Building on the law school's rich heritage in both ocean and coastal law and water law, the Ocean, Coasts, and Watersheds Project explores cutting-edge issues in both marine and freshwater environments.
Recent Publications
- Michelle Smith and ENR Oceans, Coasts, and Watersheds Project Fellows Andrew Archer, Natalie Gillard, Kyle Knoll, Elizabeth Mayans, and Caleb Todd , "Legal and Policy Interventions to Restore and Protect Lake Abert," Environmental and Natural Resources Law Center (October 1, 2024).
- Michelle Smith, Adell Amos, and ENR Oceans, Coasts, and Watersheds Project Fellows Samantha Blount, Mariah Ellis, Natalie Gillard, and Kellie Warren, "Removing Obstacles to Dam Removal in the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission's Regulation of Hydropower Projects" (September 5, 2024).
- Michelle Smith, Adell Amos, and ENR Oceans, Coasts, and Watersheds Project Fellows Andrew Archer, Kyle Knoll, Caleb Todd, and Elissa Karim, "Western State Strategies to Improve Efficiency in Water Allocation Decision Making," Environmental and Natural Resources Law Center (May 14, 2024)
- Adell Amos and Adam S. Ward, "The Supreme Court is Bypassing Science -- We Can't Ignore It," EoS (September 6, 2023)
- Adell Amos, "Reclaiming Our Public Waters After the Supreme Court's Devastating Decision," Washington Monthly (June 9, 2023)
- Adell Amos and Michelle Smith, "Drought, Groundwater, and River Restoration: Connecting Water Law and Policy to Human Health Impacts of Drought " (abstract for Pacific Northwest Drought and Public Health Workshop, October 2022)
- Adell Amos,"Water Law in a Nutshell (Sixth Edition)," coauthored with Sandra B. Zellmer, West Academic Publishing (2021)
- Adell Amos, "Redrawing Our Urban Waters: Merging Design, Law, and Policy in Advancing Distributed Water Systems," in The Routledge Handbook on Sustainable Cities and Landscapes in the Pacific Rim, coauthored with Brook Muller, Josh Cerra, Chingwen Chen, David Feldmen, Tatum Lau, Noelwah Netusil, and Eric Porse (2021)
- Sarah Adams-Schoen, “Planning and Zoning Within the Coastal Zone,” in AMERICAN LAW OF ZONING, 6th Edition (ed. Patricia Salkin) (2019)
- BUILDING TRUST: Public Trust Principles in State Water Law that Encourage Sustainable Management of Water Resources and Promote Principles of Intergenerational Equity
- Scope and limitations of drought management within complex human–natural systems
- Mechanisms for Protecting Groundwater Dependant Ecosystems
- Finding water scarcity amid abundance using human–natural system models
Recent Presentations
- Adell Amos, Interagency Conference on Research in the Watersheds (June 5-8, 2023)
- Adell Amos, "Advancing and Expanding an American 30 by 30," 2023 J.B. & Maurice C. Shapiro Environmental Law Symposium, George Washington University Law School Environmental and Energy Law Program (April 6, 2023)
- Adell Amos, Alaí Reyes-Santos, Michelle Smith, Lynny Brown, Isabel Sanchez, and Cheyenne Holliday, "Oregon Water Justice," Public Interest Environmental Law Conference, Land Air Water, University of Oregon (March 3, 2023)
- Adell Amos, "Celebrating the Willamette River Natural Area," University of Oregon (May 24, 2022)
- Adell Amos, "Drought, Groundwater, and River Restoration," Pacific Northwest Region Drought and Human Health Workshop (October 20, 2022)
- Brenden Catt, 3L Fellow, "How a Coastal Nonpoint Pollution Control Program Could Influence Forestry Practices that Threaten Oregon's Coastal Water Resources," Oregon State of the Coast, October 29, 2021.
Faculty
OCWP Fellows 2023-2024
Andy Archer - 2L (Freshwater)
Growing up in Bend, Oregon, Andy connected with the natural world at a young age. He spent much of his formative years fly fishing and rafting Oregon's wild rivers, summiting its towering peaks, and hiking through its old-growth forests. Inspired by these experiences, Andy studied Environmental Science as an undergraduate at the University of Oregon, primarily focusing on restoring rivers. In his junior year at UO, he worked on an ongoing floodplain enhancement project on the South Fork McKenzie River.
After graduating, Andy transitioned to a role in the fly fishing industry, where he witnessed first-hand how drought and a rapidly shifting global climate not only jeopardize wild spaces but also threaten communities. This led him to pursue a career in environmental law.
After completing his first year at Oregon Law, Andy clerked with Cascadia Wildlands, a Eugene-based nonprofit dedicated to protecting and restoring the wild spaces of the Cascadia bioregion. During his 2L summer, along with clerking for a local law firm, he received a scholarship through UC Davis to study international approaches to groundwater and drought management in Northern Spain and the Netherlands. Now in his second year of fellowship with the Oceans, Coasts, and Watersheds Project, Andy will continue to build upon the impactful work that the team accomplished last year. Outside of law school, he will also continue serving as Vice President of the Southern Willamette Valley's Trout Unlimited chapter.
Max McCool - 1L (Freshwater)
Max is an Oregonian who grew up fly fishing the diversity of rivers the state has to offer. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Management from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, where he also completed graduate-level research focused on the sustainability of fertilization practices in California citrus orchards. Prior to attending law school, Max worked in ESG consulting as an analyst and founded a nonprofit focused on the preservation of Oregon's native trout populations. Max's academic interests are primarily concentrated on Water Law and the future sustainability of fisheries and agriculture in the western U.S.
James Meschia - 2L (Oceans & Coasts)
James was born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida. His passion for conservation stems from his lifelong love for fishing. By becoming an angler in Jacksonville, where freshwater, inshore, surf, and offshore fishing opportunities are abundant, he developed a strong relationship with these major aquatic ecosystems, which has since bloomed into a commitment to conservation--both terrestrial and aquatic. As an undergraduate, James attended the University of Alabama (UA), where he studied Political Science and English while completing coursework in marine science. He also had the opportunity to study at the Dauphin Sea Lab, where he helped researchers gather data for various marine science projects. After completing his first year at Oregon Law, James worked as a legal intern with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and as a legal research assistant with the Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation.