10th Symposium on Advanced Legal Topics in Land Conservation

Cameron is a fourth generation Tucsonan who grew up exploring and enjoying the outdoors from the madrean evergreen Sky Islands down to the coastal deserts on the Sea of Cortez. In his career he has sought to be involved in projects that allow the opportunity to both spend time in and make a difference in beautiful places. After earning a degree in Natural Resources from the University of Arizona in 2012 he held a number of seasonal jobs around the West working on projects such as: a fire restoration study in eastern Oregon; vegetation and endangered species inventories in Utah; and nature preserve stewardship around Arizona. Cameron has been with the Arizona Land and Water Trust since 2015 and oversees all new conservation acquisitions and long term stewardship efforts as the Trust’s Conservation Director.

Thomas J. Bourguignon is an attorney at Maclay Law Firm, a boutique law firm in Missoula, Montana, that specializes in real estate, specifically conservation transactions. Some of Tom’s clients are land trusts, including Prickly Pear Land Trust of Helena, Montana, which works extensively on military-funded projects around Fort Harrison and the Limestone Hills. In his free time, Tom enjoys hiking, kayaking, curling and backyard blacksmithing.

Laura A. Curliss Co. LPA. University of Notre Dame (B.A., 1984) and Notre Dame Law School (J.D., Magna Cum Laude, 1993). Ms. Curliss has worked as a judicial law clerk, in municipal administration, prosecution, and, since 2017, in private practice including a statewide (Ohio) practice in land preservation and related tax law.

In 2004, she founded a local land trust which merged into Cardinal Land Conservancy, Inc. (2015). Cardinal became accredited (2019) and now has a staff of eight serving southwest Ohio. She is Cardinal’s Past President (2016-2018) and an honorary Life Board Member (April 2024). Other volunteer service includes the Terrafirma Claims Committee (2008-2013) and the Alliance Conservation Defense Advisory Council (present).

Ms. Curliss lives in Yellow Springs, Ohio, on the unceded lands of the Shawnee. She shares the land with a roost of black and turkey vultures, pollinators, deer and bird species.

Tom Garry is a Senior Attorney with The Nature Conservancy.  Based in Minneapolis, Tom works on matters involving mitigation, Indigenous rights and conservation finance, including carbon markets. He has an undergraduate degree from Princeton University and legal degrees from the University of Minnesota and the University of Auckland.  Outside work, you can find Tom cycling, cheering for his children at the hockey rink or trying to tire out the family dog.

Enock Glidden, born with Spina Bifida, has mastered adaptive equipment to become an accomplished skier, rock climber, hiker and athlete in tennis, basketball, paragliding and skydiving. His most notable achievement is a 5-day ascent of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park.

Driven by his experiences, Glidden inspires others to replace “I can’t” with “How can I?” as he shares his message worldwide. As a blogger and consultant, he works to improve outdoor accessibility, ensuring people of all abilities can enjoy nature.

Now based in Maine, Glidden is on a mission to connect everyone with the outdoors, both locally and beyond!

Rachel Hampton is a Senior Attorney with The Nature Conservancy, based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. She provides legal services to TNC Chapters in the Midwest. She is also the Chair of the Legal Fire Team and is TNC’s legal advisor on the Americans with Disabilities Act. Before joining TNC in 2002, Rachel practiced real estate and environmental law at Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP (formerly Faegre and Benson LLP) in Minneapolis. Rachel received a J.D. from Yale Law School in 1999, a Masters of Environmental Studies from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies in 1999, and a B.A. in Biology from the University of Minnesota in 1994.

Since 2003, Rob Levin has run a solo law practice specializing in land conservation and nonprofit organizations. Levin consults frequently for the Land Trust Alliance, including researching case law, drafting amicus briefs and keeping track of conservation easement enabling statutes. He represents dozens of Maine and New Hampshire land trusts. Rob graduated from Haverford College in 1996 and from New York University Law School in 2001. After law school, he served as a judicial clerk in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. When he’s not in the office, Levin is recalling the words of E.B. White, trying to decide whether to save or savor the world on any given day. You might find him planning a climate disobedience action. Or biking across the country with his family. Or volunteering at his local Quaker meeting. Or listening to the latest Red Sox game while playing the piano.

In 1995 Jonathan Rotter joined The Nature Conservancy’s Global Legal Team. He has over 25 years of climate change experience. Jonathan has presented on topics related to climate as well as government grants and international and conservation law and policy. He currently serves as a Senior Attorney for the Conservancy in which capacity he chairs the Conservancy’s Climate Change Legal Practice Team and provides legal support to the Conservancy’s global climate change staff. Jonathan has been a member of the Virginia Bar since 1995. He grew up in South Carolina and attended Georgetown University and the College of Charleston as an undergraduate, completing a dual degree in Physics and Political Science. A member of the Virginia Bar, Jonathan earned his J.D. from the William & Mary School of Law. He lives in Arlington Virginia with his wife Lisa, two kids and a very loving COVID dog.

Lisa Ryan joined The Nature Conservancy staff in December 2022. Her career in disability advocacy began in 1997 at the Center for International Learning in Boston, Mass., where she served as the ADA Coordinator and taught ESL and Citizenship classes for students with limited English proficiency. She went on to work at the MFA in Boston, leading an educational program for youth and adults with disabilities. In her 20 year career, she has helped communities, schools, non-profits and private businesses increase accessibility to their programs and physical spaces through training, consultation and site assessments.

Steve Swartz spent 18+ years as general counsel of the Humane Society Wildlife Land Trust in Washington, D.C. before stepping down in 2018. He was also a senior attorney for the Trust's parent organization handling real estate matters and broader risk management and litigation issues. Prior to joining the land trust in 1999, he was in private practice for nearly 20 years concentrating in the areas of real estate law and governmental regulation with particular emphasis on litigation, arbitration, and dispute resolution. Since retiring in 2020, he spends his time as a volunteer advisor for other land trusts and nonprofits in the Washington D.C. area, including a stint as board chair of the Charles Koiner Conservancy for Urban Farming. Steve is an alumnus of the Land Trust Accreditation Commission and the Alliance's Conservation Defense Advisory Council, a volunteer on other Alliance projects, and a frequent presenter at Rally.

David Watkins has been practicing law in Ohio for 32 years. He is the lead litigation attorney for the Plank Law Firm in Columbus, Ohio. He has extensive experience negotiating and litigating real estate matters with a special emphasis on eminent domain litigation and administrative appeals. He was the lead trial counsel for the Bailey family in their litigation with Columbia Gas of Ohio in Columbia Gas of Ohio, Inc. v. Patrick E. Bailey, 2023-Ohio-1245, the case in which the Ohio Third District Court of Appeals applied the Ohio prior public use doctrine to the Baileys’ agricultural easement in favor of the Ohio Department of Agriculture. He has represented other agricultural easement holders in Ohio courts and before the Ohio Power Siting Board.

David Watkins has been active in the pickle industry since 1977. He has held a Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act license to buy and sell produce for forty years.