A true trailblazer: In February 2024, we bid farewell to Estella Bergere Leopold, a paleoecologist who revolutionized our understanding of ancient ecosystems … and a conservationist whose commitment to bold, courageous environmentalism continues to inspire ecological activists. She was 97. - Family farm Born in 1927, Estella was introduced to conservation at an early age by her father, renowned ecologist Aldo Leopard. When Estella was eight, her father bought an old farm alongside the Wisconsin River. Together, the family restored the soil and reintroduced native plants. - Botanical education Estella’s passion for the natural sciences led her to earn a degree in botany from the University of Wisconsin, a Master’s in botany from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Ph.D. in botany from Yale. On a dare from her advisor, Leopold specialized in studying pollen. For her thesis, Estella used pollen and spore analysis from peat deposits to explore the ecological history of New England forests. - Ecological forensics After school, Estella spent two decades researching ancient ecosystems with the United States Geological Society. There, she charted the evolution of plant communities in response to geological changes, like mountain foundation, volcanic activity, and climate change over the last 65 million years. - Activism for preservation Leopold and her colleagues won one of the first environmental lawsuits in the nation. Their actions protected the Florissant Valley’s fossil beds, southwest of Denver, and led to the creation of the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument. Estella also actively opposed oil shale projects in Colorado and prevented dam construction at the Grand Canyon. - No retirement from research Estella retired in 2000 but continued to publish scientific papers, articles, and books. She and her siblings founded the Aldo Leopold Foundation, aiming to uphold their father’s dedication to “the land ethic” … the relationship between people and their environments.