Aldo Leopold Foundation and the International Crane Foundation

“When we hear his call, we hear no mere bird. We hear the trumpet in the orchestra of evolution.” — Aldo Leopold

The Sandhill Crane, with its 10-million-year history, awakened Aldo Lepold to the silencing of the Baraboo Hills natural marsh ecosystem. On this inspiring trip, we will privately tour the Leopold Shack where Leopold wrote A Sand County Almanac, the book that shared his concepts of land ethic and wildlife ecology. We will walk the prairie Leopold and his family restored with FOA trip leaders Jade Kochanski and Judy Cardin, who are bumble bee experts that can help ID pollinators and flowers on the prairie walk.

After a catered lunch at the Leopold Foundation Visitor Center, we will drive to the nearby International Crane Foundation. The founders of the ICF were inspired by Leopold’s land ethic and concerns for the Sandhill crane, and focused conservation efforts on preserving the 15 species of cranes internationally. We will have a guided tour of the ICF, where captive crane populations are kept to support conservation efforts and to produce young that will repopulate natural ecosystems. ICF efforts were instrumental in restoring Sandhill Crane populations and they are actively working to conserve the endangered Whooping Crane. We will enjoy about a 2 hour guided tour of their amazing conservation facility.

The trip includes transportation by comfortable coach, tour, foundation entrance fee, catered lunch, water and snacks. The bus boards at 7:45 a.m. and returns by 5:00 p.m.  Cost: $125 per person.

Sandwiches:

Bread: Multigrain, White, Gluten Free Wrap or Toasted Bread.

Option A: Turkey, Avocado Club:  Avocado, Bacon, Lettuce, Tomato, Mayo

Option B: Fancy Ham Panini:  Ham, Bacon, Cheddar, Havarti, Apple, Spinach, Yogurt Honey Mustard Dressing

Option C: Chicken Pesto:  Basil and Parmesan Pesto, Mozzarella Cheese

Option D: Chicken Salad:  Flaked Chicken, Apples, Grapes, Celery, Mayo, Choice of Lettuce, Tomato, Onion, Pecans

Option E: Veggie Panini:  Tomato, Peppers, Roasted Red Peppers, Onion, Olives, Lettuce, Guacamole, Pepper jack Cheese

Side choices:  Potato Salad, Coleslaw, Pasta, Salad, Chips

An assortment of drinks and desserts will be available.

Trip is limited to 52 participants.  Online registration is fastest.  If you prefer to register by mail, click here for a PDF registration form.  Mail-in registrations must be received by June 1, 2026.

FOA trips are an important part of fundraising efforts by FOA to support the Arboretum.  We strive to make these trips interesting and accessible to all attendees.  To ensure that we have adequate time to find replacement attendees and ensure that FOA costs are covered, FOA trips have the following cancellation policy (unless otherwise noted)

• Transferring your registration to a new attendee is always allowed. Contact the FOA event coordinator at npscoordinator@foamadison.org or call the FOA office at 608-890-2555 to request a ticket transfer.
• Cancelling without requesting a refund is an option.  Your registration fee will be used to offset trip costs and to support the Arboretum.
• Cancel 30 or more days before departure for a full refund of your registration fee.
• Cancel 29 days or fewer before departure and the registration fee is non-refundable.