The Center for Wildlife Law is the only national center dedicated to education, research and analysis of state, national and international wildlife laws.

Established at the Institute of Public Law, University of New Mexico School of Law in 1990, the Center's mission is to raise the level of understanding and discussion about wildlife issues through interdisciplinary education, training, analysis and publication on wildlife law and policy issues.

Permanent and on-going projects of the Center for Wildlife Law are the Wild Friends Program and the Wildlife Law News Quarterly.

The Wild Friends program is for junior and senior high school youth. They learn hands-on about wildlife law, civics and lobbying through studying the wildlife situation in their state and proposing laws and resolutions for state representatives, to better protect wildlife and habitat.

The Wildlife Law News Quarterly is a quarterly magazine about wildlife laws in the US and the world. Its articles cover interesting developments, problems, solutions and legal challenges in the area of wildlife law. In addition to the quarterly magazine, subscribers receive the weekly news alerts via email and member access to the Wildlife Law News Quarterly website, where they can search past issues to research specific topics.
Ruth S. Musgrave, Center for Wildlife Law Founder and Director Ruth Musgrave is the founder and director of the Center for Wildlife Law at the Institute of Public Law. Since founding the Center in 1990, she has managed many projects concerning wildlife and biodiversity law, including training, youth education, facilitation, drafting legislation, research and publication. Ms. Musgrave is editor of the Wildlife Law News Quarterly and the online “Wildlife Law News Weekly Alerts.” She has been an Adjunct Professor and a Visiting Associate Professor at the University of New Mexico School of Law. Musgrave serves on the board of trustees of national and international wildlife nonprofit organizations. She is the trustee of the Frances V.R. Seebe Charitable Trust. Ms. Musgrave holds an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from The Colorado College, Colorado Springs. She earned her Juris Doctor from the University of New Mexico School of Law in 1979, where she was lead articles editor for the Natural Resources Journal. She was law clerk to Chief Judge Oliver Seth of the U.S. Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals; was an Assistant United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico; and was in private practice for almost ten years before founding the Center for Wildlife Law. Carolyn Byers, Wild Friends Program Director Carolyn Byers co-founded the Wild Friends Program with Ruth Musgrave, director of the Center for Wildlife Law. Carolyn is a co-author of Wild Friends: Kids Bringing People Together on Wildlife Issues (Center for Wildlife Law, 1992 and 1999). She works with educators, policymakers and professionals, oversees the program budget, supervises staff, contractors, and volunteers; provides direction to participating teachers and students; and guides development of educational projects, materials and the website. In 2004, she served on the New Mexico Blue Ribbon Panel for Parks Education which reviewed the New Mexico State Parks’ outdoor education program. Judy A. Flynn-O'Brien, Wild Friends Program Legal Educator Judy is currently the director of the Children’s Law Center. She has practiced environmental and natural resource law for twenty years, and has conducted training seminars for wildlife professionals on natural resource law. She was project manager for the environmental impact statement on critical habitat designation for the Rio Grande silvery minnow, facilitated the New Mexico Biodiversity Strategy project, and has co-authored two books on wildlife law and a handbook on New Mexico biodiversity law.  Susan George, Senior Staff Attorney Susan George is a Senior Staff Attorney with the Institute of Public Law, where she works on public interest issues such as wildlife protection and biodiversity conservation. Prior to this, she served as Senior Counsel for Defenders of Wildlife for twelve years, where she co-authored numerous publications state wildlife law issues, including "Saving Biodiversity: State Laws, Policies and Programs" and "Protecting New Mexico's Natural Heritage: Recommendations on Steps Toward a Comprehensive Biodiversity Conservation Strategy for New Mexico."  Ms. George also worked for the Western Environmental Law Center, as well as in a private firm where she focused on civil litigation and environmental issues, and has been an adjunct professor at the University of New Mexico School of Law, where she taught Wildlife Law. Susan is a 1988 graduate of the University of New Mexico School of Law, where she was a Lead Articles Editor for the Natural Resources Journal and earned a Natural Resources certificate. She is a native of New Mexico, and is active in the Albuquerque community, having served on several boards and committees such as the East Mountain Open Space Committee and the Albuquerque Preschool Cooperative Board.
 
Current Projects


Wildlife Law News Quarterly a newsletter which reports on developments in wildlife law, including pending litigation and rulings (subscribe now!)

the
Wildlife Law News Weekly Alerts
, reporting each week by email.

the Federal Wildlife and Related Laws Handbook, (679 pp., Gov't.  Institutes, 1998) a volume summarizing federal statutes and international treaties affecting wildlifeand its companion, 

State Wildlife Laws Handbook
 (850 pp., Gov't. Inst., 1993), the first summary and comparison of fish and wildlife codes of the 50 states

the
NEPA Environmental Impact Statement
for reintroduction of the Mexican gray wolf under the Endangered Species Act

A collaborative project with Defenders of Wildlife to survey and identify current state efforts and legislation to conserve biodiversity.
Law-Related Education: Wild Friends
With funds provided by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation and the New Mexico state legislature, CWL piloted Wild Friends, a wildlife education program for rural and semi-rural youth. At-risk and other middle school students and senior citizens are brought together for hands-on learning about wildlife issues and the legislative process. A network of dozens of local and national organizations have collaborated to make this program a success since 1992. Wild Friends was nominated for a 1994 Generations United Leadership Award.
Other Center projects have included:
Center for Wildlife Law Publications
With MANY thanks to...
  • Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation
  • W.K. Kellogg Foundation
  • Frost Foundation
  • Deer Creek Foundation
  • Defenders of Wildlife
  • Dorr Foundation
  • Humane Society of the U.S.
  • Maki Foundation
  • Thaw Foundation
  • New Mexico State Legislature
  • Wild Oats Community Markets
  • Public Service Company of New Mexico Foundation
  • National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
  • US Fish and Wildlife National Conservation Training Center
  • International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies
  • U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Federal Aid National Office
  • U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Federal Aid Region 2
  • U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Ecological Services, Region 2
  • Hawaii Coalition of Exotic Species
  • Office of Technology Assessment
  • Dr. Lula Josephson
  • U.S. Dept. of Interior Bureau of Reclamation
  • United States Geological Survey

Environmental and Wildlife Organizations of the Southwest Region

ABSEARCH, IncDatabases of abstracts and full citations for Wildlife, Ecology, Fisheries, Ornithology, Mammalogy, Zoology, Conservation Biology, Fire Ecology, Ichthyology, Herpetology, & Natural Resources.

American Society of Limnology and Oceanography

American Ornithologists' Union

Animal Legal Defense Fund The country's leading animal rights law organization working nationally to defend animals from abuse and exploitation.

Arizona BASS Federation Home Page

Arizona Conservation CouncilBox 11112, Phoenix, AZ 85601. A council of statewide citizen's organizations representing a broad spectrum of general and specific conservation interests.

Arizona Partners In Flight An international cooperative program of agencies, organizations, and individuals committed to conserving neotropical migratory birds. Arizona Partners In Flight is a sub-group of this international program, . Its goal is to maintain healthy populations of neotropical migratory birds and their habitats in Arizona and adjacent lands in Mexico, through cooperative projects. This site is maintained by the U.S.G.S. Biological Resources Division Colorado Plateau Field Station at Northern Arizona University, in cooperation with the Arizona Game and Fish Department and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Arizona Wildlife Federation The goals of t he Arizona Wildlife Federation include maintenance of the Arizona Game and Fish Department as a politically independent agency with the necessary regulatory powers, technical capability and funds for proper management of Arizona's wildlife resources. To seek constructive legislation dealing with conservation of natural resources, the protection of the rights of Arizona outsdoorspersons, and the improvement of outdoor recreation. And, to defeat legislation which appears detrimental to the natural resources or the public interest.

Association of Field Ornithologists, Inc.

BIOSIS a not-for-profit organization, has collected and organized one of the world's largest collection of abstracts and bibliographic references to worldwide biological and medical literature.

Birdnet by the Ornithological Council, a public information organization founded by seven North American Professional Ornithological Societies

Birds of Prey Foundation

Birds of the Continental United States and Canada

Center for Environmental Law The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) is a public interest, not-for-profit environmental law firm founded in 1989 to bring the energy and experience of the U.S. public interest environmental movement to strengthen and develop international and comparative environmental law, policy, and management around the world.

Defenders of Wildlife is dedicated to the protection of all native wild animals and plants in their natural communities.

Environmental Defense Fund studies a broad range of regional, national and international environmental issues. In recent years EDF has become a leading advocate of economic incentives as a new approach to solving environmental problems.

Forest Guardians is leading the movement to protect and restore the forests, rivers, grasslands and wilderness of the Southwest.

Grand Canyon Trust is dedicated to the conservation of the natural and cultural resources of the Colorado Plateau. The Trust’s Utah office emphasizes issues related to Southern Utah.

Horticultural & Plant Societies

National Wildlife Federation is the nation's largest member-supported conservation group, uniting individuals, organizations, businesses and government to protect wildlife, wild places, and the environment.

Native American Fish and Wildlife Society

Native Plant Society of Texas

Natural Heritage Institute programs gather standardized data on endangered plants, animals and ecosystems.

Natural Heritage Programs maintain databases on the plants, animals, and ecosystems that occur within their political jurisdiction. The Nature Conservancy's central scientific databases and the state natural heritage programs together contain a catalogue of all the vertebrate animals and vascular plants known from North America, plus many species on invertebrate animals and nonvascular plants.

Natural Resources Defense Council

Nature Conservancy, Arizona Chapter The Nature Conservancy operates the largest private system of nature sanctuaries in the world--more than 1,500 preserves in the United States alone. All of them safeguard imperiled species of plants and animals.

Navajo Nation Natural Heritage Program

New Mexico Wildlife Association The New Mexico Wildlife Association manages Wildlife West, a wildlife nature park, located nineteen miles east of Albuquerque and 50 miles south of Santa Fe in southern Santa Fe county. It is dedicated to the preservation of native New Mexico wildlife and its habitat through education, scientific research, and the sponsorship of a wildlife park.

Oklahoma Wildlife Federation3900 North Santa Fe Avenue, Oklahoma City, OK, 73118, Phone (405)-524-7009; FAX (405)-521-9270

The Orion Society is an environmental education organization, and a communications and support network for grassroots environmental and community organizations across the U.S.

Project VireoBird slides of approximately 5000 species of birds from the Academy of Natural Sciences.

Raptor Research Foundation, Inc.

Rocky Mountain Environmental Directory

The Rincon Institute: 7290 E. Broadway Blvd., Suite M, Tucson, AZ 85710; 520-290-0828, Fax: 520-290-0969 ; Email: Contact: Mark Briggs; The Rincon Institute is a nonprofit conservation organization whose mission is to protect the natural resources of the Saguaro National Park and adjoining lands

The Sierra Club is a nonprofit member-supported,public interest organization that promotes conservation of the natural environment by influencing public policy decisions--legislative, administrative, legal, and electoral.

Society for Conservation Biology (Rice University) is an international professional organization dedicated to promoting the scientific study of the phenomena that affect the maintenance, loss, and restoration of biological diversity.

Society for Conservation Biology is an international professional organization dedicated to promoting the scientific study of the phenomena that affect the maintenance, loss, and restoration of biological diversity

Southern Plains Environmental Directory

Southwest Center for Biological Diversity Biodiversity activists in the Southwest who combine conservation biology with legal strategies.

Texas Reptile Linksmaintained by the Texas Reptile Connection

Texas Environmental Center is a non-profit organization extending environmental information through modern technologies.

Texas Wildlife Assocation

Trout Unlimited, Arizona Chapters 4001 N. 3rd St. #400, Phoenix AZ 85012, (602) 264-5840 (Carm Moehle). Chapters in Greer, Lees Ferry, Phoenix, and Tucson. International organization formed to preserve, protect and enhance the cold water resource.

Western Environmental Law Center specializes in environmental law enforcement, working with grassroots citizen groups and Native American tribes to implement the nation's environmental laws.

World Wildlife Fund

Wildlife Society is dedicated to sustainable management of wildlife resources and their habitats. (Arizona Chapter: Richard G. Miller, 1200 Shallenburger, Flagstaff, AZ 86001, (520)774-5046.) Texas Chapter.)

Wildlife Website DirectoryAmphibians, Badgers, Bats, Birds, Bears, Dolphins, Elephants, Felines, Fishes, Foxes, General Endangered Species, General Hoofed Animals, General Marine Mammals, Insects, Orca, Otters, Primates, Reptiles, Rodents, Rhino, Tortoises, Urban Wildlife, Waterfowl, Whales, Wild Dogs, Wildlife Rehabilitation, Wolves.