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"The Curious Case of the Endangered Snail Darter"

Celebrate the 40th anniversary of the passage of the Endangered Species Act, one of the United States' strongest environmental laws, with a special talk by law professor Zygmunt Plater.

The famous snail darter case - the Supreme Court's 1978 decision in TVA v. Hill - still stands as the most important milestone in the Endangered Species Act's four decades of conservation. Charged with high drama, it featured a rag-tag band of environmentalists squaring off against one of the most prolific dam-building agencies on the planet.

As a young law professor, Zyg Plater collected money in a hat to begin the fight against the Tennessee Valley Authority's scheme to build Tellico Dam -- he was later fired for his efforts. The case was generally reported as “a silly little fish stopping a huge hydroelectric dam,” but the true story is quite different. 

Professor Plater will tell the amazing tale of how he and a handful of students and farmers carried their fight for the Little Tennessee River through the corridors of federal agencies, the U.S. Supreme Court, and finally to the President himself. It’s a story that has impact and resonates today, with environmentalists’ efforts to protect and restore endangered species and the ecosystems upon which they depend. 

Please join us for this exciting and enlightening presentation – how an important case has helped shape the Endangered Species Act's destiny. Sponsored by the Walter Krause Economics Lecture Fund and the economics department at Reed College. Co-sponsored by the Animal Law Journal of Lewis and Clark Law School and the Audubon Society of Portland – with special appearances by Portland Audubon’s education birds.

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