Leonard (Len) E. Foote

The name Leonard E. Foote is not accidentally linked with the Hike lnn's unique backcountry setting, commitment to the outdoors, and mission of teaching conservation ethics, outdoor safety, and preservation of wilderness. Leonard was a leading conservationist, biologist, and nature photographer who lived and worked in Georgia until his death in May 1989. Mr. Foote was the model for the series "Mark Trail."

Len Foote worked for 30 years as the southeastern field representative for the Wildlife Management Institute and 18 years on the Georgia Game and Fish Commission and the Board of Natural Resources. He was largely able to gain success in conservation and resource management through his scientific background and ability to communicate with federal and state departments and agencies. Leonard was a pioneer in the field of wildlife management. He helped create the mourning dove census system to track the number and movements of these birds. This program started in Georgia and eventually spread throughout the United States.

When the Richard B. Russell Scenic highway was being built it threatened to pave over a rare stand of yellow lady slippers. Leonard helped to get the highway rerouted. He also saw a need to protect a fragile microhabitat around Pigeon and Lookout Mountain in North Georgia. Through his advocacy the site was made a limited use area for recreation.

Leonard Foote was also an avid nature photographer. His photos of native flowers and the outdoors frequently appeared on the cover of the Atlanta Journal Constitution Magazine. He also wrote many articles to educate the public and about conservation and outdoor management, and co-authored three books about native southern plants. Beyond his public life, Leonard had three children, five grandchildren, and was married to his wife Grace for forty-eight years. He lived in North Georgia in a house he built for his family.

Leonard Foote was a man of many talents and abilities that he devoted to preserving and studying the beauty of the outdoors. We hope to carry on his work by offering people not only a beautiful view of the Blue Ridge Mountains, but also the tools to treasure and protect the beauty they see.

Books by Leonard Foote:

• Gardening With Native Wild Flowers by Leonard E. Foote (Contributor), Samuel B., Jr. Jones (Paperback - April 1997)
• Native Shrubs and Woody Vines of the Southeast : Landscaping Uses and Identification by Leonard E. Foote, Samuel B., Jr. Jones (Paperback - March 1998) 
• Gardening With Native Wild Flowers by Samuel B. Jones, Leonard E. Foote 
• Native Shrubs and Woody Vines of the Southeast : Landscaping Uses and Identification by Leonard E. Foote, Samuel B. Jones