STEGNER CENTER NEWS
Professor Brigham Daniels publishes book about history of environmental law
Apr 20, 2026Professor Brigham Daniels, who co-directs the Wallace Stegner Center for Land, Resources and the Environment, has written a book called “Lessons for a Warming Planet: A Vital History of U.S. Environmental Law” with Professor Alejandro E. Camacho of UCLA School of Law.
Professor Brigham Daniels quoted in Atlantic article about Utah warehouse purchased for ICE detention center
Apr 08, 2026Professor Brigham Daniels was quoted in an Atlantic article about a Utah warehouse the Department of Homeland Security bought in March for an ICE detention center.
Environmental Justice Clinic students partner with Navajo Nation communities on water settlement agreement
Apr 08, 2026Three students participating in the Environmental Justice Clinic—an experiential education opportunity in which students build community lawyering and advocacy skills through close collaboration with Indigenous communities in the southwest—traveled to San Juan County, Utah, in March to work with Navajo Nation chapters on the Navajo Utah Water Settlement Agreement.
Associate Professor Lingxi Chenyang to present research at Harvard-Yale-Stanford Junior Faculty Forum
Apr 07, 2026Associate Professor Lingxi Chenyang, an natural resources and food law expert, was chosen to present her paper “Feasting on Fish: The Egalitarian Origins of the Public Trust Doctrine” at the Harvard-Yale-Stanford Junior Faculty Forum, held May 21-22, 2026.
Professor Robert Keiter receives University of Utah Hatch Prize in Teaching
Mar 11, 2026Professor Robert Keiter has received the 2026 Calvin S. and JeNeal N. Hatch Prize in Teaching, awarded to an outstanding faculty member who has made significant contributions to teaching at the University of Utah for an extended period of time.
Great Salt Lake Project releases a policy guide for the 2026 legislative session
Feb 13, 2026The Stegner Center’s Great Salt Lake Project released a policy guide for the 2026 legislative session, which outlines the bills introduced this legislative session that could meaningfully accelerate the lake’s recovery before the 2034 Olympic Games.
Stegner Center partners with new cross-partisan initiative for public lands
Feb 10, 2026The Wallace Stegner Center for Land, Resources and the Environment is one of seven inaugural academic partners for Ground Shift, a new independent, cross-partisan initiative to reimagine how the United States manages its public lands, waters and ocean.
International Law Clinic connects students with opportunities to help impacted communities throughout the world
Jan 30, 2026Utah Law’s International Law Clinic, directed by Associate Professor (Lecturer) Jackie Morrison (JD ’12), launched in January 2025. Morrison designed the clinic to give students hands-on experience and bridge international law classes with practical skills-building.
Not one for the sidelines: Meet 3L Andie Madsen
Jan 23, 20263L Andie Madsen says law school was always in the back of her mind when she began her undergraduate degree at Columbia University. She studied political science and enjoyed the law-style classes on voting rights and the First Amendment.
Register for the 31st annual Stegner Symposium, held March 19-20, 2026, to discuss public lands
Jan 22, 2026Scholars, advocates, and constituents will focus on the future of public lands March 19-20, 2026, at the Wallace Stegner Center Symposium, hosted by the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law’s Wallace Stegner Center for Land, Resources and the Environment.
Sparks fly: Britt Ide discusses her 15-year career in energy law consulting
Jan 08, 2026After earning a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering, Britt Ide (JD ’99) began working for a consulting company doing energy analysis and policy work. As she listened to hearings with the Department of Energy and saw what lawyers were involved in on the policy side, Ide started considering a different career path.
2025 EDR blog year in review
Jan 01, 2026As we move into 2026, we’ve been looking back at the last year. Topics we covered in our blogs in 2025 included facilitation, situation assessment, lessons learned about how to set collaboratives up for success, making your meetings count, and setting effective boundaries.
Wide-open views: Founding director Professor Robert Keiter tells the story of Utah Law’s renowned environmental law program
Dec 08, 2025Wallace Stegner passed away in 1993, not long before Professor Robert Keiter began teaching at Utah Law. At the time, the law school’s environmental program had morphed from an energy law center in the 1970s to a general land, water and energy program, and it needed some rejuvenation.
If you want to move conflict in a productive direction, start with an assessment
Dec 01, 2025Situations—including conflict situations—are always ready for something. Unfortunately, people tend to act without really stepping back to understand the situation and what would move it in a productive direction.
Research Professor John Ruple quoted in Bloomberg Law about resource management plan rollback
Nov 26, 2025Research Professor John Ruple, an environmental law expert, is quoted in a Bloomberg Law article about lawmakers using the Congressional Review Act to get rid of land use plans restricting fossil fuel development.
Let’s be clear about boundaries
Nov 01, 2025One thing I have noticed is that many people seem to understand the importance of healthy boundaries, while also struggling to really understand what boundaries are—and are not—and how to implement them.
What are we co-creating?
Oct 01, 2025In the wake of recent events here in Utah and around the world, I have been thinking a lot about where we are as a society. We have managed to create scarcity and suffering amid a world of abundance and opportunity.
3L Isaac Santos explores Indian law and environmental justice
Sep 25, 2025Environmental advocacy has been on 3L Isaac Santos’ mind since high school, spurred in part by his childhood on the Kitsap Peninsula west of Seattle, Washington.
Wallace Stegner Center faculty write letter to Congress urging lawmakers not to repeal BLM resource management plans
Sep 03, 2025Members of the Wallace Stegner Center for Land, Resources and the Environment faculty joined law professors across the country Sept. 2 to ask Congress not to use the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to repeal three Bureau of Land Management (BLM) resource management plans.
How to make your meetings count
Sep 01, 2025How do you honestly feel about most meetings you participate in? If your experience has been similar to that of most people, some descriptors that likely come up include “frustrating,” “waste of time,” “boring,” “unproductive,” “drawn out,” or maybe “necessary evil.”
Stegner Center Faculty Updates
Sep 01, 2025Antony Anghie Publications: Antony Anghie, Europe and International Law: Colonial Legacies, in THE OXFORD HANDBOOK OF INTERNATIONAL LAW IN EUROPE, Anna Van Aaken, Pierre D’Argent, […]
Danielle Stokes joins Stegner Center as the 21st Annual Young Scholar
Sep 01, 2025Professor Danielle Stokes, an Associate Professor of Law at the University of Richmond School of Law, joined the Wallace Stegner Center as the 21st Annual […]
Stegner Center 2025-26 Annual Programs
Sep 01, 2025The Stegner Center has a robust lineup of programs for the 2025-26 academic year. Professor Danielle Stokes joined the Stegner Center as the 21st Annual […]
Save the Date! Stegner Center 31st Annual Symposium
Sep 01, 2025The Wallace Stegner Center’s 31st annual symposium, to be held on March 19-20, 2026, will focus on the future of public lands—a topic that is of […]
Research Assistant Professor Beth Parker quoted in Washington Post article about Great Salt Lake
Aug 17, 2025Research Assistant Professor Beth Parker was quoted in a Washington Post article about the impact of dust from the Great Salt Lake.
10 key elements of successful and sustainable networks and long-term collaboratives
Aug 01, 2025We believe the collective is more effective. Collective work can be difficult, messy, and take a long time—but the results of collaborative work tend to be far more effective and long-reaching than work at the individual scale.
Appeal for Donations
Aug 01, 2025The Wallace Stegner Center depends on donors to support our extensive programs and activities. These include student competitions and scholarships; the annual symposium, lectures, and […]
Professor Robert Keiter publishes new book about Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem
Jul 29, 2025Professor Robert Keiter, an environmental law expert, has published a new book, “Conserving Nature in Greater Yellowstone: Controversy and Change in an Iconic Ecosystem.”
Public lands are not “enclaves” and other errors in the report to Utah’s Legislative Commission on Federalism
Jul 15, 2025Earlier this year, the Utah’s Legislative Commission on Federalism released a report entitled “Jurisdiction Over Federal Areas Within the States. The report sets forth an expansive interpretation of state jurisdiction over federal lands that should be read with caution.
Understanding and identifying different kinds of interests
Jul 01, 2025When navigating conflict and collaborating—and in life in general—one of the most important things we can do to set ourselves up for success is to focus on interests and not positions.
“Shifting power:” Nagra advances justice in an era of climate crisis
Jun 23, 2025Here’s a thought: In responding to the climate crisis, what if less is actually more? That’s the question animating Associate Professor Ruhan Nagra’s current research—and she says it’s a mindset that could be essential for our shared future.
How to share the gift of centering and self-regulation (including with potentially skeptical audiences)
Jun 01, 2025I firmly believe based on two decades of doing conflict resolution work and a lot of research that practicing self-regulation ourselves and helping others do so as well is one of the most important gifts we can give ourselves and the world.
Kyle Lowe on finding law and fighting for the Great Salt Lake
May 19, 2025For as long as he can remember, Kyle Lowe (JD class of 2026) has understood the power of being a lawyer. When he was young he read the book “To Kill A Mockingbird,” and he credits its legendary character Atticus Finch, in part, for laying out a moral vision of the profession that resonated with him.
Danya’s survival guide for these “interesting times”
May 01, 2025In these times of major uncertainty and rapid change, most of us—no matter our political orientation, values, or beliefs—are worried about shifts that could affect the things we love and care about. Some of us are already feeling the impacts. Here are a few insights that are my “survival guide” for navigating these wild times.
Why the Great Salt Lake’s decline could force a financial reckoning
Apr 29, 2025What do stocks and bonds have to do with the shrinking Great Salt Lake? A lot more than you might think. In a new Environmental Law Reporter article, Great Salt Lake Project co-leads Elisabeth Parker and Brigham Daniels collaborate with coauthors Abigail Allen and Corinne Doerner to explore a consequential but often overlooked angle of the lake’s decline: securities liability.
The Stegner Center remembers Shireen Khazeni
Apr 28, 2025The S.J. Quinney College of Law is saddened by the passing of Shireen Khazeni, a longtime advocate for environmental conservation and supporter of the Wallace Stegner Center for Land, Resources and the Environment.
Professor Brigham Daniels and Kyle Lowe publish opinion pieces for Great Salt Lake Project
Apr 25, 2025Professor Brigham Daniels recently co-wrote opinion pieces with 2L Kyle Lowe for the Deseret News and the Daily Herald about the future of the Great Salt Lake and changing water rates in Provo.
Associate Professor Ruhan Nagra quoted in Reuters article about the impact of ending EPA environmental justice programs
Apr 23, 2025Associate Professor Ruhan Nagra, an environmental law expert, is quoted in a Reuters article about the Trump administration’s withdrawal from a lawsuit against a chloropene-emitting plant.
Lessons from Provo’s ongoing debate about charging big water users higher rates
Apr 07, 2025Utah’s cities, like many across the country, face a growing and unavoidable problem: aging water infrastructure and rising costs to replace it. As Provo City grapples with these challenges, a larger debate has emerged about how best to pay for water system improvements and how to fairly allocate costs among water users.
How to find a Big-F facilitator
Apr 01, 2025In this blog, which is the second in a series on facilitation, we discuss how to find and work with a Big-F facilitator.
Environmental Dispute Resolution Program Update
Apr 01, 2025The Wallace Stegner Center’s Environmental Dispute Resolution Program had a productive year, offering training and presentations on how to more effectively address conflicts: Trained 400+ […]
Stegner Center’s 30th Annual Symposium, Breathing Easier: Air Pollution Challenges and Solution
Apr 01, 2025The Stegner Center’s 30th annual symposium, “Breathing Easier: Air Pollution Challenges and Solutions,” brought together 34 speakers and over 600 in-person and online attendees from […]
Environmental Policy Accelerator Clinic Student Achievements in Great Salt Lake Conservation Efforts:
Apr 01, 2025This past semester, students in the Environmental Policy Accelerator Clinic made significant contributions to advancing policy solutions for restoring Great Salt Lake. The Clinic produced […]
Stegner Center 2024-25 Annual Programs
Apr 01, 2025The Stegner Center had a robust lineup of programs for the 2024-25 academic year, including our annual symposium, young scholar lecture, and 7 green bags. […]
The Great Salt Lake Project Update
Apr 01, 2025The Wallace Stegner Center’s Great Salt Lake Project had a busy and productive year, continuing their work on providing legal analysis to the question of […]
Law and Policy Program Update
Apr 01, 2025The Wallace Stegner Center’s Law and Policy Program had an exciting year, with John Ruple rejoining as the Director of the Program, after his service […]
Associate Professor Ruhan Nagra’s environmental survey cited in Scientific American article
Mar 10, 2025Associate Professor Ruhan Nagra, an environmental law expert, is quoted in this Scientific American article about chloroprene, a cancer-causing chemical at the center of a federal lawsuit against a petrochemical plant. The article also cites Nagra’s 2021 study that found higher cancer incidence closer to the Denka plant.
Great Salt Lake legislative update: March 5, 2025
Mar 05, 2025The 2025 Utah state legislative session is drawing to a close. Great Salt Lake is still far from being saved, but some progress has been made. Since our first legislative update, some bills relating to Great Salt Lake have passed, some are still expected to pass before the end of the session, and others have failed.
What is a facilitator and what do they do?
Mar 01, 2025The EDR program team has been getting a lot of questions about facilitation. In this blog, which is the first in a series on facilitation, we explain what facilitation is, why it matters, the differences between small-f and Big-F facilitation, and what small-f and Big-F facilitators do.
Register now for the annual Wallace Stegner Symposium, held March 20-21, 2025
Feb 28, 2025Breathing Easier: Air Pollution Challenges and Solutions | Register Here At the 2025 Wallace Stegner Center Symposium—convened by the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College […]
Great Salt Lake legislative update: Feb. 18, 2025
Feb 18, 2025In hopes of demystifying the proposed legislation this session and its potential import, we will produce three legislative updates over the course of the 2025 session and analyze key bills that could impact the lake, either directly or indirectly.
Shrinking the federal workforce will not promote permitting efficiency
Feb 07, 2025Efficiency is a concept on everyone’s mind. Prior to the inauguration, permit reform proposals looked for ways to improve permitting efficiency, often with Republicans blaming environmental laws for delaying infrastructure and energy projects.
La Sal Sustainability Collaboration: Conflict competence in action
Feb 01, 2025My last project with the Wallace Stegner Center’s EDR program was facilitating the La Sal Sustainability Collaboration (LSSC), a diverse group working to co-create an approach to management of the Southern La Sal’s and Canyons, where federal, state and private rangelands are operated as an integrated, sustainable system.
Research Professor John Ruple authors opinion piece about Congressional Review Act in The Hill
Jan 22, 2025Research Professor John Ruple, a natural resources law expert, wrote an opinion piece for The Hill about the Congressional Review Act, a tool Congress can use to overturn certain federal agency actions.
2024 EDR blog year in review
Jan 01, 2025To kick off the new year, we’ve been reflecting on our achievements from 2024 and what we would like to accomplish in 2025. One of the things we are proud of from 2024 is posting another year’s worth of EDR blogs on key topics related to conflict competence and collaboration.
Emotions are data when dealing with conflict
Dec 01, 2024I find it very telling that when I ask people at the start of my classes and professional trainings what they think of when they think about conflict, the most common responses are emotions (particularly unpleasant emotions) such as frustration, anxiety, anger, or fear.
We need to talk about dysregulation
Nov 07, 2024Let me start with a provocative question: How are you feeling about the current state of U.S. politics? I encourage you to take a moment to really sit with this question and tune into how you are feeling.
Implementing the Public Lands Rule consistent with BLM’s statutory authority under FLPMA
Oct 21, 2024On Friday, the Bureau of Land Management opened a 30-day nomination period to fill a new federal advisory committee. The committee, appropriately titled Public Lands Rule Advisory Committee, will help inform implementation of the BLM’s newly minted public lands rule.
Dream job: Alum Steve Bloch reflects on 25 years at the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance
Oct 11, 2024Steve Bloch (’97) started his career thrilled at the chance to work outside most of the time. He studied botany and political science in college and worked several seasons as a field technician for the U.S. Forest Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, doing biological surveys in Oregon, Washington and Louisiana.
To overcome divisiveness, we need to focus on interests (and not positions)
Oct 01, 2024In the hope that it helps us all navigate this challenging election season, I want to build on ideas I’ve explored in prior blogs to directly address the problem with focusing on positions and highlight some approaches for focusing on what really matters—our interests.
Achieving flow: Alumna Emily Lewis builds a satisfying career in water law
Sep 25, 2024Though Emily Lewis has now been practicing water law for 15 years, her love of the outdoors originally spawned a different career.
All that flows downhill: How mining in Canada threatens downstream communities in Alaska, Washington, Idaho and Montana
Sep 19, 2024As the world transitions to electric vehicles and renewable energy, the demand for critical minerals like lithium, nickel, cobalt, and graphite is growing rapidly.
Research Professor John Ruple discusses CEQ appointment and Law and Policy program
Sep 11, 2024Research Professor John Ruple, who also serves as director of the Wallace Stegner Center’s Law and Policy (LPP) program, recently returned from a two-year appointment as senior counsel in the White House Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ). He will discuss his time on the CEQ at a Stegner Center Green Bag on Thursday, Oct. 3, from 12:15-1:30 p.m.
The problem with compromise
Sep 01, 2024In my classes and trainings, I often ask people what skills are necessary for effective conflict resolution. One of the most common responses I get is “compromise.” When people say this, I ask them a follow-up question: How does compromise make you feel? I encourage you to take a moment to sit with that question yourself.
Stegner Center Student Scholarship Recipients and Writing Awards
Sep 01, 2024The Stegner Center oversees a rich array of scholarships, fellowships, and awards for College of Law students, ranging from cash awards for outstanding papers to […]
Wallace Stegner Center Fall 2024 Green Bag Series
Sep 01, 2024The Wallace Stegner Center’s popular noon-hour green bag series includes presentations on a variety of topics this fall semester, including Cancer Alley, the Great Salt […]
Joshua Macey Joins Stegner Center as 20th Annual Young Scholar
Sep 01, 2024Professor Joshua Macey, an Associate Professor of Law at Yale Law School, will join the Wallace Stegner as the 20th Annual Young Scholar on November 7, 2024. Professor Macy’s Lecture, […]
Stegner Center Faculty Updates Fall 2024
Sep 01, 2024Antony Anghie Panels: “The Authority of Scholarship” (panelist), American Society of International Law Annual Meeting (April 2024). Other activities: Named Goodhart Visiting Professor of Legal […]
Research Professor John Ruple featured in media about Utah lawsuit to take control of federal lands
Aug 26, 2024Research Professor John Ruple, an expert on public land and resource management and director of the Wallace Stegner Center’s Law and Policy program, is quoted in several media outlets about the lawsuit Utah has filed targeting unappropriated public land.
Leveraging the environmental impact analysis to reduce ambiguity and delay in mine permitting
Aug 16, 2024The Law and Policy Program was honored to join one of the CLDP’s missions as a subject matter expert on strategies for aligning Fiji’s mineral laws and policies with their ambitious climate and environmental laws.
Extra dialogue required: Get to know EDR Director Danya Rumore
Aug 13, 2024Research Professor Danya Rumore has been on a mission to figure out how to help people work together since her days as an undergraduate.
To flourish, we need to teach people how to make conflict productive
Aug 01, 2024We live in a highly interconnected world in which people from all walks of life interact with each other on a daily basis. This unavoidable reality of modern life creates many amazing opportunities, including for greater creativity and innovation. However, it can be difficult to navigate if we don’t have skills for productively working through our differences.
Professor Lincoln Davies returns to Utah Law and co-directs Stegner Center
Jul 31, 2024Professor Lincoln Davies has returned to Utah Law, where he previously served as the associate dean for academic affairs until 2019 before leaving to serve as dean at The Ohio State University Michael E. Moritz College of Law.
Working to close the water gap in Indian Country by filling an information gap
Jul 30, 2024Heather Tanana, previously a member of the Law and Policy Program, is doing as the team lead for the Universal Access to Clean Water for Tribal Communities Initiative (UACW). She previously wrote on this blog about her personal experience with the water gap in the Navajo nation.
Stegner Center names Daniels and Davies as incoming co-directors
Jul 23, 2024The S.J. Quinney College of Law is pleased to announce that professors of law Brigham Daniels and Lincoln Davies have been named co-directors of the Wallace Stegner Center for Land, Resources and the Environment. Daniels and Davies began jointly leading the Stegner Center on July 1. Together, they will guide the scholarly and educational activities of one of the nation’s top centers for environmental law.
Making waves: Utah Law professors and alum Brian Steed partner to save the Great Salt Lake
Jul 15, 2024In early 2023, a widely publicized report predicted that the Great Salt Lake would disappear within five years if its loss rate continued. To highlight legal pathways to restoring the lake, the Wallace Stegner Center launched the Great Salt Lake Project—and a brand-new class called the Environmental Policy Accelerator to give students firsthand experience working with policymakers to address environmental challenges.
When dealing with conflict, don’t just be nice—be kind and firm
Jul 01, 2024As I explain, being kind and firm helps us focus on what really matters and get good outcomes for ourselves and others when dealing with conflict—and, in doing so, it helps us avoid many of the problems people create by focusing on “just being nice.”
Trees to torts: Rising 3L Natalie Merline pursues interest in environmental justice
Jun 25, 2024Rising 3L Natalie Merline earned her bachelor’s degree in environmental science and says she always assumed she would work within science. While earning her undergraduate, however, she couldn’t see a clear career path within science.
Joining ELI’s Summer School Series
Jun 17, 2024According to Alice Cooper, “School’s out for summer.” But that refrain is a bit outdated. For the past few summers, the Environmental Law Institute has been hosting the Summer School Series for those who see the leisurely summer schedule as a chance to get ahead.
Professor Nancy McLaughlin speaks to Wall Street Journal about Mar-a-Lago easements
Jun 07, 2024Professor Nancy McLaughlin, an expert on conservation easements, spoke to The Wall Street Journal about the easements on the Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla., owned by former President Donald Trump.
The power of “Yes and…”
Jun 01, 2024“Yes, and” thinking is a mindset and way of speaking that reflects the simple but profound fact that the world is complex, and seemingly contradictory things can—and do—coexist.
Environmental Justice Clinic students recognized with CLEA awards for outstanding clinical and externship students
May 31, 2024Congratulations to recent graduates Ashley DelBalzo, Caitlin Imhoff, and Olivia McQuarrie, who were recognized by the Clinical Legal Education Association (CLEA) as Outstanding Clinical and Externship Students.
The power of “the BOP” when dealing with conflict
May 01, 2024In this blog, I want to build on those ideas by explaining a key source of power in negotiation and conflict situations: your ability to understand and exercise what I call the BOP–your “best option possible.”
H.J.R. 26 and Utah’s breach of fiduciary duty to the children of Utah
Apr 29, 2024This post is an excerpt from a larger work-in-progress examining the history of the administration of Utah’s trust lands and the contexts in which that administration has been legitimately advanced and at other times impaired by non-trust considerations.
College of Law remembers Professor Emeritus Bill Lockhart
Apr 22, 2024Professor Emeritus William (Bill) J. Lockhart, who taught at S.J. Quinney College of Law for nearly 50 years, passed away April 16, 2024, at age 90.
A legal analysis of the Public Lands Rule
Apr 19, 2024On April 18, 2024, the Bureau of Land Management finalized the Conservation and Landscape Health Rule, a long-awaited rule more commonly referred to as the Public Lands Rule. The purpose of this rule is to advance the BLM’s stewardship mission by focusing on the health and resilience of ecosystems across public lands managed for multiple use and sustained yield.
Professor Brigham Daniels interviewed by media about endangered bird and its impact on Great Salt Lake conservation efforts
Apr 04, 2024Professor Brigham Daniels, director of the Great Salt Lake Project, was recently interviewed by The Salt Lake Tribune and ABC4 about the petition to protect the Wilson’s phalarope, a shorebird, under the Endangered Species Act.
Don’t give up your power when dealing with conflict
Apr 01, 2024Over my many years of doing conflict resolution and collaboration work, it has become very clear to me that we have a serious problem with power. People involved in conflict often describe themselves as powerless. Or they ask questions such as “How do you negotiate with people who have more power than you?” or “What do I do if they have all of the power?” Or they wonder how parties can collaborate when there are serious power imbalances.
Thinking beyond the law: Environmental Justice Clinic
Mar 04, 2024A new clinic at the University of Utah’s S. J. Quinney School of Law is training students to think beyond the law when it comes to matters of environmental justice.
Register now for the annual Wallace Stegner Symposium, held March 14-15, 2024
Mar 03, 2024At the 2024 Wallace Stegner Symposium held March 14-15—convened by the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law’s Wallace Stegner Center for Land, Resources and the Environment—experts from a wide range of disciplines will explore the challenges of the global transition to carbon-neutral energy, along with related sustainability, environmental, and human health concerns.
Great Salt Lake and the law: Great Salt Lake Project wades through murky policy questions and legislation
Mar 02, 2024In response to the relentless decline of Utah’s Great Salt Lake, several University of Utah legal scholars have launched a campaign to advise the public and policymakers on ways to avert the lake’s ecological collapse, along with a slew of economic and environmental consequences.
Commitment: A core conflict competency
Mar 01, 2024Over the past year, I have published a series of blogs exploring the key skills that are necessary for making conflict productive, or what I call the core “conflict competencies.” Prior blogs have explored the conflict competencies of calm, curiosity, compassion, creativity, courage, and communication. In this blog, I want to explore one final core conflict competency: commitment.
Stegner Center 2023-2024 programs
Feb 29, 2024The Stegner Center had a robust lineup of programs this year, attracting over 1500 online and in person registrants. As noted in this newsletter, the Stegner Center’s 29th annual symposium focused on “Renewable Energy Transition: Building a Bright Future” brought together 35 speakers for a two-day examination of key legal and technical issues involved in transitioning to a carbon neutral economy.
Environmental Dispute Resolution Program Update
Feb 29, 2024The Wallace Stegner Center’s Environmental Dispute Resolution (EDR) Program fosters a culture of collaboration around environmental, natural resource, and broader public policy issues by helping […]
Law & Policy Program Update
Feb 29, 2024Law & Policy Program by the numbers 4 articles published in top tier environmental law reviews | 2 invitations to testify before Congress on recent […]
Climate Change Law and Policy Seminar Field Trip
Feb 29, 2024Professor Lingxi Chenyang recently took her Climate Change Law and Policy seminar on a field trip to Beaver County, Utah to see Utah FORGE, the […]
Stegner Center Student Team Wins Best Brief at Pace Moot Court Competition
Feb 29, 2024The College of Law’s Stegner Center student team of Lauren Cormany, Olivia Hope McQuarrie, and Carter Moore won “Best Brief for Petitioners” at the 2024 […]
Natural Resources Law Forum 2023-24 Activities
Feb 29, 2024The Natural Resources Law Forum has enjoyed a productive year of events and community-building, with the goal of helping students network and learn about the […]
Great Salt Lake legislative update: Feb. 27, 2024
Feb 27, 2024In each week’s report, we will identify the most impactful bills (favorable or unfavorable) that could significantly affect Great Salt Lake.
Great Salt Lake legislative update: Feb. 22, 2024
Feb 23, 2024In each week’s report, we will identify the most impactful bills (favorable or unfavorable) that could significantly affect Great Salt Lake.
Great Salt Lake legislative update: Feb. 15, 2024
Feb 16, 2024In each week’s report, we will identify the most impactful bills (favorable or unfavorable) that could significantly affect Great Salt Lake.
Great Salt Lake legislative update: Feb. 8, 2024
Feb 08, 2024In each week’s report, we will identify the most impactful bills (favorable or unfavorable) that could significantly affect Great Salt Lake.
Communication: A core conflict competency
Feb 01, 2024In 2023, I wrote a series of blogs exploring key conflict competencies. There are two competencies I identified in that blog that I have yet to fully describe: communication and commitment. In this blog, I am going to discuss communication. In my next blog, I’ll dive into commitment.
Great Salt Lake legislative update: Feb. 1, 2024
Jan 31, 2024In each week’s report, we will identify the most impactful bills (favorable or unfavorable) that could significantly affect Great Salt Lake.
Great Salt Lake legislative update: Jan. 25, 2024
Jan 25, 2024In each week’s report, we will identify the most impactful bills (favorable or unfavorable) that could significantly affect Great Salt Lake.
Great Salt Lake Project launches and publishes report on legal risks of declining lake
Jan 24, 2024The Wallace Stegner Center for Land, Resources and the Environment at the University of Utah’s S.J. Quinney College of Law has launched the Great Salt Lake Project (GSL Project)—a new initiative analyzing legal pathways to address the critical environmental challenges facing the Great Salt Lake.
Great Salt Lake legislative update: Jan. 18, 2024
Jan 19, 2024A key focus of the Great Salt Lake Project is the Great Salt Lake Policy Accelerator, which encourages policymakers to prioritize and accelerate law and policy to effectuate the meaningful change the lake so desperately needs. This short legislative and policy update will be provided on a weekly basis during the Utah legislative session.
2023 EDR blog year in review
Jan 04, 2024As we enter the new year, we are reflecting on where we’ve been and where we’re going. As part of that, we’re looking back at the EDR blog topics we covered last year, which included an overview of the EDR program’s future direction, discussion of why conflict tends to be so challenging for people, and exploration of key conflict competencies—i.e., key skills for making conflict productive.
Appeal for Donations
Jan 01, 2024The Wallace Stegner Center depends on donors to support our extensive programs and activities. These include student competitions and scholarships; the annual symposium, lectures, and […]
Destructive conflict tendencies vs. productive conflict choices
Dec 01, 2023In my last blog, I described what conflict competence is and summarized the key conflict competencies that empower us to deal with conflict skillfully and productively. In this blog, I build on those ideas to explore the choices we make when dealing with conflict and the way in which different choices lead to very different outcomes.
The Bureau of Land Management’s Changing Landscape
Nov 09, 2023In 2003, Bruce Babbitt, former Secretary of the Interior, observed, “The day is coming, I believe, when the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), so often dismissed as the Bureau of Livestock and Mining, will be better known as the Bureau of Landscapes and Monuments.”[1] Twenty years later, it is still uncertain whether Babbit’s statement was prescient or aspirational. However, the BLM appears poised to take a meaningful step toward the latter moniker.
What is conflict competence and what are the core conflict competencies?
Oct 26, 2023In this blog, I want to pull these concepts all together by explaining what conflict is, what conflict competence is and why it matters, and what basic skills—or what I refer to as “conflict competencies”—are required to make conflict productive.
Wallace Stegner Center professors file amicus brief in support of Utah youth-led constitutional climate case
Oct 10, 2023Professor Erika George and Associate Professor Jamie Pleune, along with Emeritus Professor Robert Adler, recently filed an amicus brief to the Utah Supreme Court in […]
Professor Brigham Daniels speaks to KSL about heading new initiative to save Great Salt Lake
Oct 05, 2023Professor Brigham Daniels, an expert in environmental and climate law, recently spoke to KSL about efforts to save the Great Salt Lake through Grow the Flow, an initiative made up of academics at the University of Utah and Brigham Young University.
Courage: An overarching skill for making conflict productive
Oct 01, 2023I therefore believe that we need to develop an additional important, overarching skill or conflict competency in order to make conflict productive in our personal and professional lives: courage.
Conservation Easements class members enjoy hands-on experience in Bonanza Flat Conservation Area
Sep 29, 2023Professor Nancy A. McLaughlin recently took her class on a field trip to the Bonanza Flat Conservation Area, which sits at the apex of Salt […]
Sympathy alone cannot close the water gap in Indian Country
Sep 28, 2023Yesterday the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs held an oversight hearing on tribal access to water—a neglected issue that is increasingly recognized but still unaddressed. […]
Wallace Stegner Center and Belonging and Access team up for Latinx Heritage Month
Sep 05, 2023The Wallace Stegner Center kicks off the year in a collaboration with Belonging and Access at Utah Law on Sept. 7 in a cosponsored event, Environmental Justice in Salt Lake City.
Wallace Stegner Center 29th Annual Symposium
Sep 02, 2023Wallace Stegner Center 29th annual symposium “The Renewable Energy Transition: Building a Bright Future” March 14-15, 2024 The Stegner Center’s 29th annual symposium will focus on […]
Compassion: A prerequisite for calm, curiosity, and creativity when dealing with conflict
Sep 01, 2023To get beyond this limiting mindset and to be calm, curious, and creative when dealing with conflict, I think we need to lean into another word that starts with C: compassion.
Wallace Stegner Center Fall 2023 Green Bag Series
Sep 01, 2023The Wallace Stegner Center’s popular noon-hour green bag series will feature the following presentations during the Fall semester: Environmental Justice in Salt Lake City (September […]
The Great Salt Lake Project at the S.J. Quinney College of Law
Sep 01, 2023The Great Salt Lake is a keystone ecosystem of hemispheric importance to human civilization and biosphere integrity. The Wallace Stegner Center’s 28th Annual Symposium, focused on […]
Assistant Professor of Law Alex Erwin Joins Stegner Center as 19th Annual Young Scholar
Sep 01, 2023Professor John A. (Alex) Erwin, an assistant professor of law at Florida International University College of Law, will join the Wallace Stegner as the 19th […]
Stegner Center Student Scholarship Recipients and Writing Awards
Sep 01, 2023The Stegner Center oversees a rich array of scholarships, fellowships, and awards for College of Law students, ranging from cash awards for outstanding papers to […]
Stegner Center Hosts Natural Resources Law Teachers Workshop
Sep 01, 2023The Wallace Stegner Center at the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law was pleased to host the Annual Natural Resources Law Teachers Workshop […]
Law & Policy Program Update
Sep 01, 2023The Law and Policy Program continues to conduct relevant, objective legal research on issues that affect western lands and resource management. The program includes five […]
Stegner Faculty Accomplishments ~ Fall 2023
Sep 01, 2023Building on a long tradition of excellence, Stegner Center faculty continue to engage in today’s cutting-edge issues through legal education, publications, and service. Here are highlights from this year.
Stegner Center Environmental Dispute Resolution Program Update
Sep 01, 2023The Wallace Stegner Center’s Environmental Dispute Resolution (EDR) Program believes that with the right skills and awareness, all people can work together to tackle pressing […]
Wallace Stegner Center Student Writing Award
Aug 31, 2023The University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law launched the Wallace Stegner Center Student Writing Award during the 2022-23 academic year. The award will […]
Stegner Center Student Summer Placements
Aug 31, 2023Students in the environmental and natural resources law program at the S.J. Quinney College of Law held a variety of positions in government agencies, private […]
Stegner Center Student Moot Court Team
Aug 31, 2023The University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law Wallace Stegner Center will again send a student moot court team to the National Environmental Law […]
Determining the reasonableness of permitting timeframes: Lessons from the Canadian criminal justice system
Aug 28, 2023It has been almost a year since Senator Manchin thrust the phrase “permit reform” onto center stage, arguing that the permitting process for energy projects […]
Honoring an Indian Law Trailblazer: Colleagues Remember Professor Alex Tallchief Skibine
Aug 21, 2023The new 1Ls sat in their torts class at Utah Law in 1998, unsure of what to expect. One of them, David Hill ’01, recalls […]
A permanent homeland for the Navajo Nation requires access to water
Aug 03, 2023Born on the Navajo Nation reservation, it was several years before I became aware of the stark difference in resources available on the reservation versus […]
Curiosity is a superpower when dealing with conflict
Jul 26, 2023So how about curiosity? What does it mean and look like to approach conflict with curiosity, and how do we do this?
Sharing environmental passions with students: Meet Professor Brig Daniels
Jul 24, 2023After working one year as a visiting faculty member, Professor Brig Daniels has officially joined the S.J. Quinney College of Law, specifically the Wallace Stegner Center for Land, Resources and the Environment.
Conservation Has Always Been a Part of the Bureau of Land Management’s Multiple Use Mandate
Jul 21, 2023Current Conditions on Public Lands Justify the BLM’s Proposed Conservation and Landscape Health Rule On April 3, 2023, the Bureau of Land Management proposed new […]
Associate Professor Jamie Pleune testifies on permitting process for projects with potential environmental impacts
Jul 19, 2023Associate Professor Jamie Pleune, a part of the Wallace Stegner Center for Land, Resources and the Environment, recently testified before the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on […]
Professor Brigham Daniels featured in Fox 13 article about Supreme Court wetlands ruling
Jul 03, 2023Professor Brigham Daniels, a visiting professor in the Wallace Stegner Center for Land, Resources and the Environment, was recently interviewed by Fox 13 News about the U.S. Supreme Court’s May ruling about wetlands.
To make conflict productive, focus on co-creating mutual gains outcomes
Jul 02, 2023The mission of the EDR program is to foster a culture of collaboration around environmental, natural resource, and broader public policy issues. In other words, we strive to help people work together to create a better today and tomorrow.
Tanana speaks to national media about Arizona v. Navajo Nation ruling and Indian Child Welfare Act
Jun 23, 2023Research Assistant Professor Heather Tanana is speaking to many media outlets about the U.S. Supreme Court’s Arizona v. Navajo Nation ruling and the Court’s decision to uphold the Indian Child Welfare Act.
Responding to questions for the record
Jun 14, 2023Following a hearing before the House Committee on Natural Resources, Subcommittee on Oversight and investigations, I received several QFRs—24, to be exact—that provided insight into issues that interested the chairman of the committee, Congressman Westerman, and the ranking democrat on the committee, Congressman Grijalva.
Dean Elizabeth Kronk Warner and Professor Emeritus Robert Adler contribute chapters to new book on sustainable development
Jun 12, 2023Dean Elizabeth Kronk Warner and Professor Emeritus Robert Adler are among 22 experts who contributed chapters to Governing for Sustainability, a new book from Environmental […]
Testifying Before Congress on Evidence-Based Recommendations for Permit Reform
Jun 05, 2023The Law and Policy Program aims to produce actionable, pragmatic research on emerging legal issues to facilitate sound governmental decisionmaking that protects the environment and […]
The power of calm when dealing with conflict
Jun 01, 2023To make conflict productive and to avoid it becoming destructive, we have to get out of this win-lose mindset and instead focus on what really matters, and one key way to do this is to ask ourselves and others “What would be a productive outcome in this situation?”
Professor Robert Keiter appointed to National Park System Advisory Board
May 24, 2023Professor Robert Keiter, director of the Wallace Stegner Center for Land, Resources, and the Environment at the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law, […]
How to focus on what really matters in conflict
May 01, 2023Over the last few months, we have published a series of blogs that start to explore why conflict is so hard for us, why it so often results in negative outcomes, and how we can make conflict an opportunity for positive change.
Applying Lessons from the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill to Permit Reform
Apr 21, 2023Thirteen years ago, on April 20, 2010, an explosion tore through BP’s Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, killing eleven people and spewing over four million barrels […]
Dean Kronk Warner and 3L Jensen Lillquist Co-Author Rights of Nature Article
Apr 01, 2023There are few law schools where a student would have an opportunity to work closely with the Dean of the College and co-author a scholarly […]
Stegner Faculty Accomplishments ~ Spring 2023
Apr 01, 2023Building on a long tradition of excellence, Stegner Center faculty continue to engage in today’s cutting-edge issues through legal education, publications, and service. Here are highlights from this year.
Natural Resources Law Forum 2022-23 Activities
Apr 01, 2023The student-run Natural Resources Law Forum has enjoyed a busy year of events and community-building, with the goal of helping students network and learn about […]
Law & Policy Program Update
Apr 01, 2023The Law and Policy Program continues to conduct relevant, objective legal research on issues that affect western lands and resource management. The program includes six […]
Stegner Center 28th Annual Symposium: “The Future of the Great Salt Lake”
Apr 01, 2023The Stegner Center’s 28th annual symposium on March 16-17, 2023, addressed the plight of the Great Salt Lake. One of the world’s largest hypersaline lakes, the […]
Utah Water Lecture Series
Apr 01, 2023From mid-January to early March, the Wallace Stegner Center hosted a four-part Utah Water Lecture Series, which explored a variety of issues, including the basics […]
Stegner Center Spring 2023 Green Bag Series
Apr 01, 2023The Stegner Center’s spring noon-hour Green Bag Series attracted both in-person and virtual attendees who joined the Stegner Center to hear from a diverse lineup […]
Wallace Stegner Center Director’s Letter Spring 2023
Apr 01, 2023With an epic winter now transitioning into spring in Salt Lake City, I’m pleased to report on another successful academic year at the Wallace Stegner […]
Trying Times: Conservation Easements and Federal Tax Law
Apr 01, 2023Sponsored by the Cultural Vision Fund and Utah Open Lands in cooperation with the Wallace Stegner Center, “Trying Times: Conservation Easements and Federal Tax Law” […]
EDR Program Update
Apr 01, 2023The Wallace Stegner Center’s Environmental Dispute Resolution (EDR) program fosters a culture of collaboration around the environment, natural resources, and broader public policy issues, with a particular focus on Utah and the Mountain West.
Want to make conflict productive? Focus on what really matters
Apr 01, 2023If you’ve been reading our recent blogs, hopefully by now you’re convinced that conflict “just is”: it is a healthy, normal, unavoidable part of life. Unfortunately, we tend to see the world through a win-lose, zero-sum mindset, which leads us to treat conflict as a threat. And when we do that, we tend to react poorly in situations of conflict, which leads to bad outcomes and reinforces our belief that conflict is a problem.
Tanana speaks to national media about SCOTUS cases
Mar 22, 2023Research Assistant Professor Heather Tanana, a renowned expert on Indian law and water law, spoke to national media outlets this week about Arizona v. Navajo […]
Stegner Research Professors File Amicus Brief Supporting Water Access for the Navajo Nation
Mar 22, 2023“For the Navajo people, tó éí iiná até, water is life.” –Amicus Brief of DigDeep Right to Water Project and Utah Tribal Relief Foundation […]
The Tension Between Speed and Safety
Mar 15, 2023On Tuesday, March 21, 2023, the Roosevelt Institute will host a one-day in-person conversation about permit reform in Washington D.C. Common conversations about permit reform […]
Why we tend to see conflict as a problem—and why it matters
Mar 01, 2023In our prior blogs, we have explained that conflict just is: It is a normal, healthy, unavoidable part of life. Therefore, we need to learn to deal with it effectively, and that is what collaboration is all about. And the good news is that doing so not only helps make life a lot easier; it can be enormously productive and beneficial for all parties involved in the conflict.
The Cost of Denial About Carbon Capture and Sequestration
Feb 23, 2023Carbon capture and sequestration is the latest rage, but is it worth the hype? In Chasing Squirrels in the Energy Transition, Environmental Law, Vol. 52 […]
Talking About Permit Reform with the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists
Feb 08, 2023We recently joined five other experts to explore the nuances of the permit reform debate in an article published by the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists. […]
Finding and Leveraging Allies
Feb 02, 2023Many tribes are matrilineal. In these communities, women historically played a significant role in holding and dispensing traditional knowledge. Women also held positions of leadership, […]
The problem with conflict is that we see conflict as a problem
Feb 01, 2023Even after many years of work in the field of conflict resolution and collaboration, I continue to be amazed by the extent to which productively working through conflict provides opportunities for positive change and growth.
Piecing Together the Fragmented Legal Doctrines Governing “Pore Space”
Jan 27, 2023As carbon capture and sequestration technologies gain traction, the nature of underground rights is increasingly surfacing as an important, but fractured area of law. I […]
The future of the EDR program: Extra (effective) dialogue required
Jan 03, 2023When Michele Straube founded the Wallace Stegner Center’s EDR program in 2012, she somewhat jokingly suggested the EDR acronym stands for “extra dialogue required.”
At the Environmental Dispute Resolution program, thorny issues lead to “elegant solutions”
Nov 21, 2022As you may have noticed, we humans don’t always get along. We fight over land, we argue that we aren’t getting our fair share of water, we dig in our heels about whatever we think should be rightfully ours.
Distinguishing between Productive and Unproductive Causes of Delay in Critical Mineral Permitting
Nov 15, 2022Our latest article, Playing the Long Game: Expediting Permitting Without Compromising Protections, recommends three actions to expedite mine permit processing times without sacrificing analytical rigor: […]
Wallace Stegner Center Fall 2022 Green Bag Series
Nov 03, 2022The Wallace Stegner Center featured an all-star lineup of speakers for its Fall 2022 Green Bag Series, including current and former top-level officials from the […]
I abhor the word “compromise”
Oct 10, 2022I overheard a conversation the other day in which one person said that marriage is just one compromise after the other. I had a visceral reaction to that statement, partly feeling sad for the person’s marriage, but mostly just mad mad mad about the word “compromise.”
Wallace Stegner Center Receives Major Gift from C. Comstock Clayton Foundation
Oct 03, 2022The S.J. Quinney College of Law is honored to announce that the Wallace Stegner Center for Land, Resources and the Environment has received a new […]
Podcasting with Center for Western Priorities about Permitting Reform
Oct 01, 2022We had a great conversation with Kate Groetzinger and Aaron Weiss from Center for Western Priorities on their podcast, The Landscape. Our conversation can be […]
White House Taps Utah Law Professor John Ruple for Council on Environmental Quality
Sep 26, 2022Ruple’s appointment adds his expertise in public lands and resources management to the White House Council on Environmental Quality, which advises the president and […]
Introducing the Gateway and Natural Amenity Region (GNAR) Initiative
Sep 26, 2022The Wallace Stegner Center’s Environmental Dispute Resolution (EDR) program fosters a culture of collaboration around the environment, natural resource, and broader public policy issues, with a particular focus on Utah and the Mountain West.
Celebrating the Wallace Stegner Center’s new faculty and staff
Sep 22, 2022The Wallace Stegner Center for Land, Resources and the Environment welcomes the many new faculty and staff members who have joined us in the past year.
Utah Scholars Ask Lawmakers to Look at the Data with Permitting Reform
Sep 21, 2022Great article by Zak Podmore in the Salt Lake Tribune about permitting reform. As he points out, assumptions held by NEPA critics don’t always align […]
Professor Vanessa Casado Perez joins Stegner Center as 18th annual Young Scholar
Sep 15, 2022Vanessa Casado Perez, professor and dean’s research chair at Texas A&M School of Law and a research associate professor at Texas A&M Department of Agricultural Economics, joined the Wallace Stegner as our 18th annual Young Scholar.
Wallace Stegner Center Spring 2023 Green Bag Series
Sep 15, 2022The Wallace Stegner Center Spring 2023 programing will include a lecture series sponsored by the Audubon Society addressing the timely topic of Utah water law […]
Memorializing Meg Osswald: A New Fellowship
Sep 15, 2022Margaret “Meg” C. Osswald died early this year in an accident in the American Southwest. Meg is the daughter of Ellen Maycock and Ken Osswald. […]
Seeing the forest for the trees: An environmental psychologist’s guide to sharing ranching landscapes with wildlife
Sep 12, 2022Most aspects of life in the early 21st century go beyond easy analysis and resolution. The subject of ranching, particularly in the context of wildlife conservation in the American West, is bound then to aggravate anyone who demands singular causes and fixed solutions. The stories of ranchers have been told in countless forms over the years, yet rarely have they actually been told by ranchers themselves.
Wallace Stegner Center Sends Teams to Moot Court Competitions
Sep 01, 2022The Wallace Stegner Center is proud to support the student teams that compete for the S. J. Quinney College of Law at the National Environmental […]
S.J. Quinney Students Receive Foundation (FNREL) Scholarships
Sep 01, 2022S.J. Quinney College of Law and Stegner Center students proved extremely competitive for scholarships funded by the Foundation for Natural Resources and Energy Law (Foundation […]
Stegner Center Student Scholarship Recipients and Writing Awards
Sep 01, 2022The Stegner Center oversees a rich array of scholarships, fellowships, and awards for College of Law students, ranging from cash awards for outstanding papers to […]
Do we have to choose between speedy development and the environment?
Aug 30, 2022We were thrilled to have an opportunity to speak with Laura Gersony at Circle of Blue about our research on causes of delay in the […]
Meet EDR Initiatives Facilitator Jordan Katcher
Aug 29, 2022Meet Jordan Katcher (she/her), who joined the Environmental Dispute Resolution (EDR) program team at the University of Utah’s Wallace Stegner Center in August 2022.
Ask better negotiation questions
Aug 15, 2022It’s not difficult to see the limitations of these negotiation questions. The first one is likely to promote defensiveness. The second one sounds patronizing. The third shuts off discussion, perhaps even before it’s truly begun.
Ruple Named Trustee of Foundation for Natural Resources & Energy Law
Aug 05, 2022The Wallace Stegner Center is thrilled to announce that Professor of Law John Ruple was appointed a trustee of the Foundation for Natural Resources and […]
Interests, positions, and conflict—Oh, my!
Aug 01, 2022Interests and positions. We hear these terms frequently in negotiation and dispute resolution circles, but what do they really mean? And why is it important to understand the difference?
Utah Law faculty members present at Law and Society Conference
Jul 18, 2022Multiple faculty members from the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law recently presented at the Global Meeting on Law and Society Conference in […]
Conflict just is. Let’s make it productive!
Jul 18, 2022Every year, I train and coach hundreds of professionals and university students in the skills of collaboration and conflict resolution. In working with these diverse individuals and teams from across the country and internationally, I have come to realize that a few simple shifts in how we see, understand, and deal with conflict can totally change our relationships with each other and ourselves—as well as the outcomes of our interactions—in profoundly powerful and positive ways.
How can we break through our narrative of polarization?
Jun 21, 2022It’s easy to see that our nation is polarized. Watch any national news program or scroll social media and this narrative of polarization is overwhelming.
Facilitating effective meetings: New resources from the EDR program
Jun 06, 2022Both in-person and virtual meetings require deliberate planning, facilitation, and follow-through, often with more time spent in planning than in the meeting itself.
Better together: Co-creating a factual foundation in environment and public policy conflict
May 23, 2022Social media silos of information, separate worlds of news pipelines, advocacy experts—can we ever find a way to talk to one another? Solve a problem or resolve a dispute with varying viewpoints?
Professor John Ruple invited to White House meeting to discuss mining reform
May 16, 2022Professor John Ruple was recently invited to the White House as part of a summit featuring over 20 representatives from states, Tribes, the mining industry, […]
Reporting on the Building Bridges Symposium
May 09, 2022At the Building Bridges Symposium in Cody on April 14, 2022, over 50 people gathered from across Wyoming and neighboring states representing Native Nations, federal and state agencies, and nonprofit organizations.
10 negotiation training skills every organization needs
Apr 25, 2022How can managers and their organizations increase the odds that negotiation training will lead to beneficial long-term results? Here are several pieces of advice, drawn from experts at the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School.
Heather Tanana brings crucial Tribal voices to water policy
Apr 18, 2022When she was in junior high — long before she’d ever heard the term “environmental justice” — Heather Tanana moved with her family from the […]
Meet EDR Program Manager Emily Gaines Crockett
Apr 11, 2022Meet Emily Gaines Crockett, who joined the Environmental Dispute Resolution (EDR) program team at the University of Utah’s Wallace Stegner Center in December 2021. Emily manages EDR program administration and communication efforts.
Evidence-based recommendations for improving the National Environmental Policy Act
Apr 10, 2022We look forward to presenting the results of our research at the Climate Change Symposium hosted by the Sabin Center for Climate Change and the Columbia Journal of Environmental Law. The event is on April 14, 2022, at 5 p.m. EST.
Book review: Humor, Seriously: Why Humor is a Secret Weapon in Business and Life* (*and how anyone can harness it. Even you.)
Mar 28, 2022My mother loved adages and random quotes. One of her favorites was “laughter is the best medicine.”
A practitioner’s view on finding the words to describe our work
Mar 14, 2022It can be difficult to describe our work—the field of conflict. When asked questions regarding my career and work, I have referred to my role in more ways than I can count.
Apply for the EDR program’s Collaboration Certificate course
Feb 28, 2022The Wallace Stegner Center’s Environmental Dispute Resolution (EDR) program is currently accepting applications for our 2022 Collaboration Certificate Course. The course will be delivered virtually via highly interactive and engaging sessions that emphasize peer-to-peer learning and networking.
Professor Heather Tanana appointed to positions with AALS & ABA
Feb 24, 2022Research Professor and Stegner Fellow Heather Tanana was recently appointed to the position of secretary for the Association of American Law Schools’ Section on Indian […]
The Colorado River Compact: Navigating the Future
Feb 10, 2022The Wallace Stegner Center and the Water & Tribes Initiative co-hosted a symposium convening experts, stakeholders and representatives of sovereign tribes in the Colorado […]
What is negotiation?
Feb 07, 2022Many people dread negotiation, not recognizing that they negotiate on a regular, even daily basis. Most of us face formal negotiations throughout our personal and professional lives.
Professor Heather Tanana joins National Climate Assessment team
Feb 04, 2022Research Professor and Stegner Fellow Heather Tanana was recently appointed to assist the U.S. Global Change Research Program in the creation of their quadrennial report. […]
Supporting federal agencies to make collaboration the way of doing business
Jan 24, 2022As a facilitator living in Wyoming, I have experienced how collaborative problem-solving has increasingly become a tool to unravel any tension and complexity arising between the public and the agencies that manage federal lands.
2021 EDR blog year in review
Jan 10, 2022I am enchanted by stories. Stories with strong character development, riveting plot lines, and happy (and sad!) endings. Stories with conflict, resolution, and lessons learned.
Utah Law professors present at AALS Annual Meeting
Jan 04, 2022The S.J. Quinney College of Law is honored to recognize the many faculty members who will be presenting or leading section meetings at the Association of American Law Schools Annual Meeting.
Using six thinking hats in negotiation
Dec 06, 2021Edward De Bono has identified six different ways of thinking using six different color-coded “Thinking Hats.” Too often, negotiation—especially high-conflict negotiation—begins as a mishmash of facts, emotions, and negativity, with very little productive problem-solving.
Conflict-management styles: Pitfalls and best practices
Nov 22, 2021People approach conflict differently, depending on their innate tendencies, their life experiences, and the demands of the moment. Negotiation and conflict-management research reveals how our differing conflict-management styles mesh with best practices in conflict resolution.
The Wallace Stegner Center and Heather Tanana to receive ABA SEER Awards
Nov 17, 2021Professor Heather Tanana was selected to receive the American Bar Association (ABA) Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources (SEER) Award for Distinguished Achievement in Environmental […]
The problem with problems
Nov 08, 2021As we find ourselves in dispute about environmental, and, really, any issues in life, we will offer or be offered perceived issues, positions, and options. Do this. This way. Don’t do that. That way.
The opportunities of a new Glen Canyon
Oct 25, 2021News coverage of drought has become inescapable for those of us living in the west. Talk of prolonged water shortage has been top of mind for years, but reached a tipping point this year with Lakes Powell and Mead dropping to their lowest levels since they began filling.
Utah Law welcomes new faculty members
Oct 21, 2021The S.J. Quinney College of Law at the University of Utah is pleased to announce the addition of new faculty members: Christina Koningisor, who joins […]
Notes from the collaborative governance rodeo
Oct 11, 2021Since the term started emerging in 1970s, collaborative governance has been a wily beast. Just as scholars start to corral and define it, the practice of collaborative governance gallops off in some other direction.
The pause: Closing the gap between our best intentions and our actions
Sep 27, 2021For years, we, as a field, have been hard at work teaching crucial communication skills for managing conflict, solving problems, and navigating change.
Conversation dominators (when “step up, step back” doesn’t cut it)
Sep 13, 2021Hands down, the top two questions I get from clients are “How do we foster more engagement in our meetings and trainings?” and “How do we handle it when people dominate the conversation?”
“Pause. Take a breath. What do you see?”
Aug 23, 2021I sat at my newly-made-up-work-from-home office thinking, “Why toilet paper?” and suddenly songs from Urinetown: The Musical burst into my head. It seemed appropriate given the sudden and limited supply of the product.
The benefits of a situation assessment
Aug 09, 2021The situation assessment is often promoted in the facilitation and conflict resolution world, and yet it can be tempting to skip this process altogether and jump straight into collaborative work.
EDR Director Danya Rumore interviewed on BYUradio’s Top of Mind about zoom towns
Aug 02, 2021EDR Director Danya Rumore was interviewed on BYUradio’s Top of Mind about zoom towns.
Utah Law Students Take on Environmental Issues
Jul 28, 2021University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law students focused on environmental and natural resources law have proven competitive this year in landing prestigious summer […]
Wisdom from the Peacekeeper of the Year
Jul 26, 2021Learn more about Michele Straube, the founder and former director of the EDR program, and her lessons learned from a career in conflict resolution.
Zoom fatigue is solvable. But making meetings not suck takes work.
Jul 12, 2021In the past 16 months, my organization has adapted quite well to working from home and collaborating remotely with partners. We’re a well-resourced organization with compassionate leadership, patient IT staff, and an abundance of laptops, cell phones and Zoom professional licenses.
Moot Court Winners
Jun 23, 2021The Wallace Stegner Center is proud to announce that our student team of Natalie Beal and Stephanie Hanawalt are the winners of the 2021 National […]
Why I love Zoom
Jun 21, 2021I hear Zoom complaints every day. “I cannot stand one more Zoom call.” “I am Zoomed out.” “I will be so happy to get back to work in person.” Yes, you’ve probably heard them, too. In fact you may be one of them.
Ruple article on fossil fuel development featured by Environmental Law Reporter
Jun 07, 2021Posted on September 2, 2020 University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law Research Professor John Ruple co-wrote an article with Jamie Gibbs Pluene and […]
On conflict, collaboration, and leadership: An interview with EDR Program Director Danya Rumore
Jun 07, 2021I remember learning about conflicts over wolves and snowmobiles in Yellowstone when I was a kid and feeling like everyone was losing as a result of those disputes. That set me off on a lifelong journey to figure out how to help people work together to solve complex environmental and public policy problems.
Uncovering and restoring our urban creeks
May 17, 2021Six years ago, a group of University of Utah students (myself included) gathered in the bowels of the School of Architecture for the Urban Ecology Capstone course.
New Report Examines Causes of Clean Water Access Deficits Among 30 Tribes in the Colorado River Basin
May 11, 2021New Report Examines Causes of Clean Water Access Deficits Among 30 Tribes in the Colorado River Basin Tribal communities, disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, continue […]
WVU First Place Team
May 11, 2021The Wallace Stegner Center is proud to announce that our student team of Natalie Beal and Stephanie Hanawalt are the winners of the 2021 National […]
Breaking down silos: The inception of the Utah Rural Coordinating Council
May 03, 2021The term “breaking down silos” has been around for a while now, but what does that actually look like? Are we building tin can telephones from silo to silo?
Tanana Authors Report Examining Clean Water Deficits Among Tribes
Apr 28, 2021University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law Assistant Professor Heather Tanana was the lead author on a comprehensive analysis recently released by the Colorado […]
Erika George Joins Earthjustice Board of Trustees
Apr 21, 2021George brings a vital array of expertise that is critical to leveraging gaps between human rights and environmental advocacy. San Francisco, CA — Earthjustice is […]
A high-wire act: Mediating high conflict online
Apr 19, 2021As COVID-19 drives our longstanding work with stakeholders, advisory committees, and others onto online platforms, we also are being forced to mediate our most challenging cases in the same online format. These cases often prove to be high-wire acts when we meet face to face.
Creating space for understanding
Apr 06, 2021I have always been interested in what motivates people. What connects us, what divides us, and why? Increasingly, I feel we are more invested in our divisions than our common ground. But a recent experience reminded me that common ground still exists.
Cultivating dignity in a year of rupture
Apr 06, 2021If the scale of this year’s global health crisis, economic turbulence, social justice uprisings, and climate extremes indicates anything, it’s that there’s an undeniable need to move not just our hearts into a deeper understanding, but also our full selves into the work of greater change.
Wallace Stegner Center 26th Annual Symposium – “The Plastics Paradox: Societal Boon or Environmental Bane?”
Apr 06, 2021March 25 @ 8:00 am – March 26 @ 2:30 pm The Wallace Stegner Center’s 26th annual symposium on “The Plastics Paradox: Societal Boon or […]
Using principled negotiation to resolve disagreements
Apr 05, 2021Principled negotiation allows you to leverage the principles of your opponent to win a negotiation. Parties can often reach a better agreement through integrative negotiation.
Apply for the short course on natural resources collaboration
Feb 22, 2021The Wallace Stegner Center’s Environmental Dispute Resolution (EDR) program is currently accepting applications for our 2021 short course on effective natural resources collaboration. The course will be held online via Zoom. The application is open through April 19, 2021; we anticipate selecting and notifying short course participants by April 30, 2021.
Leveraging the gains of collaborative practice
Feb 08, 2021I still remember an episode that occurred during one of my early terms in the Montana House of Representatives, back in the 1970s.
Illuminating collaborative leadership
Jan 25, 2021What’s the “secret sauce” of effective collaborations? A great logic model or grant source doesn’t guarantee success.
Invitation to join our efforts in 2021
Jan 11, 2021Now more than ever, we are convinced that people need to—and can—work together to make change for the better. Doing so, we believe, will require that we all invest in our self-awareness and skills for dialogue, collaboration, conflict resolution, and leadership.
Leaders should seek cooperation and collaboration, not compromise
Dec 14, 2020Almost immediately after news agencies called the election for President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, pundits and others were talking about the need to work across differences and “compromise.”
Navigating complex public issues: A comparison of two facilitation approaches to group decision-making
Dec 07, 2020Poor preparation and facilitation can lead to participants feeling underappreciated, not listened to or frustrated. The way dialogues are designed and facilitated can make an immense difference when it comes to meaningfully engaging citizens and fostering collaboration.
A scene from tribal headquarters at Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux tribes and the value of readiness checking
Nov 23, 2020There they were: In a bright, spacious room at tribal headquarters on a February day, a group of 14 individuals gathered to discuss the burned, abandoned properties in downtown Poplar, Montana.
Floods, fires, drought and more: The climate is changing and dispute resolution tools are needed (now!)
Nov 09, 2020As I watch the news from California of the absolute devastation from numerous, massive wildfires or hear about repeated hurricanes hitting the Gulf Coast, I see, now more than ever, the critical need for good dispute resolution tools to help address climate change issues.
Changing consultation for the better: Two case examples
Oct 26, 2020While consent and veto have been debated regarding Indigenous rights and international law, our view as scholars is to begin with the strongest moral foundations of consent, which includes Tribal self-determination in response to actions that affect their members’ lives, lands, cultures, and freedoms.
Changing consultation for the better: An ethics and partnership perspective
Oct 12, 2020As climate change and fossil fuel extractive industries threaten Indian country and burden many Indigenous communities with risks, mitigating the negative impacts on tribal sovereignty, health, and cultural integrity demands consultation between tribes and the federal government.
What is this situation ready for? Readiness checking in 5 steps
Sep 28, 2020People, conflict situations or other messy public decisions are always ready for something. The overarching questions are ‘what’ and ‘how.’
Lessons learned from the probletunity of Madame C: Outer and inner work
Sep 14, 2020As EDR Program Associate Director Nedra Chandler and I wrote in our “What lessons are you learning from Madame C?” blog earlier this summer, the coronavirus pandemic has presented all sorts of challenges and related opportunities (or what we call “probletunities”).
Lessons from the coronavirus pandemic for environmental governance
Aug 24, 2020The coronavirus pandemic offers lessons for leaders on every level about how—and how not— to manage complex interjurisdictional challenges, like the environment, which unfold without regard for political boundaries.
Cultural conflicts in the Covid-19 era
Aug 10, 2020During the Covid-19 pandemic, new types of conflict are arising. People are arguing on Facebook or Twitter about whether stay-at-home orders have gone too far.
After Floyd killing, we need a truth and reconciliation commission on race and policing
Jul 27, 2020The instinct for many Americans with deeply felt grievances is to rage. Decades of protests—many peaceful, some violent—have yielded insufficient progress in the quest for better relations between the police and those who are policed.
Novel conditions, but classic advice: Wisdom for corona-induced collaboration
Jul 13, 2020While I think we’ve all heard about some of the challenges of dating in the modern era (e.g., commitment-phobia, hectic schedules, and ghosting), I never expected that we would add “consent from roommates to progress new relationship” to the list.
Madame C’s lesson on mindful appreciation
Jun 29, 2020I sat at my newly-made-up-work-from-home office thinking “Why toilet paper?” and suddenly songs from Urinetown The Musical burst into my head. It seemed appropriate given the sudden and limited supply of the product. (Yes, that really is the name of the musical. It won three Tonys in 2002.)
What Madame C (Coronavirus) is teaching me
Jun 15, 2020When I was first asked to share my lessons learned from Madame C (the coronavirus), I was a little nonplussed about what to say. My biggest (and most embarrassing) lesson learned was that I.hate.to.clean.
What lessons are you learning from Madame C?
Jun 01, 2020During these uncertain times, we have all had to adapt how we do our day-to-day activities and how we are being in our lives. This adaptation can be reactionary—changing how we do things without intention or awareness.
Bridging the rural/urban divide on the environment
May 18, 2020President Trump’s recent weakening of rules governing protections of wetlands and streams is the latest salvo in a four-decade battle over the Clean Water Act.
Maintaining Utah’s collaboration culture in a time of social distancing
May 04, 2020At the three dozen inter-agency meetings, workshops, or conferences I’ve attended in the last eleven months as an urban planner for a local government entity in Utah, speakers began by expressing gratitude for the teamwork that enabled a successful event or project.
Pipeline construction: When safety goes global
Apr 20, 2020Energy pipeline projects in North America have been increasingly inciting opposition, sometimes vehement, over the past decade. Pipelines have always raised public concern about safety and local environmental, land, and cultural impacts.
Can we live with building confidence in the process?
Apr 06, 2020To me, trust has always been a heavy request—although most will say that mediators seek to build trust with and among parties. I’ve often tried to see the world through the eyes of a party and wondered: Is it rational to give over trust to a stranger?
I love conflict!
Mar 23, 2020After decades serving as a public policy mediator, I have learned to introduce myself with this greeting: “Good morning. I’m your mediator, and I love conflict!”
Liberating Structures: Change methods for everybody every day
Mar 09, 2020Liberating structures (LS) are simple change methods that anybody can use to improve or change the way work gets done, now and in the future.
Six guidelines for “getting to yes”
Feb 24, 2020In their revolutionary book “Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In,” Roger Fisher, William Ury, and Bruce Patton introduced the world to the possibilities of mutual-gains negotiation, or integrative negotiation.
Apply for the Short Course on Effective Natural Resources Collaboration
Feb 10, 2020The Wallace Stegner Center’s Environmental Dispute Resolution (EDR) program is currently accepting applications for our Short Course on Effective Natural Resources Collaboration through March 27, 2020.
Moderating mentor and career development conference panel in conflict resolution
Jan 27, 2020Culminating months of emails and conference calls with some people I knew and several I had never met, all of us strewn across the country, I was moderating a panel on mentoring and career development at the Association for Conflict Resolution 2019 annual conference.
Devising strategies for complex public policy challenges: Lessons learned from the Visitation on Utah’s Public Lands workshop
Jan 13, 2020Public policy challenges have a tendency to be somewhat overwhelming. People often don’t agree about the nature of the problem or what, if anything, should be done to address it.
EDR blog year in review: 2019
Dec 16, 2019One of the reasons I enjoy managing the EDR blog is the chance to read about the valuable resources, best practices, case studies, ideas, and activities related to collaboration and dialogue.
Breakthrough collaboration: What is it and how do we help make it happen?
Dec 02, 2019CBI’s vision is “a world in which our most difficult challenges are solved through collaboration.” That seems like a fairly tall order in two ways.
EDR program brings process innovation to you, Utah, and the Mountain West
Nov 18, 2019Looking out my window at the Wasatch Mountains today, in my new role as associate director at the Stegner Center’s Environmental Dispute Resolution (EDR) program, I am musing about what ‘societies to match our scenery’ might require.
Righting un-rightable wrongs: The difference a decade makes!
Nov 04, 2019I wonder what my dear Hawaiian friend Jan would say about the current stance taken by Kū Kiaʻi Mauna, the protectors of Mauna Kea, Hawaii’s tallest mountain and for many, a sacred place.
Nurturing collaboration in Colorado’s water community: What have we learned?
Oct 21, 2019In 1990, after over a decade of fierce opposition, EPA vetoed Denver’s proposed Two Forks Reservoir on Colorado’s South Platte River. The decision sounded the death knell for the unilateral approach to water projects that had governed for decades in Colorado.
In defense of facts: The need to discuss values
Oct 07, 2019Concern about functional public discourse and decision-making has risen sharply in the U.S. since the election of Donald Trump with some questioning if we are existing in a post-truth era.
Building community resilience to climate change with facilitated, collaborative dialogue
Sep 23, 2019In July, I spent two days in Moab, Utah, to help facilitate a workshop on how the impacts of climate change on drought and extreme precipitation may affect water supply management in the Spanish Valley.
Less but better: An investment in avoiding unnecessary conflict
Sep 09, 2019It is not often that I find myself reflecting on a book pretty much every day—and mentioning it to friends and colleagues almost as often. However, it is perhaps not surprising that Greg McKeown’s book “Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less” seems particularly relevant.
Using the Johari Rooms in dispute resolution
Aug 26, 2019Psychologists Joe Luft and Harry Ingham were researching human personality at the University of California-Berkeley in the 1950s when they devised their “Johari Window” named after a combination of their two first names.
Stumbling into collaboration: Learning to listen from ranchers, elk, and trout
Aug 12, 2019In the fall of 2013, the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food opened a prototype grant created to fund localized natural resource planning efforts.
Lessons learned in my first year of dispute resolution
Jul 29, 2019I thought I knew a thing or two about communication coming into the University of Utah’s City and Metropolitan Planning master’s program: Use active listening, practice dialogue rather than discussion.
Harvard shares five tips for an experienced mediator
Jul 15, 2019If you are an experienced mediator who has mediated many disputes to a successful agreement, then you have probably established a reputation and feel confident in your mediation skills.
Wisdom from the field: Lessons for collaborative natural resource management and community development partnerships
Jul 01, 2019For practitioners working on the ground, it can be reinvigorating, inspiring, and enormously helpful to learn from others’ experiences doing similar work.
Collaboration playlist
Jun 17, 2019Music has so many magical properties. It can prompt memory. It can help create memories. It can access memory. It can set the mood. It can change the mood. All these characteristics are beneficial to negotiation and collaboration.
A sea of Cs: Collective and competing collaboratives in Colorado
Jun 03, 2019Collaboration is an important tool for addressing increasingly complex environmental problems, such as those that are widespread or cross boundaries, that are prone to conflict or involve a lot of uncertainty, or which are just too expensive or difficult to tackle alone.
The Utah Resilience Map: Making connections between local sustainability projects
May 20, 2019Online collaborative community resource mapping is a new phenomenon that helps to connect local organizations and volunteers in building more sustainable and social justice cities.
Communication strategies for engaging climate skeptics: Religion and the environment
May 06, 2019In our ongoing disputes and conversations about the environment and climate change, it becomes ever more pressing to uncover and explore obstacles to progress and policy enactment.
Trust: An essential collaborative component
Apr 22, 2019“Trust is the glue of life. It’s the most essential ingredient in effective communication. It’s the foundational principle that holds all relationships.” — Stephen R. Covey
It’s not federal overreach, it’s federal under-listening: Lessons from rural Oregon
Apr 08, 2019The EDR program interviewed Peter Walker, professor of geography at the University of Oregon, about his 2018 book “Sagebrush Collaboration: How Harney County Defeated the Takeover of the Malheur Wildlife Refuge.”
Do cows come to consensus? Exploring what humans and animals might have in common when it comes to dispute resolution
Mar 25, 2019Do elephants experience empathy? Do arctic foxes argue? Do narwhals negotiate? Do raccoons reconcile? Dr. Frans de Waal explores these ideas in his recent book, “Mama’s Last Hug: Animal Emotions and What They Tell Us about Ourselves.”
Why “progress” fits natural resource conflict management better than “success”
Mar 11, 2019As a practicing environmental facilitator/mediator, I am frequently asked if a process succeeded; it seems politicians and the news media are particularly fond of that question.
Apply for the short course on effective natural resources collaboration
Feb 25, 2019Consider words like personal, effective, and awesome. What might they describe? Here’s a hint: Short course.
The path of collaboration in Harney County, Oregon
Feb 11, 2019Harney County, Oregon, is broad, flat, and expansive. Were the title not already claimed by Montana, this place could be properly called big sky country.
A new era in collaborative forest restoration: Working towards long-term, large-scale, and high-capacity collaboration
Jan 28, 2019Dr. Courtney Schultz of Colorado State University and I have been researching and engaging with professionals involved in the Collaborative Forest Landscape Restoration Program (CFLRP) for almost a decade now.
EDR blog year in review: 2018
Jan 14, 2019What strikes me most at the close of another year for the EDR blog is the perseverance and determination I see happening in the field of environmental dispute resolution (EDR).
Collaborating on air quality: From pollution to solution
Dec 17, 2018This time of year, one thing seems to be on the mind of just about everyone in the Salt Lake Valley: air quality.
Energy siting can be incendiary
Dec 03, 2018Energy extraction and production have powerfully shaped the American landscape over the last hundred years. Blessed with extraordinary natural resources, among many other attributes, the United States has built the largest economy in the world.
Great Salt Lake Stink Tank: Moving a dialogue on collaboration forward
Nov 19, 2018Earlier this summer, we attended the Dialogue on Collaboration focused on Great Salt Lake. One prominent theme we heard and that collectively emerged during the individual small group discussions was the lack of (and need for) greater public awareness about the importance of Great Salt Lake.
Can EDR practices benefit from learner-centered teaching strategies?
Nov 05, 2018It’s a lush forest scene: trees surround you, the ground is moist and spongy with moss, and above you stretches a seemingly endless canopy filled with lianas and vines. If I ask you to notice all the different green items in this environment, some would immediately pop out.
Building trust with the public in your decision-making process
Oct 22, 2018Public participation can be considered risky or a chore, particularly when an issue or decision is highly technical and requires a lot of education to build understanding.
Addressing complex issues with trauma-informed approaches
Oct 08, 2018Complex issues occur at international scales, such as peacemaking post-conflict, addressing poverty and migration, and locally in terms of homelessness and adaption to climate change. Complex issues are challenging to work on in communities and committees.
Wisdom from the experts: Collaboration and alternative dispute resolution in the West
Sep 24, 2018I often find myself wishing I had more opportunities to learn from other facilitators’ and collaboration professionals’ trials, tribulations, and successes.
Don’t believe everything you think: The pitfalls of cognitive bias
Sep 10, 2018A woman tearfully recounts her battle with breast cancer, attributing its cause to the nearby Superfund site. “Don’t tell me the toxic pollution wasn’t the cause. No one else in my family has had cancer and only I live next to such a mess.”
Rock and roll: Use the Triangle of Satisfaction to design and facilitate effective collaboration
Aug 27, 2018Humans can be Bermuda Triangles of needs. If you are a leader, team participant, or facilitator of collaborative work of any kind, I promise you at least one insight you can use and apply directly to what you do.
State invests millions in conflict resolution: A case study
Aug 13, 2018This year, one state in the nation will invest more than $1 million to support public policy and community-based conflict resolution and collaborative implementation. Perhaps more surprising is the fact that this amount is appropriated every year, and that the state has slowly and steadily increased its funding for conflict resolution and collaboration for more than two decades.
The power of vulnerability in conflict resolution
Jul 30, 2018I recently joined 15 peers from my professional network to participate in a workshop designed to tackle challenging topics on personal and professional values, ethics, and morals.
What we can learn from bees about building consensus
Jul 16, 2018At times, a group of outraged stakeholders can feel like a swarm of bees. Initially, stakeholders are sweet as honey…until they hit you with the stinger.
Unraveling complex issues: Collaboration around the Great Salt Lake
Jul 02, 2018Discussing something as significant as the Great Salt Lake involves landscape level topics, such as water use among three states that impacts what flows into the lake or issues at the microscopic level and the unique ecosystems that thrives or perishes based on the salinity of the water.
Teamwork and shared interests to improve tribal relations with the BLM in Utah
Jun 18, 2018Starting, conducting and completing a “situation assessment” for inexperienced yet enthusiastic protégés in the Environmental Dispute Resolution program short course can be an overwhelming task. Thankfully, we found a way to maximize our experience: by working together, we had someone to bounce ideas around with and someone to share the load.
Coming full circle: Using litigation as a tool to facilitate collaboration
Jun 04, 2018Though it may seem paradoxical, litigation filed by a participant in a collaborative process may offer a tool to help facilitate collaboration.
Four strategies for effective science communication
May 21, 2018Why is the sky blue? If you have ever tried to explain the answer to this question to a first grader, you know how challenging effective science communication can be.
FACULTY: Craig files amicus brief in case challenging Obama designation of the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument
May 07, 2018Professor Robin Craig and a team of pro bono attorneys at Fried Frank have filed an amicus brief in Massachusetts Lobstermen’s Association v. Ross, the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia that is challenging former President Barack Obama’s designation of the Northeast Canyons & Seamounts Marine National Monument 130 miles off the Atlantic coast in 2016.
Finding shared interests at the Fort Douglas National Historic Landmark
May 07, 2018Today, Fort Douglas is home to the bustling student residences at the University of Utah. A university managed hotel and conference center occupies a portion of the fort, and the Fort Douglas Military Museum attracts Salt Lake City visitors.
Collaboration is improv, or is improv a collaboration?
Apr 23, 2018I raced around the room, trying desperately to keep my bodyguard in between me and the paparazzi. But with every move I made it seemed like my bodyguard had their own agenda, and it didn’t include protecting me, which was true.
More peaceful winters reign in Yellowstone
Apr 09, 2018Winter in Yellowstone, the world’s first national park, is unforgettable. Visiting in February with my husband and friends, we watched two wolves resting together on a hillside in the Lamar Valley.
What environmental dispute resolution can learn from civity and complexity science
Mar 26, 2018Successful environmental dispute resolution (EDR) requires long-term cooperation among stakeholders, who often have incongruent values and interests and may have experienced complicated previous interaction.
Helping collaborative groups get real
Mar 12, 2018One of the key characteristics of successful collaborations, particularly when parties are trying to resolve difficult issues, is authenticity.
Apply for the short course on effective natural resources collaboration
Feb 26, 2018As we usher our second cohort toward short course graduation, we invite all “doubting Thomases,” “converts to collaboration,” and everyone in-between to apply for the 2018 short course on effective natural resources collaboration.
The sweet sound of collaboration
Feb 12, 2018As a graduate student fellow with the Environmental Dispute Resolution (EDR) program, I’ve been working on various community-based conflicts and challenges. One such challenge has been helping the Town of Springdale, Utah.
Cultivating a culture of environmental and natural resources collaboration in Utah
Jan 29, 2018Unhealthy air quality. Growing demands for water in an arid state. Conflicts over public lands and how those lands should be managed. These are just a few environmental and natural resources challenges here in Utah that we hear “keep people up at night.”
EDR blog year in review: 2017
Jan 16, 2018As I look back on the EDR blogs we’ve posted in the last 12 months, I find myself inspired and energized by the many examples of collaboration and strategies for how to build bridges among individuals, stakeholder groups, and communities our authors have shared.
S.J. Quinney College of Law honors memory of Page Stegner, 1937-2017
Jan 10, 2018A prominent member of the family who is the namesake behind the Wallace Stegner Center for Land, Resources and the Environment at the University of […]
Mindfulness for mediators, innovators and problem-solvers
Dec 18, 2017Complexity and conflict can interfere with our ability to listen accurately and sustain focused attention when serving as a mediator or engaging in a collaboration endeavor.
A new way of doing business? Collaborating with the U.S. Forest Service
Dec 04, 2017In 2012 the U.S. Forest Service adopted a new planning rule, policy that regulate how the Forest Service conducts management planning processes and monitoring.
Finding common ground on public lands
Nov 20, 2017I kept dreaming of Hayley Mills singing “Let’s Get Together” from “The Parent Trap” and found myself humming the tune during the day as we began planning the conservation forum, “Finding Common Ground on Public Lands.”
A practical roadmap for resolving conflict
Nov 06, 2017My first conflict mediation in the Middle East occurred in 2007. Arbinger’s international bestseller on conflict resolution, “The Anatomy of Peace,” had just been published, and the Shimon Peres Center for Peace in Tel Aviv gathered a group of Palestinians and Israelis for a three-day experience with us.
The three Fs of a successful watershed partnership
Oct 23, 2017The Escalante River is one of the last largely free-flowing, small rivers in the American Southwest. Its watershed covers about 1.3 million acres in south-central Utah, within central Garfield and northeastern Kane Counties.
Conflict mapping is no spaghetti bowl
Oct 09, 2017Conflict mapping is a roll-up-your-sleeves pencil and paper exercise that I have come to appreciate and incorporate into my collaborative process practice and in my personal life.
Collaborating for cleaner air
Sep 25, 2017I was all set to start learning on the first day of the Environmental Dispute Resolution (EDR) program’s short course on effective natural resources collaboration. The course piqued my interest since much of the work I do in the air quality field as the policy director for Breathe Utah would rely on enhancing my collaboration and conflict resolution skills.
Establishing collaboration: Breaking down silos to effectively manage ecosystems
Sep 11, 2017My EDR capstone project started almost accidentally. I was sitting in a work planning meeting in 2015, when I heard complaints from Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR) aquatics section personnel related to the escapement of white sucker and northern pike from a pond.
Daring to dialogue: Stories of “being the change”
Aug 28, 2017On June 15, the EDR program co-hosted “Fostering Productive Dialogue in Divided Times,” the third in the Dialogue on Collaboration series.
Taking the leap: A collaborative process—and life!—journey
Aug 14, 2017Have you ever stood on the edge of a new beginning, noticing all of those excited anxious squiggly feelings dancing around inside—and then jumped? That’s what I experienced as I waited for my plane to take off to a new life and job.
A cow runs through it: Reflections on 20+ years as an environmental mediator
Jul 26, 2017I realized recently that my projects involved cows at the beginning, middle and end of my career, and a squishy stress toy named Consensus Cow has become my go-to mediation/facilitation tool in the past year.
Breaking the natural resources gridlock with consensus building
Jul 17, 2017In California, where I live, rarely a week goes by when the headlines aren’t putting a magnifying glass on the climate shifts in the West and their impact on our natural resources and people.
Fostering productive dialogue in divided times
Jul 03, 2017We live in divided times. The question is: What can we do to heal our nation’s rifts?
A need—and an opportunity—for leadership
Jun 19, 2017One need only read the national or local news to find multiple examples of societal frustration, political turmoil, ideological divides, environmental degradation, and numerous other challenges. The question is: how do we leverage the challenges we face into opportunities?
I’ll see you in court: Litigation and collaborative land management
Jun 05, 2017Litigation over public land management has become a contentious topic in recent news. Industry groups and ranchers are pressuring the new Congress and administration to end what they deem “abusive” litigation tactics used by environmental groups against grazing and other federal land projects involving the private sector.
The future of Indian water rights in the West
May 22, 2017Water is an important and essential commodity for people living in the western United States today, and it is just as important for Indians living on reservation lands in the western states.
Making room for give and take
May 08, 2017Recently, I spent 17 days on the islands of Cebu and Negros in the Philippines. It was a powerful cultural experience.
“Town halls” are dead. Long live town halls?
Apr 24, 2017Imagine walking into a room with hundreds of people looking at you, waiting for you to speak, hanging on your every syllable.
Accomplishing the impossible: The Spokane River story
Apr 10, 2017By the end of 2011, the Spokane River community had learned its lesson. After more than 11 years of disputes, delays, and lawsuits, a plan for improving dissolved oxygen in the river was completed and now an even more ambitious goal lay ahead.
Empowering collaboration through dark sky protection
Mar 27, 2017Moving from a small California beach town to Salt Lake City, I realized the night sky was a severely under-used resource in my childhood.
Apply for Short Course on Effective Natural Resources Collaboration
Mar 20, 2017The 23 participants in the inaugural Short Course will attend their last session on April 27, walking away with a certificate of completion, new skills, friends and collaborators, and a capstone project putting the concepts and skills they learned into action in a real-life setting of their choosing.
For living room candor, keep the conversation casual
Mar 13, 2017When is it possible for someone to express their honest thoughts and feelings about an important issue? Is it possible for that person to do so while acting in their professional capacity?
Two sources of turmoil in a divided America
Feb 27, 2017The ’60s and early ’70s were a time of great turmoil in a divided America, including the assassinations of JFK, MLK, and RFK; the civil rights movement; the Vietnam War and our invasion of Cambodia; and Watergate and Nixon’s forced resignation.
E pluribus unum (out of many one)
Feb 13, 2017Consider editing a major planning document with five federal agencies, three agencies each in six states, 15 non-profit organizations, three to four layers each. That equals 90 commenters and thousands of comments over multiple drafts.
EDR blog year in review: 2016
Jan 30, 2017In 2016, we posted 26 blogs from 24 authors. Many of our blog posts featured inspiring examples of collaboration.
From question to connection: Building bridges with appreciative inquiry
Jan 17, 2017Now more than ever, those of us who practice community engagement are acutely aware of how polarized ”the publics” have become.
Keep your knees bent while facilitating
Jan 03, 2017I grew up in a household of skiers. The lessons I earned about staying upright while skiing hold true for effective facilitation as well.
Putting another E in EDR (electronic)
Dec 19, 2016Online dispute resolution (ODR) is an area of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) that has been developing over the past 20 years. I see many opportunities to use ODR techniques in environmental dispute resolution (EDR).
My own worst nightmare
Dec 05, 2016Are there certain personalities that you just can’t stand? For me it’s a righteous, haranguing fanatic who is not interested in any other point of view and unwilling to even entertain the thought that he or she might not be right.
The power of human-to-human connections
Nov 21, 2016On Saturday, Nov. 12, the first Utah Citizens Summit was held in downtown Salt Lake City. The event—a day of dialogue and celebration sponsored by the Utah Civil and Compassionate Communities Initiative—capped a yearlong effort to bring communities together through conversation and service.
Noble water pursuits: How the Nobel Prize for contract theory highlights promising movements in Utah water law
Nov 07, 2016Complex situations call for creative solutions. Nowhere is this maxim more relevant than in addressing modern environmental problems.
Using serious games to help communities make progress on serious problems
Oct 24, 2016Addressing environmental, natural resource, and public policy issues is serious business. Making progress on concerns such as water resources management and air quality often requires helping diverse stakeholders recognize their shared challenges.
The Western Klamath Restoration Partnership uses the open standards process
Oct 06, 2016The Western Klamath Restoration Partnership (WKRP) effort explores a path toward collaborative fire management in the Western Klamath landscape.
Be the thermostat, not the thermometer
Sep 25, 2016On a break in a recent workshop, I reflected to my co-facilitator on the energy of the group during a section I’d just led: “I can’t figure out what’s going on with them. They seem really edgy and are stuck in a victim mindset.”
Willard Spur: Resolving conflict through collaboration
Sep 12, 2016Sometimes it’s hard for me to keep my inner cynic in check. This is particularly true during presidential elections, when the divisive nature of our political system makes compromise among differing viewpoints seem impossible.
So little time, so much to read: Conflict management blogs I follow
Aug 29, 2016It’s class prep time in academia, and I’ve been looking through my “new topics” collection to update my Conflict Management lesson plans.
Working with elected officials on water issues: What can collaboration bring to the table?
Aug 15, 2016A few weeks ago I had the privilege to attend the Environmental Dispute Resolution program’s Dialogue on Collaboration seminar. This seminar was focused on the importance and challenges of involving elected officials in collaborative efforts, specifically water-related issues.
Collaboration is a better way to solve our most difficult problems
Aug 02, 2016Several years ago, I became a member of the Collaborative Family Lawyers of Utah. It made sense to me to encourage families to seek to resolve their problems collaboratively, rather than in court.
Citizen referendum? I vote “needs review”
Jul 18, 2016Did the United Kingdom’s Brexit vote resolve anything? What does such a narrow margin of victory for the Leave (EU) position really mean?
In the footsteps of many: Collaboration is key to preserving the national park experience
Jul 04, 2016Just under 12 million people visited Utah’s 13 national park sites in 2015. Park enthusiasts are flocking to these iconic landscapes.
“Endless pressure, endlessly applied:” Idaho’s Boulder-White Clouds Wilderness bill
Jun 20, 2016It’s a special day when the President of the United States opens the door and invites you in. As Rep. Mike Simpson (R-ID) would later say to President Obama as we stood in a circle around the presidential seal on the Oval Office rug, “You know, Rick here has been working on this for 30 years.”
EDR year in review (American Bar Association report)
Jun 06, 2016The American Bar Association’s Section of Environment, Energy, and Resources (ABA-SEER) publishes an annual ADR year in review report, which includes notable case law relevant to the use of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) in environmental cases.
Going fossil-free collaboratively
May 23, 2016On May 2, the University of Utah made steps to join more than 30 colleges and universities that have pulled investments in fossil fuels since 2011.
How dialogue can help small rural towns navigate planning challenges
May 09, 2016Rockville is a small town located at the edge of Zion National Park that has a proud history of being a quiet, rural, agricultural community.
Fireside Q&A with Professor Larry Susskind
Apr 25, 2016I have experience facilitating public engagement using live polling via apps or text messaging. I feel strongly feel that social media and new technologies are going to play a major role in the future of public engagement and dispute resolution.
What I say vs. what you hear: Flexing your style for effective communication
Apr 10, 2016It really gets my goat when colleagues do not read my emails. I write amazing emails—with tons of context! Bulleted lists! To-dos! How dare they not read what I spent so much energy writing?
The power of collaborative tinkering and creative problem solving
Mar 28, 2016Environmental and natural resource conflicts tend to be enormously complicated, emotionally and politically fraught, and seemingly intractable. Take, for example, issues such as conflict over public lands here in Utah.
Apply for the Short Course on Effective Natural Resources Collaboration
Mar 14, 2016Our program’s efforts to create educational and networking opportunities for individuals interested in collaborative approaches to resolve conflicts have been met with enthusiastic participation and growing financial support.
EDR blog year in review: 2015
Feb 29, 2016In 2015, we posted 27 blogs from 26 guest authors. Here is a summary, in case you didn’t get to read them all.
Let those affected by decisions really affect those decisions
Feb 16, 2016“This is America. We want to make it easier for people to participate.” So said President Obama in his final State of the Union address.
Four principles of conflict resolution and collaboration
Jan 29, 2016This month marks my 20th anniversary of being a mediator and facilitator! I have been pondering my career, assessing my experiences, and thinking about areas in which I want to grow and develop.
Civity: The other Keystone XL story
Jan 19, 2016On Nov. 6, 2015, President Obama endorsed a decision by the U.S. State Department that the Keystone XL Pipeline—“a pipeline that would carry Canadian crude oil through our heartland to ports in the Gulf of Mexico and out into the world market”—would not serve the national interest.
Adaptive governance: Collaboration and then some
Jan 04, 2016Many environmental problems, especially if they are grounded in natural resource use, face the governance challenge of changing conditions.
Keeping Sandpoint’s quality of life strong through collaboration
Dec 21, 2015Sandpoint is a small community in the Idaho panhandle that, like most communities across the United States, suffered economic setbacks during the Great Recession.
Whiskey is for drinking, water is for…mediation?
Dec 07, 2015Anyone who has ever attended a water law conference has almost certainly heard the phrase “Whiskey is for drinking, water is for fighting over.” The phrase is often attributed to Mark Twain and is usually accompanied by a picture of two men preparing to do battle with shovels over an irrigation ditch.
Whiskey is for Drinking, Water is for … Mediation?
Dec 07, 2015By Nathan S. Bracken, Smith Hartvigsen, PLLC, for EDRblog.org. Anyone who has ever attended a water law conference has almost certainly heard the phrase: “Whiskey is for […]
A River Between Us: Lessons in conflict resolution
Nov 21, 2015“A River Between Us” is a new documentary by former Oregon Sen. Jason Atkinson and filmmaker Jeff Martin. The documentary provides useful background on the Klamath restoration and, as much as possible given the multiple parties and diverse interests at stake, creates a coherent narrative of the community’s efforts toward resolution.
Through Bears Ears, tribes lead the way for true collaboration over Utah’s public lands
Nov 09, 2015The Bears Ears proposal (so named for a pair of distinctive buttes said to resemble the crown of a bear rising out of the earth) encompasses a remote and culturally significant area of the Colorado Plateau fanning upstream from the confluence of the San Juan and Colorado Rivers.
So little time, so many expectations—are they manageable?
Oct 26, 2015For several years my role has been as a mediator, facilitator and/or attorney working in complex, multi-party environmental settings. I have finally faced facts—people are living in their own fantasy worlds.
Ready or not: Enhancing the readiness of communities to prepare for and manage climate-related risks
Oct 12, 2015Climate change can no longer be avoided. Here in the Mountain West, this will mean more frequent and more severe drought and wildfire.
NEPA’s fatal flaw, an impediment to collaboration
Sep 28, 2015Straddling the Oregon-California border, the Klamath Basin is home to the PacifiCorp-owned Klamath Hydroelectric Project; six power-generating dams along the Klamath River.
A is for A**hole
Sep 14, 2015While preparing for a particularly difficult facilitation recently, I decided to consult my conflict resolution reading list for inspiration.
Finding joy in complexity: Managing sage-grouse
Aug 31, 2015Greater sage-grouse, a chicken-sized bird which inhabits the vast sagebrush landscapes of the Western U.S., has become the posterchild for current debates over the Endangered Species Act.
Responding to climate-related risks: Why collaboration is key
Aug 17, 2015As I write this blog, 13,000 Californians are evacuating their homes to escape wildfires, which are spreading with unprecedented speed due to extremely dry conditions after five years of drought.
Canyonlands Research Center collaboration: A student’s perspective
Aug 03, 2015The Canyonlands Research Center (CRC) in Southeast Utah is an excellent case study of collaboration between scientists and land managers. I have been studying this venture for my graduate work at Utah State University.
Water diplomacy… in the West?
Jul 17, 2015Throughout the western US, drought conditions have made water a pressing issue on many people’s minds. While the water shortage problem is clear, the solutions are not.
Facilitation…or something more?
Jul 06, 2015So what is different about facilitation by seasoned environmental conflict resolution (ECR) practitioners? After all, there are countless individuals, small organizations, and staff within large environmental, architecture, and engineering firms who claim they can run meetings.
Let’s be honest: Doing group processes right
Jun 22, 2015It seems intuitive: Vocal opposition to an issue? Bring the sides together in a problem-solving group. It’s the best way to resolve an issue. But is it?
Still brokering peace between people and prairie dogs
Jun 08, 2015It’s been over a year since my prairie dog EDR blog highlighted the collaborative effort that helped develop the federal low-effect habitat conservation plan for the Utah prairie dog in residential and commercial development areas of Iron County, Utah.
Bridging a Utah cultural divide: What’s environmental education got to do with it?
May 26, 2015With over 100 groups involved in environmental education (EE) in Utah, why don’t we talk to each other about issues and best practices?
The value of iterative NEPA and collaboration
May 11, 2015In 1970, Congress passed the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requiring federal agencies to consider the environmental impacts of management actions and to provide for public participation in the process.
Cultivating a culture of dialogue rather than debate
Apr 27, 2015Earlier this month, I attended an MIT campus-wide debate. Watching the event play out, I was struck by the strengths and weaknesses of a debate approach to tackling tricky social issues.
Utah program on collaboration
Apr 13, 2015“We’re bureaucrats and we have tendencies,” but “when there’s a high level of collaboration, there’s trust and decisions can be made quickly and efficiently.” –ENR agency leaders
Fracking in populated areas: The most literal application of ‘not in my backyard’
Mar 31, 2015With a not-insignificant modicum of success, a recent sea change in public, industry and non-profit collaborative efforts on public land issues has altered the atmosphere of environmental dispute discourse.
Ingenious EDR Designs are Human Centered
Mar 16, 2015As organizations, agencies, and governments become more aware of the ever-rising cost of conflict (in economic, relational, and human terms), many are seeking to design processes to manage conflict with greater effectiveness and efficiency.
College of Law Climbs Seven Spots in 2016 U.S. News Rankings; Rated 7th Nationally For Environmental Law
Mar 10, 2015University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law also Improves in Bar Passage, Student Employment, and Student Quality March 10, 2015 — The University of […]
First Annual Winter ULaw Clean Air Competition Results
Mar 06, 2015Written for GreenTeamBlog.org. This February, the College of Law Green Team held the 1st Annual Winter ULaw Clean Air Competition to change commuting behavior to […]
EDR: Three pieces of advice
Mar 02, 2015“Starting complex negotiations without an assessment is like performing surgery without any diagnostic tests.” This is one of the jewels of knowledge in Howard S. Bellman and Susan L. Podziba’s article titled Public Policy Mediation: Best Practices for a Sustainable World.
Tracking EDR progress: Looking to the past to guide the future
Feb 17, 2015Environmental challenges seem to have become more difficult and polarized over the years. Climate change is a case in point, and one of many.
Open discussion is the answer
Feb 02, 2015As human beings we have the ability to form thoughts and ideas in our mind. If not expressed, these notions remain our private property indefinitely.
Federal Lands Takeover Would Harm the Public
Jan 29, 2015Press release dated January 27, 2015 – The Wallace Stegner Center for Land, Resources & the Environment at the University of Utah’s S.J. Quinney College […]
Making nice isn’t for everyone
Jan 20, 2015There are moments that stick with me and seem to gain significance as time goes by, as my life and work evolve. My conversation with Miguel over 25 years ago is one of those moments.
Book review: Everything Is Workable: A Zen Approach to Conflict Resolution
Jan 05, 2015Diane Musho Hamilton’s new book “Everything is Workable: A Zen Approach to Conflict Resolution” is deeply personal and practically useful. It gives readers the overwhelming feeling that everything truly is workable.
Environmental Dispute Resolution year in review
Dec 22, 2014Since the initial EDR blog post on March 24, 2014, we have posted 19 entries from 14 authors. Our last entry of 2014 contains a summary of our first nine months of blog posts, in case you didn’t get to read them all.
Collaboration is the solution to ozone pollution
Dec 08, 2014Late last month, EPA proposed a new national ozone air quality standard that would reduce the permissible ambient ozone concentration by five to ten parts per billion (from 75 ppb to the range of 65–70 ppb).
A Better Building: Biomimicry Glass Working with Nature to Reduce Bird-Window Collisions
Dec 03, 2014GreenTeamBlog.org. One of the most innovative and interesting features of the new College of Law building is its incorporation of a new bird-safe glass to […]
Recycling at SJ Quinney: Where Does It Go and What You Should Know
Dec 02, 2014GreenTeamBlog.org. S.J. Quinney College of Law is always looking for ways to improve and leave a lighter environmental foot print. One such practice embraced by […]
Alternative Visions Fund: Looking Towards a More Sustainable Future
Dec 01, 2014GreenTeamBlog.org. Thanks to a generous gift from the Alternative Visions Fund of the Chicago Community Trust, the new S. J. Quinney College of Law building […]
The LEED Certification Process: Guiding Sustainable Design, Construction, and Practices for the New Building
Nov 25, 2014GreenTeamBlog.org. I am sure you have heard the term LEED in relation to the new Law School, but do you really know what it means? […]
Welcome to the Green Team Blog!
Nov 25, 2014GreenTeamBlog.org. With the pursuit of LEED Platinum Certification, the new S.J. Quinney College of Law building is not only a world class learning institute – […]
Please take responsibility for the energy you bring into this conversation
Nov 24, 2014Recent experiences have made me feel bipolar about our capability to have respectful dialogue on environmental and natural resource issues.
Risks were taken in Daggett County, reaping public lands rewards for all
Nov 10, 2014A landmark agreement in Daggett County demonstrates the value of dialogue on public lands issues. On October 22, negotiators jointly announced an accord that, pending congressional approval, resolves issues that have been festering for decades.
Getting past politics on climate change
Oct 27, 2014The polarizing debates over climate change are often about the wrong questions. I go nuts when I hear people debating belief in climate change.
Seeking middle ground—or new ground?
Oct 13, 2014I appreciated the thoughtful and thought-provoking blog posted by Lucy Moore, where she discussed her concerns about the levels of advocacy taken by some individuals and groups.
The wonderful discomfort of changing your mind
Sep 29, 2014In reflecting on the most important things she learned in the seven years of writing her literary blog, Brainpickings author Maria Popova wrote, “Allow yourself the uncomfortable luxury of changing your mind.”
Finally sitting at the grownups’ table
Sep 15, 2014Last March I had the once-in-a-career experience of meeting with senior officials of the China National Peoples’ Congress (NCP) and the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) to discuss strengthening laws to enforce environmental standards.
Comfortable with uncertainty: Collaboration in the time of forest plan revision
Sep 02, 2014What’s the key to involving stakeholders in the plan revision process? Be adaptive, flexible, and strive to provide a meaningful, substantive experience for both the forest and participants.
Longson, Tipple Awarded Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation Scholarships
Aug 22, 2014Mitch Longson and Kate Tipple, both 3Ls, have been awarded scholarships from the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation for the 2014-2015 academic year. The scholarships […]
Adler Named New College of Law Dean
Aug 21, 2014Robert W. Adler, current Interim Dean of the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law and Distinguished Professor of Law, will continue as the […]
Taking a risk in the public lands debate: Dialogue about what really matters
Aug 18, 2014Politicians on both sides of the public lands debate should be lauded for suggesting field trips. Such outings have the potential to foster true dialogue and could form the basis of a constructive problem-solving conversation.
CDR serves up “a good bowl of soup”
Jul 08, 2014“A good bowl of soup attracts chairs.” That was the old African proverb quoted by Jonathan Bartsch, principal of Collaborative Decision Resources, on the first day of a three-day seminar about facilitation and mediation of public and environmental conflicts.
Preemptive “mediation” at energy conference in Helena, Montana
Jun 23, 2014Energy issues are complex and controversial. They have many local, regional and national stakeholders with divergent viewpoints. However, building relationships early can help reduce conflict.
What we don’t know about Great Salt Lake
Jun 11, 2014One of my great privileges these last five years or so has been to serve as attorney for, and president of, the board of Friends of Great Salt Lake. Great Salt Lake is a vastly misunderstood and unappreciated national treasure.
There. I said it.
May 28, 2014As a mediator, I am deeply committed to treating all interests fairly, showing no bias or favoritism. And so as an equal opportunity ranter, let me share another thought with you: The righteousness of some environmentalists drives me crazy.
Can litigation provide an opportunity for collaboration in Capitol Reef National Park?
May 13, 2014We often think of the initiation of litigation as a shot across the bow. A thrown gauntlet. A call to arms that signals the start of a long adversarial contest, at the end of which one party may view themselves as the victor and the other party as the victim.
EDR and the built environment: Addressing homelessness
Apr 29, 2014Think about the word “environmentalism.” What do you think of? If you’re like me, you think of protecting crystal-blue mountain streams and sandstone slot canyons.
Brokering peace between people and prairie dogs
Apr 14, 2014The Utah prairie dog, which only occurs in southwestern Utah, has been protected by the Endangered Species Act (ESA) since 1973.
The Mountain Accord: A model of environmental conflict resolution for the Wasatch Mountains?
Mar 28, 2014Our urban communities adjacent to the Central Wasatch Mountains have an intimate and interdependent relationship with the mountains. In essence, our health, security, and economic prosperity are dependent on this mountain range.
Are we wired to cooperate?
Mar 28, 2014Consensus, thought of as a noun, is the outcome of negotiation, collaboration or dialogue. When all the participants in a disagreement find a solution they can live with and are willing to implement, consensus has been reached.
Collaboration and partnerships in public land management
Mar 25, 2014Partnerships and collaboration seem to be all the rage in public land management. But do the feds truly understand what collaboration is or how to set up a sustainable partnership?
Welcome to the EDR blog
Mar 24, 2014Welcome to the EDR blog, hosted by the University of Utah’s Environmental Dispute Resolution (EDR) program. The EDR exists to educate students and the public about the possibilities for collaboration, mediation and other dispute resolution processes as alternative methods to resolve public policy conflicts, especially around environmental and natural resource issues.
Reitze Air Pollution Op-Ed Appears in SL Trib
Feb 12, 2014An op-ed by Arnold Reitze, Professor of Law at the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law, appeared in The Salt Lake Tribune on […]
Davies Appointed to State Energy Task Force
Jan 09, 2014Governor Gary Herbert has appointed Professor Lincoln Davies to a state energy task force. The task force, called the Energy Team, is a part of […]
Adler Defends Role of Independent Federal Judiciary in Tribune Op-Ed
Dec 24, 2013In a December 24 Salt Lake Tribune op-ed, Bob Adler, Interim Dean of the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law, stressed the importance […]
National Parks Traveler praises Professor Robert Keiter’s book
Oct 23, 2013Professor Robert Keiter’s new book, “To Conserve Unimpaired: The Evolution of the National Park Idea,” earned a rave review on the National Parks Traveler website.
Perpetual Conservation Easements Conference
Oct 18, 2013The public is investing billions of dollars in conservation easements, which now protect more than 40 million acres throughout the United States. But uncertainties in […]
Fall 2012 to Spring 2013 Year in Review
Oct 18, 2013For the Stegner Center, the 2012-2013 academic year was both busy and rewarding. As noted in this newsletter, the College of Law received a $4.5 […]
Katrina Kuh Joins Stegner Center as 9th Annual Young Scholar
Oct 18, 2013Katrina Kuh, an Associate Professor of Law at the Maurice A. Deane School of Law at Hofstra University, joined the Wallace Stegner Center as the […]
Jason Steiert Presents Paper at Statewide Water Conference
Oct 18, 2013While a 2L at the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law, Jason Steiert was invited to present his paper at the American Water […]
Brett Wiersum Awarded Second Place in the Energy and Public Lands Student Writing Competition
Oct 18, 2013While a 3L at the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law, Brett Wiersum took second place in the Energy and Public Lands Student […]
Douglas Naftz Awarded 3rd Place in the 2013 Smith-Babcock-Williams Writing Competition
Oct 18, 2013A paper 3L Douglas Naftz wrote for Professor Robin Craig’s Water Law course was recently awarded third place in the Smith-Babock-Williams Writing Competition. In the […]
Energy Law Moot Court Team Competes Admirably at National Competition
Oct 18, 2013The University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law’s Energy Law Moot Court Team of Kimberly Barnes, David Mooers-Putzer, and Tera Woods competed admirably at […]
Wallace Stegner Center team offers strong performance at Pace Environmental Law moot court competition
Oct 18, 2013The University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law’s National Environmental Law moot court team—Douglas Crapo, Sarah Carlquist, and Megan McKay—very ably and professionally represented the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law at the national competition at Pace Law School in White Plains, New York.
Faculty Updates
Oct 18, 2013Bob Adler is currently serving a two-year term as Interim Dean for the S.J. Quinney College of Law. Dean Adler is overseeing the College’s day-to-day […]
Your Support is Appreciated
Oct 17, 2013The Wallace Stegner Center depends on donors to support our student activities, scholarships and other programs, including the annual symposium, evening lectures, and green bag […]
S. J. Quinney College of Law Green Building Fund Donors 2012 to 2013 Fiscal Year
Oct 16, 2013July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2013 Benefactors$1,000,000 to $7,499,999 Alternative Visions Fund of the Chicago Community Trust Founder’s Club$50,000 to 499,999 Randy Dryer Dean’s […]
Stegner Center Donors 2012 to 2013 Fiscal Year
Oct 16, 2013July 1, 2012 to June 30, 2013 University Patrons $500,000 to $999,999 Alternative Visions Fund of the Chicago Community Trust Dean’s Counsel$25,000 to $49,999 R. […]
Stegner Center 2013-2014 Events
Oct 16, 2013The Stegner Center has a robust lineup of programs for the 2013-2014 academic year. The Center’s nineteenth annual symposium, to be held on March 27 […]
College of Law Students Awarded RMMLF Scholarships
Oct 16, 2013This year, two students from the University of Utah S.J. Quinney of Law—Kevin Funkhouser and Douglas Naftz—were awarded Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation scholarships. In […]
2L Scott Hutchins Awarded David C. Williams Fellowship
Oct 16, 2013Scott Hutchins, a 2L at the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law, recently received a David C. Williams Fellowship. The David C. Williams […]
Stegner Center Student Scholarship Recipients
Oct 16, 2013The Wallace Stegner Center would like to congratulate our student scholarship recipients for the 2013-2014 academic year. The Stegner Center oversees a rich array of […]
Environmental Law Clinic Update
Oct 16, 2013The environmental clinic continues to provide valuable services to the community and hands-on-learning opportunities for students. Supervised by Clinical Associate Professor Jamie Pleune, the Utah […]
Environmental Dispute Resolution Program Update
Oct 16, 2013The Stegner Center’s Environmental Dispute Resolution Program (EDRP) was established in February 2012 with generous funding from the Alternative Visions Fund, a fund of the […]
Stegner Center faculty publish books on national parks and water law
Oct 16, 2013Stegner Center Director and Professor Robert Keiter’s book “To Conserve Unimpaired: The Evolution of the National Park Idea” was published this year. Dean Robert Adler and Professor Robin Craig also published books.
Robert Adler Appointed Interim Dean at College of Law
Oct 16, 2013Robert Adler was appointed Interim Dean of the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law in February 2013, with his appointment being effective on […]
Stegner Center 19th Annual Symposium on “National Parks: Past, Present and Future”
Oct 16, 2013The Wallace Stegner Center’s 19th annual symposium will address the topic of “National Parks: Past, Present, and Future.” The symposium will be held on Thursday […]
College of Law Green Team Encourages Sustainability Programs in New Building
Oct 16, 2013Buildings are more than edifices of brick and mortar. They’re also physical manifestations of our priorities as a society. With the pursuit of LEED Platinum […]
Alternative Visions Fund Makes $4.5 Million Gift for Sustainability Features in New College of Law Building
Oct 16, 2013The Alternative Visions Fund of the Chicago Community Trust has provided a $4.5 million gift to the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law, […]
Director’s Letter – Fall 2013
Oct 16, 2013On the eve of its 20th anniversary, the Wallace Stegner Center continues to extend its reach through its faculty, students, and supporters who have enabled […]
Craig interviewed by Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Florida-Georgia water rights dispute
Oct 02, 2013Professor Robin Craig was interviewed for an Oct. 2 story in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution about the latest chapter in a long-standing dispute between the states of Florida and Georgia over water rights in the Apalachicola-Chattahoochee-Flint River basin.
Craig’s blog criticizing Texas court’s private water rights definition leads to BNA interview
Sep 01, 2013A new posting on the Environmental Law Prof Blog by Professor Robin Craig focuses on a decision by the Texas Court of Appeals confirming that “implementation of the Edward Aquifer Act resulted in a constitutional ‘taking’ of landowners’ property rights in groundwater.”
College of Law Green Team Encourages Sustainability Programs in New Building
Aug 27, 2013Buildings are more than edifices of brick and mortar. They’re also physical manifestations of our priorities as a society. With the pursuit of LEED Platinum […]
Craig serves as first Vermont summer distinguished environmental law visitor
Jul 22, 2013From June 17-28, 2013, Robin Craig, professor of law at the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law, was Vermont Law School’s first summer distinguished environmental law visitor.
RMMLF awards Keiter grant for federal-state land exchange research
Jul 08, 2013On July 2, Professor Robert Keiter was awarded a $5,000 grant from the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation. The grant will support research regarding the legal requirements applicable to federal-state land exchanges, identifying the existing barriers to exchanges, and setting the stage for a comprehensive analysis of the legal reforms needed to facilitate large federal-state exchanges.
Craig authors blogs for World Oceans Day, June 8
Jun 07, 2013Professor Robin Craig has authored two blogs for World Oceans Day on June 8.
Keiter to read from new national parks book June 6 at 15th Street Gallery
May 13, 2013Professor Robert Keiter will read from and sign copies of his new book, “To Conserve Unimpaired: The Evolution of the National Park Idea,” on June 6 at 7 p.m. at the 15th Street Gallery (1519 S. 1500 E.) in Salt Lake City. The reading will be preceded by a 6 p.m. reception and is free and open to the public.
Alternative Visions Fund Makes $4.5 Million Gift for Sustainability Features in New College of Law Building
May 06, 2013As the University of Utah’s S.J. Quinney College of Law prepares to break ground on its new home this June, the Alternative Visions Fund of […]
Stegner Symposium Draws Attention from Media
Apr 25, 2013The 18th Annual Stegner Symposium, focused on Religion, Faith, and the Environment, attracted a great deal of media attention, including multiple articles in The Salt […]
SL Trib Quotes Adler on Failed Utah-Nevada Water Deal
Apr 05, 2013On April 5, The Salt Lake Tribune quoted Robert Adler, Professor of Law at the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law, on Utah’s […]
3L Wiersum Wins Award for Paper on Ocean Energy Management
Mar 26, 2013Brett Wiersum, a 3L at the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law, has taken second place in the Energy and Public Lands Student […]
Feb. 15 Conference Focuses on Perpetual Conservation Easements
Feb 08, 2013Conservation easements now protect more than 18 million acres of land throughout the United States. But uncertainties in the law and abusive practices threaten to […]
Tribune quotes Craig on public trust doctrine
Jan 28, 2013In a Salt Lake Tribune article, Craig explains that the public trust doctrine is a long-established concept that maintains certain natural resources, including lakes, shorelines, and riverbeds remain public domain because of the important role they play in commerce.
Straube Op-Ed Published in SL Tribune
Jan 22, 2013Michele Straube, Director of the Environmental Dispute Resolution Program at the College of Law’s Wallace Stegner Center, published a Salt Lake Tribune op-ed on January […]
Photo Gallery: Escalante River Watershed Partnership Field Trip
Nov 07, 2012Photos from the Escalante River Watershed Partnership field trip, part of the Wallace Stegner Center’s Environmental Dispute Resolution Program Photos by Barbara Blundell barbarabphotography. com
Professor Robin Craig selected as Vermont Law School distinguished environmental scholar
Nov 02, 2012Professor Robin Craig has been selected as one of Vermont Law School’s four Distinguished Environmental Scholars for Summer 2013. From July 14-27, she will serve as the sustainable agriculture and food systems scholar, working with Vermont’s new Agriculture and Food Systems Center.
Your Donation Makes a Difference
Nov 01, 2012The Wallace Stegner Center depends on donors to support our student activities, scholarships and other programs, including the annual symposium, evening lectures, and green bag […]
Donors 2011-2012
Nov 01, 2012University Associates$100,000 to $700,000Alternative Visions Fund Founders Club$50,000 to $99,999S.J. & Jessie E. Quinney Foundation Dean’s Counsel$25,000 to $49,999R. Harold Burton FoundationMurray and Barbara Warnock in […]
Environmental Law Clinic Update
Nov 01, 2012The current version of our environmental clinic, founded by Robert Adler, the James I. Farr Chair and Professor of Law, is now in its fourth […]
Wallace Stegner Center student team participates in Pace Environmental Law moot court competition
Nov 01, 2012The University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law’s National Environmental Law Moot Court Team—Thad Garlick, Kurt Gasser, and Megan McKay—very ably and professionally represented the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law at the national competition at Pace Law School in White Plains, New York.
College of Law Students Awarded RMMLF Scholarships
Nov 01, 2012This year, two students from the University of Utah S.J. Quinney of Law—Maureen Toomey Armos and Sarah Jan Carlquist—were awarded Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation […]
Student Scholarship Recipients
Nov 01, 2012The Wallace Stegner Center would like to congratulate our student scholarship recipients for the 2012-2013 academic year. The Stegner Center oversees a rich array of […]
Davies Awarded McCloy Fellowship to Study Energy Policy in Germany
Nov 01, 2012Lincoln Davies, Associate Professor of Law at the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law, was recently awarded the prestigious McCloy Fellowship in Environmental […]
Keiter elected VP and president-elect of Mineral Law Foundation
Nov 01, 2012Professor Robert Keiter was elected vice president and president-elect of the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation (RMMLF) at the Foundation’s annual trustee meeting in Newport Beach, California on July 18, 2012.
Robin Kundis Craig joins College of Law faculty and is named Leary professor
Nov 01, 2012After visiting at the S.J. Quinney College of Law during the spring semester of 2012, environmental law scholar Robin Kundis Craig has joined the faculty as a tenured professor of law.
Faculty Updates
Nov 01, 2012Bob Adler published an article in the Florida Law Review entitled Balancing Compassion and Risk in Climate Adaptation: U.S. Water, Drought and Agricultural Law, and […]
Environmental Dispute Resolution Program Update
Nov 01, 2012The Stegner Center’s Environmental Dispute Resolution Program (EDRP) was established in February 2012 with generous funding from Alternative Visions Fund, a fund of the Chicago […]
Alumni John Ruple Is Stegner Center’s First Research Associate
Nov 01, 2012John Ruple (2004) joined the Wallace Stegner Center at the College of Law as our first Research Associate in April 2012. He is currently collaborating […]
Chinese Water Law Scholar Visits College of Law
Nov 01, 2012TAO Lei, Deputy Director and Assistant Professor of the Research Institute of Environment and Resources Law at Hohai University in Nanjing, China, is serving as […]
Interior Secretary Selects Environmental Dispute Resolution Program’s Project Selected as One of America’s Great Outdoors Rivers
Nov 01, 2012On May 22, 2012, Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar identified the Escalante River Watershed Partnership as one of America’s Great Outdoors Rivers. One project […]
Fall 2011 to Spring 2012 Year in Review
Nov 01, 2012For the Stegner Center, the 2011-2012 academic year was both busy and rewarding. The Stegner Center launched its Environmental Dispute Resolution Program (EDRP) in 2012, […]
Noah Hall joins Stegner Center as eighth annual Young Scholar
Nov 01, 2012Noah Hall, a professor of law at Wayne State University Law School and a frequent visiting professor at the University of Michigan Law School, will join the Wallace Stegner Center as our eighth annual Stegner Center Young Scholar.
Stegner Center 2012-2013 Events
Nov 01, 2012The Stegner Center has a robust lineup of programs for the 2012-2013 academic year. The Center’s eighteenth annual symposium, to be held on April 12-13, […]
Director’s Letter – Fall 2012
Nov 01, 2012With the passage of another year, the Stegner Center continues on its growth trajectory, both in terms of new people and programs. As reflected in […]
Tasch Discusses Sustainable Economics, Sustainable Agriculture Nov. 7
Nov 01, 2012On Wednesday, November 7, the Wallace Stegner Center will present a lecture and book signing by Woody Tasch, founder and chairman of Slow Money, titled […]
Straube Invited to Speak at AALS and Publishes Article on Environmental Dispute Resolution in Utah
Oct 01, 2012On January 5, 2013, Michele Straube, Director of the Wallace Stegner Center’s Environmental Dispute Resolution (EDR) Program, will speak about Environmental Dispute Resolution in Utah […]
National Geo Photographer Attracts SRO Crowd for Antelope Lecture
Sep 19, 2012On September 12, National Geographic photographic Joe Riis drew a full house of approximately 265 to the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law’s […]
Chinese Water Law Scholar Visits College of Law for 2012-13 Academic Year
Aug 22, 2012TAO Lei, Deputy Director and Assistant Professor of the Research Institute of Environment and Resources Law at Hohai University in Nanjing, China, will be a […]
Keiter elected VP and president-elect of Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation
Aug 20, 2012Professor Robert Keiter was elected vice president and president-elect of the Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation (RMMLF) at the organization’s annual meeting held at the Foundation’s annual trustee meeting in Newport Beach, California, on July 18, 2012.
Stegner Symposium Addresses the Legacy of Rachel Carson, March 9-10
Mar 01, 2012Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring is considered one of the foundational texts of the modern environmental movement. The 1962 book exposed the dangers that pesticides and […]
Park Service Anthropologist to Discuss American Indians and the Constructed ‘Wilderness’ of Yellowstone, Feb. 14
Feb 06, 2012On February 14, Rosemary Sucec, a cultural anthroploogist with the National Park Service, will deliver a Green Bag lecture titled “American Indians and the Constructed […]
College of Law Co-Hosts Author Richard Louv as Part of Feb. 16 Sustainability Symposium
Jan 30, 2012On February 16, the University of Utah will host a “Symposium for Community Engagement”, titled Exuberant Sustainability. As part of that symposium, the S.J. Quinney […]
College of Law Welcomes Former Deputy Interior Secretary Lynn Scarlett, Nov. 3
Oct 20, 2011On Thursday, November 3, Lynn Scarlett, former Deputy Secretary and Chief Operating Officer of the U.S. Department of the Interior, will visit the University of […]
College of Law Awarded $762,000 Grant to Support Environmental ADR Program at Stegner Center
Oct 13, 2011The Wallace Stegner Center for Land, Resources and the Environment is one of the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law’s most esteemed centers, […]
Scholarship Recipients
Oct 13, 2011The Wallace Stegner Center would like to congratulate our scholarship recipients for the 2011-2012 academic year. The Stegner Center provides a rich array of scholarships, […]
College of Law Students Awarded RMMLF Scholarships
Oct 12, 2011This year, two students from the University of Utah S.J. Quinney of Law—Kass Wallin and David Hatch—were awarded Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation scholarships worth […]
JLREL Changes Name to Utah Environmental Law Review
Oct 11, 2011The Journal of Land, Resources & Environmental Law (JLREL) has changed its name to the Utah Environmental Law Review (UELR). According to the UELR editorial […]
Quinney’s Pace Moot Court Team Advances to National Quarter finals
Oct 10, 2011The University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law’s team of Cameron Johnson, Liz Silvestrini, and Laura Tanner advanced to the quarterfinals of the Pace […]
College of Law Awarded $762,000 Grant to Support Environmental ADR Program at Stegner Center
Oct 03, 2011September 27, 2011—The Wallace Stegner Center for Land, Resources and the Environment is one of the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law’s most […]
Director’s Letter – Fall 2011
Sep 15, 2011As we all know, the winds of change are constantly afoot, and that well worn maxim holds true for the Stegner Center too. With this […]
Wildermuth Appointed Associate VP for Faculty at U
Sep 15, 2011Amy J. Wildermuth, Professor of Law at the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law, has been appointed associate vice president for faculty at […]
Wallace Stegner Center events 2011-2012
Sep 15, 2011The Wallace Stegner Center has a robust lineup of programs for the 2011-2012 academic year. Now in its seventeenth year, our annual symposium is titled “Silent Spring at 50: The Legacy of Rachel Carson.” The symposium will explore three aspects of Carson’s legacy: The celebration and protection of the marine world, the regulation of toxic chemicals, and Carson’s ongoing influence on the environmental movement and on women as environmentalists and scientists.
Robin Craig joins the College of Law as a visiting faculty member
Sep 14, 2011Robin Craig from Florida State University will join the College of Law during the Spring 2012 semester as a visiting faculty member.
Reflections on a career in retirement from Bill Lockhart
Sep 14, 2011No paychecks have recently arrived, so my new “emeritus” title is confirmed: the university has officially “retired” me.
Donor Report 2010-2011
Sep 14, 2011At the Wallace Stegner Center, we deeply appreciate the generosity of our friends and supporters. Your contributions make it possible for us to offer our […]
Appeal for Donations
Sep 14, 2011The Wallace Stegner Center depends on donors to support our student activities and scholarships and our yearly programs, including the annual symposium, evening lecture series, […]
Lesley McAllister Joins Stegner Center as 7th Annual Young Scholar
Sep 14, 2011Lesley McAllister, a Professor of Law at the University of San Diego School of Law and Associate Adjunct Professor at the UC San Diego School […]
Keiter, Lindstrom present paper at Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Institute
Sep 14, 2011On July 21, Professor Robert Keiter and Kirstin Lindstrom, a 2011 Utah Law graduate, presented a paper as part of a panel discussion at the 57th annual Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Institute in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Faculty Update
Sep 14, 2011Bob Adler and co-authors David Driesen and Kirsten Engel published the second edition of Environmental Law: A Conceptual and Pragmatic Approach (2011). Adler published three […]
Alumni Jamie Pleune Joins College of Law Faculty as Associate Clinical Professor
Sep 12, 2011Jamie Pleune (Class of 2007) has joined the faculty of the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law as an Associate Clinical Professor and […]
Stegner Symposium to Consider Ecosystems and Wildlife Management
Feb 24, 2011On March 11 and 12, the Sixteenth Annual Stegner Symposium, “Wildlife Conservation in the 21st Century,” will ask the important question, “How can we best […]
Professor Robert Keiter invited to White House Conference on America’s Great Outdoors
Apr 21, 2010On April 16, Professor Robert Keiter was an invited guest at a White House Conference on America’s Great Outdoors.
Stegner Center to Present Naturalist, Author George Schaller at City Library
Feb 01, 2010On February 23, George Schaller, one of the world’s most famous conservation biologists, will appear in Salt Lake City to discuss his research and efforts […]
Pax Natura Foundation Will Honor Stegner Center, February 5
Jan 19, 2010On Friday, February 5, 2010, the Pax Natura Foundation will honor Robert Keiter and Jan Nystrom of the Wallace Stegner Center for Land, Resources and […]
College of Law to Participate in First-Ever National Pro Bono Celebration, Oct. 25-30
Oct 15, 2009The S.J. Quinney College of Law will participate in the inaugural National Pro Bono Celebration Oct. 25-30, 2009.
Stegner Center Presents Award-Winning Author Alexandra Fuller October 7
Sep 17, 2009On Wednesday, October 7, the Wallace Stegner Center at the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law will sponsor a reading and book signing […]
Authors, Public Officials, Historians and Artists to Explore the 'Life and Legacy' of Wallace Stegner at March 6-7 Symposium
Mar 04, 2009Wallace Stegner, historian, novelist, essayist, conservationist, and educator, is widely known as the “Dean of Western Writers.” On March 6-7, a distinguished group of elected […]
Poet and Author Wendell Berry to Read in SLC, March 5
Feb 18, 2009On Thursday, March 5, poet, farmer, novelist, and essayist Wendell Berry will appear at a reception and book signing and read from his work in […]
Kim Connolly visits College of Law as Stegner Center Young Scholar
Oct 12, 2008Associate Professor Kim Diana Connolly from the University of South Carolina School of Law joins the Wallace Stegner Center as a Stegner Center Young Scholar Oct. 20-21, 2008.
Alan Weisman Speaks at Stegner Center
Oct 05, 2008“Alan Weisman has produced, if not a bible, at least a Book of Revelation.” —Newsweek On Tuesday, September 30, Alan Weisman, New York Times bestselling […]
A profile on Professor Bill Lockhart
Sep 22, 2008William J. Lockhart, inevitably known among earlier students as “Wild Bill,” spent his pre-adolescent childhood exploring nature in his hometown of Los Altos, California, then a rural outpost on the southern end of the San Francisco Peninsula.
Law school hosts environmental leaders from the Middle East
Aug 24, 2008Nature doesn’t know borders. Smog and other pollution problems seep onto all sides of man-made borders, whether they be cities, counties, states or nations, while these adjacent communities compete for scarce water and other resources.
Professor Robert Keiter receives natural resources law teaching award
Aug 05, 2008The Rocky Mountain Mineral Law Foundation has named Professor Robert B. Keiter a 2008 Clyde O. Martz Award recipient.
University of Utah recognizes Professor Robert Keiter
Apr 06, 2008The University of Utah’s Board of Trustees recently bestowed the honorary title of Distinguished Professor upon Professor Robert B. Keiter. The title recognizes Keiter’s lifetime achievement in the field of natural resources and environmental law.
Stegner Symposium to Focus on Alternative Energy Solutions to Climate Change
Feb 24, 2008by John Blodgett “Alternative Energy: Seeking Climate Change Solutions,” the Wallace Stegner Center’s Thirteenth Annual Symposium, will be held Friday and Saturday, March 7-8, 2008, […]