Events

Upcoming Events:

GiveBIG May 6th

Summary: GiveBIG is hosted by 501 Commons to support Washington non-profits though a one-day online giving campaign. Now the need to GiveBIG is bigger than ever. Together we can make Washington a better place to live.

When: May 6th all day

Starting April 22nd early giving begins.  Early giving allows you to schedule your donation before the 24 hour window on May 6th. Travel, work and other responsibilities create busy lives and early giving ensures that you have the opportunity to donate when it’s convenient and top of mind. 

Goal: This year our goal is to raise $5,000. We also have a generous donor who has agreed to match donations up to $5,000. Double your impact and help us protect Washington’s waters now and for future generations.

June Celebrate Water and CLE 2020

Summary: Every year we host Celebrate Water to honor a local water hero, celebrate successes for our waters, and raise funds to continue our important work protecting, preserving, and restoring Washington’s rivers and streams. This year we celebrate our 25th anniversary and we present the Ralph W. Johnson Water Hero Award to Professor Bob Anderson
Ralph W. Johnson Water Hero Award: We will present the Ralph W. Johnson Water Hero award to Professor Robert Anderson to honor his career as Director of the Native American Law Center, his work with Tribes throughout Washington and the United States consulting on water and natural resource issues, his dedication as an educator,  and his advocacy for Native American law students.  Bob Anderson’s work embodies the connection between water and Indian Law and the vision of our founder Ralph W. Johnson.
When: POSTPONED
Where: Ivar’s Salmon House
COVID-19: Unfortunately, we are postponing Celebrate Water. We are hoping to host the event in September and will keep everyone updated.
Celebrate Water is our largest fundraiser of the year. We are keeping an eye on ongoing regulations, public health recommendations, and Governor Inslee’s orders. Keeping our staff, families, supporters, and community safe is our top priority.  We will update this page as regulations are updated.
We understand it is a difficult time for many people. If you have the capacity and are interested in supporting CELP’s work you can visit https://celp.org/get-involved/donate/.
Thank you for your support!

Past Events:

Winter Waters

CELP and Sierra Club’s Upper Columbia River Group hosted our annual Winter Waters event at the Patsy Clark Mansion in Spokane on March 6th 2020. This year the event honored the Spokane River and it’s Flow Champions:
American Whitewater- Thomas O’Keefe
ROW Adventures- Peter Grubb
Silver Bow Fly Shop- Sean Visintainer
FLOW Adventures- Jon Wilmot
The event also launched a statewide campaign to protect a clean, flowing Spokane River, a Sierra Club initiative.
Thank you to our generous sponsors!

Clean & Abundant Water Lobby Day Feb. 25th 2020

The Center for Environmental Law & Policy and Puget Soundkeeper Alliance coordinated our second annual Clean & Abundant Waters Lobby Day on February 25th. We met with over 46 legislators to advocate for bills that protect our waterways, salmon, and orca. Our six priority bills included the Commerical Water Bottling Bill (ESSB 6278), Reusable Bag Bill (ESSB 5323), Styrofoam Ban (E2SSB 6213), Motorized/Suction Dredge Mining Bill (ESHB 1261), Water & Energy Conservation C-PACER (E2SHB 2405), Ecology’s Drought Legislation (ESHB 1622). Attendees received hands-on advocacy training and met with like-minded community members from across the state.

Special thanks to Puget Soundkeeper Alliance for coordinating lobby day with us. Thanks to Waterkeeper Alliance groups, Columbia Riverkeeper, Spokane Riverkeeper, North Sound Baykeeper, Twin Harbors Waterkeeper, and to Trout Unlimited, RE Sources for Sustainable Communities, the Lewis County Water Alliance, Cowlitz Indian Tribe, and everyone else who made it to Olympia to support clean and abundant water.

December 5 2019- Winter Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Protecting the Public Interest in Washington’s Water

CELP’s annual full-day winter Continuing Legal Education workshop will be held on Thursday, December 5th at The Mountaineers Program Center 7700 Sand Point Way NE Seattle, WA 98115. The focus of the day will be protecting the public interest in Washington’s water.

6 CLE Credits Approved: 5 Legal 1 Ethics

PROGRAM:
Making the Best Use of Our Water Resources
Protecting Water in Troubled Times
Reclaimed Water- Possibilities and Roadblocks
The Fight Against Water Bottling
Ethics Hour
SPEAKERS:
Suzanne Skinner, Washington Water Trust
Ted Howard, Center for Environmental Law and Policy
Adam Domanski, EcoNW
Sanne Knudsen, University of Washington Law School
Andrew Hawley, Western Environmental Law Center
Jacque Klug, King County
Jason Hatch, Washington Water Trust
Wendy Steffensen, LOTT
Courtney Johnson, CRAG Law Center
Julia DeGraw, community activist
Russ Mead, Lewis & Clark University Law School

May 30-31 2019 – One River: Ethics Matter Conference

The sixth annual “One River, Ethics Matter” conference held in Castlegar BC, at the confluence of the Kootenay and Columbia Rivers – and a confluence of history and ethics.

Today we face the challenges of climate change, including glacial melt, increased fire activity, and warming river-reservoir temperatures lethal to fish. The 2019 One River, Ethics Matter conference explored remedial options through respectful dialogue and further public education specifically regarding the Columbia River Treaty by the following considerations:  (1) adding a third Treaty purpose co-equal to existing Treaty purposes of hydropower and flood control, and (2) new approaches to ethical governance of the river that strengthen river and community resiliency, restore salmon and other fisheries, and right historic wrongs done to the Upper Columbia River region, indigenous peoples, and other citizens of the watershed.

June 20th – Celebrate Waters

Center for Environmental Law & Policy’s (CELP) annual fundraising event, Celebrate Water Thursday, June 20th! Thanks Ivar’s Salmon House for the event space.
We commemorated another successful year of CELP’s work advocating for Washington’s rivers and streams. We presented Larry Wasserman with the Ralph W. Johnson Water Hero Award for his activism which ultimately secured improved protections and management of our state’s water resources. We hosted a silent auction featuring great items and gift certificates from Patagonia, the Mariners, and more!
Read about the Event!
CELP hosts many events each calendar year.   We hope to see you at one soon!