Nina Leopold Bradley passed away peacefully early this morning in her home within the Leopold Memorial Reserve. She was circled by loved ones in a home surrounded by restored prairie. Nina Bradley was a noted speaker about environmentalism and the most encouraging figure in conservation that Wisconsin, and perhaps the world, will ever know. She was a champion speaker and a spiritual encourager to every person with an iota of interest in the natural world. She was an attentive listener, always ready to offer encouragement and listen to others speak about their work and passions.
When she spoke at the opening of the Aldo Leopold Legacy Center in April of 2007, Buddy Huffaker-- the Executive Director-- introduced her as the “spiritual leader” of the Aldo Leopold Foundation. The foundation “works to weave a land ethic into the fabric of our society; to advance the understanding, stewardship and restoration of land health; and to cultivate leadership for conservation.”
Born in 1917 to Aldo and Estella Leopold, she was the third of five children in a family full of individuals who boldly and quietly served scientific environmentalism. Their contributions to activism and scientific advancements were guided by their love for the natural world, a world that includes people, a world they understood because of their outdoor family experiences guided by their remarkable parents. Nina and her siblings had a way of always turning the spotlight toward others and toward their famous father and influential mother. Nina is a leader in prairie restoration, phenology (collection and dissemination of data on the timing of life cycle events of plants and animals.), land use, population control, and children’s rights to access wild places. Her seminal work in Tall-grass prairie restoration has inspired important research and restoration efforts throughout the country. The longest-running phenology study ever undertaken was begun by Aldo Leopold and continued by Nina Leopold Bradley.
Millions of conservationist, ecologists, and nature lovers adore the writings and ethics of Aldo Leopold and his formative book: A Sand County Almanac. The book, often called The Bible of Conservation, does deserve a place on the shelf and in the heart of everyone who depends upon an ecosystem for life. A Sand County Almanac and Leopold’s other work would have had a long legacy without the work of his five impressive children, but the impact has surely been deepened and enriched by each of the Leopold siblings.
Nina Leopold Bradley spent decades speaking about relationships in the natural world. She had the capacity to deftly combine passages from Aldo Leopold’s vast writings with the theme of a particular event so that a spiritual core message would be revealed. Her message often contained concern for the natural world and worry about political leanings away from sound science. Yet she believed people would be motivated to care for the Earth as they came to understand their relationship to a stunningly elegant natural world. She spoke in a clear, soft voice. She was neither meek, nor boastful. She elicited such reverence that even though the volume and articulation of her speech was perfect, the entire audience could be seen to lean into her words.
Long before anyone could conceive of her loss, she thought about her father's important phenology work. She not only continued his study, but she trained others to watch and record the events of natural world in response to seasonal changes because she believed that Earth does speak to us. She once advised:
“Keep watching. Record what you see and analyze your records over time. Some of the restoration work Charles (Her second husband) and I did, we just stumbled upon. And look at our prairie now; each plant found its own home over time. The land wants to heal. Observing, restoring, learning—it really makes for a wonderful life.”
Nina Leopold Bradley is survived by her beloved sister, two cherished daughters, and a large family of people living a wonderful life in support of a beautiful, damaged planet.
Find out more about the Leopolds and honor Nina’s legacy through the Aldo Leopold Foundation.
Amy Lou Jenkins is the author of Every Natural Fact: Five Season of Open-Air Parenting. She's a long-time admirer of Nina Leoplod Bradley and the remarkable Leopold family.
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