Washburn Law Journal
Editor's Note
Volume 41, No. 1 (Fall 2001)
Professor Joseph L. Sax is considered one of the founding fathers of environmental law. He has been a leader in that field for over thirty years, recognized especially for his contributions in the areas of public trust law and citizen suit enforcement. Washburn Law School was honored to have Professor Sax deliver the Foulston & Siefkin Lecture in April, 2001. His lead article in the Washburn Law Journal, entitled The New Age of Environmental Restoration, emphasizes that the protection of endangered species does not come one animal at a time, but instead requires the protection of entire ecosystems. His article inspired four complementary pieces that elaborate upon his "New Age" theme.
In Protecting Ecosystems Under the Endangered Species Act: The Sonoran Desert Example, William Snape III and other attorneys at the Defenders of Wildlife apply the concept and examine the protection of numerous endangered species in the Sonoran Desert of the Southwest. In Adaptive Management, the Endangered Species Act, and the Institutional Challenges of "New Age" Environmental Protection, Holly Doremus posits that even within an ecosystem, the management must be adaptive, evolving over time as conditions change. In Endangered Species Information: Access and Control, Robert L. Fischman and Vicky J. Meretsky underscore the importance of information to habitat management. In particular they focus on the tension between scientists' reluctance to publish without complete data and the need for habitat managers to have information expeditiously. In Jeopardy Under the Endangered Species Act: Playing A Game Protected Species Can't Win, Daniel J. Rohlf provides a specific example of the use of information as he examines the effectiveness of the ESA's prohibition against jeopardizing protected species.
J.M.H.
