In observance of the United Nations’ International year of Forests — a celebration of people’s actions to sustainably manage the world’s forests — the college hosted a public screening of “Green Fire,” a documentary about Aldo Leopold, father of the American conservation and wildlife management movement. In addition to the first screening in the state of this groundbreaking film, the event included a panel discussion on the global significance of local forests, student poster presentations, a reception, and a talk by Stan Temple, a renowned bird expert and Senior Fellow with the Aldo Leopold Foundation. Nearly 300 attended the celebration, which focused on forests, their benefit to the world, and the conservation pioneer who was moved to protect and manage forests and other natural landscapes.

“I was pleased with the turnout,” said Associate Professor Carola Haas, who helped coordinate the event with a team of faculty and students. “It was gratifying to see landowners and others who traveled quite a distance to learn more about Aldo Leopold, his land ethic, forest management, and what we’re doing at Virginia Tech.”

Leopold, whose book, “A Sand County Almanac,” is acclaimed as a literary landmark in conservation, was the nation’s first professor in the field that would become known as wildlife ecology and management. Stan Temple retired in 2007 from the faculty position formerly held by Leopold at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and continues to work with graduate students on conservation projects in 21 different countries, helping to save some of the world’s rarest species.

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