Annual Symposium
The Wallace Stegner Center annually holds a symposium during spring semester on an environmental or natural resources topic of regional, national, and international importance. The symposium is interdisciplinary in nature, and includes speakers from the sciences and social sciences, academia, government, industry, and the legal profession.
Through the symposia and other programs, the Stegner Center has brought numerous luminaries to the College of Law, including Bruce Babbitt, Wendell Berry, Helen Caldicott, Eric Freyfogle, Ryan Gellert, Jane Goodall, Sally Jewell, John Leshy, Patty Limerick, Pamela Matson, Bill McKibben, Pat Mulroy, Naomi Oresekes, Robert V. Percival, Zygmunt Plater, Joe Sax, Lynn Scarlett, George Schaller, Paul Schullery, Michael Soule, Sandra Steingraber, Lawrence Susskind, Mary Evelyn Tucker, Rebecca Watson, Terry Tempest Williams, Alan Weisman, and Charles Wilkinson among others.
The R. Harold Burton Foundation was the founding donor for the symposium in 1996 and has been the principal donor each year. Other donors who have provided support for multiple years include the Cultural Vision Fund and the Nature Conservancy in Utah.
Wallace Stegner Center 31st Annual Symposium
America’s Public Lands: At a Crossroads? | March 19-20, 2026
The Wallace Stegner Center’s 31st annual symposium will focus on one of the most pressing issues of our time: the future of our public lands.
This is a vital issue locally and regionally. From stark shifts in law and policy regulating the designation and use of public lands to ongoing demographic and economic changes in the American West, from conflicts over recreation to wildfire and other growing threats, the way we use and protect public lands continues to rapidly evolve as the region does too.
The 31st annual Stegner Symposium will shine a bright light on all these issues and more. The symposium features leading scholars, advocates, and constituents in standalone addresses, panel discussions, and compelling presentations. Together, speakers will highlight the multiple—and competing—demands on public lands, with a focus on how to preserve the places that are arguably our greatest heritage as Americans.