Leopold’s Shack and Ricketts’s Lab: The Emergence of Environmentalism

Intercalary III

Intercalary III This page intentionally left blank 101 For many people with an environmental perspective, A Sand County Almanac is a must, their favorite book of all time. For many others, it is Sea of Cortez. What is astonishing about these breakthrough works is that their brilliance was not initially recognized . Early sales were not good. Sand County sold steadily but not spectacularly; profits were suYcient to keep the book in print until society had been primed to accept it. Steinbeck’s name alone may have kept Sea of Cortez afloat. Then, after Ricketts died, the narrative was reissued as The Log from the Sea of Cortez, with a new section titled “About Ed Ricketts.” Steinbeck was listed as sole author. It is this edition that began to gain traction. Because of the competitive world we inhabit, it is tempting to compare Sand County and Sea of Cortez with an eye to determining which is “better.” This would be a mistake. While both works have their origins in natural history (indeed, in shacks) and messages that are timeless, they are separate books holding different meanings. With Sand County, Leopold wanted to instill in society an ethic—a voluntary form of individual restraint to curb a purely material focus—when addressing issues pertaining to the natural world. In Sea of Cortez, Ricketts and Steinbeck sought something in the lives of humans akin to the unified field theory in physics. They wished to combine science and religion into a larger, more inclusive philosophical structure that could serve as a guide to living a life that is rich and full, and packed with 102 / Intercalary III meaning. These are not competing concepts; Leopold showed us what to do, Ricketts showed us how to do it. So as compelling as these books are by themselves, together they send a message to the world that is more powerful than either considered alone, one that transcends the discipline of ecology and extends into every nook and cranny of society. Today, for many people, living a meaningful life requires a conscious effort to embrace the natural world—think of the concept of “nature deficit disorder” and initiatives to combat it such as “no child left inside.” The trick is to convert what is now a matter of individual perspective into a broad societal consensus, and to promote a general realization that the future of humanity may depend on such a shift in consciousness. The perspectives of Leopold and Ricketts are so far removed from the way that society in general now operates that examining their underpinnings becomes both interesting and instructive. ...