The Natural Resources Law Center at the University of Colorado at Boulder will celebrate its 20th anniversary with a gala fund-raising dinner Oct. 26 at the Oxford Hotel in Denver.Ìý
"For two decades, NRLC has engaged in research aimed at influencing the public debate and policymaking concerning natural resources," said Natural Resources Law Center Director Jim Martin. "We are proud of our legacy and look forward to continuing this vital work."
The event also will launch the Clyde Martz Endowment for the Study of Natural Resources and Environmental Law. Martz, a former professor and dean of the CU-Boulder School of Law, is being honored for a lifetime of service on behalf of natural resources.
"Martz is a giant in the field of natural resources law," said Martin. "In addition to Clyde's impact on the University of Colorado School of Law and on the Natural Resources Law Center, he served as assistant attorney general during the Johnson administration, as solicitor of the Department of the Interior during the Carter administration and was one of the leading members of the private bar.
"Not only is he one of the center's founders, he is also one of the center's most stalwart supporters. We are honored to establish this endowment in his name."
The Natural Resources Law Center is a nonprofit program at the law school supported primarily through foundation grants and private donations. Its mission is to promote sustainability in the rapidly changing American West by informing and influencing natural resource laws, policies and decisions through a comprehensive program of research, education and advice.
"We have helped decision makers resolve conflicts surrounding resource development and preservation," said Martin. "We have brought constituents from all levels of government, community and environmental groups, attorneys, Native American tribes, academics, students and the general public together to consider the implications of resources policy and practice."
The center originated from an informal program of law school-sponsored conferences that focused primarily on public lands and western water. In 1982, professors James Corbridge, David Getches and Stephen Williams, with the support of visionary practitioners such as Marvin Wolf, Ruth Wright and Guy Martin, created the center to help organize and manage these conferences and to develop a natural resources research program.
Throughout its 20 years, the center has sponsored 27 major conferences, including 17 on water resources, four on public lands and others on hazardous wastes, Indian country, regulatory takings, endangered species, national forests and recreation.Ìý
It also has published 85 reports, nine books, dozens of conference proceedings and a semiannual newsletter, which make available the center's research and related work on a variety of natural resource law and policy topics. Each year it also brings in scholars, practitioners and government officials to the Boulder campus as Distinguished Visitors or research fellows.
For more information on the dinner or the Natural Resources Law Center and its programs visit the Web page at or call (303) 492-1287.