Standing up for communities
By Courtney Johnson | April 17, 2025
Being in community helps fuel us for the fights ahead. Here’s a photo from our Summer 2024 hike in Washington Park with our summer interns. Photo by Megan Gleason.
These days, spending time together with friends and co-workers is more important to me than ever. When there are so many crises happening at once, leaning on each other helps us get through these challenges. That’s why it meant so much to me to see so many folks out at our supporter appreciation party last month. Knowing that we are supported by so many wonderful people in our community helps fuel us for the fights ahead.
I loved connecting with friends and supporters at our Supporter Appreciation Party in March. Photo by Mirifoto Photography.
While we continue to track and respond to the Trump administration’s attempts to roll back federal environmental protections, we are also helping to advance so much positive change at the local and state levels. In this newsletter, you’ll read about some of the communities we are working with who are making important changes locally. From coastal residents fighting for wetlands, neighbors challenging a new polluting project, to students and environmental organizations advocating for policy change, our clients are advancing groundbreaking work.
Many of these groups face challenges against well-funded corporations that can afford to hire big law firms. Our team of lawyers adds critical strategic capacity to support those who are fighting every day for our shared future. With the support of our community, we have built a team with the skills and expertise to work across campaigns, and the flexibility to respond to the most pressing issues facing our communities. In this moment of uncertainty brought on by the Trump administration, this nimbleness is our strength. And it’s thanks to the many years we’ve spent developing relationships and trust with you, our community, and our clients, who know they can count on us to be there when they need us most. I hope you feel as uplifted as I do when you read about some of the changemaking work we are doing with our clients.
I’m so grateful for the support of our Board of Directors. Here some of us are together celebrating at last year‘s Lost in the Wild gala. Photo by Mirifoto Photography.
Courtney Johnson, Executive Director
Courtney received her JD cum laude with a certificate in environmental and natural resources law from Lewis & Clark Law School in 2007. As a law student, Courtney interned with Crag Law Center, the Office of Compliance and Enforcement at the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, and San Francisco Baykeeper. Courtney joined Crag Law Center in 2008 as a Staff Attorney and was promoted to Executive Director in November 2018. She has served on the Board of Directors of Bark – the watchdog for Mt. Hood, and formerly chaired the Executive Committee of the Oregon State Bar Sustainable Future Section. When she is not working, Courtney enjoys spending time with her husband and dogs exploring the beautiful Pacific Northwest, cooking, playing soccer, and traveling.