The Gavilan and the Gila: Aldo Leopold, Wilderness, and Two Rivers

Aldo Leopold’s ideas of wilderness and land health were deeply influenced by his experience along the Rio Gavilan in Chihuahua, Mexico. There he found a richness of soil, water and wildlife that contrasted sharply with the managed forest lands of New Mexico. It was not free from human touch, but rather demonstrated the possibility of human touch having enduring benefit for the biotic community. The author travels to this same location, as well as to the Gila National Forest in New Mexico, where Leopold-style, wilderness preservation was first put into practice. The two locations have deeply entangled histories and reveal much about the meaning and possibility of wildness today.