Public lands

Now Hiring! Rocky Mountain Conservancy Fellowship

Annie Carlozzi — Tue, 08 Sep 2026 16:30:17 +0000

Now Hiring! Rocky Mountain Conservancy Fellowship Annie Carlozzi Tue, 09/08/2026 - 10:30

Rocky Mountain Conservancy Fellowship

Program Overview

The Getches-Wilkinson Center for Natural Resources, Energy, and the Environment (GWC) at the University of Colorado Law School is pleased to announce the Rocky Mountain Conservancy Public Lands Fellowship for the 2026–2027 academic year. This fellowship provides a Colorado Law 3L with an opportunity to conduct legal and policy research under the supervision of GWC in support of the work of the Rocky Mountain Conservancy (RMC), a nonprofit partner supporting Rocky Mountain National Park. The fellowship is designed to accelerate the career aspirations of a student with a demonstrated commitment to land conservation and outstanding legal skills.

The fellowship offers a unique opportunity to gain practical experience addressing legal and policy issues affecting national parks, public lands, water resources, and conservation. The Fellow will work on research projects identified in collaboration with the Rocky Mountain Conservancy and GWC, developing a deeper understanding of the legal and institutional challenges involved in protecting and managing public lands while sharpening research, writing, and analytical skills.

Key benefits include:

Practical exposure to national park management and nonprofit conservation organizations, including an opportunity to learn more about the management and operations of Rocky Mountain National Park and the role of nonprofit partners in supporting national parks.
Development of specialized expertise in public lands and natural resources law through sustained research on issues affecting federal lands, national parks, water resources, conservation, and related areas.
Legal research and writing supported by GWC, addressing real-world issues relating to public lands management, water resources, conservation of private lands, and other issues affecting the stewardship of natural and cultural resources.
Mentorship and professional development through close supervision by the GWC Executive Director and opportunities to engage with RMC staff and board and GWC faculty, staff, practitioners, and other leaders in the fields of natural resources and environmental law.
Opportunities to apply legal skills to real-world conservation challenges, including researching legal authorities, analyzing statutes and regulations, evaluating policy questions, and preparing written research for use by the Rocky Mountain Conservancy and its partners.

Eligibility

Open to currently enrolled 3L students at Colorado Law who can demonstrate strong legal research and writing skills and academic achievement along with an interest in natural resources, environmental law, public lands, water law, conservation, or related fields.

Fellowship Payment and Schedule

The Fellow will work approximately 10 hours per week from fall 2026 through the spring 2027 semester at $25/hour. Scheduling is flexible to accommodate coursework and other commitments.

The Fellow will be supervised by the Executive Director of the Getches-Wilkinson Center and will work closely with GWC in developing and completing research projects in support of RMC and collaborating with its staff.

Application Instructions

Applicants should submit the following as a single PDF:

Cover letter explaining your interest in the fellowship and in public lands, conservation, natural resources, or related issues.
Resume.
Law school transcript (unofficial accepted).
Writing sample.

Applications will be reviewed by GWC and RMC staff, and selected applicants may be invited to interview. Application deadline: Sunday, September 20 11:59pm.

Contact Information

For further information, please contact GWC Assistant Director Annie Carlozzi at annie.carlozzi@colorado.edu.

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Colorado Law Wyss Scholar Piper Lacy Attends Annual Summer Retreat

Annie Carlozzi — Sun, 23 Aug 2026 19:38:34 +0000

Colorado Law Wyss Scholar Piper Lacy Attends Annual Summer Retreat Annie Carlozzi Sun, 08/23/2026 - 13:38

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to spend a weekend in the woods outside of Missoula, Montana with an incredible group of law and graduate students for the 2026 Wyss Scholars retreat. The group consisted of fifteen students from all over the country who share a common passion for land conservation. We were hosted by the amazing University of Montana cohort at the Lubrecht Experimental Forest, located about a half-hour drive east of Missoula.

I arrived in Missoula Thursday morning and was met by smoky skies from the devastating fires in Washington and Oregon. Lila, a recent graduate of the University of Montana and a 2025–26 Wyss Scholar picked me up at the airport along with Josh, a law student at the University of Michigan. From there, we met up with the rest of the group at the University of Montana campus, where we heard from three speakers from the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes (CSKT). Rich Janssen has been the director of the CSKT Department of Natural Resources for sixteen years, Dana Hewankorn is the CSKT Food Sovereignty Pilot Project Program manager, and Kathryn McDonald is a CSKT Tribal Relations Specialist who works between the tribal government and federal agencies on preservation and restoration projects.

Listening to these speakers share their experience and knowledge about conservation and community-building was truly a privilege. I especially connected with Dana Hewankorn’s food sovereignty work because of my interest in sustainable agriculture and food justice. I was struck by her response to the first question that was posed to the speakers: “What is your role in land conservation?” Initially, Hewankorn laughed and said, “I’m not sure. I just have a really big garden.” The other two speakers looked at her with conviction and agreed: “Of course you play a role in land conservation.” From there the conversation moved to a discussion of how preserving traditional food sources of the CSKT, like camas root, has furthered conservation initiatives in western Montana. The speakers discussed the importance of tribal members maintaining a relationship with the land, and that foraging, hunting, and cultivating food has been central to this relationship throughout CSKT history. Further, reservations across the United States are often located in “food deserts,” with limited access to fresh, healthy food. By cultivating food within the reservation and holding classes on gardening, canning, hunting, and foraging, the Food Sovereignty Pilot Project Program is supporting the nutritional needs of the community and ensuring that CSKT traditions continue on to the next generation.

After the speaker session, we departed Missoula for Lubrecht. We were the only group staying in the lodge, which was nestled among towering ponderosa pines. I spent a year living in Montana before starting law school, so it felt good to be back. For dinner, we made burritos in the lodge kitchen and sat outside on the deck talking, laughing, and getting to know each other. Much to my surprise (and delight), Jackson, a grad student at the Yale School of Forestry, brought a couple lariats and a steer roping dummy (see photos). Against all odds, four of us (Jackson, Lila, Caitlyn, and me) knew how to rope! So we spent the evening roping the “steer” and teaching the other scholars the proper technique. This experience was a testament to the fact that people are complex and often don’t fit into easily defined boxes, and that you never know what you might have in common with a relative stranger.

On Friday, after eating a delicious homemade pancake breakfast, we drove to Primm Meadow, one of the largest old growth ponderosa forests in Montana, to meet with Chris Bryant, the Montana Conservation Director at the Nature Conservancy (TNC). Bryant spoke with us about the history of Primm Meadow and the work TNC has done to conserve it. Unlike many forests that are dense with smaller trees, Primm Meadow is an example of what a forest that has been properly managed looks like. Through controlled burning and intentional thinning, Primm Meadow is a true ponderosa savannah. Bryant explained that TNC opens the area to local indigenous people to continue their traditional uses of the land. He also discussed the relationship between TNC and the BLM, and how they have collaborated over the years to further conservation efforts across Montana. We had the opportunity to explore the forest and observed “windows” carved into ponderosas by tribal members long before TNC purchased the land.

Saturday morning we ate another delicious home-cooked breakfast before heading to the Garnet Ghost Town, a preserved mining town erected in 1897. Walking around the abandoned buildings felt like stepping back in time. It was cool to imagine what life must have been like for the people who lived in this community. It was also a reminder of how mining played such an enormous role in shaping the history of the west.

After leaving Garnet, we drove back to Missoula to pick up tubes for our float down the Clark Fork River. We floated for about three hours on a gentle current, with a few small rapids sprinkled in to keep things interesting. A few members of the group, especially Taylor and Franny, were avid birders and called out whenever they saw a new species. After our float, we ate a delicious dinner in Missoula before heading back to Lubrecht for our last night.

Heading to the airport on Sunday, I felt a bit sad to be leaving Montana and my new friends. We had clicked so well as a group and it felt like I had known them for longer than just a few days. A few weeks later, I am still so grateful for the laughs, deep conversations, and connections I made on this retreat. I send so much gratitude to the incredible University of Missoula cohort who worked hard to make this weekend so fun and meaningful. I am also deeply appreciative of The Wyss Foundation for creating the opportunity for us to come together. Being around a group of my peers who are smart, motivated, and passionate about land conservation was like taking a breath of fresh air (despite the fact that the air was in fact quite smoky). This retreat filled me with inspiration and hope for the future and a new network of friends and professional connections.

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On Common Ground: An American Inheritance Podcast Launches

Annie Carlozzi — Mon, 17 Aug 2026 15:00:00 +0000

On Common Ground: An American Inheritance Podcast Launches Annie Carlozzi Mon, 08/17/2026 - 09:00

America holds hundreds of millions of acres of land in trust for the public — national parks, forests, wildlife refuges, wilderness areas, and the waters off our coasts. Right now, that inheritance is being taken, not in secret, but in plain sight, while the country's attention is elsewhere.

On Common Ground: An American Inheritance is a six-part documentary podcast about the immediate threats to America's public lands. In 2025, a proposal to sell three million acres of public land set off a national uproar and was defeated. It felt like a victory. But while the country fought that sale, something far more damaging passed into law in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act: a mandate to open more than 200 million acres of public land to industrial development — many times the size of the sale that was defeated.

The fight we won mattered less than the fight we lost.

Across six episodes, the series follows an unlikely and unusually broad coalition: hunters and anglers, Tribal leaders, climbers, scientists, poets, public servants, and local communities. They don't agree on everything, but they share a conviction that some places are worth protecting and passing on to the next generation.

At its heart, the series asks a simple question: What does it mean to share common ground as Americans — and what would it mean to lose it?

The series is hosted by Bill Hedden, former Executive Director of the Grand Canyon Trust, with co-host John Leshy — former Solicitor of the U.S. Department of the Interior and one of the foremost authorities on the history and law of America's public lands.

All episodes of this limited series will be available in August.

Follow along:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/on_common_ground_

TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@on.common.ground

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@OnCommon_Ground

On Common Ground: An American Inheritance is hosted by Bill Hedden and John Leshy. Produced by Sarah Hedden, Dagny Scott, and Del Feltz. Sound engineering by Joe Flood. Additional sound editing by Grace Wiley. This series is a production of Eleven Dollar Bill, and a project of the Getches-Wilkinson Center at the University of Colorado Law School.

Listen now where you get your podcasts:
Apple
Spotify
Youtube

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Advanced Natural Resources Seminar Explores the Colorado Plateau

Annie Carlozzi — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 20:03:58 +0000

Advanced Natural Resources Seminar Explores the Colorado Plateau Annie Carlozzi Mon, 03/30/2026 - 14:03

Celeste Baro , Sydney Stellato

After an approximately seven-hour drive from Boulder, we arrived at Dugout Ranch and the Canyonlands Research Center, tucked deep within canyon country near Bears Ears National Monument and Canyonlands National Park. We spent our first night under a sky full of stars, and in the morning, we woke from our tents surrounded by towering orange and red rock formations.

That morning, we met with Matt and Kristen Redd, managers of the Dugout Ranch and Canyonlands Research Center. In 1997, The Nature Conservancy worked with the Redd family to purchase the Dugout Ranch, securing a major conservation win and protecting important lands and waters from development. Later, in 2009, The Nature Conservancy purchased the Dugout’s cattle herd for use as a research tool, and in 2010, a suite of partners formally launched the Canyonlands Research Center. Hearing about the ranch’s transformation into a living research laboratory showed us what collaborative conservation can look like in practice where ranching, science, and conservation all intersect.

While at the ranch, we also heard from Shaun Ketchum, a young Diné and Ute Mountain Ute leader and Director of the 100 Years of Silence Project. He shared the history behind the project, which seeks to illuminate a painful and little-known event in Ute history, when 80 Ute tribal members were rounded up and imprisoned in a barbed-wire camp near Blanding, Utah, based on false accusations. The project works to bring this history to light in order to promote public understanding and healing for Ute people.

We also hiked into Shay Canyon to view petroglyphs etched into the canyon walls. After our hike, we drove to Bluff, Utah, where we stayed for the night.

The following morning, we met Amanda Podmore, Conservation Director at the Grand Canyon Trust, for breakfast before heading out for a hike along Comb Ridge. There, we talked about the Trust’s work on Bears Ears National Monument, Baaj Nwaavjo I’tah Kukveni – Ancestral Footprints of the Grand Canyon National Monument, and their broader public lands and tribal outreach efforts across the Colorado Plateau.

From there, we made our way to the Grand Canyon’s North Rim, where we stayed at the Grand Canyon Trust’s Kane Ranch. In September 2005, the Trust completed a historic transaction to purchase the grazing rights and base property of the Kane and Two-Mile Ranches in the heart of the Arizona Strip. Together, the ranches encompass 850,000 acres. Because current law requires that some cattle be grazed on the ranches, the Trust maintains a cattle operation while also carrying out an ambitious conservation program to assess and improve land health. They collect baseline data across different ecosystems—ponderosa pine forest, pinyon-juniper woodland, and wetlands—and track changes over time to guide restoration and management.

We spent the next two nights at Kane Ranch cooking meals together, wandering the fields, and watching the stars at night. During the day, we visited the proposed dam site in Marble Canyon and discussed ongoing Colorado River issues—water scarcity, drought, and the immense pressure placed on the river by the many communities and states that rely on it. We also drove to a condor viewing area, where we learned about the reintroduction of the California condor, an endangered species that once had a population of only about 20 individuals. Seeing condors soaring again over the canyon felt like a rare conservation success story. We also visited the White Sage Burn area and discussed pinyon-juniper management and changing fire regimes on the landscape.

The next morning, we drove to Page, Arizona, for a tour of Glen Canyon Dam with Bob Martin, Deputy Power Manager for the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation. Authorized by the Colorado River Storage Project Act of 1956 and completed in 1963, Glen Canyon Dam was built to store water for Colorado River Compact requirements and generate hydroelectric power. Standing inside the dam, we talked about the future of Lake Powell and the very real possibility of the reservoir reaching “dead pool,” the level at which water can no longer flow through the dam, and even “power pool,” where hydropower generation would no longer be possible. These questions—about water storage, electricity, drought, and the ability of Upper Basin states to meet compact obligations—made clear just how much the modern West depends on this single river system.

After the tour, we continued to Tuba City, located on the border of the Navajo and Hopi reservations, reflecting on everything we had seen and learned over the past several days—about conservation, history, water, energy, and the many different people and communities connected to these landscapes.

Tuba City happened to be the city that Professor Krakoff began her career in American Indian Law, working for DNA People’s Legal Services for three years. We visited her home when she lived in Tuba City – an old Mormon settlement with tall poplar trees. We got to see Newspaper Rock – a popular site for petroglyphs from various historical tribes that used the rock to communicate with each other. We spoke with women from Change Labs – a non-profit working on giving resources to Native run businesses through providing business coaching, microloans, and a workspace for people to work out of. They work with all different types of businesses to help make sure that businesses on the reservation can thrive. This was complimented by a talk with Amber Benally and Ethan Aumack who highlighted the Grand Canyon Trust’s Just Transition Program focused on helping tribes that benefitted from coal mining to transition to non-extractive industries.

At Window Rock, the capital of the Navajo Nation, we spoke to Bidtah Becker, the Chief Legal Counsel for the President and Vice President, about current water rights settlements happening on the Colorado River, the Navajo Nation’s water settlement, and how the two are intertwined. We also got to speak with one of the Navajo Nation’s hydrologists who explained the science of the water settlement to us. Finally, we had lunch in town with Navajo tacos, a specialty on the Nation. We stopped by the home of Deon Ben, the Native America Director, who talked about his work with the Grand Canyon Trust and working on coalition building for Southwest Tribes, including the tribes work with establishing and managing nearby National Monuments. He also allowed us to see into his home, a modern day hogan. Hogans are traditional dwellings of the Navajo people. Being able to see him living and working on his families homestead was a privilege.

On Thursday, we left the Navajo Nation and went back into Colorado. We stayed in Ignasio, Colorado where we met with Lisa Yellow Eagle, and got to visit the Southern Ute Indian Tribe. We talked about the Southern Ute’s federally reserved water rights and the water projects that they and the BIA have on tribal property. Then we got to tour the Pine River Indian Irrigation Project (“PRITT”) and see the miles and miles of irrigation and canals that the tribe uses to get water. We discussed water settlements and how the water of Colorado has been used to support the tribe, and various economic avenues that the tribe has used to support itself. As an added benefit we got to see a bald eagle flying away!

Finally, we met with a former student of the seminar, who went on his own field seminar down by the Rio Grande when he attended Colorado Law. We had dinner with Dan McCarl who currently works for Maynes, Bradford, Shipps & Sheftel. He has worked with the DOJ in the Environment & Natural Resource Division and Western Energy Project and had a very nuanced view into how various aspects of American Indian Law, energy law, and water law coincide. He offered insight into how to be an attorney working from different avenues to help achieve our goals.

We spent the night in Pagosa Springs before driving back up to Boulder on Friday. After eight days of learning and being on the road we were very excited to be back at Colorado Law to be able to put everything we learned about into action!

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Piper Lacy ('27) and Lex Padilla ('27) Named 2026-27 Colorado Law Wyss Scholars

Annie Carlozzi — Sun, 22 Mar 2026 23:39:41 +0000

Piper Lacy ('27) and Lex Padilla ('27) Named 2026-27 Colorado Law Wyss Scholars Annie Carlozzi Sun, 03/22/2026 - 17:39

University of Colorado Law School students Piper Lacy (’27) and Lex Padilla (’27) have been named the 2026-2027 Colorado Law Wyss Scholars in U.S. Lands Conservation. The Wyss Scholars Program, funded by the Wyss Foundation, is awarded to two Colorado Law students each year. The scholars program supports graduate-level education for promising leaders in United States land conservation. Recipients receive generous financial assistance to cover the full cost of one year of law school, as well as funds for internship opportunities, research assistance, and postgraduate support. Wyss Scholars learn the latest in conservation law and policy and apply that knowledge in careers at land management agencies and nonprofit conservation groups.

Piper Lacy’s connection to the land and commitment to environmental conservation developed while she was growing up on her family’s farm in Western Massachusetts. As an undergraduate at Mount Holyoke College, Piper leaned into her passion for environmental stewardship and created a Sustainable Agriculture and Food Justice Fellowship with the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts at its Hadley Farm. This led her to study sustainable agriculture as an avenue for promoting land conservation and combating climate change.

Before law school, Piper worked as a soil ecology and cropping systems lab technician at Montana State University and the University of Massachusetts. Conducting research on farmland in rural Montana highlighted the environmental harms caused by mainstream agricultural practices and the vulnerability of rural communities. Inspired by this experience, Piper decided to pursue a legal career focused on promoting sustainable agriculture, land conservation, and community resilience.

Piper’s background in soil science and sustainable agriculture has influenced her to pursue a legal career that involves range management and restoration of native grasslands and forests. Because so much public and private land in the United States is used for agricultural purposes, Piper hopes to engage in work that reduces the negative impacts of agriculture on biodiversity, water quality, and soil health.

As a student at Colorado Law, Piper has taken advantage of opportunities to become a part of and contribute to Colorado Law’s environmental law community as a member of the board of the Colorado Environmental Law Society and as Lead Notes Editor for the Colorado Environmental Law Journal. Piper has also pursued experiential learning opportunities to establish a well-rounded foundation in environmental law and conservation. She has externed with Earthjustice’s Sustainable Food and Farming Program and participated in Colorado Law’s Getches-Green Natural Resources, Energy, and Environmental Law Clinic.

Piper is also very passionate about the conservation of public lands for recreational and cultural purposes. In her free time, Piper escapes to the mountains to go backcountry skiing, trail running, mountain biking, and rock climbing. Informed by her own experiences in the outdoors, Piper believes that people are far more likely to be motivated to protect wild places if they have had the opportunity to experience those places and all they have to offer. She hopes to pursue a career with a focus on protecting and improving access to public lands, while also advocating for sustainable and responsible use of public lands to conserve essential ecosystems and wildlife habitat. She looks forward to gaining insight into local conservation efforts and land use planning as a Law Clerk with the Boulder County Attorney’s office this summer.

Lex Padilla’s interest in public land conservation started with noticing how little nature remained in the suburban landscape where she grew up. Moments like watching her grandmother look for birds outside her window made her aware of how fragile those everyday connections to land and wildlife had become. Seeing events like the Flint water crisis unfold reinforced her sense that environmental issues are closely tied to fairness, community health, and access.

She lives by this quote, attributed to Dr. Lilla Watson, “If you have come to help, you are wasting your time. If you have come because your liberation is bound together with mine, let us walk together.” If the land is not free, the air is not clean, and the birds are dying, then are we really, truly liberated? For these very reasons, Lex has developed a lifelong commitment to environmental law and conservation.

Through college and law school, that early awareness turned into a clear academic and professional
direction. She studied political science with a strong focus on environmental ethics and justice, worked in environmental education and climate policy, and supported CEQA compliance. In law school, she deepened her focus through the Environmental Law Journal, the Natural Resources Clinic, and research roles with the Getches-Wilkinson Center and Professor Mark Squillace. Her internships with Earthjustice and the Colorado Attorney General’s Office gave her practical experience with the legal frameworks that govern land, water, and air.

She now hopes to build a career as a public interest attorney in the American West, working on public lands, resource management, and conservation. Her goal is to join the Colorado Attorney General’s Natural Resource Fellowship Program and continue serving the state through work that supports both ecological health and community needs.

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April 1: Wyss Scholars Host Steve Bloch for Student Conversation

Annie Carlozzi — Tue, 17 Mar 2026 17:31:34 +0000

April 1: Wyss Scholars Host Steve Bloch for Student Conversation Annie Carlozzi Tue, 03/17/2026 - 11:31

Obie Johnson ('26) and Andrea Shipton ('26), current Wyss Scholars, will moderate a discussion with Steve Bloch regarding his experience in land conservation law and Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA). Bloch's visit to Colorado Law is thanks to the Wyss Foundation Scholars Program which supports the graduate-level education of emerging leaders in U.S. land conservation by providing scholarships, mentorship, and community.

Wed, April 1 12-12:50pm
Wolf Law Building Room 204
Lunch will be provided!

Steve Bloch
Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance

Stephen Bloch is an attorney and legal director at the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance (SUWA). SUWA is Utah’s largest conservation organization. Formed in 1983, its mission is the preservation of the outstanding wilderness at the heart of the Colorado Plateau, and the management of these lands in their natural state for the benefit of all Americans. Steve received his law degree from the S.J Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah and has worked at SUWA since 1999. In 2011, he was the Utah State Bar Energy, Natural Resources and Environmental Law (ENREL) Section’s Lawyer of the Year and he served as ENREL Section Chair in 2019-2020. Steve currently serves on the Salt Lake City Parks, Natural Lands, Urban Forestry & Trails Advisory Board. He and his family live in Salt Lake City.

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Oct 22 and 23: 2026 Martz Symposium on Public Lands

Annie Carlozzi — Tue, 25 Nov 2025 20:42:45 +0000

Oct 22 and 23: 2026 Martz Symposium on Public Lands Annie Carlozzi Tue, 11/25/2025 - 13:42

The Getches-Wilkinson Center and American Indian Law Program will be co-convening the 2026 Martz Symposium on Public Lands: "Towards a New Era for Public Lands - Restoration and Renewal" on Thurs, Oct 22nd and Fri, Oct 23rd at the Wolf Law Building in Boulder, CO.

Toward a New Era for Public Lands – Restoration and Renewal

America’s public lands are entering a period of profound transition. Ecological change, evolving social and cultural values, Tribal co-stewardship, and shifting political dynamics are reshaping how we understand public lands and our responsibilities to them and to each other. This symposium explores what it would mean to move toward a new era for public lands grounded in restoration of the land and renewal of our shared responsibility to care for it.

Day 1 focuses on the relationship between Indigenous Peoples and public lands, featuring recent case studies alongside conversations about lessons learned and opportunities to reform laws and policies to strengthen the role of Tribes and Indigenous Peoples in decisions shaping the future of their ancestral homelands and cultural resources.

Day 2 focuses on the broader public interest in public lands, including the interests of future generations. All Americans benefit today from decisions made by earlier generations to uphold a shared public interest in the stewardship, management, and protection of public lands. Bringing together leading voices from academia, advocacy organizations, government, Tribal communities, and industry, Day 2 explores how we can best fulfill our responsibilities to future generations in an era of ecological and social change.

Register NOW

Thursday, October 22nd and Friday, October 23rd
Wolf Law Building, Wittemyer Courtroom

Thursday, October 22nd
8:00am: Registration Opens and Light Breakfast
8:45am-4:30pm: Martz Symposium on Public Lands
4:30-6:00pm: Reception for Registered Attendees

Friday, October 23rd
8:00am: Registration Opens and Light Breakfast
8:45am-4:00pm: Martz Symposium on Public Lands

Breakfast, snack, and lunch provided daily
Free parking onsite. Parking details will be sent out the week of the conference.

Confirmed Speakers Include:

Jennifer Kakareka Balch, Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences, �鶹��Ѱ��
Julia Bernal, Pueblo Action Alliance
Clint Carroll, Department of Ethnic Studies, �鶹��Ѱ��
Pete Geddes, American Prairie
Jill Grant, Jill Grant & Associates, LLC
Monte Gray, Shoshone-Bannock Tribes of the Fort Hall Reservation
Bill Hedden, On Common Ground: An American Inheritance podcast
Hal Herring, Journalist
Patrick Holmes, Resources Legacy Fund
Robyn Jackson, Diné C.A.R.E
Sarah Krakoff, Colorado Law School
John Leshy, Former Solicitor
Scott Miller, The Wilderness Society
John Podesta, Former Senior Advisory to the President for International Climate Change Policy
Vanessa Racehorse, Colorado Law School
Ryan M. Running Wolf, Blackfeet Fish & Wildlife Department
Chairman Joey Sanchez, All Pueblo Council of Governors
Morgan Sanders, Native American Rights Fund
Courtney Schultz, Colorado State University
Tom Tidwell, US Forest Service
Kyle Tisdel, Western Environmental Law Center
Hilary Tompkins, Hogan Lovells Cadwalader
Doug Vilsack, Bolo Strategies, LLC
Chris Winter, Getches-Wilkinson Center

Registration Rates EARLY BIRD until August 31, 2026
General (In person) $225
Remote Access Only $75
�鶹��Ѱ��Faculty/Staff/Student (In person or Zoom) Free
*Buff OneCard number may be requested for validation of current �鶹��Ѱ�� faculty/staff/student status.

Registration Rates September 1st - Oct 23rd
General (In person) $250
Remote Access Only $100
�鶹��Ѱ��Faculty/Staff/Student (In person or Zoom) Free
*Buff OneCard number may be requested for validation of current �鶹��Ѱ�� faculty/staff/student status.

Register NOW

Colorado CLE credits pending for the Martz Symposium.

Hotel Accommodations
There is a room block available at Limelight Boulder for attendees of the Martz Symposium. Book a room using this link by Monday, September 21st to receive the reduced conference rate.

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GWC Works with Law Professors Across the West to Weigh in on Public Lands Rule

Annie Carlozzi — Wed, 12 Nov 2025 16:03:17 +0000

GWC Works with Law Professors Across the West to Weigh in on Public Lands Rule Annie Carlozzi Wed, 11/12/2025 - 09:03

In 2024, the Bureau of Land Management issue a new set of regulations that would guide its oversight of 245 million acres of federal public lands. Known as the “Public Lands Rule,” the regulations implement the “multiple use and sustained yield” framework adopted by Congress in the Federal Land Policy & Management Act of 1976 (FLPMA). The 2024 regulations clarify BLM’s mission to focus on stewardship of public resources by managing for long-term ecological health and resilience, which will protect the interests of the American public in a sustained yield of renewable and non-renewable resources. The intent of the Rule is to ensure that BLM treats conservation of public resources on par with other multiple uses.

The Rule is well-grounded in FLPMA, which directs BLM to manage the public lands for the long-term interests of the American public without allowing for permanent impairment of the land and the quality of the environment. The Rule does not direct BLM to allow or disallow any specific uses at any particular place, but rather it sets forth a framework for how landscape health will be measured and tracked over time, and how natural resources will be protected when BLM considers potential uses of public lands.

With the change in Administration, BLM recently proposed to rescind the Public Lands Rule, asserting that it was conflict with BLM’s statutory authorities in FLPMA. The public notice did not provide much detail on the alleged statutory conflict, but BLM stated its intent to rescind the Rule in whole.

GWC recently submitted comments on the proposed rollback of the Public Lands Rule and worked with law professors across the west to ensure that BLM correctly interprets and applies the multiple use and sustained yield of FLPMA. When Congress passed this bedrock law in 1976, it clearly delegated to the Secretary of the Interior the discretion to decide which uses will be allowed to strike the correct balance between extraction and protection of natural resources. The law professors weighed in to protect the integrity of FLPMA and to uphold the authority of BLM to carefully manage and protect our shared natural resources.

Read submitted comments here.

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2025 Martz Symposium on Public Lands

Annie Carlozzi — Thu, 23 Oct 2025 17:27:20 +0000

2025 Martz Symposium on Public Lands Annie Carlozzi Thu, 10/23/2025 - 11:27

The Getches-Wilkinson Center will be convening the 2025 Martz Symposium on Public Lands: "Public Lands in Public Hands – Reflections on 50 Years of Retention Policy" on Thurs, Oct 23rd and Fri, Oct 24th at the Wolf Law Building in Boulder, CO.

Public Lands in Public Hands: Reflections on 50 Years of Retention Policy

The Federal Land Policy and Management Act marked a new chapter in the history of public lands in the United States. In that 1976 law, Congress declared a national policy that public lands be retained in federal ownership and control for the benefit of the American people. Over the last 50 years, that retention policy has led to far reaching consequences for people and places across the country. Today, public lands provide critical support for economic, environmental, social, and cultural values, contributing to the vitality of both urban and rural communities. Yet, the nation still struggles with the effects of dispossession and forced removal of Indigenous peoples from their ancestral lands, most of which remain in the hands of the Federal government. Retention of public lands also presents certain challenges to states, localities, and private property owners.

Despite 50 years of retention policy and widespread public support for keeping public lands in public hands, the future of public lands remains uncertain. Some want the federal government to sell off federal public lands or give them to the States. Others are keen to defend and celebrate the retention policy and their love of public lands.

The legal landscape has also changed dramatically over the past 50 years. Public land planning has proved to be a mixed bag, but it engages the public on the critical issues facing public land planners, including resource development, grazing policy, land conservation, endangered species conservation, and the protection of cultural resources, among many other things. Modernizing the decision-making process has also taken center stage, with debates about strategies for making faster and smarter decisions. Adaptive management has also entered the public lands lexicon, although it sometimes seems more aspirational than real.

This year’s Martz Symposium takes a deep dive into the past, present, and future of our national policy of keeping public lands in public hands. The symposium will convene experts in public lands law and policy, advocates from across the political and policy spectrum, including Tribal leaders, experts on public opinion, and many other respected voices. Our goal will be to stimulate new thinking and fresh ideas, and to inspire a new generation of public lands leaders to build on the legacy from the past 50 years. Please join us for what promises to be an outstanding opportunity to engage with old and new friends and colleagues on one of the most important issues facing the American West.

Agenda

Thursday, October 23, 2025

8:00-8:45am	Breakfast and Networking
8:45-9:00am	Welcome and Opening Remarks Chris Winter, Executive Director, Getches-Wilkinson Center
9:00-9:30am	Who Will Speak for the Public Lands and What Will They Say Prof. Sarah Krakoff, University of Colorado Law School
9:30-10:30am	Public Opinion on Public Lands – A Deep Dive into the Conservation in the West Poll Kathryn Hahne, New Bridge Strategy
10:30-11:00am	BREAK
11:00am-12:15pm	The Affordable Housing Question Moderator: Prof. Bret Birdsong, UNLV Law School Arthur Gailes, American Enterprise Institute Dan Gibbs, Director, Colorado Department of Natural Resources, Former Summit County Commissioner Rudy Soto, Native American Indian Housing Counsel Eric Novak, Praxis Consulting Group LLC
12:15-1:15pm	LUNCH
1:15-2:15pm	Debating The Constitutional Foundation Moderator: Chris Winter, GWC Prof. John Leshy, Emeritus Distinguished Professor of Law, UC Law San Francisco, Former Solicitor of the Department of the the Interior Ethan Blevins, Pacific Legal Foundation
2:15-2:45pm	BREAK
2:45-4:00pm	The Land Back Movement and Public Lands Moderator: Prof. Vanessa Racehorse, University of Colorado Law School Gussie Lord, Earthjustice Prof. Kekek Stark, Davis-Johnston Associate Professor of Law, University of Montana School of Law Prof. Rebecca Tsosie, University of Arizona Law School
4:00-5:30pm	Conference Reception

Friday, October 24, 2025

8:00-9:00am	Breakfast and Networking
9:00-9:15am	Welcome and Opening Remarks Chris Winter, GWC
9:15-10:30am	Agency Funding and Staffing – Who Will Manage the Public Lands Moderator: Matt Lee-Ashley, Foreground Strategies, Former Chief of Staff, Council on Environmental Quality Dr. Mamie Parker, Former Head of Fisheries, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services Tim Whitehouse, Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility Scott Fitzwilliams, Former Supervisor of the White River National Forest
10:30-11:00am	BREAK
11:00am-12pm	Fireside Chat with Secretary David Bernhardt, former Secretary of the Department of the Interior
12-1:00pm	LUNCH
1:00-2:15pm	The Great Balancing Act - Evolving Issues in Multiple Use Management Moderator: Alison Flint, The Wilderness Society Louis Geltman, VP for Policy and Government Relations, Outdoor Alliance Natalie Landreth, Partner, Nashoba Consulting LLC and Co-Executive Director, Tribal Public Lands Alliance Katie Schroder, Partner, Davis Graham & Stubbs Prof. Mark Squillace, University of Colorado Law School

Read Speaker Bios Here

Download Agenda Here

Recordings of Symposium Panels

Registration Rates
General (In person) $250
Remote Access Only $100
�鶹��Ѱ��Faculty/Staff/Student (In person or Zoom) Free
*Buff OneCard number may be requested for validation of current �鶹��Ѱ�� faculty/staff/student status.
Colorado Law Alumni Only Reception Thurs, Oct 23 $15
*This is only available to Colorado Law alumni to attend the Martz Symposium Reception on Thurs, Oct 23rd. This does not grant access to the conference.

9.0 General Colorado CLE credits awarded for Martz Symposium.

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Ruth Wright Distinguished Lecture in Natural Resources with John Leshy

Annie Carlozzi — Wed, 22 Oct 2025 16:27:37 +0000

Ruth Wright Distinguished Lecture in Natural Resources with John Leshy Annie Carlozzi Wed, 10/22/2025 - 10:27

The Getches-Wilkinson Center is pleased to present the 2025 Ruth Wright Distinguished Lecture in Natural Resources with John Leshy on Wed, Oct 22nd at the Wolf Law Building in Boulder, CO.

On Shaky Ground: America’s Public Lands Face an Uncertain Future

Laying groundwork for the Martz Symposium, Leshy will discuss current challenges to America’s public lands, starting with a proposal to include, in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) that President Trump signed into law in early July, a mandate to sell off millions of acres. While that proposal failed after triggering widespread opposition from western Republicans, among many others, the OBBBA did contain several sweeping---if little-noticed---mandates aimed at industrializing many millions of acres of public lands. Meanwhile, the Trump Administration has taken aggressive steps, principally through deep personnel and budget cuts, to hollow out the four major federal land management agencies, apparently to persuade Americans that the federal government simply cannot manage these lands and thus make a case for transferring them to states and private interests.

The lecture will then address whether all this could fundamentally alter the objective of conserving large areas of land in national ownership, open to all, and managing them primarily for conservation, preservation, inspiration and recreation. That has been a primary objective of public land policy ever since the 1890s. It was then that---partly in reaction to the corruption and plunder by robber barons that marked the so-called Gilded Age---a movement flowered to conserve large areas of land in national ownership, leading to the public lands we see today. Now we are in a new Gilded Age, with the rich amassing unimaginable wealth while many ordinary Americans are stagnating. Leshy will conclude by discussing whether some rethinking of public land policy is in order, as calls grow for using these lands for, among other things, extracting critical minerals, upgrading the electrical grid, and siting renewable energy facilities, as support grows for streamlining governmental decision-making processes, as climate change exacerbates wildfires and droughts, and as recreational visits mushroom.

Wednesday, October 22nd

12-12:50pm Student Lunch with John Leshy in Room 206 - no registration required

6:00-7:30: Lecture: Wolf Law Building, Wittemyer Courtroom
7:30-8:30pm - Reception for all registered attendees

This event is free and open to the public, but registration is required to attend and/or receive the livestream link.
In person and Virtual (Zoom) attendance available.
There will be a reception following the lecture. Details will be sent to registered participants prior to the event.

1.0 General Colorado CLE credit awarded for this event.

Recording of Ruth Wright Lecture

John Leshy

John Leshy is Professor Emeritus at the University of California College of the Law in San Francisco. His political history of America’s public lands, Our Common Ground, was published in 2022 by Yale University Press. Leshy was Solicitor (General Counsel) of the Interior Department throughout the Clinton Administration, and earlier served as special counsel to the Chair of the Natural Resources Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives, a law professor at Arizona State University, Associate Solicitor of Interior for Energy and Resources in the Carter Administration, an attorney-advocate with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), and a litigator in the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division. He headed the Interior Department transition team for Clinton-Gore in 1992 and was co-lead for Obama-Biden in 2008. He’s four times been a visiting professor at Harvard Law School, from which he graduated in 1969, after earning an A.B. at Harvard College. His many publications include a book on the Mining Law of 1872 and co-authoring casebooks on public land and resources law (now in its 8th edition) and water law (now in its 7^th edition).

The Ruth Wright Distinguished Lecture in Natural Resources

In 2018, the GWC received a generous gift from the Wright Family Foundation to establish the Ruth Wright Distinguished Lecture in Natural Resources in honor of her inspiring legacy as a leader in western natural resources, land conservation, and environmental policy and advocacy. With this support, we look forward to bringing this free event to our community for years to come.

As a legislator, environmentalist, and historian, Ruth Wright dedicated her career to environmental issues and activism. While a student at Colorado Law, she led efforts to preserve Boulder’s open space and limit the height of buildings in Boulder to 55 feet to protect enjoyment of the unique landscape for the ages. In 1980, she was elected to the Colorado House of Representatives, where she represented Boulder until 1994. She was also the second woman ever to become the House minority leader, a role she held from 1986 until 1992. While serving in the House of Representatives, Wright continued to be a strategic champion for the environment, and has been recognized by such groups as the Colorado Wildlife Foundation, the ACLU, the Sierra Club, and Colorado Open Lands.

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