At Lewis & Clark Law School, environmental law is both studied and practiced. Daniel Rohlf is one of the many professors at that intersection of scholarship and action.
Professor Rohlf brings decades of experience in environmental litigation, wildlife conservation, and environmental legal education to the classroom. His work demonstrates how environmental law, biodiversity protection, and public lands policy shape ecosystems, communities, economies, and futures.
Environmental Law and the Endangered Species Act
A deep interest in wildlife issues, biodiversity, and particularly the Endangered Species Act motivated Professor Rohlf to attend law school. Substantial scholarship followed, including authoring The Endangered Species Act: A Guide to Its Protections and Implementation, which won the National Wildlife Federation book award. At the same time, he began working with the nonprofit organization now known as Earthjustice, focusing on grizzly bear conservation.
After clerking for a justice on the Alaska Supreme Court, Professor Rohlf accepted a research fellowship at Lewis & Clark, which he knew as “a top law school in environmental law, in a beautiful part of the country, and right in the middle of very important and fascinating legal issues surrounding biodiversity and habitat conservation. It was a perfect combination.”
Scholarship Meets Practice: Salmon Litigation and Conservation Law
Professor Rohlf’s academic career has always been inseparable from active legal practice. Soon after arriving at Lewis & Clark, he contributed to salmon conservation efforts in the Columbia River Basin, where 13 species of salmon and steelhead are listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. His work examines how environmental law intersects with hydropower, irrigation, transportation, recreation, tribal rights, and regional identity.
That commitment to practical experience also led him and Professor Craig Johnston to co-found Lewis & Clark’s domestic environmental law clinic, Earthrise Law Center, nearly 30 years ago. Through the clinic, students gain hands-on experience in federal environmental litigation, working with real clients on real cases. It’s an invaluable opportunity for those pursuing careers in environmental advocacy, environmental policy, and conservation law.
Courses That Connect Law, Science, and Sustainability
Professor Rohlf teaches a wide range of courses in both in-person and online formats, including:
- Wildlife Law
- Natural Resources Law and Science
- Public Lands Law
- Law, Science, and the Environment
- Sustainability in Law and Business
His classes frequently incorporate current events, helping students connect real-time developments to statutory frameworks and regulatory processes. Discussions may explore ethical dilemmas such as managing invasive species or balancing competing conservation priorities.
Environmental and natural resource management often requires translating complex ecological data into enforceable legal standards. “Learning the law itself helps us unravel those complexities, because the law has specific requirements and standards,” Professor Rohlf says.
Online Learning with Global Perspectives and Evolving Structures
Professor Rohlf has embraced online legal education as a powerful tool for expanding access. Through Lewis & Clark’s online programs, he has taught students from across the United States and around the world. Online learning, he notes, offers flexibility and a global perspective. At the same time, he encourages students to actively engage to maximize their experience. Attending live office hours, participating in discussions, and connecting with peers are all important.
This program serves students who are early-career professionals seeking specialized expertise, mid-career leaders enhancing their policy skills, and attorneys transitioning into environmental advocacy. He sees education as a catalyst for meaningful impact. The program’s diversity, in every sense, is to its credit. “Having people from a wider variety of backgrounds doing some really interesting things,” he says, “can benefit everybody in class.”
Graduates of Lewis & Clark’s environmental law programs have gone on to:
- Lead environmental nonprofit organizations
- Work in government environmental agencies
- Shape public lands policy
- Serve in Congress
- Oversee wildlife and natural resource management at the state level
No matter what path their careers take, Professor Rohlf hopes that his students’ biggest takeaways are “The information to make a difference and the passion to do the work. I try to impart both.”