Past Events

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.

Registration is OPEN!

Preliminary 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

Registration is OPEN!

Registration Rates
General (In person) $250
Remote Access Only $100
CU Faculty/Staff/Student (In person or Zoom) Free
*Buff OneCard number may be requested for validation of current University of Colorado Boulder 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.

Registration will close Monday, October 20.
No refunds will be offered after October 1, 2025.
Remote access will be given to ALL registered attendees.
Conference reception, campus parking, and lunches/refreshments included with in person registration.
General Colorado CLE is pending.

Hotel Room Block
GWC has a hotel room block at the Boulder Marriott Wed, Oct 22 - Sat, Oct 25. Click here to book online. The room block is available on a first-come, first-serve basis and is valid until October 9, or until all rooms are filled.

Conference Partnerships

We’re now accepting conference partners at all levels.

Learn more about our partnerships here.

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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.

General Colorado CLE credits are pending for this event.

Registration is OPEN!

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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Green Amendments for the Generations

Annie Carlozzi — Sat, 20 Sep 2025 18:39:36 +0000

Green Amendments for the Generations Annie Carlozzi Sat, 09/20/2025 - 12:39

Wednesday, Oct 15 at 12pm in Room 301

Join ELS and the GWC for a lunch talk with Maya K. van Rossum, author of Green Amendments and founder of Green Amendments For The Generations, and Wendy Kerner who is spearheading the movement for a Green Amendment in Colorado. They will give a presentation on Green Amendments, and we will have time for a brief Q&A.

Lunch will be provided!

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Intro to Practice: Environmental Law

Annie Carlozzi — Thu, 18 Sep 2025 17:55:45 +0000

Intro to Practice: Environmental Law Annie Carlozzi Thu, 09/18/2025 - 11:55

Intro to Practice Lunch Series

Tuesday, October 7, 2025 12pm to 12:50pm

Room 301

Explore various areas of legal practice in this series designed for 1L students (but open to all). Each week, a different panel of attorneys will discuss their particular area of practice (including what they do), provide insight into what skills and experiences helped them build their career path, and talk about what attracts employers in each of the practice areas. In addition to providing students with a glimpse into various practice areas, this lunch series also provides students with several contacts in these practice areas and an easy networking opportunity.

Students are encouraged to attend as many of the sessions that interest them. Lunch will be available at each of the sessions.

September 23 – Intellectual Property
September 30 – Judicial Clerkships
October 7 – Environmental
- Peter Jaacks (’21), Jewell Jimmerson Natural Resources Law LLC
- Robert Rigonan (’18), Earthjustice
- Senator Dylan Roberts, Colorado General Assembly
- Gabriella Stockmayer (’11), Dietze and Davis, P.C.
October 14 – Alternative Pathways in Law

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Film Screening: YINTAH

Annie Carlozzi — Wed, 17 Sep 2025 18:27:58 +0000

Film Screening: YINTAH Annie Carlozzi Wed, 09/17/2025 - 12:27

Wednesday, October 8, 2025 4pm to 6:30pm in Wolf Law 301

Join ELS, NALSA, and the GWC for a discussion led by Hannah Adhers, American Indian Law Program Fellow, and Daniel Anderson, GWC Water Law Fellow, on the intersection between Indian law and environmental protection followed by the film YINTAH.

The Film:
YINTAH: A DOCUMENTARY ON A DECADE OF WET’SUWET’EN RESISTANCE
Spanning more than a decade, YINTAH follows Howilhkat Freda Huson and Sleydo’ Molly Wickham as their nation reoccupies and protects their ancestral lands from the Canadian government and several of the largest fossil fuel companies on earth.
Learn more and watch the trailer here: https://www.yintahfilm.com/

Snacks and drinks provided.

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GWC and AILP Gathering

Annie Carlozzi — Wed, 16 Jul 2025 20:40:01 +0000

GWC and AILP Gathering Annie Carlozzi Wed, 07/16/2025 - 14:40

The Getches-Wilkinson Center and American Indian Law Program are co-hosting a social event on Thursday, September 4^th, 2025 5-7pm in Schaden Commons.

Community Social for Students, Faculty, Staff and Alumni

Please join the Getches-Wilkinson Center and the American Indian Law Program for an informal happy hour and community-building event. Everyone is welcome. 1L students are encouraged to attend.

You’ll learn more about Colorado Law School’s nationally ranked environmental and American Indian law programs.

You’ll have the opportunity to meet experienced faculty and alumni.

And you’ll enjoy free food and drink!

Co-hosted by ELS, NALSA, and ELJ.

The event is free to attend. Registration is required - Register Here

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2025 Conference on the Colorado River

Anonymous — Sat, 07 Jun 2025 17:46:05 +0000

2025 Conference on the Colorado River Anonymous (not verified) Sat, 06/07/2025 - 11:46

The Getches-Wilkinson Center and Water & Tribes Initiative will be co-convening the 2025 Conference on the Colorado River on Thurs, June 5th and Fri, June 6th at the Wolf Law Building in Boulder, CO.

Turning Hindsight into Foresight: The Colorado River at a Crossroads

Once again, the Colorado River is at a crossroads, as the efforts to finalize the post-2026 rules push up squarely against longstanding conflicts, legal interpretations, and notions of equity and inclusivity. Complicating progress is the narrow focus on reservoir operating rules, and the tradition of pushing the thorniest issues to future discussions in largely undetermined forums and unknown schedules. In this event, we assess the current state of progress, focusing specifically on the degree to which emerging steps forward incorporate the lessons learned through past experiences.

We hope you join us for what will be sure to be an engaging 2-day conference bringing together thought leaders from across the Colorado Basin.

Thursday, June 5th and Friday, June 6th

8:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m. (Mountain Time)
Wolf Law Building, Wittemyer Courtroom

Breakfast, Snack and Lunch provided daily
Attendee reception provided on Thurs, June 5th

15 Colorado CLE general credits have been approved for the conference.

Conference Recording

Conference Agenda

THURSDAY, JUNE 5

Session 1: Modern Challenges Through a Historical Lens. The Colorado River community is now laser focused on the need to adopt new operating rules by the summer of 2026. At this important inflection point in the basin, it is useful to look back, reflect on lessons learned, and turn hindsight into foresight to ensure that the actions we take now are appropriate for the ever-evolving challenges we face in the basin. The session will start by focusing on lessons learned by some of the basin’s first inhabitants: the Ancient Puebloans. It will then review the history of subsequent human settlement in the basin, exploring the legal and institutional principles that shape current opportunities and constraints to achieving a more sustainable future relationship between the people and the river. The discussion concludes with a review of the agreements expiring at the end of 2026: the Interim Guidelines, Minute 319 and the DCPs (drought contingency plans). Each of these frameworks have had successful elements, but each have had shortcomings. This interactive panel will highlight lessons learned, procedurally and substantively, identified by a number of people involved in those decision-making processes.

Session 2: The Aridification of Agriculture. The contributions of agriculture to the socioeconomic fabric of the basin are significant, but the mathematic reality is that it’s likely impossible to balance the regional water budget without major reductions in agricultural water consumption. This session frames the current role of agriculture in shaping the region’s water budget, highlights the practical challenge of funding the inevitable transition, and identifies some on-the-ground pathways for moving forward to a more sustainable future.

FRIDAY, JUNE 6

Session 3: Updates from the Tribes. Thirty tribes in the basin have strong interests (and legal rights) in how Colorado River management evolves. What are some of the most pressing concerns and demands?

Session 4: Rethinking Infrastructure: Glen Canyon Dam/Lake Powell. “What the River Knows” is a new film exploring how declining Lake Powell levels have resurfaced many environmental and cultural resources in and around Glen Canyon, and what opportunities and imperatives that might suggest for the future of Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell. This is the first “pre-screening” of the film, followed by a panel discussion.

Session 5: Insights from the Basin States. In the spirit of moving from "hindsight to foresight" and respecting that delicate ongoing negotiations preclude the states from publicly discussing positions in any detail, the panel will provide only a brief "status update" on interstate negotiations and then transition into the primary focus on lessons/insights for moving the basin forward in coming years where water scarcity and climate uncertainty are likely to escalate further. This discussion, reliant heavily on audience questions, will be informed by discussions earlier in the event.

Session 6: Looking Beyond the Rule-Making. While the crafting of new reservoir operational rules is the current focus of most attention and debate, thinking longer-term, the basin has several, more fundamental, issues that will demand thoughtful discussion and resolution, a longer-term challenge that will necessitate cultivating new ideas and leadership. In the spirit of turning hindsight into foresight, how do we move past the latest exercise in incremental, crisis management to achieve a healthy, just, and sustainable Colorado River?

Confirmed speakers' bios and head shots can be found HERE.

Anne Castle, Getches-Wilkinson Center
Bidtah Becker, Navajo Nation
Bill Hasencamp, Metropolitan Water District of Southern California
Brad Udall, Colorado State University
Brian Richter, Sustainable Waters
President Carlene Yellowhair, San Juan Southern Paiute Tribe
Celene Hawkins, The Nature Conservancy
Chris Winter, Getches-Wilkinson Center
Chuck Cullom, Upper Colorado River Commission
Colby Pellegrino, Southern Nevada Water Authority
Craig Childs, Author
Daniel Mooney, Colorado State University
Elizabeth Koebele, University of Nevada
Eric Balken, Glen Canyon Institute
Eric Kuhn, Author
Jason Hauter, Attorney for Gila River Indian Community
Jason Robison, University of Wyoming College of Law
Jay Weiner, Attorney for the Quechan Tribe
Jennifer Pitt, Audubon
Jim Lochhead, Consultant
John Fleck, University of New Mexico
John Weisheit, Living Rivers
Joseph "Brophy" Toledo, Flower Hill Institute
Kathryn Sorenson, Kyl Center for Water Policy
Lorelei Cloud, Southern Ute Indian Tribe
Michael Connor, Consultant
Patty Limerick, University of Colorado
Peter Culp, Culp & Kelly, LLP
Peter Ortego, Acadian Desert Consulting
Roger Fragua, Flower Hill Institute
Scott Cameron, U.S. Department of the Interior
Governor Stephen Roe Lewis, Gila River Indian Community
Tahlia Bear, Western Resource Advocates
Terri Bissonette, Tribal Leadership Programs, NWF/WTI

Thank you to our 2025 Conference Partners:
Walton Family Foundation
Conscience Bay Company
Berg Hill Greenleaf Ruscitti, LLP

Water & Tribes Initiative 2025 Partners

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Growing the Next Generation of Conservation Leaders: A Student Conversation with Julia Olson

Annie Carlozzi — Tue, 01 Apr 2025 19:39:43 +0000

Growing the Next Generation of Conservation Leaders: A Student Conversation with Julia Olson Annie Carlozzi Tue, 04/01/2025 - 13:39

Mariah Bowman ('25), current Wyss Scholar, will moderate a discussion with Julia Olson regarding her experiences in land conservation law and the work behind founding Our Children's Trust. Olson'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 16 12-12:50pm
Wolf Law Building Room 205
Lunch will be provided!

Julia Olson founded Our Children’s Trust in 2010 to empower young
people to secure their climate rights, protect their futures, and save our planet. In August 2023 they made history with Held v. State of Montana, the first children’s constitutional climate trial resulting in a landmark win for youth. In June 2024, with Navahine v. Hawai‘i Department of Transportation, Our Children’s Trust achieved the first settlement agreement of a youth-led constitutional climate case directed at stopping pollution from a transportation system. Today, as Co-Executive Director and Chief Legal Counsel, Julia directs the organization’s cutting-edge legal strategy and serves as lead counsel on its federal cases, Juliana v. United States and Genesis v. EPA. Julia has received numerous awards including Kerry Rydberg Award for Environmental Activism 2017, Rose-Walters Prize for Global Activism 2018, Katharine & George Alexander Law Prize 2022, and Berkeley Law’s Environmental Leadership Award 2024. In 2023, TIME100Climate called her one of the world’s most influential leaders driving climate action. Julia received her JD from University of California College of the Law, San Francisco, and BA from University of Colorado.

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2025/26 Natural Resource and American Indian Law Course Preview

Annie Carlozzi — Sun, 09 Mar 2025 22:04:47 +0000

2025/26 Natural Resource and American Indian Law Course Preview Annie Carlozzi Sun, 03/09/2025 - 16:04

The natural resource and American Indian Law faculty have scheduled a meeting at noon on Tuesday, March 11 to share with you information about the courses that our faculty will be offering in these fields during the 2025-2026 academic year. We will meet in room 207. Lunch will be provided. Please join us.

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The Legal Effect of Executive Orders - Professor Panel March 18th

Annie Carlozzi — Mon, 03 Mar 2025 21:07:19 +0000

The Legal Effect of Executive Orders - Professor Panel March 18th Annie Carlozzi Mon, 03/03/2025 - 14:07

A Colorado Law Student Event

Presented by: The Byron White Center, The Getches-Wilkinson Center, and the American Constitution Society

Panelists: Professor Daria Roithmayr, BWC Director Deep Gulasekaram, and GWC Director Chris Winter

Tuesday, March 18th 12-12:50pm in Room 207

Join us for a panel discussion regarding the slurry of executive orders that Trump has passed over the past month that he has been in office, impacting several (if not all) areas of law. This panel's purpose is to discuss each of the executive orders, how they compare to those in previous administrations, and the extend of the orders' legal impact. Lunch will be provided, so please arrive early to grab your food and a seat!

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