AMES – Aldo Leopold will be in Ames on April 9. Rather Jim Pfitzer will be in Ames on April 9, portraying the famous conservationist in a one-act, one-man performance, “Aldo Leopold-A standard of Change.”

The 2 p.m. play will be held at the Iowa State University Alumni Center south ballroom. It is free and open to the public. This special performance is in lieu of the annual Ames Reads Leopold event, where local residents and fans read excerpts from “A Sand County Almanac,” written by Leopold. The performance is sponsored by the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture. Following the performance, there will be a question and answer session.

The play was written by and stars James Pfitzer, Rising Fawn, Ga. He has performed his play across the United States to glowing reviews. The play, as described on Pfitzer’s website, is: “Set in one evening in and around the famous Wisconsin Shack that inspired much of his writing, “A Standard of Change” explores the influences and challenges that led Leopold to penning some of the most important essays in his book “A Sand County Almanac.”

“As the lights come up, Leopold walks up the path. It has been 64 years since his death, and as many years since he has seen his now historic Shack. Awaiting him are surprises, memories, emotions and stories to be shared. Leopold explores the effects of human progress on wilderness as well as his own transformation as he learns the effects of his policies and changes his mind about how we manage wild places.”

The play’s set is minimal but meaningful. Leopold Center Director Mark Rasmussen constructed Leopold’s writing desk and wall of the Shack, which serves as the backdrop for the performance. The Shack, as Leopold fondly called it, is the restored chicken coop turned cabin in the Wisconsin woods, where the Leopold family spent summers and he penned his essays in “A Sand County Almanac.” The props, including Leopold’s popular bench, have been gathered from friends and staff of the Center. Each item on stage has a Leopold connection and a reason for being there, that Pfitzer will explain in the play.

For more information about James Pfitzer, visit his website: www.astandardofchange.com/