. In keeping with the university’s goals and objectives, candidates will also be evaluated on their demonstrated commitment to the diversity of students, faculty and staff, to equal employment opportunity, affirmative action and non-discriminatory practices, and to advancing an inclusive climate that stimulates diversity. The University of Wisconsin-Madison has one of the strongest traditions of shared governance in the United States, and a successful director must be able to work effectively in this context.
Electronic applications and nominations must be received by 15 October 2011 to ensure consideration. Later applications and nominations may also be considered. The committee strongly encourages applications and nominations of women and persons of underrepresented groups. At a minimum, a nomination should include full contact information for the nominee, including an email address. An application should include a current resume or curriculum vita and a comprehensive cover letter that addresses how the candidate’s strengths and experience match the qualifications for the position, and what the candidate sees as challenges and opportunities of the position, as well as the names, addresses, email addresses, and telephone numbers of five references. Candidates will be informed before references are contacted. Please note that in accordance with Wisconsin statutes the names of nominees and applicants who explicitly request confidentiality will not be made public. However, the university is required to release the names and titles of the finalists who will be interviewed by the chancellor. Applications and nominations should be submitted electronically to the Nelson Institute Director Search and Screen Committee at:Nelson-Institute-Search@secfac.wisc.edu. Questions may be directed to the search committee office at608-262-1677 or ehanneman@secfac.wisc.edu.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison is an Equal Opportunity, Affirmative Action Employer.
ISEE - International Society for Environmental Ethics 