Lawrentians Live Leopold’s Land Ethic in Scholars Program

A century ago, environmentalist Aldo Leopold (Lawrenceville School Class of 1905) walked the School’s campus and surrounding areas, carefully documenting in letters to his family home in Iowa what he found. While many of the natural landmarks he shared with his parents have been altered, obliterated, or are under threat due to development, a surprising number of things remain the same. (You can still find skunk cabbage growing along the Shipetaukin Creek as it flows through campus to create the School’s landmark Pond, for example, just as he described.)

With Leopold’s letters and his seminal book, “A Sand County Almanac,” as a guide, eight Lawrentians were selected to spend two weeks this summer retracing and expanding upon Leopold’s New Jersey journeys. This year’s Leopold Scholars in Ethics and Ecology were Fifth Formers Sahas Chodhari, Alaina Crichton, Aurora Ingenito, Sophia Kohmann, Natalie Moore, Samir Singh, and Dylan Singla and Fourth Former Sonia Ivancic. Scholars are chosen in recognition of their commitment to environmental ethics, sustainability efforts, and service through learning, living, and leading.

Lawrenceville’s Director of Sustainability Steve Laubach oversees the program, which presents to students contemporary applications of what Leopold called a “Land Ethic,” a moral code of conduct that sprouts from the interconnectivity of people and the planet. “I want students to walk away with a greater awareness of the natural resources we depend on that are often invisible to them or pushed to the sidelines in modern life, like where our waterways flow or where our food comes from,” said Laubach.

The Leopold Scholars in Ethics and Ecology program, now in its seventh year, focuses on studying water quality and water justice through a long-term study of area water bodies. The program has evolved into a deepening connection with The Watershed Institute in nearby Pennington, N.J. Scholars participate in the Institute’s Community Watershed Advocate Program with readings and activities centered on water quality and environmental justice. Other program partners include Hun School science teacher Caroline Bottega (an expert of stream water quality sampling), who has co-taught the Scholars program for two years, and Zack Hoisington ’07 (director of advancement and experiential education for the Upstream Alliance), who shared his expertise on waterways in the Greater Camden (N.J.) area.

“Each year we’re able to sample new locations, building a broadening knowledge of the area,” said Laubach. “Through these partnerships, students learn about water quality monitoring, aquatic macroinvertebrates as stream health indicators, and environmental justice through the lens of equal access to clean water.”

In addition to their group research, students collaborated to complete more focused studies of personal interest. This year’s work included new research on the effects of alkalization in the Pine Barrens, the impact of impervious surfaces on fluvial life, and a haiku workshop to help students describe their connection to the environment.

One of this summer’s highlights was a six-mile canoe trip on the Batsto River in the New Jersey Pinelands. “This was physically challenging at times for students, but overall it was a beautiful day and a great way to reflect on Leopold experientially,” said Laubach.

Another highlight was a pair of farm-to-table dinners, including one created by students. “Preparing the meals brought us closer together and gave us firsthand experience on how to shop and cook with organic, locally sourced items, lessons we can take back to our families as one step closer to more sustainable living,” said Ivancic.

The summer portion of the program concludes with poster presentations, which are repeated for the entire School at the fall term academic showcase. Additionally, Scholars share their experiences and findings with Second Formers in Inquiries in Biological and Environmental Science (IBES) class. They all also serve on the School’s Sustainability Council, which oversees a host of student-driven sustainability efforts throughout the year.

So, does the work of a Lawrentian from the Class of 1905 mean anything to today’s Lawrentians? Kohmann said Leopold’s work “absolutely resonated” with her. “I found that his beautiful descriptions of nature are equally applicable and relevant today, and that many of the major themes his work conveys are timeless,” she said.  “I found that many of the issues he describes within the framework of his Land Ethic are unfortunately persistent to this day, making his proposals still valid.”

Ivancic agreed, stating, “I think the Land Ethic is something that is incorporated into everyday life, and learning about it has permanently changed the way I perceive environmental issues of today. Therefore, I think my newfound perspective will inherently affect the decisions I make, which will in turn impact the community,” Ivancic said. “I will more explicitly share this perspective through the Sustainability Council, the IBES class, and the poster presentation at the academic showcase. I think Leopold’s Land Ethic, as well as his perspective on environmental issues in general, is critical to solving some of the world’s leading issues around sustainability, and it is extremely important for the Lawrenceville community to be knowledgeable and involved.”

For additional information, contact Lisa M. Gillard H'17, director of public relations, at lgillard@lawrenceville.org.