On October 31st, the US Supreme Court denied a petition for certiorari filed by private landowners in the Pavlock case, declining to consider the legal questions posed by petitioners and to require further consideration by the 7th Circuit.
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The Conservation Law Center is proud to announce the Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust has continued their support of CLC’s Clean Water Indiana Program with a grant of $180,000. This grant represents a longstanding partnership between the Pulliam Trust and CLC, with a shared goal of improving water quality in the state of Indiana.
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Conservation Law Center is making that investment each day by working to protect and improve the health, diversity, beauty and resilience of the planet and defend our shared natural heritage in Indiana and beyond.
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Here are some great events happening throughout the state for World Wetlands Day.
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How do we help land trusts? We give pro bono advice on matters of conservation easement drafting and enforcement, complex real estate transactions, property liabilities, and countless other matters related to running a nonprofit organization.
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We continue to work on solutions to Indiana’s water quality problems thanks to a generous gift of $40,000 from the Herbert Simon Family Foundation.
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This summer, Conservation Law Center is fortunate to have the help of Thalia Hobson, a summer research intern from Maurer Law School. Her work involves diving into Indiana’s laws—and lack-thereof in some cases—to see how the state will cope with climate change.
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Happy World Water Day, fellow conservationists! Over at CLC, we're taking time out of our day to reflect on the importance of the 1% of fresh water that is accessible to us. While many people are focusing on the need to develop water infrastructure in economically developing countries (which is great!), we want to remind our followers that small changes in our lifestyles can have a big impact on curbing water waste! With issues arising throughout the country, like lead contamination in Flint, Michigan, and over 7,000 miles of Indiana rivers and streams being impaired by untreated or improperly treated waste water, it has never been more important to make those changes now. Here's a list of CLC tested and approved steps to reducing your water footprint.
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August is Water Quality Month (#WQM17) and Conservation Law Center (CLC) is sponsoring a social media campaign to raise awareness of the importance of water quality and availability in Indiana. Here is our Letter to the Editor from CLC Director Bill Weeks and Indiana University's Dr. Jeffrey White about the #WQM17 initiative.
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Carol Kugler, a reporter for The Herald-Times in Bloomington, IN, attended CLC's recent presentation at Green Drinks Bloomington.
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On Wednesday, March 22 at 6 pm in honor of World Water Day, Bill Weeks, Director of the Conservation Law Center, and Lily Bonwich, Director of Development of the Conservation Law Center will present a talk entitled "Water and Quality of Life in Indiana."
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On September 8, CLC attorney Jeff Hyman will be defending the Public Trust with clients Save the Dunes and Alliance for the Great Lakes. The argument is open to the Public and begins 1:00 PM in the Supreme Court Courtroom (room 317) at the State Courthouse in Indianapolis. All are welcome to attend.
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For a good portion of the year, CLC has been representing Friends of the White River in a Tree Clearing Settlement Agreement with the US Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) and Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) to ensure that the proposed tree clearing on the Indianapolis banks of the White River represents the community as well as the safety concerns it addresses.
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Director Bill Weeks spoke at Friends of the White River annual meeting this February. CLC has been assisting FOTWR in negotiations with the DNR about tree removal on the White River levee.
At the event, President Dan Valleskey presented the organization's annual award to CLC. The hand-made carved paddle represents FOTWR's gratitude for CLC's legal council.
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The Conservation Law Center is representing Friends of the White River in contesting a plan to strip vegetation in the White River corridor from Broad Ripple to Kessler in Indianapolis. This much loved urban oasis is home to mature bottomland hardwood forest of considerable ecological value. Apparently relying on outdated advice from the Corps of Engineers, the City of Indianapolis has claimed that the riverside levee must be clear of vegetation in order to obtain a safety certification. CLC will argue that Congress has changed the law as to vegetation clearing, and that the city's application for a permit to clear the trees should be denied.
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The Center has been representing the Alliance for the Great Lakes and Save the Dunes in a lawsuit in which certain owners of lakeside property claim ownership of the beach of Lake Michigan right down to the water's edge. The trial court decided that it wasn't a proper forum to settle the ownership question, but affirmed our argument that regardless of ownership, any activity on the land in question must be consistent with the "public trust,"" a legal doctrine that is meant to protect the public's interest in the values of certain critical natural resources.
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CLC is representing the Alliance for the Great Lakes and Save the Dunes in litigation over the application of the public trust and the boundary of the State of Indiana's ownership of the shore of Lake Michigan. The lawsuit began when certain owners of lakeside property sued the Town of Long Beach, claiming a town resolution interfered with their rights. The complaint asks the court to declare that there is no public right in the shore landward of the water's edge. CLC’s clients believe that the conservation interest in the lakeshore will be best served by defending the claim of public rights in the shoreland.
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CLC attorneys and Clinic interns advised long-standing client, Great Lakes United, and four other conservation groups in preparing comments on the U.S. Coast Guard's ballast water rulemaking (docket number USCG-2001-10486). The dangers that ballast water poses for the introduction of aquatic invasive species have been recognized for well over a century.
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