Land Stewardship Fellow

Future Leaders Program Fellowships Overview

Leadership in conservation is a critical piece to solving the ongoing and emerging environmental issues of today. The Aldo Leopold Foundation’s Future Leaders Program  (FLP) is designed to provide early-career professionals with a college degree or an equivalent combination of education, training, and work experience an opportunity to enter the field of conservation. The program helps participants gain skills and grow in conservation leadership, applied science and natural history, strategic planning, engagement and communication, land ethics, and sociology.

Future Leaders Program Fellowships specialize in two program areas, Communications (2 openings) or Land Stewardship (3 openings), though each receives exposure to other program areas and organization-wide efforts. Fellows also have the opportunity to interact with both a diverse range of conservation professionals and the Leopold community, including Leopold family members.

All applicants must commit full-time to the entire 12-month program, be eligible towork in the United States at the time they apply and have a valid driver’s license.  

Land Stewardship Leopold Fellows Position Impact Statement

The Land Stewardship Fellows contribute to a wide variety of land management activities on land co-managed within the Leopold-Pines Conservation Area. In addition, Land Stewardship Fellows support and participate in an array of on-site programming, creating opportunities for audiences to join the foundation in its work to advance a land ethic and land health locally and globally.

Land Stewardship Leopold Fellows Position Summary

The Land Stewardship Fellows work side by side with experienced staff learning new knowledge and skills related to land care. This immersive experience has been formative in shaping participant’s conception of a land ethic. Surrounding Aldo Leopold’s famous Shack, the property has diverse Wisconsin plant communities ranging from prairies to floodplain forests to sedge meadows to oak savannas. This diverse outdoor classroom provides opportunities to learn first-hand about native plant communities, identify threats to native landscapes, and gain tools and strategies to effectively manage natural areas. As seasons change, management focuses on different activities including invasive species control, prescribed burning, timber stand improvement, prairie planting, educational programming, and more.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Assist with land management activities on the Leopold-Pines Conservation Area. This includes but is not limited to herbaceous and woody invasive species treatment, brush management, timber stand improvement, prescribed fire, prairie planting and establishment, plant identification, mowing, etc.
• Maintain foundation equipment and vehicles. Includes routine maintenance, shop organization, equipment repair, etc.
• Attend professional development trainings focusing on the seven core areas of the Future Leaders Program outlined above. These training courses will constitute approximately 20% of the total fellowship hours.
• Lead and complete an independent project that addresses a critical need of the foundation’s strategic planning initiatives. Projects are selected from a pre-determined list. 
• Provide support and logistics for on-site programming.
• Lead interpretive tours of the annual Sandhill Crane migration for the public in November and December. Opportunities to lead Shack & Farm tours if desired. 
• Become familiar with the life and work of Aldo Leopold and his family. Explore your own connection to and understanding of land ethics.  
• Become familiar with the work of all foundation staff and how each member contributes to the mission.
• Other tasks as assigned.

Qualifications Summary

The Aldo Leopold Foundation seeks applicants who are early-career professionals with a college degree or equivalent combination of education, training, and work experience in fields including—but not limited to—environmental studies, environmental, physical, and/or life sciences, wildlife ecology, agricultural sciences, forestry, or a natural resources-related field. Applicants should have an interest in and passion for learning on-the-ground conservation. The ideal candidate will have demonstrated leadership skills and be adaptable, energetic, and eager to learn. Fellows must be prepared for physically demanding work in a variety of conditions including extreme heat and cold, standing high water, and exposure to ticks and mosquitoes.

Fellowship Term, Schedule, and Compensation

This is a limited-term, full-time, non-exempt position. The fellowship will begin on Tuesday, June 9, 2026, and runs through Saturday, May 29, 2027. 

Land Stewardship Fellows will work a Monday-Friday schedule for most months, except during November and April when more weekend work will be required due to crane season and prescribed burning. Forty hours a week can be expected, primarily from 7:30 am to 4:00 pm daily, though there will be more hours during crane season and prescribed burn season. 

All fellows will be paid $14/hour and receive 40 hours of vacation, 48 hours of sick leave, and 48 hours of floating holiday. Housing is provided on campus in the Future Leaders Center. Fellows will move into the Future Leaders Center on Monday, June 8, 2026. 

All fellows will receive a $300 gear stipend to be spent on field gear or attire once onboard.  All personal protective equipment will be provided. 

Approximate Hiring Timeline

Applications Due: Sunday, February 1, 2026

Zoom Interviews: Mid-February

Fellowship Start Date: Tuesday, June 9, 2026

Application Procedure

To apply please submit the following materials to fellowshipapplications@aldoleopold.org using the subject line: 2026-2027 Fellowship Application (specify Communications Fellowship, Land Stewardship Fellowship or applying for both) by Sunday, February 1, 2026.

1. Applicants must have a minimum of two academic and/or professional letters of reference including contact information for each reference.

2. Submit your:

a. Resume 

b. One-page cover letter that includes which fellowship you are applying for.

c. A response to the following prompt: 

In 400 words or less, describe how you see a land ethic as relevant to the issues and opportunities facing natural and human communities in 2026. In your response, we invite you to reflect on how your identity, background, or lived experiences have shaped your relationship with the natural world and influenced your commitment to conservation.

Organizational Overview

The mission of the  Aldo Leopold Foundation (ALF) is to foster the  land ethic through the legacy of Aldo Leopold. Based in Baraboo, Wisconsin, we manage, interpret, and preserve the renowned  Leopold Shack and Farm National Historic Landmark, whichreceives thousands of visitors each year. Our care of this special place continues the Leopold family tradition while demonstrating on-the-ground conservation relevance for the 21st Century. Offsite, too, we reach regional, domestic, and international audiences through a variety of education and land stewardship programs. We impart Leopold’s land ethic as described in  A Sand County Almanac—the book for whichLeopold is most widelyknown—by actively engaging educators, citizens, natural resource professionals, and landowners to improve land health in their own communities.

The Aldo Leopold Foundation headquarters is in an idyllic setting surrounded by 4,000 acres of land co-managed as the Leopold-Pines Conservation Area (LPCA) within a 12,000-acre Important Bird Area. The Aldo Leopold Legacy Center, constructed in 2007, is a LEED Certified Platinum “green” building that is home to the foundation’s office space and visitor center. 

The Aldo Leopold Foundation recognizes that just as a healthy ecosystem depends on biodiversity, a healthy human society depends on cultural and social diversity. Weare committed to expanding the conversation on land ethics by acting to achieve a rich diversity of staff, board, volunteers, members, supporters, and those we seek to engage with our programming.  

The Aldo Leopold Foundation provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. In addition to federal law requirements, ALF complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment.  This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.