Our Work
We have a highly experienced team of attorneys and policy experts who work close to the ground from offices in Oregon, Washington, Montana, and New Mexico. As a public interest law firm, WELC does not charge clients and partners for services, but relies instead on charitable gifts from individuals, families, and foundations to accomplish our mission.
The American West is defined by its natural heritage of wildlands, rivers, forests, and wildlife. Since its inception, WELC has worked hard to preserve and restore these unique characteristics.
Understanding that the future of the American West means little without its iconic wildlife, WELC is dedicated to protecting native animals while preserving and restoring the healthy, functioning natural ecosystems they call home.
Our world is warming, with dire consequences to the American West’s communities, lands, rivers, and wildlife. But, as the saying goes, in every crisis rests opportunity.
Regional Resilience
To address the impacts of the Anthropocene and our volatile political climate, peer-reviewed science emphasizes the importance of resilience, defined as the capacity of a system to absorb disturbance and to reorganize while retaining essentially the same function, structure, identity, and feedbacks. The Western Environmental Law Center is leveraging this concept through expanded, urgently needed legal advocacy.
