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Turning Hindsight into Foresight: The Colorado River at a Crossroads

Annie Carlozzi — Tue, 17 Jun 2025 16:13:35 +0000

Turning Hindsight into Foresight: The Colorado River at a Crossroads Annie Carlozzi Tue, 06/17/2025 - 10:13

Jacob Lehrman

On Thursday, June 5^th and Friday, June 6^th, the Getches-Wilkson Center and the Water & Tribes Initiative hosted the 45^th Annual Colorado Law Conference on Natural Resources. As efforts to finalize the post-2026 Interim Guidelines ramp up, the aptly titled Turning Hindsight into Foresight: The Colorado River at a Crossroads gathered attorneys, government officials, tribal leaders, NGO representatives, students, filmmakers, and academics to reflect on the successes and failures of the past to facilitate a discussion of how to better manage the Colorado River in the future.

Day 1 kicked off with inspiring tales of the rich history and culture of the Colorado River by author Craig Childs and professor Patty Limerick. Their impressive storytelling set the mood for the rest of the conference by underscoring the immense value of this natural resource and the importance of ensuring a more sustainable future for the river and the people who rely on it. Soon after, a panel of experts reviewed the legal principles and agreements that shaped the last set of rules for managing the Colorado River. Paired with insightful questions from the audience, the result was a truly interactive and stimulating experience.

The following presentations, which centered on the role of agriculture in shaping the region’s water budget, laid out the harsh reality that without meaningful change there is not enough water available to meet everyone’s needs. Brian Richter’s segment, Reconciling the Math of Agricultural Water Use, provided a hard-hitting overview of the numbers that go into agricultural water consumption, a perspective that is ever so vital in setting the course for future management guidelines. Day 1 came to a close with a speech by Roger Fragua from the Flower Hill Institute that highlighted the need for cooperation and compassion, instilling a sense of purpose and commonality that perfectly teed up a lovely happy hour reception.

Day 2 began with an update from tribal leaders and representatives on their current situations and concerns for the future. For much of our history, tribal voices have been excluded from the decision-making process, so it was deeply impactful to hear their perspectives shared with clarity, strength, and vision. Next on the agenda was a film screening of What the River Knows that not only shined a light on the environmental and cultural significance of Glen Canyon, but it gave the audience an opportunity to appreciate the raw beauty of the region through stunning cinematography and documentation. Rounding out day 2, presentations from state and federal officials uncovered the competing interests of the varied stakeholders that rely on the Colorado River. Despite some disagreements, the overarching theme of cooperation and understanding gave way to a sense of hope that an equitable agreement is within reach.

Bringing the conference to a close was a discussion on the long-term goals and aspirations for successful management of the Colorado River. Turning hindsight into foresight, this panel reflected one last time on where we came from and how those lessons of the past can empower us to achieve a brighter future and ensure the health of the Colorado River for generations to come.

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New GWC Scholarship Explores Renewables on Public Lands

Annie Carlozzi — Mon, 16 Jun 2025 15:40:07 +0000

New GWC Scholarship Explores Renewables on Public Lands Annie Carlozzi Mon, 06/16/2025 - 09:40

Chris Winter and Obie Johnson

The Getches-Wilkinson Center is pleased to announce the publication of a thought-provoking article, “Facilitating a Green Future? Permitting Reforms and Renewables on Public Lands,” co-authored by Chris Winter, Executive Director of the Getches-Wilkinson Center, and Obie Johnson, a Colorado Law student and Wyss Scholar.

The piece was featured as the lead article in the spring 2025 issue of the American Bar Association’s Natural Resources & Environment journal and explores recent federal permitting reforms aimed at expanding renewable energy development on federal public lands. In recent years, the United States has accelerated its transition to a clean energy future, increasing the demand for new wind, solar, and transmission infrastructure. The article discusses many of the legal and policy initiatives spearheaded by the Biden Administration to facilitate the development of clean energy infrastructure on public lands.

Winter and Johnson highlight the tension between the development of clean energy infrastructure and the need to protect wildlife habitat and other natural resource values. They evaluate recent permitting reforms implemented under the National Environmental Policy Act, the Endangered Species Act, and the Federal Land Policy and Management Act and highlight how these new policies attempt to balance these important objectives across federal public lands.

Since the article was written, a new Administration that is less supportive of clean energy and conservation has taken office, prompting rapid changes to the legal and policy landscape. Despite these political dynamics, the long-term market trends still favor clean energy, though the full impacts of the Administration’s new policy agenda remain uncertain.

This publication reflects the GWC’s ongoing commitment to supporting scholarship and policy work that addresses the most pressing challenges in natural resources, energy, and environmental law. We are especially proud to highlight the contributions of student co-author Obie Johnson, whose work as a Wyss Scholar exemplifies the next generation of leadership in land conservation. The Wyss Scholars Program at Colorado Law School is made possible by the generous support and partnership of the Wyss Foundation.

Read the full article:
Chris Winter and Obie Johnson, Facilitating a Green Future? Permitting Reforms and Renewables on Public Lands, ABA Natural Resources & Environment, Vol. 39, No. 1 (2025)

To learn more about the GWC’s research and student programs, visit www.colorado.edu/center/gwc or contact us directly.

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Getches-Wilkinson Center Defends the Endangered Species Act

Annie Carlozzi — Tue, 20 May 2025 14:41:41 +0000

Getches-Wilkinson Center Defends the Endangered Species Act Annie Carlozzi Tue, 05/20/2025 - 08:41

The Getches-Wilkinson Center recently partnered with almost 40 law professors from around the country to defend the Endangered Species Act from a regulatory rollback proposed by the Trump Administration. For more than 40 years, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) has prohibited the modification of habitat that incidentally causes the “take” of a listed species. Thus, projects like timber sales, dam construction, water withdrawals, pesticide applications, construction projects and other activities that impact habitat for listed species have been regulated by FWS and subject to review and/or modification to mitigate impacts to the species and its habitat.

Recently, however, the Trump Administration is proposing to rollback these long-standing protections for habitat by redefining the term “harm” under the ESA, which is included in the definition of take. Since 1981, FWS has defined “harm” to include modification of habitat that actually harms or injures a listed species – i.e., harm that is “incidental” to otherwise lawful activity. Recently, however, the Trump Administration proposed to rescind that regulatory definition of harm and, in the process, significantly narrow the federal government’s interpretation of the ESA’s protections for imperiled species. Under this new interpretation of the statute, the ESA would prohibit only the “direct application of force” to a listed species and not impacts that result incidentally from modification of habitat.

GWC worked with the law professors to submit detailed comments opposing this new interpretation of the ESA and making two key points.

First, the law professors explained that the FWS’s interpretation of the statute – the definition of “take” – is incorrect. Sections 7 and 10 of the ESA create review and approval processes that explicitly apply to activities that modify habitat, thus demonstrating Congress’s clear intent to prohibit and regulate incidental take.

Second, the law professors explained that FWS must comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and prepare an environmental impact statement prior to amending the ESA regulations. This substantive change to FWS’s interpretation of the ESA would have far reaching impacts to imperiled species across the country, and FWS must consider and disclose those environmental effects prior to amending the regulation.

You can read the comments here. Please reach out to GWC Executive Director Chris Winter if you have any questions on this evolving issue under the ESA.

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Essential Pillars for the Post-2026 Colorado River Guidelines

Annie Carlozzi — Fri, 25 Apr 2025 15:31:14 +0000

Essential Pillars for the Post-2026 Colorado River Guidelines Annie Carlozzi Fri, 04/25/2025 - 09:31

Anne Castle , John Fleck , Eric Kuhn , Jack Schmidt , Kathryn Sorensen , Katherine Tara

The process for determining the operating rules for the Colorado River system that will take effect in 2027 is in full swing. While various alternative operating regimes have been proposed, no preferred or consensus alternative has yet emerged. As a group of experienced Colorado River colleagues without affiliation to any Basin State, Tribe, or interested stakeholder, we submit that there are fundamental principles that should form the basis of the ultimate Record of Decision defining management of the Colorado River for the future. We propose the following essential pillars for inclusion in the Post-2026 Guidelines.

Read the full paper here.

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Spring Break on the Colorado Plateau

Annie Carlozzi — Tue, 22 Apr 2025 00:40:34 +0000

Spring Break on the Colorado Plateau Annie Carlozzi Mon, 04/21/2025 - 18:40

Obie Johnson

The Colorado Plateau had thirteen additional spring visitors this year. More conspicuous in our convoy of rental cars than the migratory geese that loudly pronounce spring’s arrival, at times more inebriated than the craftiest fermenters of the berries on the now-blooming Utah Junipers, and with a palpable conviction to protect public lands, our group of thirteen from the Natural Resources Law Seminar enjoyed an incredible spring break on the Plateau. Because of the pure enjoyment I had, I’m happy to briefly reflect on what I’ve drawn from the experience in this blog post. I had never particularly enjoyed long road trips, probably thanks to one-too-many car rides with my family to youth soccer tournaments, but my reservations were erased by some combination of the spectacular landscapes, even more spectacular company, and inspiring conversations with stakeholders particularly impacted by the Plateau’s environmental issues. You can imagine a Floridian’s amazement at the Plateau’s Martian landscapes.

These stakeholders and underlying environmental issues are at the roots of our Seminar. We spent the early months of the semester teaching our fellow classmates about these issues—including overgrazing, mining, and water scarcity, among others in a seemingly inexhaustible list—with the hopefully not-too-frequent corrections of our professors, Mark Squillace and Chris Winter. Each of these topic matters were selected with the trip in mind so that we could speak constructively during meetings with the impacted groups on the plateau. Well, some of the groups; despite our best efforts, we couldn’t quite speak with the wildlife, though I’m sure some of us would have liked to tell the ducks and coyotes to quiet down at 4 or 5am. Nor could we speak to the endangered California Condor that sat pensively on the Navajo Bridge’s railings, as if to take in the great views of the Grand Canyon that its species was so nearly deprived of.

With the trip in the rearview mirror, I’d like to underscore a few challenges in our current management of public lands that I am impassioned to work through as a Wyss Scholar. Within the broad category of the struggle between development and the protection of environmental and cultural resources, there is a critical need to prioritize tribal sovereignty in public lands management. For many in our group, the highlight of the trip was the opportunity to speak to various Navajo and Hopi people about the issues of past and future development. Tribal nations continue to feel the impacts of development that proceeds without their control, whether that be groundwater pollution from uranium or coal mines for which the Navajo and Hopi nations received below-market royalties or efforts to strip protections for Bears Ears National Monument. In this sense, environmental law seems inseparable from human rights law. Take the Hopi people, for example, who emerged from the Grand Canyon and consider it the heart to which the Colorado River pumps life. Now restricted to a reservation that does not include the Grand Canyon (that these tribes have been removed from much of their ancestral lands underscores the inseparability of environmental and human rights law), do you think non-tribal entities adequately respected Hopi sovereignty when nearly damming the Grand Canyon in the 1960s? When precluding them and other tribes from decision-making authority during the upper and lower basin negotiations for Colorado River allocations? Mere consultation is insufficient, lest the process turn into a procedural box-checking exercise for the Government without any teeth to shape the outcome.

Now, not only are market forces continuing to drive demand for renewable energy infrastructure and the mining of critical minerals on public lands, but the Trump administration is taking every step to increase fossil fuel extraction. And while the former can be (but is not always) justified with prudent siting, deference to tribal sovereignty, and a need to combat climate change, the latter is premised on a faux “energy emergency.” Either way, development seems to be on an upward trajectory, which makes it even more concerning that this administration has proposed to, among many other things (see Secretarial Order No. 3418), rescind the Public Lands Rule and various Endangered Species Act protections. Because of these trends, our group was even more thankful to hear from leaders at the forefront of protecting our public lands, such as Neal Clark and the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance.

I’ve become more thoughtful about the balance between recreation and preservation of the West since our trip. Perhaps it hit me on the trail to Horseshoe Bend, a few miles downstream of Glen Canyon Dam, which felt more like an obstacle course as we navigated a sea of people. Is the Horseshoe Bend viewpoint diminished by the constant flow of tourists who enjoy easy access from the adjacent parking lot? Does so formulaically regulating entry detract from the natural experience? Probably, but that presupposes that there still existed a natural experience to detract from, which is unlikely given the Glen Canyon Dam’s similarly formulaic regulation of the Colorado River’s flow through the sandstone walls of Horseshoe Bend. Either way, this raises an important consideration in public lands management to which there is no universally correct answer: how do we balance recreation and accessibility with the preservation of wild areas? There is an inherent tension here: increased access to scenic areas stokes conservation-mindedness yet may impair or degrade the very areas people leave with a deeper respect for. This is why The Access Fund’s work, for example, is so important; work at the margins like maintaining a trail can prevent the formation of social trails that trample wildlife, biotic crust, and increase erosion. We enjoyed a great hike in Indian Creek with some of their trail workers, learning about all of the work that is taken for granted to funnel hikers and climbers away from social trails. The impact of this work despite its granularity makes you wonder what our environmental agencies could do if their collective budgets weren’t being cut from ~$90 billion to ~$30 billion over the next decade by this Congress! If I were writing the checks, I’d certainly place my faith in people like Lena Pace, superintendent for Arches and Canyonlands national parks, who remarkably had answers for even our most incisive questions despite being just one year into her superintendency.

Finally, I’d like to encourage others to take this course. If we were to round up any student on the fence about pursuing environmental law, or those inclined to practice on the side of environmental law that will earn more in salary than in protection of the environment, and put them on this trip, I can’t help but think we’d return with more allies in preserving public lands. In that vein, thank you to the Getches-Wilkinson Center and the school for making possible such an unforgettable experience, thank you to Chris and Mark for such thoughtful and surprisingly smooth planning (apart from the many U-turns made), and thank you to the many stakeholders we spoke with throughout the trip for their insights!

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Colorado Plateau Trip Reflections

Annie Carlozzi — Tue, 22 Apr 2025 00:24:43 +0000

Colorado Plateau Trip Reflections Annie Carlozzi Mon, 04/21/2025 - 18:24

Andrea Shipton

In March, I had the pleasure of spending a week on the Colorado Plateau with fellow students and professors from the Advanced Natural Resources Law Seminar. The Colorado Plateau – a heart-shaped desert region encompassing portions of Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, and Arizona – is home to some of the most unique landscapes and wildlife in the entire nation. In the fall of 2023, I took my first visit to the Plateau for a canyoneering trip and was immediately hooked. From the hoodoos of Goblin Valley State Park to the deep canyon walls of Dead Horse State Park to the iconic arches of Arches National Park, I loved traversing the region’s slickrock trails to explore red-rock features that absolutely blew my east-coast mind.

While the Colorado Plateau is certainly beautiful, it also faces many of the nation’s greatest natural resources challenges. These issues – specifically, how to manage these landscapes amidst climate change and increases in public popularity – are what encouraged me to study natural resources law in the first place. They’re what drew me to take this seminar and what drew me to apply for the Wyss Scholars Program, since I hope to devote my career to learning about and addressing these issues. Especially at a time where executive orders are opening up public lands for logging, the future of National Monuments remains unclear, and states like Utah are jockeying to claim ownership of “unappropriated” federal lands, these landscapes need scientists, scholars, lawyers and other passionate folks to advocate for their protection.

On the seminar trip, our class met with many of these local advocates of the Colorado Plateau. One of my favorite conversations of the whole trip happened on day one, when we met with Lena Pace, Superintendent of Arches and Canyonlands National Parks and Hovenweep and Natural Bridges National Monuments. She spoke of the delicate balance between managing Parks for the twin purposes of public recreation and conservation, as well as preserving the “wilderness feel” while also keeping recreators safe. She pointed to tools like timed-entry permit systems to control visitation to popular areas, and keeping fees at a price that helps fund the parks but doesn’t erect barriers to use. I was also struck by many of our conversations with the Hopi, and the unique challenges of being a nation completely surrounded by another nation (Navajo Nation), affected by severe poverty, and facing serious issues regarding reliable water quality and supply. I really enjoyed getting to meet Vernon Masayesva of the Coyote Clan, a former Tribal Chairman and Founder of the Black Mesa Trust, who played a gigantic role in shutting down power plants and mines that were polluting and drying up Hopi waters.

I really enjoyed getting to personally experience the landscapes I’ve learned so much about in the classroom. After three nights spent inside Bear’s Ears National Monument, I just can’t fathom a world where these lands cease to be protected by the Antiquities Act or are otherwise opened up to development. One of my favorite ways to explore new landscapes is through trail running, and my sunrise trail runs through the Indian Creek portion of Bears Ears, where I watched rock cliffs and spires light up in fiery red blazes, is something I’ll never forget for the rest of my life. Hiking to panels of petroglyphs, ancient granaries, and other archaeological sites also really cemented the importance of large-scale protection of these landscapes for cultural reasons. I enjoyed getting to spend an afternoon rock climbing in this beautiful region too – learning how to crack climb from a law school professor is an opportunity I never could have imagined pre-law school, especially in such a special place.

I am so grateful to everyone who made this trip possible – from the Getches-Wilkinson Center, to Professors Chris Winter and Mark Squillace, to the people we met with on the Plateau, to donors, and to my fellow classmates who made this trip so enjoyable. This trip has truly stoked the fire in me to continue fighting for the lands, waters, and Tribes of the Colorado Plateau.

I’ll conclude with one of my favorite pre-seminar trip anecdotes about the Plateau: in November of 2023, during thanksgiving break, I ran the Dead Horse Ultra 30K in Moab. ��ϳԹ� half a mile into the race, as I trudged up a steep section of dirt road, I heard someone say my name – I looked to my right, and there was Mariah Bowman, Colorado Law’s 2024-25 Wyss Scholar. Unbeknownst to each other, we had signed up for the same distance of the same race, six hours away from Boulder, and before either of us had been named Wyss Scholars. Looking back, I’m reminded of the importance of these random moments of human connection that I’ve gotten to experience as a law student at Colorado Law. From running into classmates on the trails, to climbing 14ers with them, to skiing before class with them, I’m so lucky to live in a place where I can immerse myself in my law school studies, in meaningful adventures on public lands, and perhaps most importantly – study the intersection of the two. I’m so grateful for the Wyss Foundation for supporting me as I pursue public lands law, and I’m looking forward to more of these moments on the trail that remind me why public lands are so worth fighting for.

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Disentangling Executive Orders: Legal Insights from Colorado Law Faculty

Annie Carlozzi — Fri, 18 Apr 2025 18:18:37 +0000

Disentangling Executive Orders: Legal Insights from Colorado Law Faculty Annie Carlozzi Fri, 04/18/2025 - 12:18

M.R. Dickey , Catherine Pursifull and Victoria Matson

On March 18, the Getches-Wilkinson Center (GWC) partnered with the Byron White Center for Constitutional Law and the American Constitution Society to host a timely lunch panel exploring executive orders, their legal impact, and the role of the courts. With a wave of new executive orders issued in the early days of President Trump’s return to office—targeting everything from public lands and DEI programs to immigration policy—our panel aimed to unpack what these orders do, how they interact with existing law, and where legal challenges are already starting to take shape.

Moderated by GWC research assistant Catie Pursifull (2L), the panel featured three of Colorado Law’s own professors, each distinguished experts in their fields. Together the panelists addressed key questions including: what are the legal and constitutional limits of executive orders, and how do current orders compare with those from past administrations?

Chris Winter, GWC Director, discussed executive orders affecting environmental regulation and public lands. Drawing from his decades of litigation and policy work, Professor Winter examined the legal implications of proposed job cuts at the National Park Service and attempts to roll back protections for public lands—raising important questions about the limits of executive authority when it comes to Congressionally mandated environmental protections such as the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) and the Endangered Species Act (ESA).

Professor Deep Gulasekaram, Faculty Director of the Byron White Center, focused on immigration-related executive orders, including attempts to strip birthright citizenship and increase enforcement at the border. He explained the serious constitutional concerns at play—especially under the 14th Amendment—and highlighted how courts have historically responded when executive power collides with fundamental rights.

Professor Daria Roithmayr offered a critical perspective on the elimination of DEI initiatives in federal agencies and contracting. With her expertise in structural inequality, she explored how these orders may conflict with equal protection guarantees and federal anti-discrimination laws and emphasized the broader legal and societal implications of dismantling equity-based programs.

Plenty of litigation continues unraveling in the face of these executive orders - alongside memoranda, declarations and other executive actions. We are thankful for our faculty’s wisdom shedding light on how we should examine these orders with a critical eye going forward, and how different targets of orders may be more legally protected than others.

A big thank you to Annie Carlozzi (GWC Assistant Director) and Lindley Bell (Colorado Law Events Coordinator) for helping bring this event to life!

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April 16: Growing the Next Generation of Conservation Leaders: A Student Conversation with Julia Olson

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

April 16: 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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Colorado Law Names Two Wyss Scholars for 2025-2026

Annie Carlozzi — Mon, 31 Mar 2025 23:03:33 +0000

Colorado Law Names Two Wyss Scholars for 2025-2026 Annie Carlozzi Mon, 03/31/2025 - 17:03

University of Colorado Law School students Obie Johnson (’25) and Andrea Shipton (’25) have been named the 2025-2026 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, 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.

Obie Johnson’s interest in public land conservation derives from his childhood along the Gulf Coast of Florida, which instilled in him not just a deep respect for nature but also a bitterness toward humankind’s harmful treatment of it. After moving to Colorado in 2017 for college, these values quickly extended to our public lands through his enjoyment of rock climbing, birding, admiring the very different geology from Florida, and simply listening to the sound of the creeks go by. These experiences combine to impassion Obie to protect every cog and wheel of our public lands.

Since beginning at Colorado Law in 2023, Obie’s guiding principle has been to involve himself as much as possible in the environmental law sphere. This began with research work for the Getches-Wilkinson Center in the Fall of his 1L year and has continued through membership in the Environmental Law Journal, Natural Resources Clinic, Environmental Law Society, and the Colorado Law Animal Legal Defense Fund. Obie’s career goals mirror his work experience with the Center for Biological Diversity and his upcoming summer internship with Earthjustice’s Florida Regional Office; he wants to spend his days litigating to protect the environment as well as writing to advocate for more fundamental reform of our often-inadequate environmental statutes.

Andrea Shipton became interested in public land conservation due to enriching outdoor and conservation experiences as a child, teenager, and young adult in the Adirondack Park of upstate New York. From living alone in a mountaintop cabin and working as a summit steward to interning with the Adirondack Council, the largest environmental nonprofit dedicated to protecting the Park, she quickly became passionate about conserving wildlife and outdoor recreation spaces. As she pursued her bachelor’s degree in environmental studies at Hamilton College, I became fascinated by the unique management structure of the Adirondacks–the interspersing of private and public lands, the constitutionally-protected state forest preserve, and the jigsaw puzzle of land classifications determining allowable usage on each tract. Fascinated by this structure and driven by a desire to help protect such landscapes, Shipton decided to pursue law school and study natural resources law—but not before taking a gap year to work (among other jobs) as a ski instructor at Winter Park and a conservation associate at Resource Central, a Boulder-based sustainability nonprofit.

In law school, Shipton has had the opportunity to intern with two federal agencies (the Department of the Interior and the Environmental Protection Agency) which have granted her key, up-close exposure to some of the nation’s most important environmental laws and conservation regulations. She has also worked as a research assistant for Professor Nadav Orian Peer, where she investigated different ways organizations participate in “climate washing” (making misleading or incorrect claims about the climate benefits of one’s actions) and potential theories of liability for holding organizations responsible.

Outside of her studies, Shipton is the President of the Adventure Club, the Vice President of the Environmental Law Society, and the incoming Managing Editor of the Colorado Environmental Law Journal. She spends nearly all of her free time on public lands, whether that’s running on Boulder’s incredible trail network, camping in Colorado’s state parks on summer weekends, skinning up mountains at sunrise, or competing in skimo and trail races. She is beyond excited to be returning to the environmental nonprofit world this summer as a law clerk in Earthjustice’s Rocky Mountain Office. After law school, she plans to pursue a career in public interest natural resources law in the Mountain West. She hope to help protect public lands while also promoting access to these spaces, fostering resiliency amidst the climate crisis, and amplifying historically ignored voices in the conservation conversation.

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GWC Welcomes New Water Law Fellow

Annie Carlozzi — Mon, 31 Mar 2025 18:41:50 +0000

GWC Welcomes New Water Law Fellow Annie Carlozzi Mon, 03/31/2025 - 12:41

Colorado Law is ranked seventh in the nation for environmental law with the Getches-Wilkinson Center for Natural Resources, Energy, and the Environment (GWC) advancing its commitment to educating young leaders through the Water Law Fellows Program. Now in its fourth year, the program addresses the rising demand for thoughtful policy initiatives at all levels of government by training the next generation of outstanding leaders in sustainable water management, water law, and policy.

With the accelerated need to address extraordinary circumstances in an unprecedented era, Colorado Law and the GWC are uniquely situated as a premier pipeline of diverse future leaders in environmental and natural resources matters.

The Water Law Fellows Program is not just an educational experience — it’s a career accelerator. This intensive multidisciplinary program equips Fellows with the skills and knowledge to produce high-quality work that influences law reform in the public interest, setting them up for successful careers in environmental law and policy.

Fellows conduct reform-oriented research on the most pressing issues in their field and interact with public and private sector leaders to inform policymaking, all while under the mentorship of leading researchers. Colorado Law and the GWC are known for distinguished faculty, a long record of public service, an extraordinary body of research and an interdisciplinary curriculum that includes unique on-the-ground learning.

The Getches-Wilkinson Center is thrilled to announce that Daniel Anderson will be joining the team as a Water Law Fellow in August 2025. Daniel received a B.A. in Theological and Reconciliation Studies from Seattle Pacific University and will receive a J.D. from the University of Colorado Law School in May 2025. Before law school, Daniel served in the U.S. Peace Corps in Morocco and worked as a housing navigator for veterans and people exiting incarceration.

In law school, Daniel researched the interstices between instream flow rights, wildlife law, American Indian water rights, and abandoned hardrock mines cleanup. He plans to continue exploring these same interests as a Water Law Fellow alongside the GWC staff and partners. He gained further experience with western water law working for Judge Todd Taylor, Water Judge for Division One, the Colorado Attorney General’s Office’s Natural Resource & Environment Section, and the City Attorney’s Office for the City of Boulder. He is drawn to the task of researching and advocating for western water law reform due to his conviction that water management is an environmental justice issue as well as his personal connection to clean, flowing water as an angler.

In his free time, Daniel enjoys fly fishing, rock climbing, playing complicated board games, and backpacking in the Rockies with his wife Samantha and chaotic dog, Decker.

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