Oceans, Coasts, and Watersheds Project

Engaging the law to promote sustainability for ocean, coastal, and freshwater resources

Building on the law school's rich heritage in both ocean and coastal law and water law, the Ocean, Coasts, and Watersheds Project explores cutting-edge issues in both marine and freshwater environments. Faculty leaders are Adell Amos and Richard Hildreth.

OCWP News

"Freshwater Conservation: A Review of Oregon Water Law & Policy," for The Nature Conservancy, August 2008 (available through the Nature Conservancy Office in Portland, Oregon)
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The Nature Conservancy and the ENR Center are pleased to announce the release of "Freshwater Conservation: A Review of Oregon Water Law & Policy," a joint project between Adell Amos, Assistant Professor and Director of ENR, and Leslie Bach, The Nature Conservancy of Oregon. The report provides a legal and policy overview of Oregon water law from the perspective of freshwater conservation.

September 2008 Summary of Forum for Offshore Aquaculture by Jocelyn Pease

October 2008 ENR Fellow, Alison Torbitt on the West Coast Ocean Energy Conference

Video Tribute, In Memory of Chapin Clark, March, 2007

Austin Williams, The Pacific Salmon Treaty: A Historical Analysis and Prescription for the Future, 22 J. ENVTL. L. & LITIG. (Spring 2007).

OCWP Fellows

Matthew Bromley

Matthew Bromley is a second year law student with an interest in Water Law, Public Interest Work, and Alternative Dispute Resolution. During the summer of 2009, Matthew worked at a small firm in Eugene, Oregon, and volunteered at Lane County Legal Aid. Additionally, he has been a caretaker for special needs young adults for the past three years. Prior to law school he worked as a behavior specialist in an elementary school in Eugene. Matthew received his B.S. in Environmental Science: Water Resource Policy with a minor in Native American Studies from Humboldt State University. His interests include surfing, snowboarding, biking, hiking, travelling, cooking, music, the Portland Trailblazers, and Oregon Duck sports.

Holly Jacobson

Holly Jacobson is a second year law student. During the summer of 2009, Holly interned for the California District Attorneys Association where she worked on the Environmental Circuit Prosecutor Project in Sacramento, CA. Prior to law school, Holly worked for the Department of Toxic Substances Control as a Hazardous Substances Scientist. She received her Bachelor’s degree in Environmental Studies with a minor in Biology from CSU Sacramento.

Alison Torbitt

Alison Torbitt is a third year law student. During the summer of 2009, Alison worked at Nixon Peabody LLP in San Francisco, California, doing mostly energy and environment related projects. In 2008, Alison worked as a law clerk at the U.S. Department of Justice, Environment and Natural Resource Division in Sacramento on regulatory takings, land use, and water allocation issues. Prior to law school, Alison worked for five years in the regulatory fields of aquatic ecotoxicology and hazardous materials handing and disposal. Alison has a B.S. in Aquatic Biology and a B.A. in Dramatic Arts from U.C. Santa Barbara. Alison is also a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Accredited Professional.

Anika Leerssen

Cadence Whiteley

Cadence Whiteley is a third-year law student. In summer 2009, Cadence was an extern with the Oregon Land Use Board of Appeals, where she became very familiar with the Board's jurisdiction to hear land use disputes and generally gained knowledge of Oregon’s unique land use law and land use conflicts that arise in Oregon’s communities. In 2008, Cadence interned for Cascadia Wildlands and assisted in federal cases brought against the government for violations of the National Environmental Policy Act and National Forest Management Act. Prior to law school, Cadence was a Henry Luce Fellow in Cambodia. There she researched the challenges faced by Khmer shamen and communities due to their reliance on traditional medicinal plants and the increased development and forest exploitation of foreign companies. Cadence has a B.A. in International Studies and a minor in German from the University of Oregon. During her degree program, Cadence spent an academic year in Chiang Mai, Thailand, and a term in Berlin, Germany, interning for the Independent Institute for Environmental Concerns, whose executive director is an ELAW partner.

Faculty

Adell Amos

Richard Hildreth