ELS students organize an annual symposium, which brings together experts from around the region and the country to provide their perspectives on pressing environmental issues.
2025 Symposium
Resilient by Design: Climate Adaptation & the Future of Housing in California
Join us for UC Davis School of Law Environmental Law Society's Annual Symposium on Friday March 14th, 2025 at King Hall, Room 1001. Panels start at 8:00am.
California MCLE credits available for in-person attendees only.
Click Here to Register
Agenda:
8:50 a.m. : Opening Remarks
Provided by Jessica Berg, Dean of the UC Davis School of Law.
9 a.m. : Keynote Discussion
- Erik Porse, PhD, Director, California Institute for Water Resources
- Natalie Kuffel, Deputy Director, Planning and Climate Policy, Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation
9:45 a.m. : Panel 1—Debating Climate Action on the Coast - Sea Level Rise & Flooding
A panel on building resilient coastal communities, exploring nature-based and engineered solutions to sea level rise and flooding, with a focus on equity in state-level responses.
- Professor Richard Frank, UC Davis School of Law
- Ellis F. Raskin, Partner, Hanson Bridgett LLP
- Kelsey Ducklow, Coastal Resilience Coordinator, California Coastal Commission
- Laura Walsh, Policy Manager, Save the Bay
11 a.m. : Panel 2—The WUI & Beyond - Wildfire Impacts on Homeowners Across the State
A discussion of the impact of wildfires on homeowners and communities statewide, highlighting unique housing pressures and adaptation strategies in the wildland-urban interface.
- Michael Wara, Senior Research Scholar, Woods Institute for the Environment; Director, the Climate and Energy Policy Program, Stanford University
- Dave Jones, Director, Climate Risk Initiative, Center for Law Energy & the Environment; Former California Insurance Commissioner
- Melissa Breach, CEO, Prosperity California
- Enrique Sanchez, Director, Emergency Planning, Kashia Band of Pomo Indians of Stewarts Point Rancheria
Lunchtime talk with UC Davis Professor Roberta L. Millstein, author of The Land Is Our Community: Aldo Leopold's Land Ethic for the New Millenium. Lunch will be provided.
1:30 p.m. : Panel 3—Sustaining Rural Landscapes - Managing for Natural Resources & Community Resilience
A panel exploring the diverse challenges rural communities face, from groundwater access to broader resource needs.
- Professor David Sandino, UC Davis School of Law
- Amanda Hansen, Deputy Secretary for Climate Change, California Natural Resources Agency
- Alvar Escriva Bou, Adjunct Fellow, PPIC; Assistant Professor, Water Resources & Environmental Engineering, UC Davis
- Richard Castillo, Climate Resilience & Adaptation Manager, Regeneracion Pajaro Valley Climate Action
2:45 p.m. : Panel 4—Where to Next - Infill, Sprawl, or “California Forever”?
- Professor Chris Elmendorf, UC Davis School of Law
- Gabe Metcalf, Head of Planning, California Forever
- Jennifer Hernandez, Partner, Holland & Knight
- Ethan Elkind, Director, Climate Program, Center for Law, Energy & the Environment, Berkeley Law
Former Symposia
2024 Symposium
Rewilding: The role of habitat restoration and species reintroduction in achieving climate resiliency
Join us for UC Davis School of Law Environmental Law Society's Annual Symposium on Friday March 8th, 2024 at King Hall, Room 1001. The symposium will feature three panels exploring the multiple benefits of habitat restoration, species reintroduction and how to address the potential legal, policy, and social challenges of rewilding.
Agenda and additional information about the panels are below. California MCLE credits available. Additional speakers to be announced!
Click Here to Register
AGENDA9 am - Check-in
Coffee and Light Breakfast
9:45 am - 10 am - Welcome- Opening remarks by Dean Kevin R. Johnson, J.D., UC Davis School of Law
- Symposium Introduction by Kasil Willie, J.D., Staff Attorney, Save California Salmon
10 am - 11 am - Panel 1 - “Getting Acquainted: Species Management in California” - Learn about the history of species loss in California, how intentional restoration and species recovery management work in practice, and the role of climate change in thinking about such projects.
- Dr. Karrigan Börk, Professor, UC Davis School of Law [Moderator]
- Dr. Peter Alagona, UC Santa Barbara Faculty and Founder of The California Grizzly Research Network
- Dr. Eric Post, Professor, Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology, UC Davis
11 am - 12 pm - Panel 2 - "Habitat Restoration & Species Reintroduction Projects in Practice” - Explore legal, social, and economic considerations of species management by examining specific habitat restoration and reintroduction case studies.
- Jennifer Fearing, President, Fearless Advocacy [Moderator]
- Chris West, Senior Wildlife Biologist, Yurok Tribe Wildlife Department
- Brock Dolman, Program Director, Occidental Arts & Ecology Center
12 pm - 1:30 pm - Lunch
- "Rewilding at home!" Learn about Friends of North Davis' Davis Ditch Project from Eric Newman (Class of '81).
1:30 pm - 2:30 pm - Panel 3 - "Making Rewilding a Reality” - Using case studies as examples, discuss the successful elements of habitat restoration and species reintroduction projects and how they can help build more resilient and diverse systems.
- Chris Stermer, Senior Environmental Scientist, California Department of Fish and Wildlife [Moderator]
- Dr. Robert Lusardi, Adjunct Faculty, Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology, UC Davis
- Mari Galloway, J.D., California Program Director, Wildlands Network
- Brendan Cummings, Conservation Director, Center for Biological Diversity
3 pm - Join us at a Dunloe Brewing - The Local (610 3rd Street, Davis, CA) for a casual get together after the Symposium!
This is an in-person event held at King Hall (UC Davis School of Law). Light breakfast and lunch will be served. MCLE credits will be available. We hope to see you there!
Thank you to our 2024 Symposium Sponsors!
If your law firm or organization is interested in sponsoring the event, please contact Alina Werth (acwerth@ucdavis.edu) and Christopher Mouawad (cjmouawad@ucdavis.edu). This event is not possible without the generous support of our community!
WALKING THE WALK TOWARD AN EQUITABLE FUTURE: THE URGENT NEED TO CENTER ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE IN LAW AND POLICY
In this year’s symposium, we hope to foster discussion and educate our audience about community environmental justice goals, the government resources available to accomplish these goals, and the strategies to ensure these goals are met when systems fail.
Keynote Speaker: Abre' Connor, NAACP
Panel 1: From the Ground Up - Round Table Discussion of Environmental Justice Battles in California Frontline Communities
Panel 2: Mandating and Funding Environmental Justice - Federal, State, and Local Government Regulatory Roles
Panel 3: EJ Mic Check- Reflections on Fighting for Equity through Litigation and Policy
Support ELS and this Symposium by Donating Here
BEYOND THE CARBON THRESHOLD: LEGAL AND POLICY SOLUTIONS TO ADDRESS CLIMATE CHANGE IN A POST 400PPM WORLD
400 ppm atmospheric CO2 levels were once considered a climate tipping point. Today we’re at 412 ppm. The 2022 symposium will focus on legal and policy initiatives to address the current era of climate volatility.
Panel 1: California’s Path to Carbon Neutrality
Panel 2: Statutory Shortcomings in Environmental Justice
Panel 3: The Importance of Environmental Nuisance Litigation
