The Great American Outdoors

Photo by ENRD

Almost one third of our nation’s land is public land managed by the Forest Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. From iconic National Parks to expansive forests, to austere red rock canyons, the public lands are a national treasure. And they are called upon to serve multiple – and sometimes conflicting – uses, including recreation, wildlife and fish habitat, timber production, grazing, mineral production, and preservation of cultural and historical resources. 

Litigating under NEPA, the National Forest Management Act, the Federal Land Policy and Management Act, the Wilderness Act, the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act, and myriad other statutes, attorneys in the Natural Resources Section defend federal agencies as they make the decisions that determine how the nation’s public lands will be managed. These decisions are as diverse as the lands themselves, including timber projects designed to improve forest health and reduce catastrophic wildfires, rules and policies governing off-road vehicle use on federal lands, management of sage grouse in the American West, policies and decisions governing the extraction of fossil fuels and critical minerals, reintroduction of endangered species, and management of federal water facilities and water distribution.