• Grades 5-8

• 2 to 3 class periods

• Students will learn about conservation achievements through the unique work of two men, both of whom have roots in Iowa.

• Students will be able to recognize the distinctive communication styles used by each man.

• Students will observe how personal experiences affect behaviors by examining the lives of two Iowans involved in conservation.

• Students will apply their thoughts on conservation through one of two artistic media.

Two people with strong Iowa connections who were also conservation leaders are Aldo Leopold and Jay Darling. Leopold and Darling had many things in common. Both were born in the late 1800's, shortly after the first hundred years of rampant use of our nation's resources; both spent their boyhood in Iowa cities experiencing the abundant wildlife at that time, one along the Mississippi River and the other along the Missouri; and both shared a passion for the earth that propelled them as national leaders of conservation.

Aldo Leopold was born on January 11, 1887, in Burlington, Iowa, to Carl and Clara Leopold. Leopold received his masters degree in forestry from Yale in 1909 and then began a career with the U.S. Forest Service in Arizona and New Mexico. Aldo and Estella Bergere were married in 1912. By 1915 he had written the Game and Fish Handbook, a management guide for forest service rangers and in 1917 followed this with the Watershed Handbook, which included information on preventing soil erosion. At his urging the Forest Service set aside the first wilderness area in 1924 (the Gila Wilderness area). Also in 1924, the Leopold family moved from New Mexico to Madison, Wisconsin. In 1931 Leopold published the Report on a Game Survey of the North Central States, the most comprehensive listing of wildlife conditions in the United States, followed by Game Management, a handbook that is still highly regarded today. After these two accomplishments he gained the title "father of game management" and soon became the chairperson of the nation's first Department of Game Management (later to become Wildlife Management) at the University of Wisconsin. In 1935 Leopold purchased "an abandoned, worn-out farm" along the Wisconsin River where he and Estella and their five children spent weekends restoring the land and contemplating ethics and the land. Leopold may most popularly be known for his collection of essays bearing the title, A Sand County Almanac. Other conservation causes Leopold became involved with include: establishing the Wilderness Society; serving on various presidential committees concerning conservation; serving as Advisor to the United Nations on conservation; and promoting the idea of managing animals in their habitat. As both a teacher and a parent, Aldo Leopold exemplified a life devoted toward understanding and loving the land. His ideas provided a basis for the growing field of ecology. He died April 21, 1948, while helping fight a grass fire on his neighbor's farm.

Jay Norwood Darling was born on October 21, 1876 in Norwood, Michigan. His parents, Marcellus and Clara, had recently moved there so Marcellus could begin work as a minister. In 1886 the family moved to Sioux City, Iowa. Darling began his college career at Yankton College in South Dakota in 1894, transferring to Beloit College in Wisconsin the following year. There he became art editor of the yearbook and began signing his work as a contraction of his last name, "D'ing," a nickname which stuck. In 1900 Ding became a reporter for the Sioux City Journal. Following his marriage to Genevieve Pendleton in 1906, he began work with the Des Moines Register and Leader. In 1911 he moved to New York and worked with the New York Globe but returned to Des Moines in 1913. Three years later, in 1916, he returned to New York and accepted a position with the New York Herald Tribune. By 1919 Darling returned a final time to Des Moines where he continued his illustrious career as a cartoonist, twice receiving the Pulitzer Prize for cartoons. His cartoons were carried from 1917-1949 by the New York Herald Tribune syndicate. Although Jay "Ding" Darling is most notably known for his political and conservation cartoons, he also drew the design for the first Federal Duck Stamp. He was actively involved in many conservation causes, even serving as an officer in some. (e.g. member of the Iowa Fish and Game Commission; chief of the Bureau of Biological Survey under Franklin Roosevelt's administration; influential in forming the National Wildlife Federation--served as its first president; helped establish the Iowa State Teachers Conservation Camp; developed the Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit at Iowa State College (now Iowa State University). Ding died February 12, 1962.

Posters or overhead transparencies of Ding Darling cartoons. These can be found in the 4-H Ding Darling materials referenced in the resource section. Another source would be a book on collections of his cartoons. One such book is Ding's Half Century.

An essay of Aldo Leopold's from A Sand County Almanac or a collection of his notable quotes 

Display two or three of Ding Darling's cartoons on the overhead or as posters on the wall. Ask students to observe these and to try to describe their feelings upon seeing them. Allow students to write down or express aloud their interpretation of the intended message of each cartoon.

Read several quotes or a brief essay from Aldo Leopold's book, A Sand County Almanac. Ask students to react to his work through the following questions. What emotions were stirred in you as you read or heard these quotations? What message was the author intending for the reader?

Share some background about each of the creators. Be sure to include the fact that they spent much of their early childhood outdoors exploring and learning about the world around them. Also inform them of their Iowa connections and any other pertinent information you would like them to know. Stress the point that while these two were young, Iowa was still developing. More and more people came to Iowa to claim land and begin farming, the railroads were gaining strength and popularity and prairie wetlands were being transformed into farmland. As youngsters, both Darling and Leopold experienced a relative abundance of wildlife and wild places. During their adulthood they observed and experienced diminishing numbers of wildlife and wild places.

• Class discussion and questions will allow assessment of understanding how experiences influence attitudes and behavior.

• Use of several cartoons and quotes will allow students to get a flavor for the distinctive styles of both Leopold and Darling.

• Check to see that the cartoons or essays written by students reflect an attitude toward or feeling about conservation. 

Research to find out about other Iowans who have had a significant impact on the conservation of our land. Encourage students to try to identify a female Iowan who has had an impact on conservation. Leopold and Darling were selected for this activity because information on both is readily available to teachers and they each used a distinctive communication style.

Have students interview grandparents or parents to find out about their outdoor experiences while growing up. Have the students find out if these experiences influenced their attitudes toward our land and conservation. If so, in what ways.

A Sand County Almanac. Aldo Leopold. Oxford University Press. 1949.

Aldo Leopold: His Life and Work. Curt Meine. Madison: university of Wisconsin Press. 1988.

Ding: the Life of Jay Norwood Darling. David L. Lendt. Iowa State University Press. 1984.

Ding's Half Century. Jay N. Darling. Meredith Publishing Company. 1962.

Lessons in a Land Ethic: Teacher's Guide with Student Activities. Gary Laib. Leopold Education Project. 1991.

Of Things Natural, Wild, and Free. Marybeth Lorbiecki. Minneapolis: Carolrhoda Book, Inc./ 1993.

Prophet For All Seasons. Video.

Wisconsin Academy Review. Volume 34, Number 1, December 1987.

4-H Ding Darling Soil, Water, Wildlife Project. Stephanie Wald and Jim Pease. Cooperative Extension Service, Iowa State University. 1983.