Sample Environmental Cases
- Endangered Species Act. Litigation and successful settlement of Endangered Species Act cases, whereby the landowner agreed to enact habitat remediation measures, including creation of vernal pools and commitments to use native crop cover and non chemical methods to limit rodent populations.
- Endangered Species Act. Settlement with the Fish and Wildlife Service in which valuable habitat was purchased and protected. Litigation of numerous ESA lawsuits, obtaining favorable settlements and mitigation to protect endangered California tiger salamander populations.
- CEQA. Friends of the Gualala River v. California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection: a challenge to Gualala Redwood Timber company's Timber Harvesting Plan on the Gualala River. This litigation stopped logging of redwood forest in the floodplains of the Gualala River. Successful litigation in 2022 in a CEQA action to protect Muir Woods.
- NEPA/CEQA. Review of hundreds of EIRs and the Clean Water Act wetlands applications to ensure compliance with state and Federal law.
- Regional Water Quality Control Board. Advocacy before the Sacramento Regional Water Quality Control Board to focus its enforcement remedies on appropriate technical engineering fixes supported by fisheries groups.
- Clean Water Act/Flood Protection/Wetlands. Marin County proposed flood control projects that included installation of concrete flood control structures. These structures would have caused damage to the creek habitat and lowered property values. Representation of property owners and an environmental group resulted in the the county abandoning the projects.
- Clean Water Act/State Water Board Litigation. Advocacy regarding a complicated administrative complaint before the State Water Resources Control Board and the National Marine Fisheries Service. Author of a compliance regimen that set schedules and performance markers that moved the project toward adoption of habitat protection measures.
