David Moskowitz JD ’90 writes, “I have been working continuously on wild fish and wild river conservation issues, beginning with volunteering for NEDC during my first year of law school. Over time, I have worked for the Northwest Steelheaders, Oregon Trout, Native Fish Society, NOAA Fisheries, Metro Regional Services, Wild Salmon Center, WaterWatch of Oregon, and Deschutes River Alliance. I ran my own legislative advocacy consultancy and now have been the executive director of The Conservation Angler (TCA) since 2016. In 2021, we were thrilled to hire staunch wild-fish advocate Rob Kirschner JD ’07, who was serving as general counsel at Freshwater Trust for Joe Whitworth JD ’00, as our legal and policy director. (I first met Rob when he and some of his fellow students, including Joseph Furia JD ’08, Eric Shoemaker JD ’07, Thor Tingey JD ’07, and Andy Mitchell JD ’07, attended a Career Services event in which I’d participated. As our paths continued to cross—sometimes on a river, sometimes in a duck blind, sometimes at work—we forged meaningful connections.) In 2022, TCA joined the North Umpqua Coalition (NUC), whose aim is to advocate for an all-wild steelhead North Umpqua River. The North Umpqua is one of the few Oregon rivers home to both wild summer and winter steelhead, and Rob led the coalition’s legal and policy review of Oregon’s fish and wildlife management of the river’s famed wild summer steelhead. A year’s worth of advocacy and legal work culminated in convincing the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission to end the hatchery summer steelhead program on the river. It is the first ever affirmative hatchery program closure decision in Oregon. But the story is not over; the commission’s decision is the subject of litigation. NUC, represented by Karl Anuta BS ’81, JD ’86 and Mike Sargetakis JD ’17 as amicus curiae, will pursue this case to the end to protect this historic victory for wild fish. On my first day of law school, former Dean Steve Kanter, as part of his address to the incoming class, urged us to get to know each other, ‘because these classmates will become your law partners, your bosses, your clients, your mentors, your spouse, and definitely your friends.’ Wise words from one of my favorite professors.”
