We are pleased to announce we have launched a national search for the inaugural pair of Getches-Wilkinson Water Fellows.
The Getches-Wilkinson Fellows Program is a first-of-its-kind initiative designed to train the next generation of leaders in natural resources fields. The intensive two-year program will immerse the two Fellows in the real world challenges of water law and policy. The Fellows will address critical issues affecting western watersheds, conduct reform-oriented research on pressing issues, and interact with public and private sector leaders to inform policymaking. The Fellows will be actively engaged in water law reform in the public interest and will hone their leadership, communication, advocacy, and research skills. The overarching objective is to create a matchless educational and mentoring experience that will leapfrog their careers and prepare the Fellows to become leaders in their chosen practice areas.
“Fellows will get training from the most experienced people in the field, and then bring diverse voices and creative energy to the region’s most pressing natural resource challenges,” said Sarah Krakoff, Moses Lasky Professor of Law.
The Colorado River provides water and electricity for people throughout the basin states, including residents of Denver, Salt Lake City, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Tucson, Las Vegas, and Albuquerque. It irrigates over 3 million acres of crops and pasture; provides abundant recreational opportunities for rafting, fishing, boating, and hiking; and serves as habitat for a multitude of fish and wildlife species, including several endangered native fish. Increasingly, demand for this important natural resource is outstripping supply.
“In Colorado and beyond there is a rising need for thoughtful policy initiatives at all levels of government to manage water usage throughout the Colorado River Basin,” Krakoff said. “The GWC sees an opportunity to help address this unmet need, and similar ones throughout western watersheds, while training the next generation of outstanding and diverse leaders in water law.”
The Getches-Wilkinson Fellows program was initiated by a generous donation from David Bonderman – lawyer, business executive, and significant supporter of conservation initiatives. The matching funds came from an anonymous GWC supporter and the Water Funder Initiative – a collaborative effort to identify and activate promising water solutions through strategic philanthropic investments in the United States, starting in the West.
For more information on the GWC Fellows Program contact Shaun LaBarre, GWC Deputy Director at shaun.labarre@colorado.edu or 303.492.1286.