Leopold Bench Workshop

840 Mauldin Rd.,Greenville SC 29605

13 March, 2021

Description

Preserve staff will help you construct your own Leopold bench modeled after one used by the father of wildlife management, Aldo Leopold. “At 3:30 a.m., with such dignity as I can muster of a July morning, I step from my cabin door, bearing in either hand my emblems of sovereignty, a coffee pot and notebook. I seat myself on a bench, facing the white wake of the morning star. I set the pot beside me. I extract a cup from my shirt front, hoping none will notice its informal mode of transport. I get out my watch, pour coffee, and lay notebook on knee,” - Aldo Leopold in the classic book, A Sand County Almanac. Considered by many as the father of wildlife ecology and the wilderness system, Aldo Leopold was a conservationist, forester, educator, writer, philosopher, and outdoor enthusiast. Leopold was born in 1887 and raised near the Mississippi River in Iowa. He graduated from Yale Forest School in 1909 and later wrote the first textbook in wildlife ecology. In 1935, he and his family purchased an abandoned farm along the Wisconsin River where he spent the remainder of his life restoring the property to its original health and using it as a land laboratory for his family and his graduate students. The essays he wrote during his time on the farm that articulated his land ethic were published in A Sand County Almanac. Leopold is regarded by many as the most influential conservation thinker of the 20th century and his legacy continues to inform and inspire us to see the natural world “as a community to which we belong.” The Leopold bench is a simple design that Leopold would have constructed from scrap lumber that floods left behind on his farm. This design also allows you to sit backwards with your legs through the opening so that you can support your elbows while viewing wildlife through binoculars or taking pictures. During this event, we will share some of Leopold’s words on land ethic then help you construct your own bench to take home with you. We will provide all of the materials needed to complete your bench. Any finishing you would like to do, staining or painting, can be done at home. This is an easy construction project and we will be there to guide you along the way so don’t feel intimidated by your lack of skill in carpentry! We do have cordless drills for people to use but to reduce the amount of sharing please bring your own if you have it. You will need a ⅜” bit to go with the drill. WHEN Saturday, March 13, 9:30-12:00pm (end time is flexible and depends on how quickly you finish constructing the bench) WHERE 601 Fork Shoals Rd. HEALTH AND SAFETY - Covid Policy This event will take place outside at our Shortleaf Shelter. We are restricting the size of this event to less than 20 people. One ticket is good for one bench and 2 people. All participants are required to wear a face mask when physical distancing is not possible. WEATHER AND REFUND POLICY This event will be rain or shine! In the event of severe weather we will try to reschedule. No refunds will be issued unless LCNP cancels the event. Exceptions will be made to those who are having to quarantine due to COVID or are experiencing symptoms that preclude their participation.