Casey Bage: 2022 Wyss Scholar will focus on natural resources and public lands issues.

Casey Bage (’23) is one of two Wyss Scholars selected from Lewis & Clark Law School in 2022. Funded by the Wyss Foundation, a private, charitable foundation dedicated to land conservation, the Wyss Scholars Program seeks to identify and support a new generation of leaders focused on land conservation issues.

Casey grew up hiking the oak groves of southern California and camping in the Sierra Nevada range. Moving up to Oregon for college, he graduated from Willamette University with a BA in politics and policy as well as an MBA in sustainability. After college, he worked for environmental nonprofits
including Environment Oregon, OSPIRG, Environment California, and Columbia Riverkeeper protecting old growth forests from clear cutting and the Columbia River from various threats. After organizing within environmental nonprofits, he worked in the solar energy industry furthering the adoption of solar energy to combat climate change.

At Lewis & Clark Law School, Casey has volunteered with the Northwest Environmental Defense Center (NEDC) as a project coordinator. He sits on the board of the student organization Students Eliminating Environmental Discrimination (SEED) that focuses on environmental justice and equity. He was a law
and policy clerk for the Green Energy Institute in summer 2021 focusing on judicial and policy efforts to further address climate change and a just transition. He is also a managing editor for Environmental Law Review 2022–23. His 2022 summer will be devoted to clerking at Earthrise Law Center at Lewis & Clark Law School working on a variety of natural resources and public lands issues.

Casey’s commitment to conservation begins and ends with exploration of our forests, deserts, and coastlines. His experiences in the outdoors have shaped his lifelong devotion to preserving, expanding, and rehabilitating our natural world for future generations. In his own words, “Every day I work to make our world more sustainable, equitable, and beautiful. Earth’s wild places and the biodiversity within
them are inexorably interconnected with ourselves and our success. My future will be devoted to advocating on behalf of those lands and creatures, ensuring that a flourishing world is left behind in my stead.”

Lewis & Clark Law School was selected in 2017 to be part of the Wyss Scholars Program. Funded by the Wyss Foundation, a private, charitable foundation dedicated to land conservation, the Wyss Scholars Program seeks to identify and support a new generation of leaders focused on land conservation issues. The selected Lewis & Clark Scholars will receive a $5,000 stipend for qualifying work in their 2L summer, a contribution towards tuition during 3L year, and two post- graduate payments if they are working in a qualifying position. Lewis & Clark is one of only a few law schools in the country selected for this program.

Glenda Valdez (’23) is the other Wyss Scholar for 2022.

For additional information about the Wyss Scholar’s program please visit our webpage.