Communities Across America Read Aldo Leopold Aloud

Grant program brings voice to the land ethic through public readings

BARABOO, WI, UNITED STATES, August 20, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — The Aldo Leopold Foundation is excited to announce grants to spark nature-based community reading events March 6-7during Leopold Week 2027! Civic organizations, non-profits, and libraries are encouraged to apply and bring the power of public readings to their community. Through these events, local organizers are encouraged to draw from well-known nature authors like Aldo Leopold, while exploring new, contemporary, and diverse writers and perspectives. Events will no doubt catalyze a sense of value among participants for nature’s role in a healthy society and planet.

Last year’s inaugural Community Readings Grants reached 1,000 participants across 23 events throughout the US! In 2027, the Foundation anticipates granting more than twice that number of events.

“I’ve heard from thousands of land lovers over the years,” said Buddy Huffaker, Aldo Leopold Foundation President and Executive Director, “who all tell me their conservation ambitions started when they first read A Sand County Almanac, Leopold’s literary masterwork that continues to bring people, heart-first, into the community of care for land. There is real magic in sharing his words aloud in community. We want everyone to experience that power.”

Leopold Week began 26 years ago with a simple yet moving idea—a community coming together to read A Sand County Almanac aloud at a public library in Lodi, Wisconsin.

This tradition was first envisioned by Dr. Tom Heberlein, a professor of Rural Sociology and Environmental Studies at UW-Madison. Tom soon witnessed the surprising awe of people coming together to share their own conservation ethic during events.

Heberlein’s idea took root and spread, inspiring libraries and communities across the country to host their own readings—gathering to share Leopold and have energizing conversations about our relationship with land and with each other.

Each grant includes $500 cash, 50 copies of A Sand County Almanac, and promotional assistance. If you are interested in applying for a Community Reading Grant, please go to
https://www.aldoleopold.org/teach-and-learn/community-reading-event and complete a brief application.

Community readings can inspire commitment for an ethical relationship to the natural world. There is power and untapped potential in public readings—building a sense of place, growing community bonds, amplifying voices, actively listening, inspiring critical-thinking, and conjuring emotional connections. Be a change-maker in your community and help a local organization or civic group apply for a grant to support a Community Reading!

Andrew Radtke
Aldo Leopold Foundation Inc
+1 608-606-1005
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