Published: May 22, 2007

Coping with natural resources law and policy challenges in the 21st century, from mineral extraction to water and forest management, will be the focus of the University of Colorado at Boulder Natural Resources Law Center's 25th Anniversary Summer Conference.

Titled "The Future of Natural Resources Law and Policy," the conference will be held June 6-8 at the Wolf Law Building on the CU-Boulder campus.

"The study of natural resources law and policy has often seemed like the study of disparate disciplines," said Mark Squillace, CU law professor and director of the Natural Resources Law Center. "The law relating to water resources, forestry, mineral development and grazing evolved differently and resulted in fundamentally different policy approaches, yet, even within these disciplines, distinct sets of laws and policies have evolved."

But even with the differences in the development of natural resources policy and management, commentators and policymakers in the past several years have begun to understand the many commonalities that exist when managing natural resources, said Squillace.

Top experts in the field of natural resources law and policy will attend the conference and will seek to identify and describe the common themes that bind resources law and policy, he said. The ultimate goal of the conference is to offer a progressive vision about the future direction of natural resources law.

The conference is open to the public and continuing legal education credits are available. A complete conference schedule, registration fees and online registration are posted at .