What's in a Name?

Sierra Leopold Wilkerson Novack

Yes, it's quite a mouthful. Here's the rundown on the origin of this little man's big name.

Sierra (first name):

Anthony picked this name based on his time in the Peace Corps in Honduras where he worked in the Sierra de Algalta park. He wasn't too keen on "Algalta" as a name, but Sierra fit the bill. Of course Sierra is the Spanish word for "mountian range" which is significant to both of our love of nature and mountains. We like having a Spanish word and since Cynthia grew up in the shadow of the Sierra Nevada - and we were engaged in these mountains - this name has additional significance.

Leopold (first middle name):

In honor of the pioneering first wildlife ecologist Aldo Leopold. Aldo was an avid hunter and angler and loved nothing more than wandering the woods and learning the habits and history of the wildlife inhabitants. He held many posts in the U.S. Forest Service in New Mexico before transferring to the U.S. Forest Products Laboratory in Madison Wisconsin and later heading up the first University program in Wildlife Ecology at the University of Wisconsin. He proposed and advocated for what became the very first wilderness area in the U.S. - the Gila Wilderness in the Gila National Forest in New Mexico, and was one of the founders of The Wilderness Society (yes the non-profit for which Cynthia currently works).

Aldo Leopold also wrote a famous collection of essays entitled "A Sand County Almanac" which records thoughts and musings over the course of a year on the Leopold family's plot of land in rural Wisconsin. The book also includes additional essays on Leopold's philosophy on ecology, referred to as his "land ethic." The essence of this philosophy is that land is not a commodity to be possessed; rather,humans must have mutual respect for Earth in order not to destroy it. He also puts forth the idea that humans will never be free if they have no wild spaces in which to roam. Published in 1949 a year after Aldo's death, this collection of essays is widely considered a seminal work in the American conservation movement.

Famous Aldo Leopold Quotes:

"A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise."

"To keep every cog and wheel is the first precaution of intelligent tinkering. "

"We reached the old wolf in time to watch a fierce green fire dying in her eyes. I realized then, and have known ever since, that there was something new to me in those eyes—something known only to her and to the mountain. I was young then, and full of trigger-itch; I thought that because fewer wolves meant more deer, that no wolves would mean hunters' paradise. But after seeing the green fire die, I sensed that neither the wolf nor the mountain agreed with such a view."

Wilkerson (second middle name):

Cynthia's last name. English origin. We are keeping both last names as a way to maintain a record of both lineages. This is in keeping with naming standards in Latin American countries.

Novack (last name):

Anthony's last name. Several origins exist for this and very related names, but this one is believed to be Lithuanian - although possibly Slovak - based on the family history.