I am sad to learn that Joseph Feller has died. Joe was a faculty member at Arizona State University's Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law. He was a environmental law scholar and activist, who had earned a PhD in physics at U.C. Berkeley, before attending Harvard Law School. Joe was my classmate at Harvard, and I have many vivid memories of his gentle manner and keen intelligence. His c.v. concludes with a short description of his pro bono activity–a fitting tribute to this champion of the natural world:
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I have represented regional and national conservation organizations in cases before the United States Supreme Court, United States District Courts and Courts of Appeals, the Court of Federal Claims, administrative law judges, and the Interior Board of Land Appeals. Organizations that I have represented include the National Wildlife Federation, the Arizona Wildlife Federation, The Wilderness Society, the Natural Resources Defense Council, the Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, the Maricopa Audubon Society, the Yuma Audubon Society, and the Sierra Club. I have litigated issues arising under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), the Federal Land Policy and Management Act (FLPMA), the Wilderness Act, the Taylor Grazing Act, and the Clean Water Act.
Joe loved the American southwest and fought for its preservation. He made a difference.