Lewis & Clark Law Review
First Page
841
Abstract
The public trust doctrine creates a relationship between states and their citizens under which the states are entrusted with protecting natural resources for public use. Though Oregon recognizes the public trust doctrine, recent decisions from Oregon’s Supreme Court have displaced and fractured this doctrine, leaving the current legal landscape surrounding the public trust doctrine in disarray. This Note focuses on Lake Abert, Oregon’s only saline lake, which in recent years, due to mismanagement and neglect, has undergone dramatic ecological shifts. By looking at arguments rooted in Oregon’s Constitution, as well as judicial approaches taken in neighboring states, this Note examines possible avenues to advocate for Lake Abert under the public trust doctrine.
Recommended Citation
Joseph Arzt,
The Public Trust Doctrine and Lake Abert: Saving Oregon’s Only Salt Lake,
28
Lewis & Clark L. Rev.
841
(2025).
Available at:
https://lawcommons.lclark.edu/lclr/vol28/iss4/5