Aldo Leopold lived during a time when wild lands were still to be found. His wisdom gleaned from his travels and shared through his writings and talks is now considered to convey some of the most important conservation ideas of the 20th century, including national wilderness system, wildlife management, the science of ecological restoration and “The Land Ethic.” In 1922, he was instrumental in developing the proposal to manage the Gila National Forest as a wilderness area. It became the country’s first official wilderness area in 1924.

Steve Morgan is a naturalist, educator and a landscape architect focused on retaining and recreating natural habitat. He has called the wilds of the Southwest his home for 44 years. His Aldo Leopold Chautauqua has been called "transformative," a performance that "brings one as close as is humanly possible to...a walk with Aldo."