Sauk County, Wisconsin, is not only home to the International Crane Foundation, but also our good friends and neighbors, the Aldo Leopold Foundation. On the morning of Thursday, 26 October, we will have the pleasure of guided tours of the famous Leopold Shack on the Banks of the Wisconsin River, where many of the Sand County Almanac chapters were written (there is your homework!). We will then continue on to tour the Aldo Leopold Legacy Center nearby. The Center is the home base for ALF staff, but also embodies Leopold’s Land Ethic; it is a certified net zero emissions building, which we will learn about before exploring the exhibits and trails on our own. We will then journey as a group to ICF for a boxed lunch. During the afternoon at ICF, we will learn about (and see!) a little behind the scenes of the conservation breeding program, enjoy guided Cranes of the World tours, prairie walks to learn about 4 decades of restoration work, engage in a Q&A about Whooping Crane recovery activities, and even meet the ICF Mascot, Hope.

As a special bonus, we have arranged with the Aldo Leopold Foundation to open up their crane viewing blinds on the shores of the Wisconsin River for an evening viewing of cranes coming in to roost. Unfortunately, space is limited – we will have all interested participants enter their name into a random drawing for a space for this very special opportunity.