The 2025 Aldo Leopold Festival drew hundreds of nature lovers to the Upper Peninsula, generating meaningful economic impacts for small northern Michigan communities.
Local Michigan Sea Grant Extension Educator Elliot Nelson helped launch the annual festival a decade ago and now regularly assists with planning, programming, and evaluation. Participants flock to the Les Cheneaux Islands in early summer for presentations, birding hikes, paddling excursions, wildflower tours, and other activities that celebrate the natural world.
According to Elliot’s recent assessment, the 2025 festival attracted nearly 200 participants and added more than $95,000 to the local economy through direct spending on food, lodging, and purchases at local businesses in Clark Township. This represents significant economic activity for a region with only 2,000 year-round residents, especially before the summer tourism season.
When responding to a follow-up survey, an overwhelming majority of festival participants reported developing a greater understanding of and appreciation for nature. “The Eastern Upper Peninsula is a natural wonderland!” raved one respondent. “Thank you so much for another wonderful week of learning, connecting with like-minded folks, and enjoying nature,” replied another.
Aldo Leopold is regarded as one of the most influential American naturalists of the twentieth century. He spent his formative years visiting northern Michigan’s Les Cheneaux Islands, experiences which shaped his land ethic. His legacy is celebrated through a 1,700-acre nature preserve on Marquette Island in Lake Huron along the southeastern Upper Peninsula.
The 2025 festival took place on May 28-June 1; the festival website will have details for the 2026 event.
