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 or Land Stewardship, 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 to work in the United States at the time they apply and have a valid driver’s license.   

Communications Leopold Fellows Position Impact Statement 

Communications Fellows support an array of on-site programs, outreach initiatives, and communications efforts, creating opportunities for audiences to learn about Aldo Leopold, the foundation, and our work to advance a land ethic and land health locally and globally. 

Communications Leopold Fellow Position Summary 

The Communications Fellows work side by side with experienced staff members to build a wide array of skills needed to contribute to and conduct programs through firsthand experience in visitor services, program marketing, and program delivery. Leopold Fellows will also gain experience in mission-based communications to a variety of strategic audiences both in-person and across digital platforms. Visitation and programming vary throughout the year, allowing for both periods of high visitor interaction and times of behind-the-scenes work in the office.   
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Essential Duties and Responsibilities 

• Work day-to-day aside passionate education, communications, and development professionals on activities directly in service to the foundation’s mission and success.  
• Attend professional development training focusing on conservation leadership and land ethics. 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.  
• Lead interpretive tours of the Leopold Shack and the Leopold Center for conservation professionals, students and adult groups. Lead crane congregation tours in November and early December. 
• Staff the Leopold Center information desk on average two days per week. Tasks include answering phone inquiries about foundation programs and services, orienting visitors to visitation options, selling tour tickets and gift shop merchandise, managing mail and patron donations, etc.  
• Assist with social media content creation. Write news articles and blog posts for the foundation’s website.  
• Assist fundraising and development initiatives such as appeals and donor engagement  
• As needed, support the design of program and event flyers and contribute to larger interpretive graphic design projects. 
• Help promote, organize, and staff public programs, events, workshops, and meeting rental groups.  
• Participate in monthly field days to gain experience in and contribute to land stewardship efforts such as invasive species management, prescribed fire, and prairie planting. 
• Become familiar with the life and work of Aldo Leopold and his family while exploring your own connection to and understanding of land ethics. 
• Become familiar with the work of all Aldo Leopold Foundation staff and how each staff role contributes to the mission of the organization. 
• 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, marketing and communications, environmental education, sociology, or natural resources related field.  Applicants should have excellent communication skills, demonstrated leadership capabilities, and a passion for learning about and executing educational programs and marketing communications for non-profit conservation organizations. Applicants should also be willing and able to lead programs while hiking (1 mile plus) outdoors in all weather and insect conditions.  

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.  

Communications Fellows will have a Tuesday-Saturday schedule June through November 2026 and May 2027, and a Monday-Friday schedule December 2026 through April 2027. Forty hours a week can be expected, primarily during normal business hours (8:30 am to 5:00 pm daily), although some flexibility in scheduling may be required.  

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.